Today (July 1) begins the 3-day sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg, and I’m still giving away Jackson Speed books in recognition of the anniversary.

I have two more questions and the first person to answer one or both correctly wins a book.

Question 1:

At 10:15 a.m. on July 1, 1863 – 150 years ago right now as I post this – the commanding Union general on the field in these first hours of the battle was shot through the back of his head as he turned in his horse looking to direct reinforcements coming up from the Emmistburg Road. He was at the edge of McPherson’s Woods when he was shot. Historians debate if it was a sharpshooter, a volley or even friendly fire that brought him down, and some place the time of his death a little later than 10:15. General Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg, said of this general that he was his “noblest and bravest.” This general also turned down command of the Army of the Potomac because he feared he would not have the ability to command the army has he saw fit due to interference from Washington D.C. Who was he?

Question 2:

Around 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the opening day of the Battle of Gettysburg a Confederate brigadier serving under Division Commander Robert Rodes ordered his men on Oak Hill to attack at the base of the hill in a wheat field just south of the Mummasburg Road. His 1,500 North Carolinians advanced (while their brigadier remained behind), unable to see that there were superior numbers of Federals hiding behind a stone wall. The Confederates were completely exposed. When they were at nearly point-blank range, the Union soldiers – who vastly outnumbered the North Carolinians – stood from behind their stone wall and fired into the mass of butternut. In a flash, 500 men were killed and fell dead in almost a straight line. Some of the men accused their brigadier general of drunkenness or cowardice or both. The “pits” where the North Carolinians were buried in common graves were forever named for this brigadier who so poorly led his men. Who was he?

Use the form below to send me your best guesses. And, as always, if you are too lazy to Bing the answer, you can always just go to amazon.com and buy the books.