USA > Pennsylvania > Adams County > Gettysburg > The color episode of the one hundred and forty-ninth regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers in the first day's fight at Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863 > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace in and for said Coun- ty, Edward L. Manderbach, William H. Reigart, John Schaeffer, Lorenzo Blecker, Adam Loose an'd Henry W. Moyer, who being duly affirmed accord . ing to law, do depose and say. that they were present in the First Day's Fight at Gettysburg, and that the regimental colors were never again returned to the custody of the Company after being sent out into the field north of the pike and planted by a rail-pile to the left of the left front of the regiment, and that there, at said rail-pile was the last we saw of them.
· Affirmed and subscribed before me, this 25th day of May A. D., 1907.
H. S. GOCKLEY, Justice of the Peace.
Edward L. Manderbach, William H. Reigart, John Schaeffer, Lorenzo Blecker, Adam Loose,
Henry W. Moyer.'
These accounts harmonize so completely as to leave them free from all doubt. Note well the striking fact, that, . when our temporarily victorious Color Guards came rushing along to rejoin the regiment, they saw only men in gray where but a short time before they had seen the blue, the enemy being in possession of that part of the field.
Had the dash on our colors been made but five or ten minutes sooner, or, had Brehm not lost twice that length of
14
time in waiting, in vain, for Hoffman to return and report, our little band of heroes could have reached the regiment, while it was yet at McPherson's, and the colors would have been saved from capture.
Since I could never learn of any one of our brigade who claimed to have seen Brehm approaching through the meadow,the inference is that our line was then being with- drawn, as Col. Dana, who was now in command, had dis- covered that he was flanked both right and left.
Now for the Confederate side of the story. I will quote from a booklet-Pickett or Pettigrew-written by Captain W. R. Bond, of Daniel's Brigade, who, in speaking of Davis' men says as follows:
"To illustrate the individual gallantry of these troops I will relate an adventure which came under my observation. It must be born in mind that this brigade had been doing fierce and bloody fighting, and at this time not only its numerical loss but its percentage of killed and wounded was greater than that which Pickett's troops had to submit to two days later, and that it was then waiting to be relieved. Early in the afternoon of this day my division (Rodes') ar- rived upon the field by the Carlisle road and at once went into action. My brigade (Daniel's) was on the right, and after doing some sharp fighting we came in sight of Heth's line, which was at right angles to ours as we approached. The direction of our right regiments had to be changed in order that we might move in front of their left brigade, which was Davis'. The Federal line, or lines, for my im- · pression is there were two or more of them, were also lying in the open field, the . interval between the opposing lines being about three hundred yards. Half way between these lines there was another, which ran by a house. This line was made of dead and wounded Federals, who lay 'as thick as autumnal leaves which strew the brooks in Vallombrosa'. It was about here that the incident occurred. A Pennsy- Ivania regiment of Stone's brigade had their two flags- state and national-with their guard a short distance in front of. them. One of these colors, Sergeant Frank Price, of the Forty-second Mississippi, and half a dozen of his comrades determined to capture. Moving on hands and knees till they had nearly reached the desired object, they suddenly rose, charged and overcame the guard, captured the flag and were rapidly making off. with it, when its owners fired upon
..
-
15
them. All were struck down but the Sergeant, and as he was making for the house above referred to. a young staff officer of my command, having carried some message to Heth's people, was returning by a short cut between the lines, and seeing a man with a strange flag, without noticing his uniform he thought he, too, would get a little glory along with some bunting. Dismounting among the dead and wounded he picked up and fired several muskets at Price; but was fortunate enough to miss him. Sergeant Price sur- vived the war. His home was in Carrollton, Mississippi. Recently the information came from one of his sons, a name sake of the writer, that his gallant father was no more."
The line of killed and wounded spoken of above were those of my brigade; and the house mentioned by which this line lav, was the McPherson house-the only one in the vicinity.
This narrative of Capt. Bond's is easily reconciled with the sworn testimony of my men. There is no more discrep- ancy than is reasonable to expect from the circumstances; for it can readily be understood how awkard it would have been for Capt. Bond to give all the details.
Price and his comrades must have noticed our colors . on top of that slope for the last hour or more. But they wisely postponed their adventure until they knew by the fir- ing that the Confederate line south of the pike had reached. the crest of the ridge According to the rules of strategy the regiment they supposed to be with our colors should then have changed front and attacked its enemy in flank. No such movement taking place, and those colors still flaunting, as it were, in their faces, they determined to solve the mystery, and with commendable caution to escape de- tection they moved up the wheat covered slope "on hands and knees" as Bond relates it. Directly. west of the colors the field had not been marched over and the wheat was still standing erect.
.
When these men reached the edge and peered out they saw at a glance that our troops were gone. Only a short distance before them stood our colors, their lovely folds gently swaying in a light breeze. Not a guard was visible. Not a musket showed above the rails. With an exultant vell they dashed forward. Never was there made a worse mistake than that yell; and it may truly be said that it sounded the death knell of more than one of those who gave
.
16
it. But for that yell they could have jumped on my men before they were up. That yell startled our Union boys to a" consciousness of their danger and gave them a few precious seconds of time in which to jump to their feet and cock their rifles The foe was so close that there was no need of taking aim. Every shot took effect. The next instant the rifles were used as clubs, and quicker than it takes to relate, the foemen were all laid low, and the little band of Buck- tails were speeding away with their colors to rejoin the re- . giment.
Three rifles against seven! The bearers of the seven all struck down but one, and that one temporarily stretched on his back by Brehm! The owners of the three off with- . out a scratch ! If it were not confirmed by the Confederate report it might well tax the credulity of my auditors.
How do we account for it? Easily enough. Those Mississippians- than whom there were no better fighters either North or South-had not anticipated any serious re- sistance. Each of them was so eager to secure one of the cov- eted prizes that they forgot all danger, and threw caution to the winds. Their hot reception took them completely by surprise, and, before they had time to recover from it, the clash was over.
The wounded comrade who witnessed the melee over the colors, saw but "three of the enemy stretched on the sod." It is presumed that the two victims of Spayd's rifle lay west of the breastwork and could not be seen by him. Price may have had only five comrades with him; but if he really had "half a dozen," as stated by Capt. Bond, then there is one more man to be accounted for, and he too must have lain in a position where the aforementioned comrade could not see him
Price, the leader, was evidently the man whom Brehm. clutched by the throat and hurled to the ground, and it is probably to this humiliating experience he owed his preser- vation from serious injury ; otherwise he too might have re- ceived the blow of a rifle-butt over his skull. When he got on his feet again and had picked up a gun and was ready to fire, Brehm's bold dash through the enemy's ranks may have already been accomplished; but Spayd, noticing in time that he was running right into the Johnnie's, and hav- ing changed his course to clear their left flank, was nearer to Price, who, presently brought him down by firing a bul-
·
-
17
let through his thigh. It took him but a minute to cover the distance between them, when he pulled out from under our seventeen year old hero the flag which he had but a few minutes before so gallantly rescued ; and Price, who had had his grasp on the staff of our national flag, but slip- ped up on its capture, as narrated, now had possession of our State flag, while the National flag and its noble bearer went down over a hundred yards further on, south of the pike and east of McPherson's.
This furnishes a striking illustration of the rapid suc- cession of stirring events during the whirlwind of battle, and the sudden changes of fortune from one side to the other.
As a further confirmation of the above account I will quote from Capt. Bond's letter to Comrade W. R. John- ston, secretary of our Regimental Association :
Scotland Neck, N: C , Nov. 29, 1901
W. R. JOHNSTON, Belleview, Pa.
Dear Comrade :
Yours of the 21st with stated enclosure to hand. I have read Capt Bassler's address with very great interest. The more so for the reason that I was a witness in part, and I might say an actor in part of one of the incidents described, for I was the mounted staff officer who fired several shots at the Mississippian who captured your State flag. * * * * * When' I dismounted and picked up a musket there could have been noth- ing very formidable about my appearance for I was only a pale-faced boy, yet several of the wounded thought I was an inhuman monster, for with hands raised in a deprecating way they besought me not to kill them. Poor devils ! I would have he'ped them if I could, had the time been not so stirring . Yours Fraternally,
W. R. BOND.
Was Brehm to blame for clinging to his post so long? No! By all that is just and reasonable, no! He was per- fectly justified in waiting for orders. He'had a right to ex- pect that his safety was looked after. He naturally thought that there must be a good reason for holding him to his post, or else he would be recalled. He considered it cowardly to go back without orders. He, like all the rest of us, had learned that Col Dwight would brook no infraction of his commands, and hence was determined to stick to his post to the last minute. Nevertheless he sent a messenger to ask for orders and a watch was kept on Davis' brigade, one of their number getting up at intervals and taking a hurried
18
glance in that direction. It would have been foolhardy to expose themselves to the fire of sharpshooters longer than absolutely necessary, for by needlessly braving that danger, there would shortly have been no guard left to protect the colors.
Daniel's brigade having moved further east. Davis' men were the only troops from whom Brehm anticipated any danger ; and his intention, no doubt, was, not to let that line get too close before leaving his post, orders or no orders. But as explained before, Davis did not move with the rest of the sweeping semi-circle, and Price and his squad came up through the wheat field so stealthily that they were not discovered.
The last time but one that I saw Brehm, was immedi- ately-after he was compelled to surrender his flag." He fol- lowed the captor of his colors to the Confederate rear and passed near where I lay. Though mortally wounded, he carried his head high, as became the undismayed warrior he was. His eyes were still ablaze with the fire of battle. He looked neither to the right nor to left. His gaze was fixed upon his beloved flag. I was wondering what were then his thoughts. Was he considering some scheme to at- tempt the recapture of the lost treasure?
It would be interesting to know how many shots were fired at the Color Sergeant while making his way across that meadow. In the end it seems to have been a fragment of a shell that struck him down, if subsequent reports con- cerning the nature of his wound, were correct.
The captor of Brehm's flag was J. T. Lumpkin, of Com- pany C, 55th Virginia Regiment. While he was advancing with his command south of the McPherson buildings, be- ing one of those wide awake and observant fellows whose eyes take in more than those of the average man, he got a glimpse of both our flags, as the bearers were making the race of their lives to reach our line. Amid the smoke, hurry and confusion of battle, it appeared to him as if both flags had shot out from the barn. He and his nearest com- rades at once directed their fire on Brehm; and when he was struck down, this fleet-footed Virginian was the first to reach him. As he hurried to the rear with his trophy, he passed near me, and though the sight was anything but pleasing, I cannot efface it from my memory. .
1
·
--
19
In an address, which I delivered in after years, (em- bodied in the pamphlet repeatedly referred to in this paper) I alluded to this gallant Confederate in rather intemperate language, which subsequently, when my war time animosi- ties had finally died out, I regretted. I than reflected that had I been born and bred as far south of Mason and Dixon's line as Mr. Lumpkin, I, too, would most likely have been fighting in the Confederate ranks, as sincere a rebel a's any of them, and would have been proud of capturing a Federal flag.
Thinking that the pamphlet, containing said address, might possibly fall into Mr. Lumpkin's hands, I wrote to him lately, tendering an apology for the language I had used, and in reply received a charming letter bearing the impress of a cultured mind, filled with lofty ideals, and evincing a warm attachment to our common country. He entered the Gospel ministry after the war and bore aloft the banner of the Prince of Peace for many years. He is now nearly blind the effect of an attack of la grippe.
WHOSE WAS THE FAULT?
Having now given the facts of our color episode, it is not difficult to determine who is responsible for their loss. Not a particle of blame attaches to the Color Bearers and - guards, nor to the Color company. It is the Lieut. Colonel commanding the regiment, and the officers successively commanding the brigade, who are accountable. The re- sponsibility of ordering Brehm back to his proper place, rested on them The major part of the blame belongs to Dwight. Next in the order named are Stone, Wister and Dana. That attaching to the last two is comparatively slight ; and if Stone had not been severely wounded and carried into the barn, he would no doubt have kept a watch over the colors and got them back in time; but, badly wounded though he was, he should not have'forgotten that the colors were exposed to capture by his very unusual military stratagem of ordering them away from the regi- ment to confuse the enemy; and he should not have passed over the matter in silence when writing his official report, giving outside interests a chance to distort it. Not a word of reference to it does he make in that document. As far as I know, it was only when I sent him a copy of my pam- phlet, thirty-three years after the battle, that .he expressed himself on the subject: This he did in the following letter :
20
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF BOARD OF INQUIRY,
Washington, D. C., Sept 26, 1896.
My Dear Comrade :
I have read with much pleasure your excellent address on the "First Day at Gettysburg," and I write to ask you to send me another copy for the "U. S. Battlefield Commission," who are anxious to gather all the facts and to do justice to all who fought so well on that day.
Our position is described by General Doubleday as the "key point" of the line of battle and the ENEMY so regarded it, as appears from their official reports and from the fact that they focussed &.4 guns upon it, enveloping and enfilading both wings of our line.
. I am glad to see the incident of onr flag properly understood; of course, I intended to take care of it, and would have done so in good time if I had been spared; but if I had not detached it THE REGIMENT COULD NOT HAVE LIVED to do the grand work it did later in the action. (Daniel's Confederate report does more justice to this work than all the Union reports.)
The colors of the 149th were a target for the 34 guns which practically enfiladed the Regiment from the ridge beyond the run and when they had got the range, there was no safety for the regiment from quick destruction, but in confusing and deceiving the enemy to its location. My plan was to fire a vol- ley or two from the edge of the R. R. cut and bring the regiment back under cover of the smoke, leaving the colors to draw the fire of the batteries. But the movement, as it was executed, had greater results than I hoped. It de- ceived the enemy in our FRONT ALSO, with the idea that we had force enough to take the offensive, and they delayed their final attack on that account, and "every minute gained then and there was worth a regiment," as Col Nicho !- son says. With an undisciplined command I should have hesitated to detach the colors, but the 149th needed nothing, as I believed, nor as it proved, to "rally round."
I have proposed to the Commission to establish the "key point" and mark it with a special monument, and shall ask the survivors of the 149th at their next reunion to co-operate in this work of justice to the Brigade.
Please let me know what the plans of the regiment are for its next meet- ing as I would like to attend.
With many thanks for your kind remembrance and the' hope of seeing you and the rest of the "boys" soon, I am respectfully yours,
ROY STONE.
To. Capt. J. H. Bassler, Myerstown; Pa.
Stone left the task of explaining our color incident en- tirely to Col. Dwight, and the humiliation he must have felt on reading the Colonel's official report was a deserved pun- ishment for his neglect.
.
1
21
"OLD GOBBLE-EM-UP."
Col. Dwight was a brave and forceful man, possessing In a large degree the qualifications of a successful comman- der. He had great push; good judgment ; was a thorough disciplinarian ; enforced strict obedience to orders; looked well after the sanitary conditions of his camps, and always saw to it that his men got the best that was to be had. He was one who had the courage of his convictions; was free and outspoken in his opinions, and never said behind a man what he would not say to his face. He was apt to be rough and profane when provoked, but to those who pleased him he was generous to a fault.
The Colonel was of a noted New York family ; drifted into lumbering at an early age in Tioga County, Pennsyl- vania; and in the Spring of the year accompanied rafts down the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Such a life inured him to hardships, but it was probably also through it that he acquired a taste for strong drink, and on rare occasions he was liable to indulge beyond the point of safety. With this exception he was the right man in the right place as Commander of a regiment ; and it is a pleas- ure to mention, that though badly wounded before leaving McPherson's, he stuck to the men until they reached town.
In the Chancellorville fight, the Company C boys, in playful humor, nicknamed him "Gobble-em-up," which stuck to him ever after.
-
It pains me to say ought against my old-time friend, but truth, historical accuracy, and justice to. my men, de- mand that the curtain be drawn aside and the Colonel's con- dition during the engagement on the McPherson farm be revealed. Especially is this incumbent upon. me, because in his official report he ignored, (unknowingly it: may be), the desperate struggle of my men to save the colors and re- trieve his own mistake in neglecting to recall them ; then, too, his report is so misleading and at variance with facts, that it leaves room for the false claim of a recapture that has done endless mischief; not only putting a stigma on my regiment, but doing great wrong to the actors in our color drama, tending to rob them of their laurels, and, what is worse yet, expose them to the shafts of slander.
'That Col. Dwight was drunk during the fight is well- known to the men of his regiment. This statement is. con-
.
-
..
-
22
firmed by comparing the testimony on both sides with the following extract from his official report,-which says:
Whereupon Col. Stone ordered me to move my regi- ment forward and take possession of the railroad cut, about 50 paces to my front", (it was over three times that distance;) "also, to plant my colors about 20 paces on the lett flank of my regiment, all of which was accomplished in good order. * * The enemy had planted three or four pieces of artillery in an orchard on our left, about one-half mile distant, commanding the cut I oc- cupied, and had also, under cover of the hill we were fighting over, succeeded in moving up on my left flank part of a brigade, all of which was discovered in time to save my regiment by moving it rapidly back to my first position on the pike, but, I regret to inform you, not in time to save our colors, which were still where I first planted them; 20 paces on the left flank of the regiment, the color guard all being killed or wounded while defending them. To have saved my colors would have been to advance between two forces of the enemy, both my superiors in numbers ; also, to have put my command under an enfilade battery fire. It would have been certain surrender or distruction "
The Colouel must have found it quite a task to write his official report. His recollections of the battle were evi- dently so indistinct and confused, that, cudgel his brain as he may, it was impossible to get. order out of chaos. He fixes the time of the loss of our standards over one hour be- fore its actual occurrence He had no opportunity to post himself on the color affair by interviewing the survivors, who were scattered in hospitals.
The resulting document was about what could be ex- . pected from a man in his condition during the fight. He could not recall when and why the colors were detached, but having an undefined recollection of it concluded it took place after the regiment had reached the cut.
If Stone's order had really been what Dwight says it was, it would stamp him as a man lacking common sense. To plant the colors 20 paces on the left flank of the regiment with an overlapping brigade of the enemy approaching in front, could have done NO POSSIBLE GOOD. It would have been a senseless and criminal exposure of the colors and the men in charge of them, who would have drawn the enemy's fire with a vengeance, and would all have been struck down in a few moments, with the color company too far away to supply fresh victims
The conditions the Colonel describes as a reason for not being able to save the colors- out there at the cut-did not exist until an hour or so later; that is, after both wings of the
23
brigade were left unsupported. During the greater part of that time there was nothing to prevent him from sending an order to Brehm to return to the regiment.
The Colonel's well worded official report, so carefully drawn to shield him from blame, and which passed current these many years, is a dismal failure when subjected to the light of truth; and standing out distinct and prominent is the melancholy fact that it was the whiskey which muddled his brain that is to blame for the loss of our flags. It is simply one of the endless array of examples of the evils of alcoholism, that curse of our Christian civilization, to which is traceable nine-tenths of the crime, misery and degrada- tion that stalk over our fair land.
THE RECAPTURE CANARD.
(Thus characterized by a well posted comrade of the 150th.)
Having now seen how complete is the chain of evidence" that the colors remained undisturbed at the rail piles where first planted until our position at McPherson's became un- tenable and the regiment was withdrawn, the question may well be asked, why was it deemed essential that the actors in the color affair be sworn or affirmed. Why ? Because Gen. Huidekoper of the 150th has questioned my veracity and that of my men, by antagonizing our statements as given in my pamplilet. The General still clings to a modified form of the statement he gave in his official report, namely, that our colors were captured by the enemy at an early stage . of the fight but were soon after re-captured by the 150th and restored to our regiment. But, after the lapse of these many years, he-now says, he does not know whether the re-cap- ture was made by his or our men.
As his claim has gone into history we cannot pass it by in silence, though the foregoing indisputable evidence from both Union and Confederate sides prove it to be utterly without foundation.
I quote first from his official report; second from a pri- vate letter of his which necessity requires to be made public, and third from an interview of his with Captain Gamble.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.