# Talk:J. Johnston Pettigrew

Time and time again I read of the Pettigrew name being of huegenot origin.This is inaccurate the name is Scottish, check out Sir thomas Pettigrew lord lyon of Scotland 1520, branches of the family were in France but were not of huegenot origin.The name is of Pictish origin, hence the many pett and pit place names in Scotland, Pettinain, Pettycur etc, it would appear our American cousins are trying to rewrite our origin, just as they do with Hollywood. ROY URQUHART PETTIGREW

I added a citation for his background. I don't know that you can say that since many Pettigrews came from Scotland, that means that all of them must have. If you can provide a secondary source citation for an alternative background of this particular individual, be my guest. Hal Jespersen 22:15, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
I have also read something of his family being Scottish. I also believe the lawyer he worked for in Charleston, SC (his uncle) spelled his name as "Pettigru" or something similar, out of respect to ancestry. (as an aside, I also read this uncle was an intellectual and abolistionist. Charleston has a history of having a number of "free thinkers" since its founding.)....Engr105th 19:24, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

General Pettigrew's gravesite can be visited by the public. There is a path from Somerset Place State Park that leads to a small family plot with his crypt. I assume the location was once part of "Bonarva" his family's estate. I've seen it once (its a bit of a walk) - seems to be a bit unkempt.... Engr105th 19:28, 13 June 2007 (UTC)
It is a bit of hike from Somerset Place, but only a few hundred meters from a paved road (probably over private property.)  I was last there in 2012. Someone obviously takes good care of this family cemetery, and there have been small signs of respectful visits each time I've been there.  It's quite remote, and not much else exists of Bonarva.  I'll take notes and pictures if I visit again. Hajnalka (talk) 00:29, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone know anything about this? Dates, primarily, but also what was the relationship with James Lawrence Orr, who organized that Regiment & actually served as its first colonel. Hywel Dda (talk) 14:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:J. Johnston Pettigrew/CommentsTalk:J. Johnston Pettigrew/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.
Last edited at 13:35, 21 January 2007 (UTC).
Substituted at 19:16, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:J. Johnston Pettigrew/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: Gog the Mild (talk · contribs) 20:09, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

I have done a little copy editing which you will want to check.

"Pettigrew served in the army of the Confederate States of America" "Pettigrew" → 'He'.
Done
"mortally wounded during an Union attack during the Confederate retreat" "during" twice in five words; possibly tweak one?
Rephrased
Could we have his date of birth in the article?
Added
"would later become a Major General" Lower case initial letters for major general.
Fixed, and fixed another instance with brigadier general later in the article
"writing a book about the culture of Spain titled "Notes on Spain and the Spaniards in the Summer of 1859, With a Glance at Sardinia"  Book titles should be in italics, not quote marks.
Done
"Originally commanding a brigade" Could we specify "Originally"? I assume you mean at the start of the battle, but that is not clear.
Rephrased, is the new version clearer?
"because of his lack of military experience. Despite his lack of military experience. A little clunky; maybe replace the second "his lack of military experience" with 'this'?
Changed to "despite this inexperience"
" Pettigrew was left on the field, as his wounds were believed to be mortal. Left for dead on the field" Similar to above.
Fixed
Sadly not. It is now worse.  Maybe 'However' instead of the second "left for dead on the field"?
Changed the second "left for dead" to "However, he"
"File:Portrait of General James Johnston Pettigrew.jpg" needs a US PD tag.
Done
"File:Pettigrew 01.jpg" Optional: any chance you could clarify the monument's location in the image's description?
Description in Commons indicates Bunker Hill, West Virginia, which a Google search backs up.  I added the location to the caption
Thanks for taking this one on.  I did this one late at night, so there's possibly some stuff I just totally forgot with this one. Hog Farm (talk) 20:58, 24 March 2020 (UTC)
More to follow. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:09, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

"On July 3, 1863, Gen. Lee selected Pettigrew's division'' to march at the left of Maj. Gen. George Pickett's in the famous infantry assault popularly known as Pickett's Charge (sometimes called the "Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Assault", as Pickett's division was not the only one to participate in the charge). Pettigrew's brigade had been roughly handled on the first day of the battle, and was not in good condition for the charge.
Pettigrew's division ... " A "division" either side of one "brigade". Is that deliberate?
Yes, and I clarified.  Is it better now?  Confederate brigades and divisions were known only by the name of the unit's commander, which caused confusion in battle once people became hors de combat.  This also caused issues, both during the war and for historians when people had similar names, like the time John R. Jones was relived of command for cowardice and replaced by John M. Jones. Hog Farm (talk) 21:30, 24 March 2020 (UTC)
I queried it because it was discombobulating enough to cause me doubts. I think that the phraseology is clearer and smoother now.
Fine work. If this is what you can do when half asleep, your best must be impressive indeed. Promoting. Gog the Mild (talk) 21:47, 24 March 2020 (UTC)