WAR REMINISCENCES CHAPTER 39

 

Captain Frank Place, Co. C, 157th Regiment, New York Volunteers.

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

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, October 10, 1903.

WAR REMINISCENCES.

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

THIS REGIMENT AGAIN ENGAGED.

Its Color Bearer Shot and Flag Cast in the Darkness of Night—Captain Płace Captured—Regiment Loses Seventy-One Per Cent of its Enrollment—The Third Day's Fight—Both Sides Will Fight it Out—Terrific Cannonading—Pickett's Splendid But Fruitless Charge—High Water Mark of the War.

CHAPTER 39.

   To the Editor of The Standard:

   Sir—General Meade had ordered General Slocum to take the Twelfth Corps from Culp's hill to reinforce Sickles; but upon Slocum's entreating that that position be not entirely vacated, he left Greene's brigade of Geary's division to occupy the line. This brigade consisted of the Sixtieth, Seventy-eighth, One Hundred and Second, One Hundred Thirty-seventh and One Hundred Forty-ninth New York regiments. These regiments extended their lines one man deep and occupied as much of the vacated works as they could.

   The extension had hardly been completed before Johnston struck them with his advancing brigades. His men met with such a withering fire from these men behind their breastworks that they were compelled to seek shelter behind rocks and trees. Johnston's left brigade, Stuart's, overlapped Greene's right, and they entered the abandoned breastworks unopposed. The One Hundred Thirty-seventh New York was withdrawn from the works and formed a line perpendicular to them and held Stuart in check till reinforcements arrived.

One Flag Riddled.

   Some desperate fighting was here done by Greene's brigade. The flag of the One Hundred Forty-ninth New York had eighty-one bullet holes shot through it. The flagstaff was broken and the color sergeant spliced it together while the fight was going on. Our brigade, now Van Amsberg's, was taken from Cemetery hill and sent on the run to their relief.

157th Engaged Again.

   The staff officer who conducted us when we came to the woods said "Go right in there" and left us. As soon as we entered the woods it became dark and we could tell where to go only by the sound of firing. The One Hundred Fifty-seventh New York continued on to the right until we ran right into Stuart's Confederate brigade which now held the works that had been abandoned, and without warning they opened a terrible fire on us at short range. Had it not been that they fired too high, it seems as though we must have all been killed. As it was a good many were hit. We were ignorant of the fact that the Confederates occupied this part of the line and supposed our own men had fired on us by mistake in the darkness.

Searching for the Flag.

   We did not fire a gun, but fell back out of range to the edge of the woods. I don't know where Colonel Brown was. He started with us, but in the darkness got separated from us and Captain Place had command of the regiment, if you could call it a regiment. When we came to the edge of the woods where we could see we found our battle flag was missing. When Captain Place saw the flag was not with us he said if one or two of the boys would go with him he would go back and get it, supposing the color bearer bad been wounded or killed by the fire and the flag was with him. Marcus Livingston of our company and Francis M. Gault of Company G volunteered to go. Leaving us at the edge of the woods to await their return, the captain and the two men left, us to find the flag and that was the last we saw of them for many long months.

Captain Place Captured.

   Instead of our men firing on us by mistake, as we supposed, it was Stuart's brigade of Johnston's division of Ewell's Corps that had fired on us. Captain Place and the two boys walked back over the ground for the flag, and were greeted by the command accompanied by the click of a gun lock, "Come in here, Yank," and they went. The color bearer had been killed and the flag was gathered in by the Johnnies, we suppose, as we never saw it again.

   Colonel Brown joined us at the edge of the woods while we were waiting, and I shall never forget what he said nor the way he said it—"Is this all that is left of my boys?" Somewhere near midnight he conducted us back to Cemetery hill and we lay down in front of the Cemetery again.

Hand to Hand Conflict.

   While this attack was going on in the woods on Culp's hill on the right, Early's division assaulted with terrible fire the east slope of Cemetery hill occupied by Barlow's, now Ames', division of the Eleventh Corps, driving Ames' troops from behind the stone wall. Owing to the steepness of the hill, the artillery could not depress their pieces sufficiently and soon the Confederates were right among Wiedrich's and Rickett's guns. Here a hand to hand conflict ensued. Schurz with two regiments and Coster with his brigade rushed to the rescue. General Hancock sent Carroll's brigade through the cemetery with bayonets fixed and soon the Confederates were driven back down the hill with great slaughter. This attack was made by Hoke's North Carolina brigade and Hay's Louisiana Tigers, supported by the balance of Early's division and part of Rhodes.' They started with 2,400 men and lost thirty-nine killed, 246 wounded and 149 prisoners, a total of 434, besides several battle flags. By 10:30 the fighting was over here.

   Slocum, having been ordered back from the left, connected with the brigade he had left on Culp's hill, Greene's, and formed the balance of the Corps into two lines between the Baltimore pike and his former works. By midnight the fighting was over on the whole field and the tired soldiers sank down for a few hours' rest preparatory for another struggle on the morrow.

The Regiment's Terrible Loss.

   Friday, July 3.—At daylight, 3:30 a. m., a squad of men was taken from the line in front of the Cemetery and marched back over the brow of Cemetery hill and ordered to lie down. This little squad of men was commanded by Colonel Philip P. Brown, Jr. It was the remaining fragment of the One Hundred Fifty-seventh New York. It had gone into the fight on the first day with 431 men and officers. It had lost twenty-seven killed, 166 wounded and 114 taken prisoner—total loss, 307—71 per cent.

   It makes the tears come to my eyes now, as I write the official figures. That morning as we left the line there were not over fifty of us left. The colonel called in, so far as he could, those who were on detached service elsewhere, but our numbers were not very greatly augmented, and as we marched back into Virginia, and for more than six months, the One Hundred Fifty-seventh New York did not number over one full company. Major Carmichael was on General Schurz staff during this battle.

Seven Men in Company C.

   I had just seven men m my company. It was my company now, for I was the only officer, or non-commissioned officer left. From the time Captain Place left us to the end of the war I was in command of Company C. We were too exhausted to fully realize the great calamity that had befallen us, and besides the battle was not yet over, but was begun again while we lay there just over the brow of the hill.

Third Day's Fight.

   Slocum began to shell the Confederates, who occupied his rifle pits, as soon as it was light enough, and after fifteen minutes pushed forward enough of his infantry to drive them out. Johnston, who had been reinforced during the night also had his men in line and had started to attack Slocum. Desperate fighting ensued which lasted till 11 a. m., when the Confederates were driven out of the works and down the hill to Rock creek and beyond and the breastworks were reoccupied by the Twelfth Corps. Some of Slocum's men had fired 160 rounds of ammunition.

   Johnston in his own division lost 2,015 men, not including the losses in the brigades of the other divisions sent to help him. Slocum lost in the Twelfth Corps, 1,612. Many of the trees on Culp's hill died from the effect of the numerous bullet wounds they received.

   Parties who visited the field last year have told me that the lapse of thirty-eight years has not sufficed to efface the effects of that storm of leaden hail. While we were lying there a shell from a cannon aimed a little too high came over the brow of the hill and exploded among us, but none of the One Hundred Fifty-seventh was hit.

   General Howard's orderly, who was holding the general's horse, had his arm shot off.

Slept Amid Falling Bullets.

   I remember while lying there, the shells bursting all around us, that I fell into a calm and refreshing sleep. I presume I did not sleep more than ten minutes but I felt wonderfully refreshed when I awoke.

   When the artillery firing ceased, Colonel Brown conducted us back to the rear, somewhere in the vicinity of Powers' hill, I don't know exactly where, and our duty was to pick up stragglers and send them to the front.

Both Sides Will Fight it Out.

   General Meade held a consultation of corps commanders the night before and it was decided to stay and fight it out.

   General Lee had come to the same determination. His successes at the Peach Orchard, Devil's Den and Culp's hill the day before encouraged him to believe that he could break through Meade's center.

   He decided, against Longstreet's protest, to attempt to do this with Pickett's fresh division which arrived from Chambersburg at 8 a. m., in connection with Heth's division, now Pettigrew's of Hill's Corps, which had not been in the fight since the first day. Pickett was to be supported on his right by Wilcox's and Perry's brigades of Anderson's division of Hill's corps, and Pettigrew's to be supported on his left by Lane's and Scale's brigades of Pender's division of Hill's Corps—eleven brigades in all—three of them constituting Pickett's division of Longstreet's Corps and eight of them from A. P. Hill's Corps about 15,000 men. Longstreet said to Lee, "I have been in pretty much all kinds of skirmishes from those of two or three soldiers up to an army corps and I think I can safely say there never was a body of fifteen thousand men who could make that attack successful."

Preparing to Attack.

   Pickett's division was arranged in two lines of battle on the right, supported by the two brigades of Hill's Corps. Pettigrew's division was on Pickett's left supported by two brigades under command of General Trimble. General Lee directed that Pickett should lead in the attack and that he should strike the Union line near Ziegler's grove just to the left of Cemetery hill, that part of the line held by Hancock's Corps. Pickett's division was formed back of Seminary ridge north of the Peach Orchard, so that when he advanced toward the point indicated he had to move diagonally across the valley and the Union line.

Artillery Cannonade.

   It was arranged that the infantry attack should be preceded by a cannonade by their whole artillery force. Lee had arranged his batteries on the most advantageous points, mostly centered on that part of the line held by Hancock. At 1 p. m. the signal gun was fired and immediately one hundred and forty metaled throats belched forth their destructive missiles. The Union side replied with about one hundred guns and such another cannonade had never before been witnessed on this continent. This continued for about an hour and a half when on the Union side General Hunt, our chief of artillery, ordered the fire to cease in order to cool off the guns and replenish the ammunition chests to be fully prepared for the infantry attack which he wisely judged would follow the cannonading. On the Confederate side the cessation of our artillery fire was construed to be on account of its disabled condition. Their fire gradually ceased and Longstreet nodded assent to Pickett's question "Shall I advance?"

Pickett's Charge.

   From Pickett's position to where he struck the Union line he had to move diagonally across the Union line to the northeast, and by his route it was nearly a mile. As fast as he came within range of the Union guns they opened fire on him,

   From Little Round Top Cemetery hill was an almost unbroken line of Union artillery and as soon as the move was far enough advanced the batteries on Little Round Top poured in an endlading fire on Pickett's right flank. Pettigrew conformed his line to Pickett's and before they reached the Emmetsburg road they halted and perfected their alignment; but in crossing the fences that lined each side of the road, they became somewhat broken and our waiting infantry poured in a moat withering fire. Still they continued on. Hancock, seeing his opportunity, changed a Vermont regiment front forward on its right company and joined another on its left and they poured a most destructive fire into the right flank of Pickett's line. Many Confederates threw down their arms and came into our lines to save their lives.

The Bloody Angle.

   There was an angle in the stone wall behind which the regiments of General Webb's brigade lay. This is now called "the bloody angle," also "the high water mark of the rebellion." The Confederates rushed by this angle and received another terrible flank fire from the Union side.

   Still on they went, clear up to and among the guns where a battery had been placed in the front line; but different regiments were rushed to the rescue and the highest wave of the rebellion was rolled back exhausted. Pickett's men were repulsed and what were left fled back to Seminary hill, their nearest cover.

All Driven Back.

   Pettigrew's men struck our line still nearer Cemetery hill, but were likewise repulsed by parts of the First, Second and Eleventh Corps and the remnants of both Pickett's and Pettigrew's division fell back together to the cover of the woods on Seminary hill.

   Pickett, in his division alone, lost in this charge about 3,000 out of 5,000 engaged. The two brigades that were supporting Pickett on his right did not notice when he turned north, but continued straight on east and their attack was an isolated affair which was easily repulsed. W. S.