USA > New Jersey > New Jersey troops in the Gettysburg campaign from June 5 to July 31, 1863 > Part 18
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Front : 5 New Jersey Vols. Col. William J. Sewell. 3d Brig. 2d Div. 3d Corps. July 2, 1863. Left side :
The Regiment first held the skirmish line 400 yards to the front and left of this spot, and afterwards to position in the line of battle here.
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Right side :
Losses-Killed, 18; wounded, 60; missing, 16; total, 94, being one-half the number engaged.
On a polished band on front of second base or plinth in raised letters the legend :
Erected by the State of New Jersey, 1888.
Back :
Mustered in August 22, 1861. Consolidated with 7th Regiment N. J. Vols. Nov. 6. 1864. Engaged in 32 battles.
The shaft has an emblem carved in high relief, con- sisting of two muskets, cartridge box and belt, with a laurel wreath at the stocks, enclosing a large figure 5 in centre. These military accoutrements are full size and modeled from the actual implements, being cor- rect in every detail. The neck of the shaft has a band of thirteen polished face stars raised above the surface. The monument is finished with an appropriate cap, and is an imposing and handsome structure. The design and the work is by Messrs. Frederick & Field of Quincy, Mass.
SIXTH NEW JERSEY REGIMENT.
This monument, erected near the Devil's Den, is of the obelisk style and is composed of four pieces. It measures five feet six inches square at the bottom and stands nineteen feet high. On front of the second base or plinth is carved on the stone the corps badge, the
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face of which is highly polished. On this rests the die piece each side of which is polished, and contains the following inscriptions :
Front : 6th New Jersey Volunteers. Lieut. Col. S. R. Gilkyson. 3d Brig. (Burling's) 2d Div. 3d Corps. Erected by State of New Jersey 1888.
Right :
Engaged here July 2, 1863, being detached from the Brigade.
Supported batteries on Cemetery Ridge, July 3. Losses-Killed, 5 ; wounded, 29; missing, 7. Total, 41.
Left :
Mustered in Aug. 19, 1861. Consolidated with 8th Regt. N. J. V. Oct. 12, 1864. Engaged in 30 battles.
The top of the die is heavily moulded and on front is a finely carved United States shield. Around the top of the die under the moulding is a row of carved rifle balls. On the die rests the obelisk having on its front two crossed muskets and a wreath of laurel finely carved in bold relief. The monument is constructed of the best quality of selected Barre granite and weighs about twelve tons. Messrs. Frederick &' Field are the contractors and makers.
BA
ANYLETT
MONUMENT BATTERY B, IST N. J. ART. (Clark's Battery.)
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NEW JERSEY TROOPS
SEVENTH NEW JERSEY INFANTRY.
The stone which marks the heroic services of this regiment is unique in character and different from any. thing else on the field. It is a correct representation of a minié ball, and is of mammoth proportions, and mounted on two bases. These bases are of light Quincy granite finely dressed, and the rifle ball is of dark Quincy highly polished. The dark color of the polished surface of the ball makes a fine contrast with the light color of the cut surfaces of the bases, and the effect is decidedly novel and pleasing. The first base measures six square feet chamfered on top to receive another octagon base. On the front side is raised a large Third Corps badge on which appears the figure 7 enclosed by a carved laurel wreath. The other seven sides contain the inscriptions on polished surfaces as follows:
No. 1-7th New Jersey Vols. July 2, 1863.
No. 2 -* Killed 24, wounded 77, missing 13, total 114. No. 3-Here Colonel Francine fell.
No. 4-First Position 300 yards N. E. of this. Heav- ily engaged there. Moved here to reinforce Graham's brigade.
No. 5-Erected by the State of New Jersey 1888. No. 6-Mustered in Sept. 3, 1861. Mustered out July 17, 1865. Engaged in 38 battles. No. 7-3d Brig. 2d Div. 3d Corps.
* This is an error. The casualties will be found on page 258 of this book.
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The rifle ball measures three feet two inches in diameter, and the whole monument will stand ten feet six inches high above foundation, and will weigh about twelve tons. The foundation being raised about two and a-half feet from the ground surface, with a symmetrical mound of earth and grass at the base makes it one of the most attractive objects on the ground. Messrs. Frederick & Field of Quincy, Mass., are the designers and makers.
EIGHTH REGIMENT NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS.
This monument, situated beyond the famous wheat- field, is a graceful shaft, surmounted by a cap, the crowning feature of which is the Third Corps badge. The base measures five feet four inches square, on which rests a second base or plinth, which supports the die or lettered piece of the monument. This die measures three feet one inch square, and is four feet three inches high. On the front appears the figure 8 encircled by a finely carved laurel wreath. The shaft rests upon the die, and is handsomely embellished, having in front two crossed muskets and flag carved in high relief. The cap surmounting the shaft is finely moulded and carved. The monument was made by Messrs. Frederick & Field of Quincy, Mass., and is constructed of the best quality of light Quincy granite, and weighs thirteen tons. The following are the inscriptions on the stone :
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Front : 8th New Jersey Volunteers. Col. John Ramsey. 3d Brig. (Burling's) 2d Div. 3d Corps. Erected by the State of New Jersey 1888. Right :
Engaged here July 2, 1863, being detached from the Brigade. Supported batteries on Cemetery Ridge July 3d. Took into action 170. Killed 7 ; wounded 7 officers, 31 men ; missing 2. Total 47. Left :
Mustered in Sept. 14, 1861. Mustered out July 17, 1865. Engaged in 38 Battles. Casualties - Killed 8 officers, 125 men ; wounded 38 officers, 583 men. Died 2 officers, 149 men. Total 905.
ELEVENTH NEW JERSEY INFANTRY.
The handsome design for the monument to this regiment is by The Smith Granite Company of Boston, Mass., and represents an open book, mounted on a pedestal of rock work. It stands about ten feet in height and is finely proportioned. It stands near the Smith or Essex house on the Emmetsburg road, and shows the most advanced position held by the regi- ment during its fierce struggle with superior numbers of the enemy. The following are the inscriptions :
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IIth New Jersey Vols. Col. Robert McAllister. Ist Brig. 2d Div. 3d Corps. July 2, 1863. Mustered in August 18, 1862. Mustered out July 1865. Engaged in 29 Battles. Erected by the State of New Jersey, 1888.
This stone marks the spot reached by the right of the regiment, the left extending toward the southeast. The position was held under a severe fire which killed or disabled nearly three-fifths of the regiment, includ- ing every officer present above the rank of lieutenant. Number engaged 275. Killed 31, wounded 109, missing 13. Total 153. Of the missing six are sup- posed to have been killed.
BATTERY "A" FIRST NEW JERSEY ARTILLERY.
The monument for this battery is of symmetrical proportions and beautiful in design. Its general dimensions are as follows : Base five feet square and total height ten feet. It is hexagonal in design and surmounted by a counterfeit cannon ball which adds to the attractiveness of its appearance, and the whole is made of granite from the quarries at Barre, Vt. The design and workmanship are by George Brown & Co., of Newark, N. J. The following inscriptions are cut in square sunken letters :
23
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Front :
Battery A I. N. J. Art., from its position in reserve S. W. of Powers' Hill, galloped into action at 3 P. M. July 3, 1863. Fired 120 rounds shrapnel at Pickett's column, and 80 shell at a battery in left front.
Erected by the State of New Jersey, 1888.
South side :
Served August 12, 1861, to June 22, 1865. Engaged in 30 battles.
North side :
Losses-Killed 2, wounded 7. Position in action 45 yards E. of this stone.
CLARK'S BATTERY "B" FIRST NEW JERSEY ARTILLERY.
This monument is a large massive structure, measur- ing at bottom six feet three inches long and five feet three inches wide. Its height is twelve feet six inches and weighs thirteen tons. It consists of but four pieces and is constructed throughout of the best dark Quincy granite. The die or lettered piece of monument measures four feet long, three feet wide and is five feet eight inches high. On each end is carved a representation of a cannon and two rammers which are faithful reproductions of the guns actually used by this battery at Gettysburg. The finial or cap has a band of thirteen stars and terminates with an enlarged representation of a cannon ball which is cut solid on the stone, and is highly polished. The style
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of the monument is pleasing and eminently suitable for the brave battery for whose services it is erected by a grateful State. The polished ball crowning the monu- ment is especially suitable and is well calculated to show the beauty of the Quincy granite. The die piece contains the following inscriptions :
Front : Clark's Battery.
Battery B, Ist New Jersey Artillery fought here from 2 until 7 o'clock on July 2, 1863, firing 300 rounds of ammunition. Losses - Killed 1; wounded 16; missing 3.
Erected by State of New Jersey, 1888.
Rear : Mustered in September 3, 1861. Mustered out June 16, 1865.
Engaged in 26 battles, including all the important actions on the Peninsula, Fredericksburg, Chancellors- ville, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Peters- burg, Appomattox.
FIRST NEW JERSEY CAVALRY.
The position of this regiment near Rummel's farm, about three miles from the battle-field proper, is marked by a handsome stone. The monument is a massive structure consisting of six pieces, and is six feet square at bottom and fifteen feet high. It is surmounted by an elaborate emblem, carved in the best manner representing saddle, uniform, carbine, sabre,
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bugle, and in fact all the implements used by cavalry. This emblem is two feet four inches by two feet four by three feet four inches in height, and is a fine piece of artistic carving in Westerly granite, all the rest of the monument being of dark Quincy granite. The die piece on which the lettering is put is two feet nine inches by two feet nine, and six feet high. At the top is a band of raised polished face stars. The die is polished on all four sides. The cap is three feet five inches square by one foot ten inches, and on the front is the cavalry corps badge raised on a pediment the face of which is highly polished. The weight of this monument is about fourteen tons, and Messrs. Frederick & Field are the designers. The following are the inscriptions on the stone :
North Front :
First New Jersey Cavalry. Maj. Myron H. Beaumont. Ist Brigade, 2d Cavalry Division. July 3, 1863. Erected by the State of New Jersey 1888.
West Side :
Organized in September, 1861, and served to the end of the War. Participated in 97 Engagements. Lost-Killed in Action, 79; Died of Wounds, etc., 170; Died prisoners of war, 34; Missing (supposed dead), 12.
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MONUMENT FIRST N. J. CAVALRY.
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East Side :
Fought here July 3, 1863, both mounted and dis- mounted, holding this position several hours. Assisted in repelling the charges of the Enemy's Cavalry.
South Side :
OFFICERS KILLED IN BATTLE DURING THE WAR.
Col. Hugh H. Janeway. Capt. Moses H. Malesbury.
Lt .- Col. Virgil Broderick. Lieut. Alexander Stewart.
Maj. John H. Shellmire.
Edward E. Jemison.
" James H. Hart.
66 John W. Bellis.
" John H. Lucas.
66 Voorhees Dye.
Capt. Thomas R. Haines.
Alanson Austin.
THE DEDICATION.
The formal dedication of the New Jersey monu- ments took place on Saturday, June 30th, under the direction of the Governor, Comptroller and Adjutant- General, in connection with the Gettysburg Commis- sion of the State. A provisional regiment from the National Guard, commanded by Colonel Campbell of the First Regiment, survivors of New Jersey regi- ments present at the battle, and a large number of citizens and public men were present by invitation of the State. His Excellency Governor Robert S. Green was the orator of the occasion and five-minute addresses were made by representatives of the several regiments who participated in the battle.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH HOOKER.
Joseph Hooker was born in Hadley, Mass., November 13, 1814; graduated at West Point July 1, 1837; served on frontier and garrison duty till 1846, and 1846-48, in the war with Mexico on the staff of Generals Persifer Smith, Hamer and Butler; in 1847 appointed assistant adjutant- general ; brevetted captain, major and lieutenant-colonel for gallantry at Monterey, the National Bridge, and Chepultepec. In February, 1853, he resigned from the army and engaged in farming in California, also as super- intendent of military roads in Oregon. On the outbreak of the civil war (1861) he tendered his services to the government and was appointed (May 17, 1861,) brigadier- general of volunteers, serving in the defences of Washing- ton and on the lower Potomac until March, 1862, when he was assigned to the command of a division of the Third Corps, Army of the Potomac ; in the Peninsular campaign, 1862, was engaged in the siege of Yorktown, April- May; battle of Williamsburg, May 5; Fair Oaks (second day), Frazier's Farm and Malvern Hill. Promoted to be major-general of volunteers, to date from the battle of Williamsburg, continuing in command of a division and engaged at the battle of Manassas, August 29-30, and Chantilly, September 1; appointed to command the First Corps, September 6, 1862, he displayed great bravery at South Mountain and Antietam, being severely wounded at the latter battle and disabled until November when he returned to the field, having in the mean time (September
1
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20) been appointed brigadier-general in the regular army, and on Burnside's succession to the command of the Army of the Potomac was assigned to command the centre grand division (Third and Fifth Corps) in the new organi- zation of that army. In January, 1863, succeeded Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac, and in May fol- lowing fought the battle of Chancellorsville. At the time of the invasion of Pennsylvania, the Army of the Poto- mac had reached the vicinity of Frederick, Md., when, owing to the refusal of General Halleck to place the troops at Harper's Ferry at the disposal of Hooker, the latter requested to be (June 27), and was, relieved from the command of the army the next morning. For the skill and energy by which he first covered Washington and Baltimore from the meditated blow of the advancing enemy, General Hooker received the thanks of Con- gress. In September, 1863, he was assigned to the command of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, and
accompanied them west where they were consoli- dated into the Twentieth Corps, Army of the Cumber- land ; was distinguished at the capture of Lookout Mountain, battle of Missionary Ridge (November 24-25), the pursuit of the Confederate army, and the action of Ringgold, Ga., November 27, 1863. In the invasion of Georgia by the army of General Sherman, Hooker led his corps in the almost constant fighting up to and including the siege of Atlanta, until July 30, 1864, when on a question of command he was relieved at his own request. He subsequently commanded the Northern Department, the Department of the East, and that of the Lakes; brevetted major-general United States Army for gallantry at Chattanooga, and October, 1868, retired upon full rank of major-general. General Hooker died October 31, 1879, at his home in Garden City, L. I.
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MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE G. MEADE, U. S. A.
George Gordon Meade was born in Cadiz, Spain, December 31, 1815, during the consulship of his father, Richard W. Meade. On the return of the family to the United States, George was sent to the famous school for boys in Washington, D. C., then kept by the late Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase. In 1831 he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was graduated four years later, and commissioned a brevet second lieutenant of the Third United States Artillery. He received the full rank the same year, and took part in the Seminole Indian War in Florida. In 1836 he resigned his commission and engaged in civil engineering. In 1842 he returned to the artillery under appointment as second lieutenant of topographical engi- neers. During the Mexican War he served as engineer on the staffs of Generals Taylor and Scott, distinguishing himself in the battles of Palo-Alto, Resaca-de-la-Palma and Monterey, and receiving as an acknowledgement of his gallantry a brevet of first lieutenant. He was pro- moted to a full first lieutenancy in August, 1851, and to a captaincy of engineers in May, 1855.
Upon the first call of the National Government for vol- unteers in 1861, Meade was summoned to Washington, appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers, and assigned to the command of the Second Brigade of the Pennsyl- vania Reserve Corps. Soon after the Corps was attached to the Army of the Potomac, and was engaged in the advance on Richmond.
During the Peninsula campaign General Meade took an active part in the battles of Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill and Glendale, being severely wounded in the latter. He speedily recovered, however, and in September, 1862, was assigned to the command of a division in the First
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Army Corps. He again distinguished himself in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and when Gen- eral Hooker was wounded in the latter engagement, General Meade was placed in command of the Corps, sustaining a slight wound and having two horses killed beneath him. For his services in this emergency he was promoted to be major-general of volunteers in November, I862. On General Hooker's recovery, General Meade returned to the command of his division, and with it led the attack, in December, 1862, at Fredericksburg. During the same month he was placed in command of the Fifth Corps, and with it proceeded to Chancellorsville, where it covered the retreat of the army.
On June 28, 1863, the Army of the Potomac being at Frederick, Md., President Lincoln appointed General Meade commander-in-chief, as successor to General Hooker, who had resigned. About the middle of July General Meade recrossed into Virginia, where he had several encounters with the enemy in October and Novem- ber, 1863. He was second in command during the opera- tions against Richmond in 1864, his immediate army fighting the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, and being engaged in the siege of Petersburg. Beyond the honors conferred upon him, already mentioned, he was promoted to the rank of major of engineers in the Regular Army June 18, 1862; advanced, by the several grades of lieutenant-colonel and colonel, to the brigadier-generalship in the Regular Army July 3, 1863; received the thanks of Congress during the session of 1863-64 ; and was promoted to the rank of major- general in the Regular Army, to date from August 18, 1864, on Febuary 1, 1865. When, on July 1, 1865, the army was reorganized on a peace basis, he was assigned to the command of the Military Division of the Atlantic,
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with headquarters at Philadelphia, where he resided in a dwelling presented his wife by the citizens until his death on November 6, 1872.
MAJOR-GENERAL HUGH JUDSON KILPATRICK.
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, major-general United States Volunteers, was born near Deckertown, N. J., January 14, 1836. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point on June 20, 1856, and, with a number of advanced students, was graduated in April, 1861, by special permission of the War Department on the prof- fered pledge that they would, as young officers, complete their education on the field of battle. The day he was graduated he was also married and mustered into the military service. He was appointed a second lieutenant of artillery on May 6, and commissioned captain in the Fifth Regiment of New York Volunteers, better known as Duryea's Zouaves, three days later. This regiment was then encamped at Fortress Monroe. During a battle on June 10 he was wounded in the right thigh with a grape shot.
Kilpatrick resumed the field in September following, and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Second Regiment of New York Cavalry Volunteers, the "Harris Light Cavalry, " of which he became colonel in December, 1862, and was also promoted to be first lieutenant in the Regular Army. In addition to these promotions he was appointed a member of the board for examining the cavalry officers of the volunteer service, and inspector- general of General McDowell's division. In July and August he made a series of raids for the purpose of break- ing up the Confederate General Jackson's communication with Richmond, striking the Virginia Central Railroad at Beaver Dam, Frederick Hall and Hanover Junction,
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inflicting all the damage possible. He participated in the Rappahannock campaign, in the second battle of Bull Run and many minor actions in the Maryland campaign, and in General Stoneman's raid to the rear of General Lee's army, commanded a brigade of cavalry. His boldness as a cavalry officer was a marvel alike to friend and foe. He was promoted to be a brigadier-general of volunteers in June, 1863, and at the memorable battle of Gettysburg he commanded both a brigade and a division.
In April, 1864, at General Sherman's request, Kilpatrick was ordered to duty with that army in the West, and sustained a severe wound in the battle of Resaca in the following month. He was forced by his suffering to return to the North; but as soon as he heard of General Sherman's intentions toward Atlanta, he hastened to join his old chief. During the March to the Sea and the subsequent passage through the Carolinas, he commanded the cavalry and was actively engaged, although obliged to avail himself of the use of a carriage that his officers fitted up for him.
In June, 1865, he was promoted to be a major general of volunteers; in the following December he resigned his commission in the Regular Army, and in January, 1866, his commission in the volunteer army. These resigna- tions were prompted by his appointment, in November, 1865, as United States Minister to Chili, an office he held till 1868, when he was recalled. While residing at Santi- ago, the Chilian capital, he was married to the niece of the Roman Catholic Archbishop, who subsequently accom- panied him to his Deckertown home. In the Spring of 1881, he was re-appointed Minister to Chili, and died at his post on December 6 of that year. His remains were brought to the United States, reaching New York on October 13, 1887, and, after lying in state in the Gover-
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nor's Room of the City Hall, were taken to West Point and buried in the military cemetery on the 18th, with the honors due his courage, his skill and his rank.
MAJOR-GENERAL ALFRED T. A. TORBERT.
Alfred T. A. Torbert, major-general United States Volunteers, was a native of Delaware, born in July, 1833. He was graduated at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1855; commissioned a brevet second lieu- tenant, and assigned to the Fifth United States Infantry. On reporting for duty he was first engaged in conducting recruits to Fort McIntosh, Texas ; then in scouting against the Lipan Indians in the hostilities against the Seminoles in Florida ; again on frontier duty with the Utah expedi- tion ; and in 1860 in the march to New Mexico. At the outbreak of the civil war, Lieutenant Torbert was sent to New Jersey, where he was employed in mustering volun- teers into the service from April till September, 1861. In the latter month he was appointed Colonel of the First New Jersey Volunteers, and, with his regiment, partici- pated in the Peninsula campaign in Virginia, being engaged in the siege of Yorktown and the actions at West Point, Gaines' Mills, and Charles City Cross Roads.
On August 28, 1862, he was given command of a brigade in the Sixth Army Corps, and fought in the second battle of Bull Run, at South Mountain, where he was wounded, and at Antietam. His distinguished services in these actions gained for him promotion to the rank of brigadier- general of volunteers, his commission bearing the date of November 29, 1862. In June, 1863, he returned from his sick leave, was assigned to duty with his old corps, and took part in its operations during the winter of 1863-64. During the Richmond campaign he won high encomiums
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by his dashing and discreet conduct as a cavalry officer, being in command of the cavalry through General Sheri- dan's notable raid. He assumed command of the First Division on General Sheridan's return, and was in many actions in the summer of 1864, Hawes' Shop and Cold Harbor being among them. As chief of cavalry of the Middle Military Division, he was an active participant in all the operations in the Shenandoah Valley, and was subsequently in command of the Army of the Shenandoah and of various districts in Virginia, till January 15, 1866, when he was mustered out of the volunteer service. He was successively brevetted major, lieutenant-colonel, colo- nel, and brigadier - general, for his gallantry at Hawes' Shop, Winchester, and Cedar Creek, and major-general for gallant and meritorious services in the field during the war.
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