Self hibernation Campaign - Brothers in Arms

By Hardy Kenwright

Brothers in Arms: 
       
Barlow and Anderson at Gettysburg:
A sad aspect of this conflict is the fact that so many former friends have found themselves ranged against each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. This was the case on the second day of the bloody encounter at Gettysburg between the rebel Army of North Virginia and our own Army of the Potomac.

General Francis Barlow

Poisoned Chalice:
South of Gettysburg are a number of small rocky hills on which M.G. George Meade had placed part of XI Corps to anchor his Army’s left flank. B.G. Francis Barlow and his Brigade was assigned to hold Bushman’s Hill for as long as he could and with no hope of reinforcement. It had to be held to prevent the rebels being free to assault the strategic ‘Round Top’ from two directions at once. M.G. Paul De Krackere gave this difficult task to ‘Young’ Barlow due to his tenacious reputation in defence. 

Barlow Falls v Anderson:

General Richard Anderson

As luck would have it, the first wave of attackers Barlow faced were led by his good friend B.G. Richard H. Anderson. For over two hours Barlow’s boys held on under the repeated attacks. Eventually the pressure told and at around 12:30 Barlow was caught, amongst others, in a hail of fire and fell wounded. Anderson, then stood his battered Brigade aside and let Laws’ Brigade (now led by Sheffield) storm through and finally clear the heights. The unfortunate Barlow was bayoneted during the ensuing hand-to-hand fighting and left for dead.

A friend in Need:
Barlow would have bled to death had it not been for the good luck that his friend Anderson stumbled across his body. Finding him still alive, Anderson arranged for Barlow to be taken back to a field hospital, an action that saved his life.

Soon after aiding B.G. Barlow, B.G. Anderson was himself wounded by a minie bullet and joined his friend in the same field hospital. The story is taken up by Alf Abbett of the Gettysburg ‘Star and Banner’ Newspaper.

Arabella Barlow

Anderson's wound, though painful, proved to be relatively minor and after he was patched up, he sent word to Barlow's wife Arabella to enter the Confederate camp to tend to her wounded husband. When the Confederate army was to leave Pennsylvania and return south, Anderson had Barlow and his wife made comfortable in a small farmhouse and they remined behind.

It was widely thought that Barlow would still die of his wounds but as luck would have it the couple were picked up by Union forces that took Barlow back to the nearest field hospital where he is being gradually nursed back to health by his dutiful wife. Arabella Barlow always thanked General Anderson for his mindfulness of her husband in such strained times

Lightning Strikes Twice!
It is a strange coincidence that both gentlemen were also wounded at Antietam last year; Anderson in the thigh and Barlow with both a shrapnel wound to his face and grape shot wounds to his groin.

Maybe the respective High Commands should avoid putting both Generals on the same battlefield?