USA > Pennsylvania > Adams County > Gettysburg > Address delivered at the dedication of monument of the 14th Conn. vols. at Gettysburg, Penn., July 3d, 1884 > Part 2
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By fording the river, your feet had been rendered unfit for march- ing; 3 the road was hilly and rough and the day was very warm. Falling out by ones, twos and threes became the order, and when we pulled up at Union Town, late at night, there were but about thirty of the footmen of the regiment at hand. Such was your pluck, however, that nearly all the stragglers were up and in place the next morning. Here you had blessed rest for a day, and received addi- tional refreshing of spirit from being among friends of the Union, and in a land of greenness, thrift and plenty.
At about 7 A. M. of July ist you left Union Town, and moving northward halted near Taneytown. Here we were made aware, by the sounds of firing and by reports of men, that a battle was waging between our advance forces and the enemy. At 3 P. M. you moved forward again, and passing through Taneytown, marched towards GETTYSBURG. As you advanced your steps were quickened by the sounds of battle coming to you on the throbbing air: and groups of stragglers, skulks and shirks, relating, as usual, marvelous stories of disaster, met you. You gave them, as was their due, derision and jeers for their stories, but the sight of wounded men and prisoners
1 The news of the change of commanders, though a surprise, did not disconcert the men of the Union Army. The next great battle was to be won by the sturdy, unconquerable courage of our men, and by the harmonious cooperation, for once, of officers of all grades, all having but one object-the defeating and driving from our Northern soil the invading rebel hordes. The Union troops at Gettysburg were simply invincible !
2 Maj. Gen. Hancock, commanding 2d A. C., issued a " circular," in which he thanked his troops " for their great exertions" on that day (June 29th) " in achieving a march of full thirty miles." Gen. Hancock afterward stated the distance as thirty-three miles.
3 The men were not allowed to halt to remove their shoes, either be- fore or after wading the river. The sand and gravel entered their shoes and their feet were softened by the water. Friends can imagine the condition they were in for tramping soon after leaving the stream.
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13
MAJOR ELLIS' REPORT.
and smoke-begrimed cannon passing to the rear told you that real work had been done. You knew that work was before the old Second Corps, and not without some longing to meet the pretentious, arrogant invader on Northern soil, you pressed on and by nightfall were close to Gettysburg.
And now, comrades, we for a time drop our own words to use those of another-the words of one who so cool, so intrepid and so capable, handled you so splendidly while on the field here. Had Commander Ellis lived1 until this day, no other but him would we have accepted as our speaker on this occasion. We, in loving loyalty to the memory of Maj. Ellis, introduce his Report of the Battle of Gettysburg, that he, though dead, may speak to us.
HEADQRS. 14TH CONN. VOLS., CAMP NEAR GETTYSBURG, PENN., July 6, 1863.
BRIG. GEN. MORSE,
Adjutant General, State of Connecticut.
SIR: I have the honor to report the following as the part taken by the 14th Regt. Conn. Vols. in the late battle at this place. We arrived on the ground on the morning of the 2d inst., after being out all night on picket some two miles back, and joined our brigade. During the forenoon we supported Woodruff's Battery Regular Artillery. We were afterwards for a short time detailed on provost duty, and in the afternoon moved farther to the left to support Arnold's Ist R. I. Battery, where we remained, with a slight change of position, throwing out pickets to the front. During the day the regiment was at times under a heavy shell fire, but met with no loss except Capt. Coit, who was seriously injured. On the morning of the 3d we advanced two companies as skirmishers, under command of Capts. Townsend and Lucas, who maintained their ground nobly until the grand attack of the afternoon, when they were driven in by the advancing lines of the enemy. During the forenoon the regiment was ordered to take and hold two buildings, a large barn and house,
1 Brevet Brig. Gen. T. G. Ellis died at Hartford, Conn., Jan. S, 1883. At the organization of the regiment he was appointed Adjutant. Upon the resignation of Maj. Clark, he was promoted to his place, and was Colonel of the regiment at the time of final muster out. Gen. Ellis was Chairman of our Monument Committee, and because of his fitness for the position, his hearty interest in the project, and his well-known pride in his old regiment, we hoped for great assistance from him. His sudden decease, however, deprived us entirely of his leadership and aid.
14
MAJOR ELLIS' REPORT.
outside of our line of skirmishers, a little to the right of our position, from which the enemy were seriously annoying our troops. The barn was gallantly charged and taken by four companies under com- mand of Capt. Moore, the remainder of the regiment making the attack upon the house, commanded by myself. The whole distance from our lines to these buildings being commanded by the enemy's sharp-shooters, we met with some loss in the attack. It was here that Lieuts. Seymour and Seward were wounded. While the regi- ment was within these buildings and firing from them upon the enemy, a case shot entered the upper part of the barn and exploded, killing and wounding some of our men.
Having received orders to destroy these buildings, they were fired in several places, after removing all our killed and wounded, when we retired to the picket reserve, bringing off all our wounded and arms. We were again ordered to support Arnold's Battery, and formed on its right, where we remained under the terrific shell fire of Friday afternoon, from I o'clock P. M. until the battery retired dis- abled, when I moved the regiment forward and to the left to cover the space previously occupied by the battery. About this time two rebel lines of battle, extending across the plain for more than a mile, preceded by a line of skirmishers and reinforced at two points on the right and left by a third line, were observed to emerge from the woods about one-third1 of a mile distant, running nearly parallel to our front, and advanced steadily across the intervening plain. The spectacle was magnificent. They advanced in perfect order, the line of skirmishers firing. Our men were formed in a single line of battle along an almost continuous line of low stone wall and fence, which afforded a considerable protection from the enemy's fire. When the first line of the enemy had advanced to within about two hundred yards, our fire opened almost simultaneously along the whole line. The enemy's first line was broken and hurled back upon the second, throwing it also into confusion. Detached portions of the line rallied and for a short time maintained their ground. Being mown down by our terribly destructive fire, they commenced falling back, when a portion of this regiment charged upon them, capturing five battle flags and over forty prisoners. There afterward came into the lines of this regiment about one hundred or more of the enemy, some of whom were wounded, and gave themselves up.
1 The distance was nearly four-fifths of a mile.
15
GETTYSBURG-GOING TO POSITION.
The colors captured belonged to the following regiments :-- 14th Tenn., Ist Tenn., 4th Va., 16th N. Carolina, and 52d N. Carolina.
The colors of the ist and 14th Tenn. bear the following inscrip- tions on each: "Seven Pines;" "Mechanicsville;" "Cold Harbor;" "Shepardstown;" "Fredericksburg;" "Chancellorsville;" "Ox Hill;" "Harper's Ferry;" "Sharpsburg;" "Frazier's Farm;" "Cedar Run;" " Manassas."1 The color of the 14th Tenn. was the first taken, and was captured by Sergt. Maj. Wm. B. Hincks; that of the 52d N. C. by Corp. Christopher Flynn, Co. K., and that of the 16th N. C. by Private E. W. Bacon, Co. F.
Killed -- Enlisted men, - IO
Wounded-Commissioned Officers,
- 10
" Enlisted men, -
- 42
Missing-Enlisted men,
4
Total,
66 -
This regiment went into action with about 160 muskets.
I am, General, Very respectfully, . Your obedient servant,
THEODORE G. ELLIS, Major Commanding 14th C. V.
Let us now bring forth some things not appearing in that report. That night, on picket near the Baltimore pike, your minds conjuring up the possibilities of the days before you, was not an unpleasant but rather restful one. You recall that sultry morning of the 2d when you were brought to yonder open field beside the Taneytown road and halted for a while. Soon afterward, about 9 o'clock, you crossed the road, advanced a little up the hollow below us, and, moving to the right, took your assigned position on yonder grassy slope; by no means then forecasting that this ridge on which you were for the first time resting was to become, and in part through yourselves, one of the most renowned places history names, or probably shall ever name. We remember the interest we took, when strolling to the summit of the ridge, in watching our sharp-shooters at their work, and the fas- cination there seemed in it in spite of its cruel character. We
1 From these inscriptions it can be seen what veterans the 14th had confronting them. But the "Greek " had " Greek" to meet him.
16
JULY 2, '63-BY THE WALL.
remember, too, how the bravery of our new Division Commander impressed us, as we saw him riding along posting the line of skir- mishers, and giving them instructions in a voice distinctly audible to all of us. This novel sight of a Division Commander in such a position, and so coolly and indifferently exposing himself to the fire of the enemy's marksmen, inspired a wonderful courage into your hearts. From this place, to which you were moved later in the day, you witnessed the advance of the 3d Corps to their new position, and their attack by Longstreet's brigades. You saw the fearful strug- gle along the Emmettsburg road, in the "Wheat Field," and the "Peach Orchard,"-those seething whirlpools of carnage. You heard the volleys during the mad struggle at Round Top and Devil's Den, when sagacious Warren's opportunely directed forces at Vin- cent's Spur saved the left. And you were yourselves the recipients of the rebel cannoniers' compliments during these conflicts. You saw portions of your own Corps sent out to reinforce the 3d, and you marked the sad return of the 125th and 126th N. Y., of your own Division. They went forth large, fine regiments; they came back remnants, their best officers slain, their ranks well-nigh wrecked. From here you heard, at evening, the charge of the "Louisiana Tigers" and the Texans and North Carolinians of Hayes' and Hoke's brigades upon the batteries on Cemetery Hill, with their wild yells and volleys; and you heard our own Carroll when he formed the lines of his splendid brigade, and, with that incomparable voice of his, ordered the charge, as they swept up and over the ridge and drove the rebels back, hurling them down the hill, a baffled, defeated, depleted force. . That night, though it was quiet enough to those who remained by this wall, you of Companies A. and F. who were well to the front on the picket line, found the position by no means a pleasant one, because of the proximity of the rebel pickets and their pertinacity, and you " felt relieved " when Companies B. and D. came to relieve you. Daylight comes early to skirmishers in a field like that in the summer time, and the two latter companies had their hands full when ordered to push back the opposing line across the large field in their front. You were not "in good standing" some of the time, for to rise to full height was to attract the aim of all the rebel marksmen within range, so to creep and crawl was the compulsory fashion. One pathetic incident of the morning was the finding of Corporal Huxham by a comrade when a relieving squad came up. He was resting against the fence, apparently taking aim, but really dead; shot through the head, with his face toward the foe
---
-
17
EARLY MORNING-THE BARN.
and his hand upon his weapon. Alone, far from all loved ones, ful- filling his oath of loyalty, the brave, faithful spirit passed from his body by the swift leaden messenger sped by a traitor's hand. Another incident of the early morning must not be omitted. A wide-awake rebel gunner, desirous of disturbing the slumbers of some of us trying to get some rest on this ridge, sent a shell which struck and exploded a caisson of Arnold's Battery, close to our left. The rebels cheered and yelled all along their line for a mile or more. The spunky Arnold, by whom as an Artilleryman the 14th were ever after ready to swear, soon had the wreck cleared away, and sent an answer- ing shot. That first shot exploded a rebel caisson, and then it was the turn of our men to cheer; and cheer they did for several minutes, from Round Top to Cemetery IIill.
About the most thrilling and brilliant episode in all your expe- rience, and one to which you will ever refer with great and just pride, was the capture and destruction of the Bliss buildings, about ten o'clock that morning. There has been with some, we find, a ques- tion as to who, on the 3d of July, performed these deeds; but every man of the 14th who was liere on that day is ready to take oath that upon our regiment was imposed the task and to our men belongs the honor; and we put your claim upon the monument we unveil here this day without fear of disproof.1 That large barn, with its brick lower story, had afforded fine shelter for numerous sharp-shooters, who busied themselves with picking off our battery men, officers and skirmishers. The 12th N. J. of our brigade had been sent on the 2d to clear them out, and had performed the duty in gallant style, losing many men. Upon their withdrawal, however, the enemy had imme- diately re-occupied. The 108th N. Y., assisted by the Ist Del., both
1 Following the delivery of this Address, Col. Bachelder, historian of the Gettysburg battle and supt. of legends for memorials, and Mr. D. A. Buehler, V. P. of the Bat. F'd Mem. Association, stated publicly that the claim of the 14th Conn. to having destroyed the Bliss buildings was fully substantiated, and would now go into history as settled beyond a question.
That rebel artillerymen should have supposed, and so stated, that their shells produced the conflagration, is not suprising. Our surprise is that, after such a clear statement as is made by Maj. Ellis in his Report, written three days after the affair, and the affidavits furnished by our field and line officers a few years after the war, and, withal, the statement of Gen. Hays, in his Report, that he ordered the buildings burned, the claim of the regiment should for a moment have been called in question by any on our side. Men were present at our dedicatory services having then upon their persons articles which they hastily snatched up as mementoes just as they fired the house and fled.
IS
A BRILLIANT CHARGE-A BOLD RIDER.
also of our brigade, again drove them out, but when these regiments withdrew the rebels again re-occupied. During the forenoon of the 3d it became evident that the enemy must not longer be allowed to use those buildings, and the duty was devolved on the little 14th, minus its two companies on the skirmish line, to retake and "hold" the barn and house. You. of those four left companies who, under command of Capt. Moore, were detailed for the work, and you of the four right companies who, under Maj. Ellis, went to their assistance, remember with what beating hearts you moved up to the right of your position a little distance (about where Div. Headqrs. were), and then started on your peril-fraught undertaking. As soon as you appeared within range you were "sighted " by all the sharp- shooters in the buildings and the skirmishers in front of you, and as you could not under such circumstances properly charge in any sort of formation, you were wisely directed to "scatter and run "1 for the barn; but many dropped before getting there. When the left wing were in the barn, the sharp-shooters who had retired to the house kept up their fire, and when the right wing drove them out of that place, they retired only to the orchard in the rear, and still continued their harrassing fire. The enemy's skirmishers within range, increased until they outnumbered you nearly three to one, were closing in upon you; the sharp-shooters had a bead on every head, hand, or foot that appeared outside of the buildings; and the rebel artillery was drop- ping shells among you through the roof of the barn, and it seemed to you that you must be annihilated or captured unless another regi- ment came to your relief. But you had been ordered to "hold " the buildings, and hold them you must as long as any of you were left there alive. Looking toward this ridge, you saw a single horse- man leaving Headquarters. Getting a little down the slope, he put spurs to his horse and bore down towards you. Erect in his saddle, with his fine horse making mighty leaps, the target of more than four score rifles and muskets, the gallant Capt. Postles of the Ist Del., then Staff Officer, came straight to you and delivered an order to set fire to the buildings and retire to your former position; then lie turned and rode back in the same dashing, fearless manner, and running the same gauntlet as when he came. Ile reached the crest unharmed, and when there turned and, still seated in his saddle,
1 This timely order was shouted to the men by Gen. Hays soon after they started from the ridge. The company-formation furnished the finest kind of a target for the sharp-shooters, but the "scatter"-forma- tion disconcerted their aim.
19
IN FLAMES-A TOUCHING INCIDENT.
lifted his hat and waved it in triumph. It is said that the rebels, thrilled by admiration of his daring act, cheered him upon the in- spiration of the moment. When our friends notice that the distance over which you charged and he rode with the order is about two-fifths of a mile, they will be prepared to appreciate both your exploit and his. You with willing hands soon applied the torch (many blazing wisps of hay) in various places and left the buildings to the flames. Like brave men that you were, you bore all your dead and wounded with you, and though many dropped by the enemy's bullets on the return, you took them all up and brought them to your own lines.
All honor to the men of a depleted regiment who, performing so perilous an exploit, were so manly and humane withal that they would not leave one of their dead or injured comrades in the hands of the enemy ! Who will say that soldiers have no hearts and that war brutalizes them? Who say so know nothing of that whereof they speak. Listen while we refer to one touching incident, a sequence of that charge, which none of you witnessed and of which but few of you have heard. Bright little "Jeff"1 of Co. F. was fatally shot on the charge. He was dashing ahead well to the front, and one of his comrades heard him shouting to some who seemed to be laggard, "Come on, you cowards !" when he was struck near the shoulder by a musket shot, the ball passing down into his chest. He was borne to this ridge, a little to the rear of this position, where some of us were attending to such as could not be borne farther without receiving care. As soon as he saw us, three or four rods away, he called in a loud voice, "O, Chaplain, come here !" We hastened to him, and, dropping upon one knee at his side, took his hand. His frenzied grasp and the contortions of his countenance told the agonies of pain he felt. Dr. Dudley came at once and probed the wound, but quickly withdrew in a manner unperceived by Jeff, giving a significant glance which said, "Fatal-I leave him with you !" Wishing to draw him out, we, still holding his hand and stroking his forehead, said, "What shall we think of you, Jeff?" With a startled expres- sion he looked up, when, seeming to comprehend the significance of the words and tone, he spoke: "Tell my mother-tell-my ----- " and was gone. Brave young Jeff" A few minutes ago plunging into the thickest of the fray where duty bade, a genuine hero, and now, with death's hand on him, his heart full of tenderness, "with
1 Thomas J. Brainard, the life of his Company, so full of mirth and drollery was he.
6
20
THAT CHICKEN-THE ARTILLERY TORNADO.
malice toward none," he turns his thoughts toward that one whose heart is yearning most for him, and with that dearest, sacredest name borne by mortals upon his lips, passes away. From witnessing many similar scenes, do any wonder that love for the soldier is strong within our heart?
And now a lull of an hour or two, during which you, with July's broiling sun pouring its rays upon you, are trying to get some rest or food; or are penciling notes home, and wondering, soldier-like, what will be the next phase of this developing struggle. Let us repeat an an incident a comrade relates-how a group were gathered around a fire, just in the rear of your position, trying to reduce to tenderness an ancient fowl they had imprisoned (after honest capture !) in a kettle over the flames. While their hard-pushed stomachs were yearning with inexpressible longings for the poultry to relent and become eatable, they heard a gun,1 the friendly English Whitworth, far at the enemy's left, and soon its bolt came plunging in among you. Other bolts from other guns followed quickly. Our batteries promptly replied, and soon was in progress that oft described artillery engagement, the preparatory step to the grand infantry charge in your front later. Who can fitly describe that awful pounding of those two hundred rapid, fierce-firing cannon ? The solid earth trembled with the concussion, and the air seemed filled with hurtling, whizzing shot and bursting shell. The storm seemed sufficient to blast every- thing that had life on these opposing hillsides. You betook your- selves immediately to the shelter of your wall. What could you do, you infantrymen, but crouch and bow down behind its friendly, par- tial protection ? The enemy was at long range, and you could not strike back; you could only endure and wait, and like brave men keep your places and take mangling or death, if such were to be your fate, during this merciless hammering.
Let another, one of your line officers", describe it to you: "The shriek of shot and bursting shell were trying to the nerves and courage, while the rapid firing of the artillery, producing one con- tinuous roar, was deafening. The air was filled with smoke so dense that objects could not be seen at a distance of four rods. Some shells drove through the wall, causing wounds and death. The
1 Two guns were to be fired as a signal when all was ready. When these sounded, after the Whitworth, the rebel batteries in rapid succes- sion followed, and soon the mighty chorus was all on. The cannonading began about one o'clock and continued nearly two hours.
Capt. J. C. Broach, Co. A.
21
A TRYING POSITION-THE INFANTRY CHARGE.
slope1 of the ground in front turned the shell that struck there so that they passed harmlessly over our heads. The strain upon the nerves, as we lay hugging the ground while fragments of shell were dropping around us, was great, and after a while a reaction took place and we dozed, only to be awakened by the bursting of a shell near us or the crashing of our stone wall."
But what of the poor fellows of Companies B. and D., down on the skirmish line between the two fires, and away from their friends all this time? Let one of their number" tell you: " It was a terrible situation to be in, midway between the two armies. How we did hug the ground, expecting every moment to be our last ! No matter who was hit, you dare not move hand or foot; to do so was almost sure death." Here John Julian of Co. D. was wounded unto death by an exploding shell that fell short.
But the cannonading ends. The sulphurous cloud lifts and reveals to you what you have been expecting to see-that long, strong line 3 of rebel infantry advancing to the attack. You have all called it magnificent. You all admired the immensity, the showiness, the steadi- ness, the momentum of it. But fascinating as the view of it was to you as soldiers who could admire and appreciate grand and precise military display, to watch in admiration only was not your legitimate business just at that moment. That line meant business, serious business for you. It was the true bolt of the preceding cannon thunder-light- ning, mischievous, terrible, fatal as to its purpose and effort concern- ing you; and you, by your daring and courage, must ward it off and quench it, or woe to you and to the Union ! While our artillery are playing into it, gashing the ranks in ghastly fashion, you are pre- paring to play your part-the most important part -- in arresting it. The battery ordered up to replace Arnold's used-up battery + at your left has, by some misunderstanding of instructions, failed to come to its place and help you, so you must needs fill its place and extend your line along the front it should protect. Deliberately you take
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