tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post4341788678877431624..comments2024-02-21T08:35:35.568-05:00Comments on Spotsylvania Civil War Blog: The Sunken Road and Captain Russell's PhotographJohn Cummingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664001896165763192noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post-63661689804814406632010-04-28T18:11:00.718-04:002010-04-28T18:11:00.718-04:00John, Good thoughts, and knowing the grade has cha...John, Good thoughts, and knowing the grade has changed does matter. The idea of a "separate pedestrian walkway" makes sense, but I am still puzzled by the depth of the ditch. Would sem to be a public nuisance in some ways. It seems too deep for a mere drainage ditch, but then I am hardly an expert on drainage patterns at the foot of Marye's Heights. Either way, your work remains a great piece of detective work and you are to be applauded for your effors. Keep up the great work.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757915812135538711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post-35235492985599174162010-04-28T05:15:42.147-04:002010-04-28T05:15:42.147-04:00One more thought regarding the ditch behind the wa...One more thought regarding the ditch behind the wall. Logic would hold that the "relative" safety of men in the rear would not have been achieved at the expense of those on the actual firing line. Placing the removed dirt of the "trench" on top of the ground to the front would have decreased the protective height of the wall and compromised the men crouched behind it.John Cummingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15664001896165763192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post-73459868293246704002010-04-27T19:44:27.218-04:002010-04-27T19:44:27.218-04:00Dave, I appreciate your comments. I will however o...Dave, I appreciate your comments. I will however offer some additional thoughts of my own as to why I will maintain that the ditch is indeed a ditch. First, as to the advantage it would have provided for additional cover, that would have been minimal considering that it is hardly a foot deep toward the middle of the road. Second, it is dug like a trough or gutter with a rounded bottom better suited as a channel for runoff. I believe that what we see was an effort by the locals to create a somewhat elevated pedestrian "sidewalk" so that the entire roadway was not a mire during periods of rain. If seasoned veterans had been dispatched to create an improved defensive position I think the construction of it would reflect characteristics of other earthworks, chiefly squared off sides and bottom and at least another foot deeper.<br />What could be construed as a firing step on the left edge is strictly coincidence. Bear in mind that the road grade we see today is not a reflection of the wartime grade. The ground closest to the wall was higher than the middle. John Hennessy went on further in his article to state that the present road surface "rides between six" and twelve" above the original level."<br />That's my take on it.John Cummingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15664001896165763192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post-5515617179952301462010-04-27T18:22:44.489-04:002010-04-27T18:22:44.489-04:00This is a great article, with solid research. How...This is a great article, with solid research. However, I do not agree with the assertion that is merely a "drainage ditch" with no martial bearing. In fact, I believe you can plainly see the "relocated excavated dirt" up along the wall, thus creating the distinct "step" seen to the immediate left of the ditch itself. I should think that was created - as always assumed - so men could stand in "relative" safety while loading weapons which were then handed up to those kneeling behind the wall itself. In addition, the ditch looks to be a relatively fresh marr on the landscape, with no noticable effects from water run-off. Just the observations of a Civil War student.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757915812135538711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693055636846442705.post-7384785904415757642010-04-27T16:18:25.322-04:002010-04-27T16:18:25.322-04:00This is outstanding work, John.This is outstanding work, John.Pat Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17366914112183317711noreply@blogger.com