WAR REMINISCENCES CHAPTER 37

 

Captain William Saxton, Co. C, 157th Regiment, New York Volunteers.

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, September 26, 1903.

WAR REMINISCENCES.

By Captain Saxton of the I57th Regiment, N. Y. Vols.

SOME MORE ABOUT GETTYSBURG.

Both Armies Strengthening their Lines—Union Soldiers Captured in the Village—Only a Remnant of this Regiment Left After the First Day's Battle—Troops Hurried Forward.

CHAPTER 37.

   To the Editor of The Standard:

   Sir: For years it was a great mystery to me that the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh was ordered alone out into that wheat field against that whole brigade. In subsequent years when I have studied the battle with the United States army maps before me, I can see it was a forlorn hope. We probably detained Dole's brigade from twenty to thirty minutes and that prevented them from marching right along the Carlisle road into town. It also gave the other regiments on our right time to form farther back and stay the progress of Ewell's Corps while the First Corps was falling back through the town. Whether it was a blunder or purposely ordered we were sacrificed. Is it not a singular circumstance that the same brigade that drove back the One Hundred Fifty-seventh on Saturday, May 2, at Chancellorsville, should be the identical one that met us again on the first day of July, 1863, on the field of Gettysburg and almost annihilate us? Such, indeed, is the fact.

A Geometrical Problem.

   It must have been 4 o'clock when we fell back from the wheat field. The government maps show a line formed by a portion of the First and Third divisions of the Eleventh Corps north of the college with Coster's brigade on the right of the Carlisle road at 3:45 p. m. When he fell back these troops had gone and it was a race between the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York falling back past the college on the Mummasburg road and Dole's brigade, marching on the converging Carlisle road, which should enter town first.

   I can see those Confederates now marching with a quick step, guns at right shoulder shift, along that road, paying no attention to the few straggling remnants of our companies. An officer, probably the commander of the brigade, was riding by their side mounted on a white horse. I have thought many times since "Why did I not try my marksmanship on him?" I did not. My whole attention was taken up in trying to solve that proposition in geometry in which it is fully demonstrated that the square described on the hypotenuse of a right angle triangle is equal to the sum of the squares described upon the other two sides. I was making the hypotenuse while Dole's brigade was coming on a side of the triangle. Had it not been that the Georgians received a check from other remnants of regiments of the Eleventh Corps in the eastern part of the town, we would have lost the race. As it was, it was a tie. We came in at the same time on parallel streets, they farther to the east.

   As we came out of the wheat field into the Mummasburg road a cannon ball came bounding along the road from the Confederates. It seemed to me I could have put out my foot and stopped it. I know I wondered at the time what made it keep on going. Why didn't it stop? This illustrates how deceptive the velocity of a cannon ball is.

Prisoners Taken in Town.

   Many a poor boy got caught in the streets of Gettysburg and was taken prisoner. An attempt was made to form a line through the streets, but that only gave the Confederates more advantage in getting in the rear on the east.

   When we came past the college I was in company with Captain Place, and the First Corps, which had been compelled by superior numbers to fall back to Cemetery hill, was congesting the Chambersburg street. As we came to the bridge across a little creek just in the north edge of town, it dawned upon me that if I waited to take my chances in getting across I should be captured.

Officers in a Wood House.

   I executed a flank movement, crossed over and soon after entering town got separated from Captain Place. I left the street and climbed over a garden fence and took my way across the town through the back yards and gardens. In one of these yards I passed General Schimmelpfennig and part of his staff with their horses. They were endeavoring with a small hatchet to cut down the strong split oak paling fence. How they came in there with their horses I did not stop to ascertain, neither did I inquire how they were going to get out. This is a fact, however, that General Schimmelpfennig, seeing he was about to be captured, ran into the woodhouse and covered himself with sticks of wood and was concealed there, and cared for by the lady of the house till the morning of the fourth day, when the town was evacuated.

   I came out on a street, met one of our cavalrymen and he pointed to a street coming in from the east filled with Confederates. He said: "Sergeant, give those Rebs a shot." I unloaded my Enfield into them, but whether I hit any one I cannot say.

   I made my way to the hill just back of town and turned a little to the west of the street and lay down in front of a stone wall completely out of breath and exhausted. It would have taken only a very small rebel to have captured me just at that moment. It seemed as though I could not breathe nor go a single step farther.

Forming the New Line.

   A minute after dropping down Levi Randall, our company cook, came by and gave me a drink of water from his canteen, which revived me; be said some more Company C boys were just over the wall back of me. I went back to them and decided to stay and form a nucleus for others. Randall told me of a spring to the east of the Baltimore pike, and I went there and filled my canteen and returned and found Captain Place with the boys I had left. We collected in others of the regiment and soon Colonel Brown joined us and we were assigned a position in the line just in front of the cemetery between it and the town. The new line was formed by placing Wadsworth's division of the First Corps on our extreme right on Culp's hill. Then came Ames' division of the Eleventh Corps on the east crest of Cemetery hill facing east and north. Then came Steinwehr's divisions facing north and west. Doubleday's division of the First Corps was placed on the left of the Eleventh Corps. General Hancock, sent directly by General Mead to take charge of the field, had arrived and he and General Howard established the new line on Cemetery hill.

   Robinson's division of the First was placed in reserve in rear of the Eleventh Corps, Stannard's Vermont brigade from the defenses around Washington came up and was assigned to duty with the First Corps. Buford's cavalry was on the lower land to the left and in front of Cemetery ridge. Our fifty pieces of artillery were arranged advantageously on Cemetery hill. It must have been 6 o'clock now and we were ready for the expected attack, but it did not come.

Remnant of the Regiment.

   It was remarkable how soon everything quieted down. We had time now to look around and think a little. What a wonderfully short line the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh now occupied. When that line was first formed and the roll called only thirty-nine responded to their names. Others kept coming to us but probably not over 125 men were gathered around our flag that night when we lay down to rest. Were we hungry? I have no recollection of eating a thing that day from the time we had breakfast at 6 a. m. until about dark that night. Hadn't thought of eating. What a day it had been! On that hot July day we had made a forced march by a circuitous route from Emmetsburg of thirteen miles without a halt, the last part on the double-quick; had rushed through the town, north, into the fight without a moment's rest; had been moving and fighting continually from that time until 6 p. m. and against such awful odds.

   We had been driven back, to be sure, but we were not defeated, any more than a regiment is when its skirmish line is driven in. We knew we had inflicted, as well as received, severe punishment. We were not disheartened, but were ready and willing to fight again at any moment. General Lee, who had arrived on Seminary ridge and saw the last part of the battle, wisely refrained from attacking us in our advantageous position with the troops he had at hand.

   The Twelfth Corps under Slocum began to arrive from Littlestown and Two Taverns and was placed on Culp's hill to the right of Wadsworth's division of the First Corps, except Gray's division which was posted near Little Round Top on the left.

   General Sickles with the Third Corp east of Emmetsburg received a dispatch from General Howard asking him to come to his assistance and he immediately put his Corps in motion for Gettysburg, except two brigades which be left at Emmetsburg, and the advance column began to arrive at 6 p. m.

Troops Assembling.

   Here was an opportunity for Lee to have attacked Sickles in flank as he came in on the Emmetsburg road and the only explanation why he did not is that Hill's Corps on his right had had the fight pretty well taken out of them for that day. The Second Corps, Hancock's, now Gibbon's, marched seventeen miles from Unionville up the Taneytown road and came up during the night and halted three miles back of Gettysburg. The Fifth Corps, Sykes', formerly Mead's, started from Union Mills on the Baltimore pike and at 7 p. m. reached Hanover, and at midnight halted within six miles of Gettysburg. The Sixth Corps, Sedgwick's, was the farthest away—thirty-five miles—at Manchester. At 9 p. m. it started, marched all night, and its advance division did not arrive at Rock creek on the Baltimore pike until 4 p. m. July 2, the other division not arriving until 6:30 p. m.

   General Mead came up during the night and inspected the lines accompanied by Generals Howard and Hunt. He established his headquarters at a house on the east of the Taneytown road just back of the crest of Cemetery hill within a half a mile of where we lay.

Both Armies Preparing.

   Thursday, July 2.—The sun rose clear on Cemetery hill that morning, and it was the opening of as beautiful a day as one often sees. There was an occasional picket shot, and at one time in the forenoon some Confederates were seen gathering behind a barn in the valley to our left front, but a single shot from one of Dilger's guns scattered them in a hurry. It was very quiet in front of the Cemetery, where we lay, but busy preparations were going on among our troops to our right, rear, and left. We looked anxiously across the valley to see the town, and could plainly see the Confederates planting batteries, probably on Benner's hill. I borrowed the Colonel's field glass and could plainly see what they were doing. There was an officer on a white horse riding round giving directions. I turned the glass to the west on Seminary ridge and could see wagons and troops passing an open space in the woods.

   Gen. Mead was busy in correcting his line which was something in the shape of an inverted capital letter J —thus [here Captain Saxton depicts an inverted J]. McAllister's hill being on the extreme curved point; Culp's hill on the curve, Cemetery bill as it turned south, the straight part running south along Cemetery ridge to Round Top. The whole line was about four miles long. From Round Top to the curve on Cemetery hill about two and three-fourths miles.

   Slocum's Twelfth Corps was placed mostly in the woods on Culp's hill facing the east, and northeast. The right of Williams' division resting on Rock creek, Geary's division was recalled from the vicinity of Little Round Top and placed on Williams' left, connecting with Wadsworth's divisions of the First Corps. These troops threw up breastworks along their entire front. W. S.