Longstreet's Silent Charge at Gettysburg-- Part 2: The "Acoustic Shadow"

Longstreet took a long time to prepare his attack and didn't step off until late afternoon.  But, when he did attack,  Ewell did not know as he could not hear any artillery or fighting.  Longstreet was just narrowly beaten on July 2, 1863, and Ewell's lack of action might very well have contributed to it.

So, why didn't Ewell hear Longstreet?  According to physicist and military expert Charles D. Ross, Ewell was likely in the midst of an acoustic shadow, an atmospheric phenomenon caused by a combination of geography, heat and wind by which sound is "stopped" from traveling in one direction, even while it travels well in others.

I will be writing about the three times weather has "saved" America in my Cooter's History Thing and Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blogs today.

--Old Secesh