What Was The Role of David Herold

[BettyO]

Quote:Even when Powell was in regular Confederate units, do we have any indication as to how much hand-to-hand combat he experienced?

Laurie - we really don't have any indication that Powell ever participated in hand to hand. He could have; he also could not have. He wasn't as involved in the various battles as previously thought. He was sick in the hospital with the measles from May to September 1861 - and therefore missed First Manassas. He fought at Williamsburg (his baptism under fire) and Yorktown in Spring of 1861 and then started on the Gaines Mill/Mechanicsville Seven Pines Campaign in the Spring of 1862, but fell seriously ill (we don't know with what) in June of 1862 and right during the Gaines Mill campaign was transported by ambulance to the Florida Hospital in Richmond where he stayed until October 30, 1862. He missed Antietam, but was present at Fredericksburg where his unit was in reserve during the entire battle. He fought at Chancellorsville and then Gettysburg where he was captured.

For such a strapping boy, he was more or less quite ill a lot of the time!