History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 72

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1372

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The newspaper accounts of the

Battle of Antietam

During the night of September 18, Lee retired from the scene of action, taking his wounded with him, and crossed the Potomac River into Virginia. McClellan's army, which had marched persistently for several days, was tired and worn out after this fierce engagement. The condition of affairs was scarcely realized by the military authorities at Washington, who expected that McClellan would move with rapid marches in pursuit of Lee and defeat him before he had taken position behind strong fortifications in his native state. This sentiment caused the removal of Mcclellan from command of the Army of the Potomac and General Burnside succeeded him. The retreat of Lee after Antietam, caused great relief to the people of southern Pennsylvania and all loyal citizens through- out the northern states. The threatened invasion of Pennsylvania had been pre- vented in 1862.

Although there had been some brilliant victories by the western army, under Gen- eral U. S. Grant, who was looming up as a great soldier, affairs were in an unfortunate condition in Virginia. Burnside, in com- mand of the Army of the Potomac, on De-

movement of the Confederates cember 13, 1862, assaulted Lee in a strong were uncertain, but early on the position at Fredericksburg and was de- feated with a loss of 12,000.

morning of September 17, the citizens of the town heard cannonading in After the defeat at Fredericksburg, Burn- side was superseded by Hooker. On May I to 4, 1863, he attacked Lee at Chancellors- ville, a few miles from Fredericksburg. The battle, in which nearly 30,000 were killed or wounded on both sides, was the worst defeat experienced by any Union army during the war. Here "Stonewall" Jackson made a flank march against the banks of the Antietam Creek, a few miles Federal right wing, which was one of his greatest achievements, as it was his last. He was mortally wounded and died a few days later. The Confederate victory at Chancellorsville induced General Lee to attempt another invasion into Pennsyl- vania, during the summer of 1863. the direction of Hagerstown, even though a ridge of the South Mountain extends north- eastward between the scene of action and the borough of Hanover. The Army of Northern Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee, and "Stonewall" Jackson second in command, had met the Army of the Potomac, under General Mcclellan, on the southwest of Hagerstown. For six long hours on that memorable day, the battle of Antietam, mentioned by many historians as the fiercest one day's engagement during the Civil War, took place. Great anxiety was felt by the people of Hanover, because they knew that the One Hundred and When the enemy threatened to in- Home vade Pennsylvania, Home Guards Guards. were organized at York, for the defence of the town. These com- panies were sworn into the service on Sep- Thirtieth Regiment had entered the fight. Company C, of this regiment, was com- manded by Captain Joseph S. Jenkins. Everyone waited eagerly for the report of the battle. Many citizens started in car- tember 12 and continued to drill and prac-

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

tice until September 24. The danger of the enemy approaching York had been averted by the battle at Antietam. These com- panies, which were fully and equipped, were mustered out of service on September 24. The following is the muster roll of the different companies of Home Guards at York :

Officers-Captain-Jacob Wiest. First Lieutenant- Emanuel Smith. Second Lieutenant-Augustus Loucks. First Sergeant-Henry Shelly. Sergeants-Edward J. Chalfant, William F. Shetter, Benjamin Allison, John Kraber. Corporals-Charles H. Weigle, Michael Wiest, Daniel Sourbier, Jacob H. Shetter, John H. Wanbaugh, David Kielholtz, George F. Baugher, Charles Metzel. Musicians-Abdel Myers, George Shetter.

Privates-Henry Abel, John R. Andrews, Moses Arndt, Joshua Bentiett, Edward Baum, John F. Derr, Jacob Ernst, George W. Epply, John Frederick, John P. Frick, Edward Graybill, Charles Gresly, Albert Glass- meyer, Elias F. Graham, Michael Hoffman, Franklin B. Harlacher, John Harkins, William Harkins, John Hess- ler, William Hossler, John Hawkins, David Jamison, William Keister, Frederick J. Kottkamp, Henry Kott- kamp, Sr., Jacob Kauffelt, Frederick Kleffman, Henry Kottkamp, Jr., Edward C. Lauman, Henry Lint, John Meeter, George F. Motter, Henry Neater, Edward Neas, Henry Ness, Charles A. Pentz, David P. Shultz, George L. Stough, Samuel Sourbier, Jacob Sourbier, Jacob Sherefy, Henry Strine, Samuel Shaffer, Henry Schalle, Henry Shaffer, John C. Schroeder, Henry Scheeter, Charles Spangler, Henry Strelig, Daniel Withers, Martin L. Weigle, Jacob D. Welch, Daniel Wampler, J. Frederick Yingling, Albertus Young.

Officers-Captain-Jacob Hay. First Lieutenant- William Gilberthrop. Second Lieutenant-Daniel B. Immell. First Sergeant-Washington Bierbower. Sergeants-George Weirman, Thomas E. Cochran, Wil- liam Hay, Abraham W. Rudisill, Edward Stuck. Cor- porals-William M. Frysinger, John Fahs, John Shive, James Kell, William W. Dingee, Jacob Andrews, George Horn. Musician-William Poleman.

Privates-John Busser, Emanuel C. Beck, John Bor- land, John W. Buckingham, John M. Brown, William C. Fischer, James Groff, Henry Ginter, Henry Gresly, John Hay, Jacob Hantz, Samuel Hame, Henry Haker, Daniel Heckert, George W. Ilgenfritz, Martin Ilgen- fritz, Harrison Ilgenfritz. Samuel Kitzmiller, Jacob Keeney, Simon Kopp, Jacob L. Keuhn, Alexander Kidd, Charles Laumaster, Anthony Leiben. George Mundorff, George W. Neff, Jonathan Owen, Thomas Owen, Sr., John Platts, George Rudisill, Henry Rutledge, John W. Schall, Charles F. Sheafer, Jacob Spangler, John Schall, Alexander Shetter, John Small, Isaac Shelly, John Strickler, William Shelly, Lewis Shive, Daniel Stough, John Truett, Oliver P. Weiser, Thomas White, Martin H. Weiser, William Wolf.

Officers-Captain-D. Wagner Barnitz. First Lieu- tenant-George J. Spangler. Second Lieutenant-John W. Shirey. First Sergeant-George H. Maish. Ser- geants-Levi Strickler, John Strickler, Albert Hay, John A. Beitzel. Corporals-Frederick Klinefelter, Oliver H. Wells, Jerome Fisher, Amos Mitzell, Henry Buck, Alex- ander Hildebrand, George Wagner, Milton Johnston.

Privates-William H. Albright, Jacob Asseman, Adam K. Baylor, Jacob Blauser, William Call, John Connelly. Charles Cook, George W. Dietz, L. Doll, Jacob B. Fishel, Joel E. Fisher, George Foose, William Frame, William Fried, George S. Frey, Martin Frey, Augustus F. Gotwalt, Joseph W. Ilgenfritz, George Il-

genfritz, Albert Ilgenfritz, William Jacobs, Victor V. Kelton, William Koch, William Lloyd, Adam E. May- ers, David Myers, Andrew J. Mclaughlin, Bernard Mc- Farland, George Odenwalt, Philip Odenwalt, August Rouse, Daniel Rittenhouse, Josiah W. Sleider, George P. Smyser, William Straber, Edward Straber, Louis Shen- berger, George W. Steig, Luther A. Small, Albert Small, William Sponsler, Henry Swartz, Charles A. Strack, John G. Schaffer, John Schott, Michael Seitz, John Tomes, Hamilton H. Treager, John Vandersloot, Charles Wag- ner, Louis E. Wagner, Marcellus G. Weiser, George Weiser, Howard H. Welsh, Lewis Weller, Emanuel C. Yessler, John Zeller, Walter Zimmerman.

Officers-Captain-William H. Albright. First Lieu- tenant-George Smith. Second Lieutenant-John H. Klinedinst. First Sergeant-William Swartz. Ser- geants-Charles W. Stebbins, Lewis L. Sears, William H. H. Erwin, Samuel Rudy. Corporals-Samuel Funk, Henry Reily, Charles N. Brannon, Isaac Goodman, John Heckert, Charles O. Fields, Frederick Bastean, John Epply. Musician-Harry A. Spangler.

Privates-John W. Bittenger, Charles H. Bressler, Martin Basehore, John Crone, Clayton Craver, Howard Duvall, John G. Ernst, James Ensminger, Emanuel Erb, Robert Fields, Romanus Greenawalt, George W. F. Gray, Albert Heckert, Edward Helfrich, Alfred Hel- sel, Frederick Hibner, Christian Hinkle, Daniel C. Il- genfritz, Daniel Jacobs, James Johnston, George Koons, Jacob Kraft, John Kline, Emanuel Kissinger, William T. Laumaster, Philip Lehr, William H. Lochman, Wil- liam Loy, Samuel Myers, John Miller, Albert Metzel, William McIlvaine, John B. Oswald, Andrew Pfile, John Rouse, Andrew J. Reiley, George W. Reichenbach, John Siegle, Henry Stine, Augustus Strack, Adam Spangler, Jacob Smith, Alexander Smith, William War- ner, Samuel H. Welsh, David A. Wilhelm, Jeremiah Yaple, William Zeigle.

Officers-Captain-John Hays. First Lieutenant- John M. Deitch. Second Lieutenant-James H. Fisher. First Sergeant-Alexander Duncan. Sergeants-Ed- ward G. Smyser, George W. Ruby, Zacharias Dugan, Daniel D. Doudel. Corporals-Peter McGuigan, Na- thaniel Weigle, William Beitzel, Henry L. Fisher, An- drew J. Bashers, Thomas McCann, Andrew K. Gless- ner, Alfred Koch.

Privates-George Albright, Henry Baylor, George A. Barnitz, George Beck, William B. Carter, Barney Con- ley, Jeremiah Cullison, Daniel Crerand, Daniel Densel, Patrick Dawson, Henry Everhart, Abraham Forry, Charles Fishel, Enos M. Frame, William Froelich, Martin Frey, Jr., Jacob E. Fisher, Samuel Gotwalt, Jacob Gotwalt, Sr., Daniel Gotwalt, John Horn, Jr., Jeremiah Hess, Abraham Hearshy, Joseph Heard, Sam- uel Ilgenfritz, Henry Ilgenfritz, James W. Kerr, Adam Klinefelter, Augustus Knudson, Charles W. Karg, George A. Karg, August Leibhart, William Leidlich, John Minnon, Moses Morritz, John Morrow, Abraham Musser, Henry Philby, Frederick Plitt, August Plitt, Alexander Reisinger, John F. Reinberger. Barnard Rhodenhouser, Jacob Reichley, Michael Schall, David Small, Peter Schoch, Charles Spangler, Ambrose Smith, William Small, Henry Spangler, Henry Schuy- ler, Charles Schnable, Frederick A. Steig, Walter Shaeffer, Henry Stallman, Lebrecht Treager, Alex- ander Underwood, John A. Wilson, James West, Joseph Welsh, Joseph Watt, William Watt, Henry Weltzhoffer, Anthony Weaver, William Wagner, Sr., Jacob Wagner, Jacob Yunker, John Zimmerman.

Officers-Captain-John Gibson. First Lieutenant- Charles A. Stair. Second Lieutenant-William H. Jordan. First Sergeant-George P. Smyser. Ser- geants-William L. Stough, Charles S. Weiser, George Fisher, Samuel I. Adams. Corporals-Francis M. Epp-

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THE CIVIL WAR

ley, Edwin R. Burke, Edward C. Eichelberger, William Fahs, George W. Heiges, George L. Hay, Edwin Heck- ert, Thomas S. Meyers. Musician-David A. Decker. Privates-Murray S. Adams, Charles Ansley, Emmett B. Bossler, John Brillhart, Chauncey F. Black, Crayton W. Brandt, William Chambers, Charles Donnell, Ed- ward D. Eppley, Lewis H. Eppley, Weter Eck, Martin S. Eichelberger, Isaac A. Elliott, Silas H. Forry, George Foose, Henry K. Gardner, William H. Griffith, Cor- nelius Garretson, Ivan Glossbrenner, Hollingsworth Gipe, Alfred Gartman, Johns Hopkins, Henry Haker, John C. Jordan, Milton S. Johnson, Charles A. Key- worth, William H. Kurtz, James Kell, Daniel Keller, Nathan T. Keesey, Jacob E. Lehman, James W. Lati- mer, Edward B. Meyers, George Meredith, William Meredith, Peter McIntyre, Jr., Martin P. McCreary, John McIntyre, Samuel Owens, William N. Porter, George H. Pentz, George Rudisill, Albert W. Rudisill, Thomas J. Rupert, James B. Small, John H. Strayer, Thomas B. Schall, Jr., Lewis W. Schaeffer, W. H. Strickler, Henry W. Spangler, Joseph G. Small, James F. Shunk, Joseph H. Strubinger, George W. Stouffer, Jacob A. Wilt, L. Edward Wagner, Charles F. Welch, Geoffrey P. Yost, A. Duncan Yocum, Herman Zeigler.

Officers-Captain-Charles M. Nes. First Lieutenant John Brillinger. Second Lieutenant-Samuel War- ring. First Sergeant-Martin Quinn. Sergeants- Edward Brillinger, A. B. Farquhar, Henry J. Loucks, William Loucks. Corporals-Alfred Erwin, Emanuel A. King, A. Hamilton Nes, John B. Rutter, W. L. Small, Martin H. Weiser, Erastus H. Weiser, Thomas Williams. Buglers-Jacob Roman, Philip Hecker.

Privates-Jacob Brillinger, N. F. Burnham, Daniel Cookes, John T. Erwin, Arthur N. Green, James Groff, Philip Herman, Henry Hertzog, Edward G. Hersh, Thomas Holland, John Herman, Jonathan Jessop,

Jessop, William S. King, George Koons, Vincent K. Keesey, Anthony Lieben, Samuel Leitner, Josiah E. Myers, Henry Myers, Jr., Leander H. Myers, Daniel A. Rupp, James Rupert, Edward P. Smyser, Frederick Stallman, Milton Sultzbach, William Smith, Michael Schall, Jacob D. Schall, James Schall, Alexander W. Underwood, Amos Underwood, John Wanbaugh, Thomas E. White, Welsh, Henry Wagner.

CONFEDERATE INVASION OF 1863.

The account of the Confederate invasion of 1863, together with a summary of the battle of Gettysburg, was prepared by Wil- liam L. Hoffheins, of Hanover, who has made a careful study of the operations of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia, during the Civil War.

Rappahannock when, on June 3, 1863, the Gettysburg campaign began. The army of the Potomac, under General Hooker, num- bered 90,000 men; the Army of Northern Virginia, under General Lee, about 80,000 men. A number of causes have been as- signed for the decision of the Confederate authorities to invade the north at this time. In the first place, it was in harmony with

the defensive-offensive policy of the war- fare of the south, as shown in the Penin- sular and in Pope's campaign. Secondly, the remarkable success of Lee at Freder- icksburg and Chancellorsville, and the en- largement of his army induced him to be- lieve that the next battle would be the most decisive of the war, and would secure for- eign intervention and the recognition of the Confederacy by the European powers. Thirdly, the invasion would enable Lee to replenish his commissary and would coun- teract the effect of the impending fall of Vicksburg and Fort Hudson, and of "the unvexed flow of the Mississippi to the sea."

The inauguration of this move-

Movement ment began with the order to

Begun. A. P. Hill to remain with his corps at Fredericksburg, and the orders to Ewell and Longstreet to join

Stuart's cavalry at Culpeper. These movements were surmised by General Hooker, commander of the Union Army, who ordered General Sedgwick across the river to see if the enemy's forces had been diminished. Sedgwick reported that their main army was still there. Then Hooker directed Pleasanton, with all the cavalry, to go to Culpeper, where, contrary to the most reliable information of the Union com- mander, all of Stuart's cavalry and two- thirds of the Confederate infantry were found encamped. Pleasanton surprised Stuart's cavalry and cut it up badly ; but, by reason of the advance of heavy masses of Confederate infantry, he was obliged to re- tire, having secured all the information he desired and being fully assured of Lee's pur- pose to move on Washington.

Hooker now extended his

Ewell at army farther west so as to

Winchester. interpose, at all times. be- tween the Confederate Army and Washington. Lee, having failed to outflank Hooker. then ordered Ewell into

The Union and Confederate armies were confronting each other on the banks of the the Shenandoah Valley. In the course of the next week, the rest of the Confederate Army, the corps of Longstreet and Hill, also entered the valley. Ewell, who was in the lead, and who was directed to clear out the Union troops under Milroy at Win- chester, and Tyler at Martinsburg, arrived before Winchester on the 13th of June. This town had a considerable garrison under General Milroy, a gallant soldier.

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Already on the 11th, Milroy had received orders from General Halleck, through Gen- eral Schenck, his corps commander, to send his armament and supplies back to Harper's Ferry, but as Milroy remonstrated, it was left to his discretion to begin the retreat when he should deem it necessary.

Milroy was already aware of the presence of the Confederates, but believed them to be only part of Stuart's cavalry. The military authorities at Washington, who knew that these forces were Ewell's corps, backed by the entire Confederate army, had, for some unexplained reason, neglected to inform Milroy of this fact. By the 13th, however, the wires were cut and the order to retreat, though sent, did not reach Milroy. A Con- federate prisoner about this time informed him of the presence of Ewell's entire corps.

Milroy's

Ewell had before this sent for-

Gallant

ward the cavalry brigades of this order, reached East Berlin by the after-

Jenkins and Imboden to guard Stand. against surprise from Union troops along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and on the 13th sent Rodes' division to Berryville to protect his right flank. Ewell now advanced against Win- chester with the divisions of Early and Johnson and drove Milroy into his works around the town. Milroy's situation was now extremely perilous and at I A. M., June 13, his artillery ammunition being ex- hausted and having but one day's rations, he abandoned his wagon trains and artillery, and his sick and wounded. He then moved silently through a ravine to a point four miles north of the town. Here Elliott's and Ely's Union brigades, the latter from York County. including Colonel Schall's Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, made repeated and brave charges to dis- lodge the Confederate forces, but without success.

The Union forces now became divided into two parts ; the one east finally reaching Harper's Ferry and that on the west reach- ing Bloody Run, near Bedford, Pennsyl- vania. The greater part of the brigades of Ely and McReynolds were, however, cap- tured and the valley was now clear of Union troops. This unsuccessful stand of Milroy's, however, retarded Ewell's ad- vance up the valley to such an extent as to delay Lee's concentration at Gettysburg.

Northern Soil.

On the 22d of June (Jenkins' cavalry having preceded him by a week in Pennsylvania) Ewell crossed the Potomac at Wil- liamsport and Shepherdstown

and, marching through Hagerstown, reached Chambersburg on the 23d. On the 25th Ewell ordered Early to march through Gettysburg to York and Wrightsville. On the 26th Early's advance west of Gettys- burg was delayed by the presence of the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Emergency Regiment, under Colonel Jennings. On the morning of the 28th, Early's forces entered York and Gordon's brigade, passing through York, reached Wrightsville on the afternoon of that day, but the bridge across the Susquehanna was burned before the Confederates could reach it. On the after- noon of the 29th, Early received orders to return to Gettysburg and in obedience to noon of the 30th, and Gettysburg on the afternoon of the Ist of July.

Meanwhile, Longstreet and Hill, having crossed the Potomac on the 24th and 25th, reached Chambersburg on the 27th. On the same day, Ewell, with Johnson's and Rodes' divisions, entered Carlisle. The ad- vance of Jenkin's cavalry was then on the west bank of the Susquehanna opposite Harrisburg. The Confederate cavalry, be- cause of its injudicious movements, failed utterly in that most important office of cavalry to keep General Lee informed of the movements of the opposing army. Lee, on the evening of the 28th, by the chance arrival of a weary and footsore scout, learned, for the first time, that the Union army was at Frederick and not, as he be- lieved, still south of the Potomac. Believ- ing that the Union commander would at- tempt to cut his communications with Vir- ginia, Lee moved east of the mountains, so that by threatening Baltimore and Wash- ington, he might keep open his line of retreat. All the component parts of the Confederate army were now ordered to concentrate on Gettysburg and during the next few days, all except Stuart's command moved in that direction.

Meanwhile, to Stuart had been

Stuart's assigned the task of guarding the Plan. gaps of the Blue Ridge, of har- assing Hooker's rear and pre-

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THE CIVIL WAR

venting his crossing of the Potomac, if he should attempt it. Being uniformly worsted in all his engagements and unsuc- cessful in detaining Hooker, Stuart decided upon the bold project of riding around the rear and flank of the Union army with three brigades of his division, and leaving to the brigades of Robertson and Jones the special task of guarding the gaps of the Blue Ridge. Several such movements had been made by Stuart in former campaigns which proved to be more spectacular than serviceable, and this one in particular was destined to be productive of very direful consequences.

On the 27th of June, he crossed the Potomac near Drainsville. After an all- night ride, at dawn of day on the 29th, he reached the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Hood's Mill, and after spending most of the day in tearing up that road, reached Westminster at 5 P. M. After a fight with the First Delaware cavalry, he proceeded to Union Mills, where, learning of the presence of Kilpatrick's cavalry at Littles- town, he encamped for the night, hoping by another day's ride, to join Early's forces at York. Stuart was unaware that all the parts of the Confederate army, except his cavalry, were concentrating at Gettysburg. It is, nevertheless, highly probable that without the knowledge of this order, Stuart could still have joined Early on his return march to Gettysburg, near East Berlin, by noon of the 30th, if Kilpatrick had not in- terposed between Stuart and Early, by first getting possession of Hanover. The Union success at Hanover delayed Stuart's join- ing Early two days longer, when the infor- mation he brought was useless, and his wearied men and jaded horses went down to defeat and death before Gregg's gallant troops at Rummel's farm, the most brilliant cavalry engagement of the war.

Army of the

Potomac.

Returning now to the Army of the Potomac, General Hooker began his movement to cover Washington, on June 15, the day Longstreet left Culpeper. As Hooker moved northward, east of the Blue Ridge, Hill and Longstreet moved up the Shenandoah Valley and Hooker crossed the Potomac at Edward's Ferry on the same day that Hill and Longstreet crossed at Williamsport. On the 28th, Longstreet

and Hill were in Chambersburg with their two corps, composed of six divisions, and of Ewell's three divisions, Johnson's and Rodes' being at Carlisle and Early's at York. At the same time the Army of the Potomac was at Frederick, the chief com- mand of this army having been given to Major-General George Gordon Meade, in the early hours of that morning, in conse- quence of Hooker's resignation.

By the evening of the 30th the Union army was spread out in a fan-like shape ex- tending eastward and westward from Em- mittsburg to Manchester, Maryland, a distance of about thirty miles. The First Corps was at Marsh Creek, four miles south of Gettysburg; the Eleventh at Emmitts- burg; the Second at Uniontown; the Third at Taneytown; the Fifth at Union Mills; the Twelfth at Littlestown; and the Sixth at Manchester. Of the Union cavalry, Kil- patrick had that day defeated Stuart at Hanover, Buford, with his division, was picketing the roads radiating from Gettys- burg, and Gregg's division was protecting the right flank of the army at Manchester. Late on the night of the 30th, after the orders for the next day's movement were already issued, Meade learned for the first time from General Couch, at Harrisburg, that Lee had already moved east of the mountains with the greater part of his forces. On the same night he learned from Buford that his pickets west and north of Gettysburg were in contact with the corps of Hill and Ewell. The Confederate corps averaged a distance of from four to fifteen miles from Gettysburg; the Union corps averaged from four to thirty-five miles from that point.

BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.

On the morning of July Ist, General Bu- ford held the ridges west of Gettysburg with Gamble's and Devin's brigades of cav- alry and Calif's battery. His force was mostly dismounted and engaged in holding off the advance of Heth's Confederate Di- vision of General A. P. Hill's corps. Gen- eral Reynolds, the commander of the left wing of the Army of the Potomac, was at that time hurriedly marching from Marsh Creek, four miles southwest of Gettysburg, to Buford's support, with the brigades of Meredith and Cutler, and Doubleday, then

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

commanding the First Corps, followed Rey- and repeated attacks were now made. In nolds with the divisions of Rowley and one of these attacks, Paul's brigade of the Robinson. An order had also been sent to Howard, at Emmittsburg, to bring his corps to Gettysburg. After Reynolds had arrived at the Seminary buildings, and had consulted with Buford, he placed Cutler's brigade to the right of the Chambersburg pike, Meredith's to the left and Hill's Maine battery on the pike. Cutler's brigade im- mediately charged the Confederates and was repulsed, but, making a counter charge, Cutler regained the crest of the ridge and, in the railroad cut, captured a large number of prisoners belonging to Davis' Confed- erate brigade. Meredith's brigade, also making a charge, captured General Archer and a large part of his brigade. In the dis- position of his forces and in his heroic gal- lantry, Reynolds exhibited the ablest gen- eralship and the noblest manhood. At the height of the attack, he was instantly killed by the bullet of a Confederate sharpshooter. The enemy, after a stubborn resistance, were forced back. Their commander, Gen- eral Heth, now put his whole division into line, placed Pelham's four batteries in com- manding positions, and called to his sup- port Pender's division of four brigades. Doubleday, now in command of the Union line, placed Biddle's brigade to the left of Meredith, who, with Buford's dismounted cavalrymen, were directed to hold the Fair- field road. Stone's brigade was placed between Meredith and Cutler at the Cham- bersburg pike and Baxter's and Paul's brigades to the right and rear of Cutler, Baxter's right extending to the Mummas- burg road. Thus the Confederates were trying to interpose between the First Corps and the rest of the Union army, then to the south of Gettysburg. First Corps, captured three regiments of Iverson's brigade of Rode's division. Rode's division, having now secured a more effective artillery fire on the right flank of the First Corps, attacked and turned the left flank of the Eleventh Corps. As the Eleventh Corps' right and rear were, at about the same time, attacked by Early's Confederate division, it fell rapidly back through the town to Cemetery Hill, on which Steinwehr's division had previously been posted by order of General Howard. Meanwhile the front of the First Corps was attacked by eight Confederate brigades, its right enfiladed by a most withering artillery fire and its rear uncovered by the hasty retreat of the Eleventh Corps. The steady, almost unaided defence of its position, by the First Corps, during the long hours of this day, the almost unparalleled percent- ages of its killed and wounded, truly make it an exhibition of "valor magnificent." All had been done that men could do, greatly outnumbered as they were, and facing and fighting the enemy the First Corps fell slowly back through the town and took position on the left of that already held by the Eleventh Corps. This position not only commanded the country to the east, west and north, but from its summit roads also radiated to Baltimore, Taneytown and Emmittsburg. It was now about 3:30 P. M., at which time Hancock says he as- sumed command of the field by order of General Meade. Hancock made some changes in the disposition of the troops and later, leaving the command to General Slocum, of the Twelfth Corps, rode back to Taneytown and recommended the field as the place to fight the battle. As the First, It was now I P. M., and Howard, who commanded the field, ordered Schurz, com- manding Barlow's and Schimmelpfenning's divisions of the Eleventh Corps, to relieve Devin's brigade of Buford's cavalry, then engaged with Rodes' Confederate division of Ewell's corps, which was advancing toward Gettysburg from the north. Stein- wehr's division was directed by Howard to occupy Cemetery Hill, where the Baltimore pike crosses it. Along the entire front of the First and Eleventh Corps, determined Eleventh and Twelfth Corps were already on the field, and the Third Corps enroute, Meade ordered the Fifth Corps from Han- over, the Second from Taneytown, and the Sixth from Manchester. At midnight, Meade, himself, reached the field. In the early morning, the Second Corps arrived ; a few hours later, the Fifth Corps came; but the Sixth Corps, after continuous marching since the evening before and over a distance of thirty-four miles, reached the field at 3 P. M. of the 2d day of the battle.

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History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 72

Author: Prowell, George R. Publication date: 1907 Publisher: J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1372

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1372