In the September issue of the REVIEW, I described a 15mm battle, the 'Second Day At Gettysburg', set up by Rich Hasenaeur using his FIRE AND FURY rules. I mentioned that I was on the Confederate side, in charge of Anderson's Division in the Third Army Corps, commanded by Lt. General A. P. Hill. The highlight of the article focused on the exploits of what I termed the "Dinky Brigade", a 4-stand brigade which was commanded by a fellow named Lang. The Dinky Brigade was so named because it was the smallest of my five brigades; the other four had either 7 or 9 stands in them. Out of curiousity, I looked into the BATTLES AND LEADERS series on the ACW, just to find out a wee bit more on Lang's Dinky Brigade. I traced Anderson's Division back to Fredericksburg (December 1862), then Chancellorsville (May 1863), and finally Gettysburg (July 1863). In December, 1862, at Fredericksburq, Anderson's Division was under Longstreet's First Army Corps. Mention is made of a Captain David Lang in command of the 8th Florida. The 8th Florida is one of three Florida regiments (the 2nd, the 5th, and the 8th) comprising Perry's Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General E. A. Perry. Anderson's Division has a total of five brigades, of which Perry's Brigade is one. All brigades are named after their brigadier. Next we come to May, 1863, at Chancellorsville, where the order of battle states that Anderson's Division is still in the First Army Corps, it is still composed of five brigades, that Brigadier General Perry is still in charge of Perry's Brigade, and that Perry's Brigade is still composed of the 2nd, 5th and 8th Florida. No mention is made, however, of Lang. And now, the mystery. Two months later, in July, 1863, at Gettysburg, we still have Perry's Brigade listed as one of five in Anderson's Division, but this time, instead of Brigadier General Perry as the commander, we have Colonel David Lang. And again we see the 2nd, 5th and 8th Florida, but now, Colonel Lang is not only in charge of the entire brigade, but he's also serving as the commanding officer of the 8th Florida. Questions arise... General Perry dropped out between May and July, 1863, even though his brigade still kept his name. Where was Perry at the battle of Gettysburg? And what did Lang do to earn a promotion from captain - in December, 1862 -- to colonel -- in July, 1863? And why didn't Colonel Lang relinquish command of the 8th Florida at Gettysburg when he assumed command of the entire brigade? Back to PW Review October 1993 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 Wally Simon This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com