* 
 
 
SAMUEL Too MBS, 
 Co. F, i ^th Rejrt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (.From a ll ar-titiie Photograph 1863.) 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN 
 
 FROM JUNE 5 TO JULY 31, 1863. 
 
 BY 
 
 SAMUEL COOMBS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR," AND HISTORIAN OF THE 
 VETERAN ASSOCIATION, THIRTEENTH NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 By Specially Drawn Maps of the Battle-Field, the Monuments Erected 
 
 by the State of A r ew Jersey, and Portraits of Brigade 
 
 and Regimental Commanders. 
 
 ORANGE, N. J. : 
 THE EVENING MAIL PUBLISHING HOUSE. 
 
 1888. 
 
SI 
 
 Entered according to act of Congress, in the year iSfy, by 
 
 SAMUEL TOOMBS, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 
 
 PRINTED AND BOUND AT 
 
 THE ADVERTISER PRINTING HOUSE, 
 
 NEWARK, N. J. 
 
TO THE MEMORY OF 
 THE GALLANT JERSEYMEN WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES 
 
 AT THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG 
 
 FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE UNION THIS BOOK 
 IS REVERENTLY DEDICATED. 
 
 M196418 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 A GREAT deal has already been written about Gettys 
 burg. The controversies which have arisen are 
 confusing to those who wish to ascertain the exact 
 truth, while they afford little that is interesting to the 
 general public. Personal reminiscences of the events 
 which there occurred have appeared in print in great 
 number, and if it be true that "few events worth recording 
 befell any man below the rank of major," the reader of 
 this book will find relief in the fact that the writer has 
 no wonderful or remarkable personal adventures to 
 chronicle. 
 
 In its main features the battle of Gettysburg is treated 
 very much the same by all the noted participants in that 
 struggle who have written about it, varying only in 
 details which are colored by the writer s own views as to 
 their importance. In preparing for the work of recording 
 the services of New Jersey troops, not only on the battle 
 field but throughout the whole campaign, beginning with 
 the reconnoissance across the Rappahannock river on 
 June 5, 1863, the best works on Gettysburg have been 
 consulted and the official records of the battle have been 
 examined and studied carefully, with the view of ascer 
 taining just what services the soldiers of New Jersey did 
 perform; and in thus bringing to the surface the exper- 
 
Vi INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 iences of the bivouac, the march, and the battle itself, as 
 they were participated in by the men who represented the 
 State of New Jersey in the Union Army, many interesting 
 and valuable matters have been brought to light which 
 otherwise might have perished. 
 
 While, therefore, the author has placed a certain limit 
 upon the scope of this work, by which the valuable 
 services rendered, the heroic achievements performed, and 
 the personal sacrifices made by the patriotic sons of his 
 native State on Gettysburg Heights are to be brought 
 more particularly into prominence, the narrative will 
 embrace the movements of the whole Army of the Poto 
 mac and record its priceless services to the Nation on the 
 ground hallowed by the blood of thousands who met 
 death as brave men wish to die. 
 
 The instances of personal bravery were more numerous 
 at Gettysburg than in any other battle of the war. Both 
 sides contributed their heroes, and the tragic manner in 
 which the brave Southern General, Armistead, met his 
 death, and the heroic Lieutenant Gushing fell at the post 
 of duty, have already become immortalized as the two 
 prominent instances of self-immolation during the strug^- 
 gle. There is a pathetic side to the death of Armistead, 
 and there are those who believe he really courted it. 
 When the news of the fall of Sumter reached the Pacific 
 slope, the late Confederate General Albert Sidney John 
 ston was in command of that department. Generals 
 Hancock, Armistead, Garnett and Pickett, were subordi 
 nate officers in the Regular Army, then stationed 
 there, and many were the conferences held as to what 
 should be their course in the pending JjJrmiWes-. The 
 
INTRODUCTORY. v ii 
 
 Government very unceremoniously relieved General John 
 ston, and soon after this event a farewell meeting was held 
 in the house of Captain Hancock. What resulted is thus 
 related by Mrs. Hancock, in the volume of interesting 
 " Reminiscences " of her husband : " The most crushed 
 of the party was Major Armistead, who, with tears, which 
 were contagious, streaming down his face, and hands 
 upon Mr. Hancock s shoulders, while looking him steadily 
 in the eye, said: Hancock, good-by ; you can never 
 know what this has cost me, and I hope God will strike 
 me dead if I am ever induced to leave my native soil, 
 should worse come to worst. " The dying words of Armi 
 stead, on Gettysburg battle-field: "Tell Hancock I have 
 wronged him and have wronged my country," illustrate 
 how great must have been the mental strain under which 
 he labored during the continuance of the war, and what 
 a sacrifice he made when he resigned his commission in 
 the Regular Army, to take up arms in the defence of the 
 dogma of State rights, which recognized allegiance to the 
 National Government only as secondary to that of the 
 State. Scores of other southern officers did the same, 
 and that they acted from conscientious and honest 
 motives cannot well be denied; but as in the case of 
 Armistead, many of them felt that the South had 
 adopted the wrong method for a redress of their 
 supposed grievances, and that the war was forced upon 
 them from other than patriotic motives. In the manner of 
 his death Armistead s wish was gratified. How different 
 was the last act of young Gushing, who commanded Bat 
 tery "A" Fourth United States Artillery, whose life blood 
 ebbed away at almost the same moment that Armistead 
 
viii INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 received his death wound. Mortally wounded though 
 he was, he summoned up all his strength and running 
 his gun down into the very faces of the exultant foe, he 
 turned to his commander and said: " Webb, I will give 
 them one more shot," and when the last discharge was 
 made, called out, "good-by"and fell dead by the side 
 of his gun. With the spirit that pervaded these men, 
 both armies fought at Gettysburg, and it is easily 
 understood why the several encounters which took 
 place on all parts of that field were so stubbornly and 
 so vigorously contested. 
 
 The State of New Jersey has commemorated the 
 services of her troops in enduring granite. To supple 
 ment this work by a faithful and accurate account of the 
 exhaustive nature of these services has been the desire of 
 the writer, who has received the cordial cooperation of 
 many of the survivors, and is largely indebted also to 
 Adjutant-General W. S. Stryker, his faithful assistant, 
 Colonel James S. Kiger, Honorable William H. Corbin, 
 Secretary of the New Jersey Battle-Field Commission, 
 General Ezra A. Carman, General W. H. Penrose, Colonel 
 William E. Potter, Major W. W. Morris, Captain William 
 F. Hillyer, Thomas S. Marbaker, Historian Eleventh 
 New Jersey Regiment, Captain H. F. Chew, George J. 
 Hagar, Esq., and many others, members of the several 
 regimental organizations, for valuable information and 
 aid furnished. The government maps of Colonel J. B. 
 Bachelder have also been consulted and to them the 
 writer is largely indebted, as well as to Colonel Bachelder 
 himself for very important information received. The 
 maps on pages 155, 157 and 162 are from General Double- 
 
IN TROD UC TOR Y. ix 
 
 day s book on "Chancellorsville and Gettysburg," Charles 
 Scribner s Sons, publishers, who have kindly given permis 
 sion for their use. Those on pages 250, 251 and 301 are 
 inserted only for general reference and do not conform 
 literally to the text. The portraits, monuments and small 
 maps were all made especially for this book from original 
 photographs and drawings. S. T. 
 
 ORANGE, N. J., July i, 1888. 
 
 NOTE. The wrong totals appear at foot of table on page n. They 
 should be: Officers, 512; men, 12,311; total, 12,823. These figures 
 increase the percentage of waste as shown on page 12, line seven, 
 from sixty to sixty-five per cent. 
 
 On page 64, first word, last line, should be southwest. 
 
 On page 139, eighth line, Harrisburg should be Gettysburg. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. New Jersey Regiments in the Army of the Potomac 
 from 1861 to June 30, 1863, their assignments to duty and 
 the commands with which they served Tables showing 
 losses for two years I 
 
 CHAPTER II. Resume of historical facts Public feeling in the 
 South Temper of the Rebel Army Position of both armies 
 in June, 1863 The fight at Franklin s Crossing on the Rap- 
 pahannock Gallant charge by the Twenty-sixth New Jersey 16 
 
 CHAPTER III. Lee s plan of campaign Disposition of his forces 
 General Hcoker mystified but not deceived The cavalry 
 fight at Brandy Station The First New Jersey Cavalry s 
 brilliant charge 1. 34 
 
 CHAPTER IV. Ewell s dashing advance through the valley Mil- 
 roy surprised at Winchester The Fourteenth New Jersey 
 on Maryland Heights History of the corps badge The 
 New Jersey troops and their commanders An exhaustive 
 march 64 
 
 CHAPTER V. Ewell at Williamsport Jenkins raid in Pennsyl 
 vania Consternation throughout the North New Jersey 
 Volunteers go to the defence of Harrisburg Hooker 
 advances to a new line of observation Incidents of the 
 march Execution of deserters An incident of President 
 Lincoln s mercy and why it failed . 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI. From the Rappahannock to Gum Springs Experi 
 ences of the Seventh New Jersey Regiment and the Second 
 Brigade Useless night work An all-night march.*... m 99 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. Hooker s perplexities aggravated A dashing cav 
 alry exploit Lee s army in Pennsylvania The Union 
 forces cross the Potomac Stuart s raid General Hooker 
 resigns _ Io8 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. The alarm in the North New Jersey s Governor 
 appeals to the President The new Union commander- 
 Movements of the armies Reminiscenses of an officer of 
 the Second New Jersey Brigade The Thirteenth New 
 Jersey at Littlestown The night before the battle 122 
 
 CHAPTER IX. The first day s fight at Gettysburg Gallantry of 
 Buford s troopers Heroic resistance by the First Army 
 Corps Death of General Reynolds Arrival of Howard and 
 the retreat to Cemetery Ridge Hancock s opportune arrival 
 on the field I4O 
 
 CHAPTER X. The New Jersey troops coming on the field of battle 
 Rapid and exhaustive marching The Eleventh Regiment 
 undergo a fatiguing night march The Second New Jersey 
 Brigade march between the skirmish lines of both armies 
 The Twelfth Regiment in line of battle The deployment of 
 Sickles line The Thirteenth Regiment on Gulp s Hill- 
 Arrival of the First New Jersey Brigade at four o clock A 
 forced march of thirty-five miles 1 74 
 
 CHAPTER XL The second day s battle Sickles new line Long- 
 street s attempt to turn the Federal left The Second New 
 Jersey Brigade, the Eleventh Regiment, and Battery " B," 
 First New Jersey Artillery, in action Hood repulsed at 
 Little Round Top A gallant and successful charge by the 
 Twelfth New Jersey Regiment Casualties among the New 
 Jersey troops IQ3 
 
 CHAPTER XII. The second day s battle concluded The Twelfth 
 
 Corps position attacked by Ewell s troops Green s heroic 
 
 defence The attack on Cemetery Hill A fierce and deadly 
 
 hand-to-hand struggle Return of the Twelfth Corps to the 
 
 right during the night _ 259 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. The Third day s battle The Twelfth Corps 
 charge the enemy at Gulp s Hill and regain their works 
 The Second Massachusetts and the Twenty-seventh Indiana 
 Regiments charge the enemy supported by the Thirteenth 
 New Jersey Regiment Lee foiled in his attack on the Fed 
 eral right . 268 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. The third day s battle concluded Longstreet s 
 charge on Cemetery Ridge Disastrous repulse of Pickett s 
 and Heth s divisions Dreadful execution with "buck and 
 ball" by the Twelfth New Jersey Hexamer s old battery 
 ("A" First New Jersey) engaged The First New Jersey 
 Cavalry win new laurels . ... 277 
 
 CHAPTER XV. After the battle Scenes on the field The care of 
 the wounded Effect of General Meade s order sending all 
 wagons to the rear Prompt and effective service at the 
 Twelfth Corps Hospital Retreat of Lee s army and the 
 pursuit 317 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. Organization of the Gettysburg Battle-Field Com 
 mission A record of its work Description of the monu 
 ments . 333 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PORTRAITS 359 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 AUTHOR Frontispiece. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Map Location of New Jersey Monuments xvii 
 
 Major-General Joseph Hooker 13 
 
 Advance of Twenty-sixth New Jersey Volunteers 23 
 
 Captain Samuel U. Dodd - 29 
 
 Major William W. Morris - - 35 
 
 Colonel Percy Wyndham . 43 
 
 Major-General H. Judson Kilpatrick 53 
 
 Colonel Hugh H. Janeway.. 59 
 
 Lieutenant Rochus Heinisch _ 67 
 
 Major-General George G. Meade 75 
 
 Major-General A. T. A. Torbert 83 
 
 Colonel James N. Duffy 89 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry, Jr. 95 
 
 Colonel Samuel L. Buck _ _ 101 
 
 Colonel Henry N. Brown 109 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Ewing _ 115 
 
 Brevet Major-General William J. Sewell 123 
 
 Colonel George C. Burling. . . 131 
 
 Colonel Louis R. Francine 141 
 
 Map Position of Troops July i 145 
 
 Brevet Major-General John Ramsey ,.- 147 
 
 Map Advance of Davis and Archer s Brigades 155 
 
 Map Defeat of Davis and Archer.. 157 
 
 Brevet Major-General Robert McAllister 159 
 
 Map Advance of Heth s Division against Doubleday 162 
 
 Brevet Colonel John Schoonover 165 
 
 Major John T. Hill 175 
 
 Map First Position Thirteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 182 
 
x V i ILL US TKA TIONS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Brevet Brigadier-General Ezra A. Carman 185 
 
 Brevet Brigadier-General Frederick H. Harris -. 191 
 
 Brevet Major A. Judson Clark __ - 203 
 
 Map Position of Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh New 
 
 Jersey Regiments July 2 ... - --- 207 
 
 Captain Ambrose M. Matthews - 211 
 
 Brigadier-General William H. Penrose -- - 217 
 
 Monument First New Jersey Brigade - 229 
 
 Monument Fifth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers - 233 
 
 Monument Sixth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 245 
 
 Map The Fight for Little Round Top - 246 
 
 Map ^Ruger s Division Twelfth Corps. _ 248 
 
 Map Longstreet in Position for Attack on Sickles .. - - 250 
 
 Map Union Line after Sickles Defeat 251 
 
 Monument Seventh Regiment New Jersey Volunteers 255 
 
 Map Repulse of Louisiana Tigers ... - 265 
 
 Map Fourth Position of Thirteenth Regiment New Jersey 
 
 Volunteers - - - 267 
 
 Monument Eighth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers _ . 269 
 
 Map Twelfth Corps Charging on Gulp s Hill . 272 
 
 Map Last Position Thirteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers. 273 
 
 Monument Eleventh Regiment New Jersey Volunteers . 289 
 
 Map Repulse of Longstreet s Charge July 3 Position of Twelfth 
 
 New Jersey Volunteers - 283 
 
 Marker Twelfth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers at Bliss Barn._ 291 
 
 Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel William E. Potter 295 
 
 Map The General Line of Battle at time of Pickett s Charge . . .301 
 
 Map New Jersey Regiments July 2... .J 310 
 
 Monument Twelfth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers - 311 
 
 Monument Thirteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers... . 319 
 
 Surgeon J. J. H. Love -323 
 
 New Jersey Battle-Field Commission - 335 
 
 Monument Battery "A" (Parsons ) First New Jersey Artillery.. . 339 
 Monument Battery " B" (Clark s) First New Jersey Artillery.. . 349 
 Monument First New Jersey Cavalry 357 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 NEW JERSEY REGIMENTS IN THE ARMY OF THE POTO 
 MAC FROM l86rTO JUNE 30, 1863, THEIR ASSIGN 
 MENTS TO DUTY AND THE COMMANDS WITH WHICH 
 THEY SERVED TABLES SHOWING LOSSES FOR TWO 
 YEARS. 
 
 THE patriotism of the citizens of New Jersey 
 during the stormy period of 1861-65, was 
 attested on many occasions, not alone by the 
 valor of her soldiery on scores of battle-fields, but by 
 the promptness with which the people responded to 
 the call of the National Government for troops, and 
 the thorough manner in which the several organiza 
 tions were armed and equipped before leaving the 
 State. No appeal by the general government was 
 ever made to the State authorities for assistance in 
 vain. Governor Olden cooperated heartily and cordi 
 ally \vith the President and Secretary of War in all 
 their efforts to suppress the rebellion in its infancy, 
 and at the very outbreak of hostilities forwarded to 
 Washington a brigade of four regiments, aggregating 
 three thousand men, for three months service under 
 command of General Theodore Runyon. This bri 
 gade was fully armed and equipped at the expense 
 
NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 of the State and was the first completely equipped 
 body of troops to make its appearance at the National 
 Capital, where it was greeted with the utmost grati 
 fication by the President. The Secretary of War 
 feelingly appreciated the promptness of the State 
 authorities in so generously and effectively aiding the 
 National Government in its efforts to preserve its 
 own integrity, and in a letter to Governor Olden 
 cordially acknowledged the great service thus ren 
 dered, and in the name of the government tendered 
 its sincere thanks to the people of the commonwealth. 
 The theory entertained by the National authorities 
 that the rebellion would be crushed out in three 
 months time soon proved erroneous. The rebellious 
 states waxed bolder and bolder in their defiance of the 
 National Government and resisted every offer of peace 
 so determinedly, that a call was issued for thirty-nine 
 regiments of infantry and one of cavalry to serve for 
 three years or during the war, the quota for New 
 Jersey being three regiments of infantry. Before 
 another month had expired a second demand was 
 made upon the State, this time for five additional 
 regiments, all to serve for the same period of time. 
 Under these calls there were promptly raised two 
 brigades of infantry and two batteries of artillery, 
 as follows : 
 
 First Regiment Colonel, William R. Montgomery. 
 Second Regiment Colonel, George W. McLean. 
 Third Regiment Colonel, George W. Taylor. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Fourth Regiment Colonel, James H. Simpson. 
 Battery "A" First New Jersey Artillery Captain 
 William Hexamer, Commanding. 
 
 These regiments formed the First New Jersey Bri 
 gade, and were assigned to duty with Franklin s 
 Division. General Philip Kearny was commissioned 
 by Governor Olden and placed in command of the 
 brigade. The Second Brigade was composed of the 
 following : 
 
 Fifth Regiment Colonel, Samuel H. Starr. 
 Sixth Regiment Colonel, James T. Hatfield. 
 Seventh Regiment Colonel, Joseph W. Revere. 
 Eighth Regiment Colonel, Adolphus J. Johnson. 
 Battery " B " First New Jersey Artillery Captain 
 John E. Beam, Commanding. 
 
 This brigade was assigned to Hooker s Division 
 where it became a great favorite and was eventually 
 known as " Hooker s Old Guard." It formed the 
 Third Brigade of the Second Division, Third Army 
 Corps, and was commanded by Colonel Starr of the 
 Fifth Regiment, the senior officer. 
 
 Rapidly as these organizations were formed the 
 opportunities presented for enlistment were not suffi 
 cient to satisfy the desires of a great many who 
 were anxious to go to the war. Thousands of Jersey- 
 men enlisted in the regiments of other States, and 
 whole companies left Newark, Elizabeth, Rahway, 
 Orange and other places and were incorporated with 
 
NE IV JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 New York and Pennsylvania regiments and credited 
 to those States. 
 
 The Ninth Regiment was specially authorized by 
 the War Department as a rifle regiment, and in a 
 short time its ranks were full. Under the command 
 of Colonel Joseph W. Allen it proceeded to North 
 Carolina, as part of the Burnside Expedition, gaining 
 immediate renown at the Battle of Roanoke Island. 
 
 The War Department also gave direct authority 
 for the raising of an infantry regiment in the State, 
 to be known as the " Olden Legion." The Governor 
 strenuously opposed this movement, and would have 
 nothing whatever to do with it. Finally the State 
 agreed to accept it and the Governor commissioned 
 William R. Murphy its Colonel, and designated it as 
 the Tenth Regiment. 
 
 In August 1 86 1, a regiment of cavalry known as 
 " Halstead s Horse " was ordered to be recruited in 
 the State by the direct authority of President Lin 
 coln, and the companies as soon as formed were 
 forwarded to Washington. Like the Tenth Infantry, 
 dissatisfaction, wrangling and vexation ensued, and 
 finally the State authorities were prevailed upon to 
 accept it, when it became the First New Jersey 
 Cavalry with Sir Percy Wyndham as its Colonel. 
 
 On July ;th, 1862, a call was issued for three 
 hundred thousand men to serve for three years or 
 during the war, under which the following organiza 
 tions were formed and sent to Washington : 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 5 
 
 Eleventh Regiment Colonel, Robert McAllister. 
 Twelfth Regiment Colonel, Robert C. Johnson. 
 Thirteenth Regiment Colonel, Ezra A. Carman. 
 Fourteenth Regiment Colonel, William S. Truex. 
 Fifteenth Regiment Colonel, Samuel Fowler. 
 
 Instead of brigading these troops together, the 
 exigencies of the service demanded their immediate 
 presence in Washington as soon as possible after their 
 muster-in. The Eleventh Regiment was assigned to 
 Carr s Brigade, Sickles Division, Third Army Corps ; 
 the Twelfth Regiment to the Second Brigade, Third 
 Division, Second Army Corps ; the Thirteenth Regi 
 ment to Gordon s Brigade, Williams Division, Banks 
 Corps ; the Fourteenth Regiment to a Provisional 
 Brigade, Middle Division, Eighth Army Corps ; and 
 the Fifteenth to the First New Jersey Brigade, First 
 Division, Sixth Army Corps. 
 
 The State had shown commendable promptness in 
 forwarding its troops to the seat of war, and the 
 repeated calls upon the people for volunteer soldiers 
 were responded to with alacrity. The total number 
 of three years troops furnished to the Government 
 by New Jersey up to this period amounted to six 
 hundred and twenty-eight officers and fifteen thou 
 sand two hundred and seventy-seven enlisted men ; 
 total fifteen thousand nine hundred and five. These 
 figures are from the Adjutant General s report, the 
 .original muster of each regiment being as follows: 
 
6 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ORGANIZATION. 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 First Regiment Cavalry 
 
 44 
 
 008 
 
 I. 4 2 
 
 First Regiment Artillery Battery A_. 
 First Regiment Artillery Battery B_. 
 First Regiment Infantry 
 
 5 
 5 
 18 
 
 151 
 
 159 
 006 
 
 156 
 I6 4 
 I,O34 
 
 Second Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 1, 006 
 
 I r>/j/| 
 
 Third Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 I,OI3 
 
 I,O5I 
 
 Fourth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 871 
 
 909 
 
 Fifth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 823 
 
 86r 
 
 Sixth Regiment Infantry _. 
 
 38 
 
 860 
 
 898 
 
 Seventh Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 882 
 
 920 
 
 Eighth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 851 
 
 889 
 
 Ninth Regiment Infantry 
 
 42 
 
 1,115 
 
 i,i57 
 
 Tenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 35 
 
 883 
 
 918 
 
 Eleventh Regiment Infantry 
 
 39 
 
 94 
 
 979 
 
 Twelfth Regiment Infantry 
 
 39 
 
 95 7 
 
 992 
 
 Thirteenth Regiment Infantry ._ 
 
 38 
 
 899 
 
 937 
 
 Fourteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 39 
 
 968 
 
 1,007 
 
 Fifteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 909 
 
 917 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 628 
 
 15,277 
 
 15,905 
 
 With the single exception of the Ninth Regiment 
 these organizations all served, at one time or another, 
 with the Army of the Potomac in the field, and deduct 
 ing the number represented by the Ninth Regiment, 
 the actual number of men furnished by New Jersey to 
 that Army was five hundred and eighty-six officers and 
 fourteen thousand one hundred and sixty-two enlisted 
 men, a total of fourteen thousand seven hundred and 
 forty-eight. The First and Second New Jersey Bri 
 gades followed the fortunes of the Army of the 
 Potomac through all its checkered career from the 
 Peninsula campaign under McClellan to the surrender 
 of Lee at Appomattox, winning imperishable renown 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 on scores of battle-fields for their bravery, endurance 
 and fighting qualities. 
 
 The defeat of General Pope at the second battle 
 of Bull Run filled the people of the North with dismay, 
 and the authorities at Washington with fear for the 
 safety of the Capital. On the 4th of August, 1862, the 
 President issued a call for three hundred thousand men 
 for nine months service, a draft being ordered to take 
 place on September ist ensuing, if the number required 
 were not sooner furnished by volunteers. The quota 
 for New Jersey under this call was placed at ten thou 
 sand four hundred and seventy-eight, and orders were 
 at once issued to proceed with the recruiting of this 
 number. At the same time the State was engaged in 
 filling its quota under the previous call of July ;th for 
 three year troops, and in order to meet this extra 
 emergency, city, township and county officials, offered 
 liberal inducements for men to take service in these 
 commands, and thus avoid the draft so imperatively 
 ordered. On the third day of September the Adjutant- 
 General announced the formation of eleven regiments 
 for nine months service, with an aggregate of ten thou 
 sand seven hundred and fourteen men, all volunteers, 
 and being an excess of two hundred and thirty-six over 
 the number called for. These regiments were num 
 bered, officered and assigned to duty as follows : 
 
 Twenty-first Regiment Colonel, Gillian Van Hou- 
 ten ; assigned to Third Brigade, Second Division, Sixth 
 Army Corps. 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Twenty-second Regiment Colonel, Cornelius For- 
 net; assigned to duty in the Defences of Washington, 
 and afterward to the Third Brigade, First Division, 
 First Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty-third Regiment Colonel, John S. Cox; 
 assigned to the First New Jersey Brigade, First Divis 
 ion, Sixth Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty - fourth Regiment Colonel, William B. 
 Robertson; assigned to duty first in the Defences of 
 Washington, and afterward with KimbalPs Brigade, 
 French s Division, Couch s (Second) Corps. 
 
 Twenty-fifth Regiment Colonel, Andrew Derrom ; 
 assigned to Second Brigade of Casey s Division, and 
 afterward to First Brigade, Third Division, Ninth 
 Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty-sixth Regiment Colonel, A. J. Morrison; 
 assigned first to Briggs Brigade, Sumner s Corps, and 
 next to the First Vermont Brigade (General Brooks), 
 Second Division, Sixth Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty-seventh Regiment Colonel, George W. 
 Mindil; assigned to Casey s Division and next to 
 Second Brigade, First Division, Ninth Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty-eighth Regiment Colonel, Moses N. Wise- 
 well ; assigned to First Brigade, Third Division, Sec 
 ond Army Corps. 
 
 Twenty-ninth Regiment Colonel, Edwin F. Apple- 
 gate ; assigned to various duties around Washington, 
 and finally to Third Brigade, First Division, First 
 Army Corps. 
 
 Thirtieth Regiment Colonel, Alexander E. Donald. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 son, and Thirty-first Regiment, Colonel A. P. Berthoud, 
 brigaded with the Twenty-second and Twenty-ninth 
 Regiments, as part of the Third Brigade, First Divis 
 ion, First Army Corps. 
 
 With the addition of these troops the number of men 
 contributed to the Government reached the very 
 respectable figure of twenty-five thousand t\fo hun 
 dred and fifty-seven, all volunteers, of whom twenty- 
 three thousand one hundred and sixteen were accred 
 ited to the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 These new regiments, put right into the field with 
 veterans who had served under McClellan on the Pen 
 insula campaign and at Antietam, rendered valuable and 
 efficient service under Burnside at the dreadful slaughter 
 of Fredericksburg, with Hooker at the ill-fated battle 
 of Chancellorsville, and with Sedgewick at Marye s 
 Heights and Salem Church. They passed through all 
 the rugged and trying experiences to be found in 
 active campaigning in the immediate presence of the 
 enemy, and had just become fully inured to the hard 
 ships and trials of a soldier s life when their term of 
 service expired. At about the same time the terms of 
 service of a large number of two years troops also 
 expired, and with this large depletion, after the battle of 
 Chancellorsville, the Army of the Potomac was weak 
 ened to a considerable extent. The casualties which 
 the older three year regiments had sustained during 
 their severe service, reduced some of them to mere 
 skeletons, not a regiment of the original eight in both 
 New Jersey brigades numbering more than four hun- 
 
10 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 dred men after the battle of Chancellorsville, while the 
 average for all would not be greater than three hundred 
 each. The official returns are not accessible for a veri 
 fication of this statement, but the reports of the several 
 New Jersey regiments made on the 3Oth day of June, 
 1863, just before the battle of Gettysburg opened, are 
 sufficient for the purpose of comparison. The follow 
 ing data, taken from the original rolls at the War 
 Department, Washington, and on file at the Adjutant- 
 General s office, of this State, at Trenton, shows the 
 strength of each New Jersey regiment and battery to 
 have been on the date named : 
 
 NUMBER OF MEN OF EACH NEW JERSEY BATTERY AND 
 REGIMENT, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, PRES 
 ENT FOR DUTY JUNE 30, 1863. 
 
 ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 OFFIC RS. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 First Regiment Cavalry 
 
 18 
 
 216 
 
 234 
 
 First Regiment Artillery Battery A . _ . 
 
 4 
 
 112 
 
 116 
 
 First Regiment Artillery Battery B ... 
 
 4 
 
 139 
 
 143 
 
 
 26 
 
 . 266 
 
 2Q2 
 
 Second Regiment Infantry 
 
 28 
 
 377 
 
 4O5 
 
 Third Regiment Infantry 
 
 26 
 
 2QQ 
 
 325 
 
 Fourth Regiment Infantry (Train Guard) 
 Fourth Reg t Infantry (ist Div. 6th Corps) 
 Fifth Regiment Infantry 
 
 2C 
 
 4 
 15 
 
 274 
 
 88 
 206 
 
 2Q4 
 92 
 221 
 
 Sixth Regiment Infantry _ 
 
 13 
 
 233 
 
 246 
 
 Seventh Regiment Infantry 
 
 22 
 
 300 
 
 331 
 
 Eighth Regiment Infantry 
 
 13 
 
 185 
 
 198 
 
 Eleventh Regiment Infantry 
 
 
 
 275 
 
 Twelfth Regiment Infantry .. 
 
 25 
 
 507 
 
 532 
 
 Thirteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 28 
 
 332 
 
 360 
 
 Fifteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 21 
 
 420 
 
 441 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 267 
 
 3,963 
 
 4.505 
 
 
 
 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 II 
 
 The total strength of these commands as it appears 
 by the preceding table, compared with the number 
 of men furnished by the original muster of each regi 
 ment, will show the great depletion to which they 
 had been subjected in their past service. The First 
 and Second Brigades had suffered greatly from sick 
 ness brought on by exposure during the Peninsula 
 campaign, and when to the casualties thus occasioned 
 is added the losses by death, and those killed in 
 action or dying from wounds received in battle, with 
 the discharges made necessary by disability of vari 
 ous kinds, the percentage of waste during the pre 
 vious two years experience will be found very large. 
 
 To show the relative condition of the New Jersey 
 troops at the beginning of the battle of Gettysburg 
 with their entry into the service, the original figures 
 of these fifteen commands are here reproduced : 
 
 ORIGINAL MUSTER. 
 
 ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 First Regiment Cavalry. .. . 
 
 44 
 
 998 
 
 I,O42 
 
 First Regiment Artillery, Battery A_ 
 First Regiment Artillery, Battery B. 
 First Regiment Infantry 
 
 5 
 5 
 38 
 
 151 
 159 
 
 996 
 
 156 
 164 
 
 I,O34 
 
 Second Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 1, 006 
 
 I,O44 
 
 Third Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 1,013 
 
 I,O5I 
 
 Fourth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 871 
 
 909 
 
 Fifth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 823 
 
 861 
 
 Sixth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 860 
 
 898 
 
 Seventh Regiment Infantry _. 
 
 38 
 
 882 
 
 920 
 
 Eighth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 851 
 
 889 
 
 Eleventh Regiment Infantry 
 
 -IQ 
 
 040 
 
 Q79 
 
 Twelfth Regiment Infantry 
 
 70 
 
 OC3 
 
 992 
 
 Thirteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 890 
 
 937 
 
 Fifteenth Regiment Infantry 
 
 38 
 
 QOQ 
 
 947 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 436 
 
 10,503 
 
 10,939 
 
12 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Out of these ten thousand nine hundred and thirty- 
 nine officers and men of New Jersey in the Army of 
 the Potomac, mustered into the service at various 
 times in 1861-62 to serve for three years or during 
 the war, there were reported " Present for duty " on 
 June 30th, 1863, but four thousand five hundred and 
 five, a loss of about sixty per cent. The number of 
 men on special service, and those "Absent without 
 leave " during that period, would account for only a 
 small fraction of this percentage, and the record of 
 all these organizations will bear the closest scrutiny 
 for trying and exhaustive service in campaigning and 
 in actual conflict with the enemy. It had not been 
 the policy of the State authorities to recruit men to 
 fill up the losses in the old regiments, and they were 
 continually being weakened by various causes. 
 
 The men who went to the war in 1861 and 1862, 
 were governed by love of country and hatred of the 
 heresy of Secession. They were the representatives of 
 a principle, and embodied in their service the patriotic 
 sentiment of the time. No danger was too great, no 
 trial too severe, but found them ready and willing to 
 undertake its performance, and in the case of hundreds 
 of these patriotic men, when their term of service 
 expired they reenlisted for the whole war. This was 
 the class of men who confronted Lee s army on the 
 heights of Gettysburg. They had become used to 
 defeat, but they could not be dismayed. Their faith in 
 the ultimate success of the cause they espoused never 
 wavered, though the rebel army was devastating the 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL JOSEPH HOOKKR, 
 
 Commander Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Resigned, June 27, 1863. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 15 
 
 loyal State of Pennsylvania. Each report that came to 
 their ears of the destructive march of Lee s army 
 through the North only nerved these men to a higher 
 sense of the responsibilities which devolved upon them, 
 and in spite of all the discouragements of the past the 
 Army of the Potomac never felt itself better able to 
 cope with its old antagonist than on those fateful days 
 of July, 1863. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 RESUME OF HISTORICAL FACTS PUBLIC FEELING IN 
 THE SOUTH TEMPER OF THE REBEL ARMY 
 POSITION OF BOTH ARMIES IN JUNE, 1863 THE 
 FIGHT AT FRANKLIN S CROSSING ON THE RAPPA- 
 HANNOCK GALLANT CHARGE BY THE TWENTY- 
 SIXTH NEW JERSEY. 
 
 THE battle of Waterloo put an end to the ambitious 
 career of Napoleon the First. Gettysburg de 
 stroyed the hopes of the South for the establish 
 ment of a Confederacy of States. And the South 
 was full of hope in 1863. From the commencement of 
 hostilities, two years before, the prestige of success or 
 rather that which amounted to the same thing, the 
 failure of the National Government to crush out the 
 rebellion in the East was with General Lee and his 
 army. The fortunate arrival of reinforcements at the 
 first battle of Bull Run stemmed the tide of retreat in 
 the southern army, and the advance of these fresh 
 arrivals upon the demoralized Federals, turned their 
 retreat into a rout and gave the victory to the Con 
 federates. The Peninsula campaign resulted in fresh 
 laurels for the southern troops, and General Lee s 
 audacious advance through the valley, and the mar 
 shalling of his forces on the field of Manassas, a second 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 time at Bull Run driving the Union army within the 
 defences of Washington, gave added lustre to his grow 
 ing fame. What feeling of opposition had existed in 
 the South toward the schemes of the political leaders 
 who had raised the standard of revolt against the 
 National authority had been silenced by the victorious 
 progress of the Army of Northern Virginia, and when 
 the Maryland campaign was inaugurated it received 
 the sanction of the Confederate authorities ancl the 
 plaudits of the southern people. There was a general 
 belief in the South that Lee s army once in the State of 
 Maryland, thousands of sympathizers would flock to 
 swell the ranks of the southern forces, and with this 
 host of enthusiastic adherents an army of invasion 
 could be formed which would compel the Government 
 to recognize the Southern Confederacy and treat with 
 it for a cessation of hostilities. 
 
 The sorest defeat for the South was not the loss of 
 Antietam, it was the knowlege, dearly gained, that the 
 people of Maryland were not so demonstratively sym 
 pathetic with the cause of the Confederacy as the 
 leaders of public opinion in the South had supposed. 
 The successful retreat of General Lee, with his whole 
 army, into Virginia, was additional evidence of his 
 military ability, and while " Maryland, my Maryland," 
 was lost forever to the South, General Lee s army 
 never admitted that Antietam was otherwise a sore 
 defeat. It was practically a drawn battle, with the 
 advantage, if any, on the side of the Army of the 
 Potomac. Lee s defence of Fredericksburg Heights in 
 
1 8 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the December which followed, and the defeat of the 
 Union army with great loss followed in May, 1863, 
 with his remarkable victory at Chancellorsville stimu 
 lated the war feeling of the South and awakened an 
 enthusiasm such as had never before been witnessed 
 there. So intense was the feeling, so confident the 
 leaders, that the invasion of the North by the Con- 
 federa.te army was demanded by the press of the South 
 and by public opinion. It was known that the term of 
 service of many regiments in the Union army was 
 about to expire, and the crushing defeats that had 
 recently been sustained by the Army of the Potomac 
 were not conducive to reenlistment. Besides this, a 
 feeling of despondency had settled over the North, the 
 faction that had been opposing the war were growing 
 bolder in their utterances, and an invasion of the North, 
 it was believed, would so excite the fears of these peo 
 ple that extraordinary efforts to arouse public opinion 
 in favor of peace at any price would result. With a 
 divided public opinion in the North, the southern army 
 safely entrenched on northern territory, the actual 
 transfer of the seat of war to northern soil must re 
 sult, it was believed, in a settlement of the conflict, 
 and on terms satisfactory to the South. The invasion 
 of Pennsylvania was not for the purpose of receiving 
 accessions to the southern army, but to conquer a 
 peace. The movement had the sanction of military 
 precedent, was cordially indorsed by the Confederate 
 authorities, aroused the enthusiasm of the soldiery, and 
 stimulated the overweening confidence of the southern 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 people to a firm belief in its ultimate success. Armed 
 reinforcements and recruits eagerly joined the forces 
 of General Lee, and buoyant with hope, exultant and 
 confident, the Confederate army left their camps on 
 the Rappahannock, while the prayers and fervent 
 hopes of a united South bid them God-speed in their 
 mission. 
 
 The temper of the southern army at this time is 
 thus tersely expressed by Alfriend : " The Army of 
 Northern Virginia, a compact and puissant force, 
 seventy thousand strong, which had never yet known 
 defeat, instinctively expected the order for advance 
 into the enemy s country. Never was the morale of 
 the army so high, never had it such confidence in its 
 own prowess, and in the resources of its great com 
 mander, and never was entrusted to its valor a 
 mission so grateful to its desires as that tendered by 
 President Davis to force the enemy to fight for 
 their own Capital and homes. 
 
 The Union army on the first of June was posted 
 on the north bank of the Rappahannock river, while 
 the rebel army was on the south side, mainly concen 
 trated about Fredericksburg. As preliminary to the 
 general movement Lee, with strategic skill, began the 
 massing of his forces at Culpepper, leaving A. P. 
 Hill s division at Fredericksburg tg mask the move 
 ment. General Hooker was wary and suspicious, 
 and from the nature of the reports brought to him 
 by his scouts, he was confident an important move 
 ment was contemplated by Lee. He ordered a 
 
20 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 reconnoissance in force by the Sixth Army Corps, 
 Howe s division of which was to cross the Rappa- 
 hannock June 5th, while Wright s and Newton s divis 
 ions were to take position on the north bank of the 
 river, in support. 
 
 This was to be the initial movement of the Gettys 
 burg campaign on the part of the Union forces, and 
 by it the valor of New Jersey troops was once more 
 to be tested. The Twenty-sixth Regiment, which 
 formed part of Grant s brigade of Howe s division, 
 had been mustered into the service on the i8th of 
 September, 1862, and its term of service, nine months, 
 was about expiring. It had taken part in the two 
 previous engagements at Fredericksburg on December 
 1 3th and Hth, 1862, under Burnside, and May 3rd, 
 1863, under Hooker, and also in the engagement at 
 Salem Church on May 4th, 1863, in which last battle 
 the command sustained a loss of 124 killed, wounded 
 and missing. 
 
 The point at which the crossing of the Rappa- 
 hannock was to be made was known as " Franklin s 
 Crossing," three miles below the town of Fredericks- 
 burg. General A. P. Hill, the Confederate com 
 mander, had constructed a line of earth-works along 
 the south bank of the river which were occupied by 
 a strong force, and when Howe s division reached the 
 stream the .engineer corps were preparing to lay the 
 pontoons over which the command was to cross. 
 It was five o clock in the evening when the column 
 reached the river bank, and artillery was at once 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 21 
 
 posted in a commanding position to sweep the open 
 plain between the enemy s works and the woods 
 beyond. While these preparations were being made 
 on the north side of the river, the enemy sent forth 
 a strong reinforcement to the rifle-pits. As they 
 deployed out of the woods and moved across the plain 
 to the works near the river bank, the Union artillery 
 opened fiercely upon them, but without repelling 
 their advance. The fire from their works was fierce 
 and accurate, and it soon became evident that noth 
 ing short of a direct assault could force them from 
 their position. The efforts of the engineer corps to 
 launch their boats were futile, and General Howe 
 organized a storming column, consisting of the Fifth 
 Vermont and Twenty-sixth New Jersey regiments, 
 with instructions to cross the river in boats and 
 drive the enemy from the rifle-pits. General Howe 
 sent for Lieutenant-Colonel Martindale, then in com 
 mand of the Twenty-sixth, and as he gave him the 
 instructions he was to follow complimented him and 
 his command very highly, saying, " In a few days 
 your term of service will be over and you will 
 return home to your friends with an untarnished 
 reputation for gallantry and covered with glory." 
 The column formed within seventy-five yards of the 
 river bank, the Fifth Vermont on the right, the 
 Twenty-sixth on the left, and under a severe fire from 
 the enemy. The artillery ceased firing, the advance 
 was begun, the Fifth Vermont moved rapidly down 
 a narrow gulch to the river bank, while the Twenty- 
 
22 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 sixth went down a road cut parallel with the river 
 and fully exposed to the enemy s fire. The Twenty- 
 sixth rushed gallantly down, crossed the narrow 
 margin of the flats that bordered the river, where 
 they found that the engineers had launched but 
 seven of the boats. The regiment was now in 
 a perilous position. Crowded together in a small 
 space at the river bank, they were exposed to a 
 galling and murderous fire, and as the engineers 
 boldly rushed to the river to aid in launching the 
 rest of the boats several of their number were 
 killed and wounded. To remain inactive now was 
 suicide. Captain Samuel U. Dodd, of Company H, 
 being on the right of the line, sprang into the first 
 boat, followed by Lieutenant Dodd and as many of 
 his men as could find room in it, and pushed out 
 in the stream. Ordering his men to protect them 
 selves below the gunwales of the boat, Captain Dodd 
 directed its course to the opposite bank. He was a 
 man of large stature, a conspicuous mark for the 
 enemy s fire, and as the boat reached the middle of 
 the river he received a mortal wound, dying the 
 next day. Immediately following came a boat with 
 the Major of the Fifth Vermont and a detachment 
 from that regiment, next in order being Captain 
 Stephen C. Fordham and Captain Peter F. Rogers 
 with several men of the Twenty-sixth. Major William 
 W. Morris, with men from several companies, filled 
 another boat, and Captain Samuel H. Pemberton, in 
 charge of the fourth boat, followed by three other 
 
IN T//E GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 boats filled with men of the Twenty-sixth, moved boldly 
 to the opposite side. Lieutenant-Colonel Martindale 
 superintended the launching of the other boats, and 
 the men of Captains Hunkele, Mclntee, Harrison, 
 Sears and Pearson s companies did herculean work 
 in dragging the immense frames to the river. It 
 was nearly seven o clock when the boats reached the 
 opposite bank and, without waiting for the whole 
 command to get over, a movement upon the works 
 was at once begun. There was an eager rivalry 
 between the Vermonters and Jerseymen as to which 
 should gam the rifle-pits first. Major Morris, with a 
 portion of the Twenty-sixth, charged rapidly up to 
 the enemy s lines, as did the Fifth Vermont. The 
 rebels saw that retreat across the plain was hopeless. 
 The Sixth Corps artillery commanded the whole posi 
 tion between them and the woods beyond, and they 
 surrendered. Major Morris, without waiting to note 
 how many prisoners were captured, at once deployed 
 his men as skirmishers along the Bowling Green 
 road. Lieutenant-Colonel Martindale brought the rest 
 of the regiment up as soon as they had crossed over 
 and they were posted as pickets for the rest of the 
 night. The action was spirited, brave and gallant, 
 and to the Twenty-sixth is undoubtedly due the 
 honor of being first in the enemy s works, though 
 the report of Colonel Grant seeks to give that credit 
 to the Fifth Vermont, who turned in to him all the 
 prisoners taken. The casualties in the Twenty-sixth 
 were 2 killed and 17 wounded, as follows: 
 
26 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Company H Captain, Samuel U. Dodd. 
 " I Private, Joseph H. Ainsworth. 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 Company B Corporal, William H. Brown ; 
 Privates, William Small, William 
 Delaney, Martin V. B. Sandford, 
 D wight Stent, Henry L. Johnson. 
 C Robert Wallace. 
 D William Davis, David Mintonge. 
 " E Henry Berner. 
 
 F Corporal, William Egbertson. 
 G Sergeant, George S. Force. 
 H David F. Horton. 
 I Joseph DeCamp, George W. 
 
 Griffin, Horace Goble. 
 K Aaron G. Mead. 
 
 The following is the official report of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Martindale, concerning the action of the regi 
 ment : 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 26ra NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS, \ 
 In the Field near Fredericksburg, Va., 
 
 June 8th, 1863. ) 
 
 Lieutenant C. H. Forbes, Assistant Adjutant-General : 
 
 SIR Of the part taken by this regiment in the recent 
 operations across the Rappahannock, a report of which 
 I am desired to forward, I have the honor to state as 
 follows : 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 2J 
 
 On the afternoon of the 5th instant the regiment was 
 ordered to march from its camp near White Oak 
 Church and move with the brigade toward Fredericks- 
 burg. Arriving near the old crossing point (Frank 
 lin s), next below the town, it was formed in line of 
 battle under fire of the enemy s riflemen, who were 
 posted in earth-works near the south bank. Here we 
 suffered our first loss in killed and wounded. Imme 
 diately afterward the order was given to charge down 
 the road to the river, under cover of a heavy fire from 
 our artillery, push across the pontoons and carry the 
 line of rifle-pits occupied by the enemy. This order 
 was executed at once, in a spirited manner, under a 
 galling fire from the enemy s earth-works. This regi 
 ment and the Fifth Vermont had been ordered to cross 
 the river together, but the right of the Twenty-sixth 
 New Jersey having reached the river bank a little in 
 advance, its first two companies were the first to enter 
 the boats, cross over and charge up the opposite bank. 
 A portion of our right company (H) was the first of our 
 regiment to enter the enemy s intrenchments, which 
 they did at the same moment with the Fifth Vermont, 
 capturing a considerable number of prisoners. A line 
 of skirmishers was immediately pushed out to the front, 
 and the whole regiment was deployed in and beyond 
 the Bowling Green road until the morning of the 6th 
 instant, when it was relieved, placed in line of battle, 
 resting upon Deep Run, and so continued until the 
 evening of the /th, when the regiment was ordered 
 back to the left bank of the Rappahannock. Our 
 
28 NE IV JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 casualties were 2 killed and 17 wounded. Among the 
 killed I am deeply grieved to be compelled to mention 
 Captain Samuel U. Dodd, of Company H, who fell a 
 sacrifice to his gallant and conscientious devotion to 
 duty while bravely leading his company in the first 
 boat across the river. The loss to his company and 
 regiment is irreparable, but the good influence of his 
 noble example and character will endure for all time. 
 
 It gives me particular pleasure to call your attention 
 to the fidelity and good conduct of Major Morris, in 
 every requirement of duty, both in crossing and form 
 ing upon the opposite bank, and particularly upon the 
 trying and exhausting duty of the skirmish line. 
 
 Of the line officers, while many are justly entitled to 
 great praise for meritorious conduct, I desire to call 
 your particular attention to the conspicuous gallantry 
 and spirited conduct of Captain Stephen C. Fordham, 
 of Company A, who distinguished himself both in the 
 attack upon the enemy s intrenchments and the advance 
 to the extreme front of the line of skirmishers. Also to 
 that of Lieutenant John Dodd, of Company H, who 
 distinguished himself in like manner, and was the first 
 man of either regiment to plant his foot upon shore in 
 crossing the river. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 Respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 E. MARTINDALE, 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Regiment. 
 
 The conspicuous gallantry of Captain Fordham is 
 well illustrated by the following incident : 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 When the boat containing Major Morris and his men 
 had reached within a few feet of the river bank Captain 
 Fordham, who had accompanied a part of the regiment 
 over in a previous boat, stepped from under the bank 
 of the river and asked what the command should next 
 do ? The Major responded, " Wait, Captain, until I 
 land." Just at that moment the Major of the Fifth 
 Vermont, hearing Captain Fordham s call for orders, 
 started up the road in the direction of the enemy s 
 works. Captain Fordham saw the movement, and tak 
 ing one man with him, started off to get in advance of 
 the Vermonter, and as they came abreast of each other 
 both moved rapidly for the enemy s position. This 
 action nerved the rest to follow his example, and with 
 out waiting for the whole regiment to cross they 
 started on a run and all together charged the position. 
 Lieutenant Rochus Heinisch, of Company " A, 5 Cor 
 porals William H. Brown and W. H. Whittemore, 
 Company " B, were first into the enemy s works. 
 Corporal Brown was wounded. 
 
 The charge of the Twenty-sixth was gallantly per 
 formed and has received the highest words of praise, 
 but Colonel Grant, commanding the brigade, in his 
 report of the affair, seeks to award the credit to the 
 Fifth Vermont as being the first to enter the works. 
 He says : " We left camp yesterday, soon after noon, 
 and marched to the river, a distance of about five miles. 
 The pontoons were on the ground ready to be taken 
 down the bank and thrown across the river. The 
 rebels had constructed rifle-pits in front of and com- 
 
32 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 manding the point where the bridges were to be 
 placed. These rifle-pits were occupied by rebel infantry. 
 As soon as the artillery could be got into position it 
 opened a terrific fire upon the rifle-pits. It had but 
 little effect, however, except to keep back reinforce 
 ments that were coming to the assistance of those 
 already in the works. But very few of those in the pits 
 were injured by the artillery fire. They managed to 
 keep up a galling fire upon the engineers that attempted 
 to construct the bridges. It was determined to drive 
 the rebels from the rifle-pits. The Fifth Vermont, 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis, and Twenty-sixth New 
 Jersey, Lieutenant-Colonel Martindale, were ordered 
 forward for that purpose. They rushed gallantly down 
 the bank and, with the assistance of the engineers, and 
 under a galling fire from the rifle-pits, they launched 
 the pontoon boats into the stream, jumped into them 
 and rowed across and landed upon the south bank. 
 But a few companies of the Fifth had crossed when 
 they sprang up the bank, and with shouts charged the 
 rifle-pits, driving the enemy from them in great con 
 fusion, taking many of them prisoners. The Twenty- 
 sixth New Jersey came gallantly to the support of the 
 Fifth and did well, but it is believed the Fifth cleared 
 the rifle-pits." 
 
 This is faint justice from a brigade commander for a 
 gallant and most heroic service, and the evident intent 
 to award the chief credit to the Fifth Vermont for a 
 service performed by the Twenty-sixth New Jersey in 
 conjunction with them, is not the work of a broad or 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 33 
 
 generous disposition. An eye-witness of the fight, one 
 of the Fiftieth Regiment, New York Volunteers, says 
 of it: 
 
 " General Howe at once ordered the Twenty-sixth 
 New Jersey to cross and storm the pits, and most 
 gallantly and fearlessly did they go in. The rebels 
 stuck to their position until those fearless Jerseymen 
 set foot on the south side of the river, which was about 
 half-past six o clock, when, notwithstanding the shower 
 of canister sent after them, they fled before the impetu 
 ous charge of those gallant Jersey Blues ; indeed, they 
 could not well leave before, (or our cannon completely 
 swept the plain and their pits was by far the safest place 
 for them. Skirmishers were immediately deployed and 
 soon brought in sixty or* seventy prisoners, belonging 
 principally to Florida regiments. My own position 
 was such that I could see the whole affair. Our resfi- 
 
 o 
 
 ment suffered considerably we lost 28 killed many in 
 our brigade who were killed or wounded are within a 
 few days of the expiration of their terms of service ; the 
 same is true, as I am informed, of the Twenty-sixth 
 New Jersey, but still neither the one or the other 
 faltered in the least in going forward in the performance 
 of their dudes, and they deserve and should receive 
 honor from all men." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 LEE S PLAN OF CAMPAIGN DISPOSITION OF HIS FORCES 
 GENERAL HOOKER MYSTIFIED BUT NOT DECEIVED 
 THE CAVALRY FIGHT AT BRANDY STATION THE 
 FIRST NEW JERSEY CAVALRY S BRILLIANT CHARGE. 
 
 WHETHER General Lee had forebodings of dis 
 aster when making his plans for an offensive 
 campaign will, perhaps never be known, but 
 certain it is that while everybody about him, and 
 public feeling in the South, was full of confidence and 
 hope, he was depressed in spirits. He evidently 
 realized that the future of the Southern Confederacy 
 depended upon the success of his operations. The 
 situation elsewhere, from the southern point of view, 
 was not the most encouraging. General Grant was 
 hammering away at Vicksburg and the possibilities of 
 its fall were alarming. General Longstreet thus sum 
 marizes the situation : 
 
 " While General Lee was reorganizing his army he 
 was also arranging the new campaign. Grant had laid 
 siege to Vicksburg, and Johnston was concentrating at 
 Jackson to drive him away. Rosecrans was in Tennes 
 see and Bragg was in front of him. The force Johnston 
 was concentrating at Jackson gave us no hope that he 
 
MAJOR WILLIAM W. MORRIS, 
 
 26th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (From a War -time Photograph^) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 37 
 
 would have sufficient strength to make any impression 
 upon Grant, and even if he could, Grant was in position 
 to reinforce rapidly and could supply his army with 
 greater facility. Vicksburg was doomed unless we 
 could offer relief by a strategic move. I proposed to 
 send a force through East Tennessee to join Bragg, and 
 also to have Johnston sent to join him, thus concentrat 
 ing a large force to move against Rosecrans, crush out 
 his army and march against Cincinnati. That, 1 
 thought, was the only way we had to relieve Vicksburg. 
 Qeneral Lee admitted the force of my proposition, but 
 finally stated that he preferred to organize a campaign 
 into Maryland and Pennsylvania, hoping thereby to 
 draw the Federal troops from the southern points they 
 occupied. After discussing the matter with him for 
 several days I found his mind was made up not to 
 allow any of his troops to go west. I then accepted 
 his proposition to make a campaign into Pennsylvania, 
 provided it should be offensive in strategy but defensive 
 in tactics, forcing the Federal army to give us battle 
 when we were in strong position and ready to receive 
 them." 
 
 A successful invasion of Pennsylvania, and the defeat 
 of the northern army, were the primary objects of the 
 campaign. These would not alone counterbalance the 
 effect that the fall of Vicksburg would have upon the 
 southern mind, it would give the representatives of the 
 South in foreign countries a vantage ground in securing 
 the recognition of the Confederacy, which meant an 
 open market in which to purchase supplies and muni- 
 
38 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 tions of war, and, perhaps, bring about the intervention 
 of the great powers for a cessation of hostilities ; peace 
 ably if possible, by armed support if necessary. Eng 
 land and France were only awaiting an opportunity to 
 extend a helping hand to the South. A victory for 
 General Lee on northern soil would be all-sufficient. 
 The plan of campaign was prepared, the preliminary 
 movements had been made. General Lee had divided 
 his army into three parts : Hill was left at Fredericks- 
 burg, Longstreet and Ewell moved toward Culpepper, 
 from which point Ewell was to proceed to the Shenan- 
 doah Valley to clear the way for the balance of the 
 army to follow. On the seventh of June General Lee s 
 cavalry moved to the Rappahannock river, their 
 artillery being posted so as to cover the crossing at 
 Beverly Ford. On this same day General Wright s 
 division, of the Sixth Corps, relieved the troops of 
 Howe s division, at Franklin s Crossing, below Fred- 
 ericksburg, Hooker thus keeping up a show of force 
 sufficient to detain Hill, while Lee ordered Longstreet 
 and Ewell to halt near the Rapidan river long enough 
 to ascertain what the Union Commander s intentions 
 were, and to be in supporting distance of Hill, if 
 wanted. On the eighth of June Hooker directed 
 Pleasonton who had been placed in command of all 
 the cavalry to make a reconnoissance in the direction 
 of Culpepper for the purpose of ascertaining the possible 
 plans of the enemy. The resistance made by General 
 Hill at Fredericksburg was obstinate enough to con 
 vince Hooker that the enemy were in strong force at 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 39 
 
 that point, but his suspicions were not allayed. He 
 believed that some movement of great importance was 
 contemplated by Lee, and that movement, he rightly 
 divined, was an invasion of the North. 
 
 The Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac 
 comprised three divisions, commanded as follows : 
 First Division, General John Buford ; Second Divis 
 ion, Colonel A. N. Duffie ; Third Division, General 
 D. McM. Gregg, and a Regular Cavalry Reserve 
 with six batteries. For the purpose of this recon- 
 noissance the corps was divided into two wings, the 
 right comprising the First Cavalry Division and the 
 Reserve Brigade, supported by a detachment of 
 infantry under the command of General Ames, of 
 the Eleventh Corps, the wing being commanded by 
 General Buford. The left wing comprised the 
 Second and Third Divisions of cavalry, with General 
 D. A. Russell s detachment of infantry from the 
 Sixth Corps, the whole commanded by General 
 Gregg. General Pleasonton made his headquarters 
 with Buford s wing. On the afternoon of the eighth 
 of July the corps moved out on their mission, the 
 right wing halting near Beverly Ford and the left 
 wing at Kelly s Ford, on the Rappahannock. So 
 far the advance toward Culpepper had progressed 
 satisfactorily, but the next movement lead to a con 
 flict where none was anticipated, the separated 
 wings of Pleasonton having to encounter Stuart s 
 whole force and engage him in separate conflict. 
 General Buford crossed the river early on the ninth 
 
40 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and met the enemy between the Ford and Brandy 
 Station, but was compelled to retire by reason of 
 the great superiority of numbers against which he 
 was pitted. General Gregg crossed the river at 
 Kelly s Ford between five and six o clock in the 
 morning and was moving toward Stevensburg, at 
 which point he was directed to establish the left of 
 his line, the infantry detachment under General 
 Russell being ordered to move direct to Brandy 
 Station. Gregg heard the firing of Buford s men, 
 and after a march of five miles overtook Duffie s 
 division, whose advance had reached Stevensburg 
 without meeting the enemy, and he ordered them to 
 move at once upon Brandy Station, taking the same 
 road as the Third Division. When the head of 
 Gregg s division reached the Station the enemy were 
 there in great force, having only a short time before 
 repulsed the First Division. In the charge of the 
 Third Division upon Stuart s forces the First New 
 Jersey Cavalry carried off the honors of the day for 
 impetuous dash and consummate skill. Of the heroic 
 part taken by this command in this, the first great 
 cavalry fight of the war, no improvement can be 
 made upon the realistic description given by Chap 
 lain Pyne, in his " History of the First New Jersey 
 Cavalry." He says : 
 
 " It was on the eighth of June that Gregg s divis 
 ion broke camp at Warrenton Junction, to march to 
 Kelly s Ford. Arriving there after nightfall the men, 
 formed in column of battalions, holding their horses 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 41 
 
 during the night, bivouacked without fires or sound 
 of bugles. In consequence of these and other pre 
 cautions, Duffie s division was well on the road to 
 Stevensburg, and Gregg moving toward Brandy 
 Station, before the rebels had taken the alarm. 
 Capturing or cutting off the videttes, Captain Yorke 
 led the advance around the position of the rebel 
 cavalry, and debouched through the woods beyond 
 Brandy Station, while the enemy was still between 
 that place and the Rappahannock river. As Jones 
 brigade hastily formed to receive us, the First New 
 Jersey Cavalry dashed out of the woods, charging 
 down among them. Without even an attempt to 
 charge, the rebel line broke in confusion ; and driv 
 ing them back, pell-mell, the regiment pressed upon 
 their rear. With a hundred and fifty prisoners, 
 taken by a body of only t\vo hundred and fifty -nine 
 enlisted men, the regiment then rallied and re-formed 
 for the greater work before them. 
 
 "Nearly half a mile apart, on two eminences of a 
 continuous line of hill, stood a couple of country 
 houses, surrounded by their customary farm buildings 
 and enclosures, though both had been dilapidated by 
 the frequent presence of the soldiery of both armies. 
 At the one facing the right of the line General 
 Stuart had established his headquarters, and each of 
 them was protected by a battery of horse artillery. 
 Leaving the First Pennsylvania Regiment to support 
 his battery, Wyndham formed the First Jersey for 
 a charge. Lieutenant-Colonel Broderick was at its 
 
42 NE IV JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 head, and in column of battalions it advanced, with 
 a steady trot, its line more accurate than ever on 
 parade. As it passed over the difficult ground in 
 the vicinity of the railroad, there was danger of its 
 front being compressed by the narrowness of the 
 defile. Without a pause, Hobensack led the left 
 squadron of the first line down the steep bank of 
 the cutting and up the other side a steep descent 
 and rise of nine feet each way, taken by the whole 
 body without a waver or hesitation. While the 
 right squadrons of the other battalions followed 
 Broderick against Stuart s headquarters, the left 
 wings, under Lucas and Malsbury, accompanied 
 Hobensack and dashed at the hill on which stood 
 the other battery. So rapid was the advance of 
 both columns that the batteries of the enemy endeav 
 ored in vain to get range upon them ; while our 
 own guns, admirably directed by Martin and his 
 officers, played with terrible effect upon the station 
 ary rebel line. With a ringing cheer Broderick rode 
 up the gentle ascent that led to Stuart s headquar 
 ters, the men gripping hard their sabres, and the 
 horses taking ravines and ditches in their stride. As 
 the rebels poured in a random and ineffectual volley, 
 the troopers of the First Jersey were among them, 
 riding over one gun, breaking to pieces the brigade 
 in front of them and forcing the enemy in confusion 
 down the opposite slope of the hill. Stuart s head 
 quarters were in our hands, and his favorite regi 
 ment in flight before us. At the same time, far 
 
COLONEL PERCY WYNDHAM, 
 
 ist N. J. Cav. 
 (From a War-time Photograph) 
 
IX THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 45 
 
 away at Beverly Ford, were heard the guns of 
 Buford, as Pleasonton hurled his division, in column 
 of regiments, against the shaken enemy. By the 
 same orderly who carried off Stuart s official papers, 
 Wyndham ordered up a section of his battery and 
 the regiment of Pennsylvanians. Leaving the artil- 
 lery to the support of the First Maryland, the noble 
 Pennsylvanians came to the attack. It was time that 
 they did so ; for a fresh brigade of rebels was 
 charging the hundred men of Broderick. Gallantly 
 did the Lieutenant- Colonel meet the charge. As the 
 enemy advanced, down against them rode our men : 
 Broderick and his adjutant in front, Hart, Wynkoop, 
 Cox, Jemison, Harper, Sawyer, Brooks and Hughes, 
 all in their places, leading their respective men. 
 With a crash, in went the little band of Jerseymen 
 into the leading rebel regiment, the impetus of the 
 attack scattering the faltering enemy in confusion 
 right and left. Through the proud Twelfth Vir 
 ginia they then rode, with no check to their head 
 long onset ; and with dripping sabres and panting 
 steeds emerged into the field beyond. No longer in 
 line of battle, fighting hand to hand with small 
 parties of the enemy, and with many a wounded 
 horse sinking to the earth, they met a third regi 
 ment of the rebels, no longer faltering before an 
 unbroken enemy, but rushing eagerly upon the scat 
 tered groups of combatants. Even in this emergency 
 the confidence of the men was not shaken in their 
 leaders. Against that swarm of opposers each indi- 
 
46 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 vidual officer opposed himself, with such men as 
 collected around him ; and slowly fighting, breaking 
 the enemy with themselves into bands of indepen 
 dent combatants, the Jerseymen fell back up the 
 bloody hillside. Not a man but had his own story 
 of the fight to tell. Kitchen, left alone for a moment, 
 was ridden at by two of the rebels. As one was* 
 disabled by his sabre, he spurred his horse against 
 the other. As the animal bounded beneath the goad 
 a bullet penetrated his brain, and, throwing his rider 
 twenty feet beyond him, the steed, all four feet in 
 the air, plunged headlong to the earth. As the 
 adjutant, trembling from the fall, slowly recovered 
 his senses, he saw another rebel riding at him. 
 Creeping behind the body of his dead horse, he 
 rested his revolver on the carcass to give steadiness 
 to his aim, and frightening off his enemy, managed 
 to escape to the neighborhood of the guns and catch 
 a riderless horse to carry him from the field. 
 
 " In the middle of the fight Broderick s horse fell 
 dead beneath him. Instantly his young orderly bugler, 
 James Wood, sprang to the earth and remounted him. 
 While the bugler himself sought for another horse, a 
 rebel trooper rode at him with an order to surrender. 
 As Wood was taken to the rear, he came upon a carbine 
 lying upon the ground. Seizing it and leveling it at 
 his captor, he forced the man to change places with 
 him; and thus, with an empty weapon, repossessed 
 himself of arms and horse, together with a prisoner. 
 Jemison, on foot and alone, was chased around the 
 
IN 7 HE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 47 
 
 house upon the hill, when he saw Broderick again 
 unhorsed in the midst of a crowd of enemies, and 
 Sawyer riding to the rescue. At the moment when 
 Jemison was giving himself up for lost, he saw his 
 pursuers stop, wheel and hurry away, and running 
 himself around the corner, he beheld Taylor, sword in 
 hand, leading the charge of the Pennsylvanians. 
 Around the base of the hill the sturdy regiment swept 
 along, driving the enemy before it, and making a com 
 plete circuit of the position, returned again toward 
 Brandy Station. 
 
 " In the mean time, the left wing of the regiment had 
 directed its efforts upon the other battery of the rebels. 
 Keeping to the trot, their unbroken ranks moved 
 steadily against the hill, on the top of which stood the 
 cannoneers and a few horsemen observing their 
 approach. As they came nearer, all these men disap 
 peared except one, who maintained his position ; and 
 as they came within two hundred yards of the summit, 
 this man lifted his hat, beckoning with it to those in the 
 rear. In one moment the whole hillside was black with 
 rebel cavalry, charging down as foragers, pistol and 
 carbine in hand. Hobensack glanced along his 
 squadron. Not a man was out of place, and every 
 horse was taking the gallop without a blunder or over- 
 rush of speed. At the sight of this united band of 
 enemies, the confused rebel crowd hesitated and shook. 
 With an ill-directed, futile volley, they began to break 
 away, and the next moment, a shrieking mass of fugi 
 tives, they were flying before the sabres of our men. 
 
48 - NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 The rebel battery of four guns was left with but two 
 men near it, and with their eyes fixed upon it our 
 officers pressed upon the fugitives. When within a 
 hundred yards of the guns, and when looking over the 
 hill, Lucas could see yet another brigade coming in the 
 distance to reinforce the broken enemy, an ejaculation 
 from Hobensack caused him to turn his eyes to his own 
 rear. There was the main body of the force that had 
 broken the right wing coming into full line of battle 
 upon their rear. 
 
 " Fours, left-about, wheel! was the instant order. 
 Boys, there s a good many of them, but we must cut 
 through. Charge ! and obliquely against their line 
 rushed down the Jersey troopers. 
 
 " Enthusiasm and desperation supplied the place of 
 numbers, and cutting their way out, the little band 
 opened a path toward the section of our battery. 
 Three times was the guidon of Company E taken by 
 the enemy. Twice it was retaken by our men, and the 
 third time, when all seemed desperate, a little troop 
 of the First Pennsylvania cut through the enemy and 
 brought off the flag in safety. Once the rebels who 
 hung upon the rear attempted to charge our retiring 
 men, but the wheel of the rear division sufficed to check 
 their assault, and the left wing of the Jersey reached 
 Clark s two guns, annoyed only by the revolvers of the 
 rebels. 
 
 " Under cover of the fire of the artillery, and assisted 
 by the charge of the First Pensylvania, Hart had suc 
 ceeded in bringing off the remnant of the right wing. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 49 
 
 He was the senior officer of that half of the regiment. 
 Broderick was dying in the enemy s hands ; Shelmire 
 lay dead across the body of a rebel ; Sawyer and Hyde 
 Crocker were prisoners ; Lieutenant Brooks was dis 
 abled by a sabre stroke on his right arm ; Wyndham 
 himself had just received a bullet in his leg. Men and 
 horses had been fighting for over three hours, and 
 were now utterly exhausted. Duffie was in line of 
 battle two miles and a-half to the rear, but there was 
 no support upon the field. Kilpatrick s brigade, which 
 had charged on our right and rear, had beaten the 
 rebels opposed to it, the First Maine bearing off a 
 battle-flag, but it was now formed on our flank, some 
 distance from the field, to cover us from being entirely 
 cut off. The enemy were indeed terribly demoralized, 
 and the charge of a dozen of our men again and again 
 routed a hundred of the rebels ; but now there were 
 not a dozen horses that could charge not a man who 
 could shout above a whisper. The guns were across a 
 ditch, which rendered their removal very difficult, and 
 it was their fire which kept the rebels from crossing 
 the hills to charge against us. So, with a desperate 
 hope that Duffie might come up after all, our worn- 
 out troopers stood by the gallant cannoneers of the 
 Sixth New York (Martin s, formerly Brarnhall s) Inde 
 pendent Battery New Yorkers by commission, but 
 Jerseymen of Rahway in their origin. 
 
 " Presently the apprehended moment came, and the 
 last reserves of the rebels, fresh and strong, poured 
 down on three sides upon the exhausted little knot 
 4 
 
NE IV JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 of Jersey troopers. While cavalry fought hand to 
 hand across the guns, the artillerymen continued 
 steadily serving their pieces and delivering their fire 
 at the enemy upon the hijl. Time after time, as a 
 rebel trooper would strike at a cannoneer, he would 
 dodge beneath a horse or gun-carriage, and coming 
 up on the other side, discharge his revolver at his 
 assailant and spring once more to his work. At 
 length, from mere exhaustion, Hart, Hobensack and 
 Beekman, with their comrades, were forced back a 
 little way from the guns, and while they were form 
 ing the men afresh the rebels rode again upon the 
 cannoneers. 
 
 " As one of the gunners was ramming home a 
 charge, a rebel officer cut him down with three 
 successive sabre strokes. Then, springing from his 
 horse, he wheeled the piece toward our troopers, 
 not fifty yards away. Hobensack turned to Hart, 
 stretched out his hand, and said : * We must shut our 
 eyes and take it. Good-bye ! and clasping each 
 other s hands they awaited for their death. The 
 roar of the piece thundered out, and the smoke 
 wrapped them in its folds, but the charge flew harm 
 lessly over their heads. The piece had been elevated 
 against the hill, and the rebels had not thought of 
 changing its angle. They were so savage at the 
 harmlessness of the discharge that they actually 
 advanced half-way toward our men, but beyond that 
 they dared not come, and the Jersey regiment 
 marched calmly off the field without an effort being 
 made to .pursue them. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 51 
 
 " No other comment can be needed to tell the 
 impression made by them upon the rebels. If there 
 had been five hundred fresh men upon the field they 
 might have swept the .whole rebel cavalry force 
 into the Rappahannock river. 
 
 " Of the three senior officers on the field, Wynd- 
 ham received a ball in the leg, which unfitted him 
 for months for active service, and Broderick and 
 Shelmire never came off the field alive. As is fre 
 quently the case in cavalry combats, but little 
 quarter was asked or given. Men fought as long 
 as they could, and then fell beneath the sabre or 
 pistol, the loss of the enemy almost trebling that 
 of the National troopers. 
 
 " The name and character of Colonel Wyndham 
 are known throughout the country ; Broderick and 
 Shelmire were known to few beyond their own 
 immediate sphere of duty. Within that sphere they 
 were valued, and their loss was severely felt." 
 
 General Gregg, in his report of the fight, says : 
 
 " Corfiing thus upon the enemy, and having at hand 
 only the Third Division (total strength 2,400), I had 
 either to decline the fight in the face of the enemy or 
 throw upon him at once the entire division. Not 
 doubting but that the Second Division was near, and 
 delay not being admissible, I directed the commanders 
 of my advance brigade to charge the enemy formed in 
 columns about Brandy House. The whole brigade 
 charged with drawn sabres, fell upon the masses of the 
 enemy, and after a brief but severe contest, drove them 
 
5 2 A^ W JE R SE Y 7 A O OP S 
 
 back, killing and wounding many and taking a large 
 number of prisoners. Other columns of the enemy 
 coming up charged this brigade before it could reform 
 and it was driven back. Seeing this, I ordered the 
 First Brigade to charge the enemy upon the right. 
 This brigade came forth gallantly through the open 
 fields, dashed upon the enemy, drove him away and 
 occupied the hill. Now that my entire division was 
 engaged, the fight was everywhere most fierce. Fresh 
 columns of the enemy arriving upon the ground 
 received the vigorous charges of my regiments, and 
 under the heavy blows of our sabres were in every 
 instance driven back. Martin s battery of horse artil 
 lery, divided between the two brigades, poured load 
 after load of canister upon the rebel regiments. 
 Assailed on all sides, the men stood to the guns nobly. 
 Thus, for an hour and a-half, was the contest continued, 
 not in skirmishing but in determined charges. The 
 contest was too unequal to be longer continued. The 
 Second Division had not come up, there was no 
 support at hand and the enemy s number were three 
 times my own. I ordered the withdrawal of my 
 brigades. In good order they left the field, the enemy 
 not choosing to follow. 
 
 & # # * * * * 
 
 " The Third Division behaved nobly, and where 
 every officer and man did his duty it is difficult to par 
 ticularize. I would, however, mention Colonel Percy 
 Wyndham, First New Jersey Cavalry, commanding 
 Second Brigade, and Colonel Judson Kilpatrick, 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL H. JUDSON KILPATRICK. 
 Brigadier-General Commanding Cavalry Brigade. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 55 
 
 Second New York, commanding First Brigade, who 
 gallantly led their brigades to the charge, and through 
 out the entire engagement handled them with consum 
 mate skill. Colonel Wyndham, although wounded, 
 remained on the field and covered with a portion of 
 his command the withdrawal of the division. Captain 
 J. W. Martin, commanding Sixth New York Battery 
 of Horse Artillery, did most excellent service. His 
 sections were charged by the enemy s regiments on all 
 sides. Two of his pieces disabled and one serviceable 
 fell into the hands of the enemy, but not until twenty- 
 one of his men were cut down, fighting stubbornly, 
 and nearly all of the horses killed. Although the loss 
 of these pieces is to be regretted, still the magnificent 
 defense of them establishes in the highest degree the 
 soldierly character of the officers and men of the bat 
 tery. The serviceable gun was spiked before the 
 enemy got it." 
 
 It will be noticed that the men so honorably men 
 tioned, Colonel Wyndhan, Colonel Kilpatrick, and the 
 men of the Sixth New York Battery, were all Jersey- 
 men. The latter command, while credited to New 
 York, was raised almost wholly within the city of 
 Rahway, this State. Of thirty-six men who went into 
 the fight but six came out safely, and every one 
 received some wound that he will carry through life. 
 The charge by the First New Jersey was led by Colo 
 nel Wyndham in person, aided by Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Broderick. At the first onset the enemy were driven 
 from their guns, the support coming up were met and 
 
56 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 in a few minutes were driven back. Reinforced, it 
 returned and was again repulsed. 
 
 The rebels were terribly punished. By their own 
 confession they lost many more than their adversaries, 
 and in the First New Jersey almost every soldier must 
 have killed his man. Sergeant Craig, of Company K, 
 is credited with three ; Slate, of the same company, 
 had several hand-to-hand combats with the enemy, 
 and the instances of individual bravery and pluck were 
 numerous. Every soldier had an exciting story to 
 tell, and Adjutant Kitchen, who was in the thickest of 
 the fray, thus describes what befell himself: 
 
 " The crowd with whom * Broderick was engaged 
 was a little distance from me, and I had just wheeled 
 to ride up to his help when two fellows put at me. 
 The first one fired at me and missed ; before he could 
 again cock his revolver I succeeded in closing with 
 him. My sabre took him just in the neck, and must 
 have cut the jugular. The blood gushed out in a 
 black looking stream ; he gave a horrible yell and fell 
 over the side of his horse, which galloped away. Then 
 I gathered up my reins, spurred my horse, and went 
 at the other one. I was riding the old black horse 
 that used to belong to the signal sergeant, and it was 
 in fine condition. As I drove in the spurs it gave a 
 leap high in the air. That plunge saved my life. The 
 rebel had a steady aim at me; but the ball went 
 through the black horse s brain. His feet never 
 touched ground again. With a terrible convulsive 
 contraction of all his muscles, the black turned over in 
 
AV THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 57 
 
 the air, and fell on his head and side stone dead, pitch 
 ing me twenty feet. I lighted on my pistol, the butt 
 forcing itself far into my side. My sabre sprang out 
 of my hand, and I lay, with arms and legs abroad, 
 stretched out like a dead man. Everybody had some 
 thing else to do than to attend to me, and there I lay 
 where I had fallen. 
 
 " It seemed to me to have been an age before I 
 began painfully to come to myself; but it could not 
 have been many minutes. Every nerve was shaking; 
 there was a terrible pain in my head, and a numbness 
 through my side which was even worse. Fighting 
 was still going on around me, and my first impulse 
 was to get hold of my sword. I crawled to it, and 
 sank down as I grasped it once more. That was only 
 for a moment ; for a rebel soldier, seeing me move, 
 rode at me. The presence of danger roused me, and I 
 managed to get to my horse, behind which I sank, rest 
 ing my pistol on the saddle, and so contriving to get 
 an aim. As soon as the man saw that, he turned off 
 without attacking me. I was now able to stand and 
 walk ; and holding my pistol in one hand and my 
 sabre in the other, I made my way across the fields 
 to where our battery was posted, scaring some with 
 my pistol and shooting others. Nobody managed to 
 hit me through the whole fight. When I got up to 
 the battery I found Wood there. He sang out to me 
 to wait and he would get me a horse. One of the 
 men, who had just taken one, was going past, so Wood 
 stopped him and got it for me. 
 
58 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 "Just at that moment White s battalion and some 
 other troops came charging at the battery. The 
 squadron of the First Maryland, who were supporting 
 it, met the charge well as far as their numbers went ; 
 but were, of course, flanked on both sides by the heavy 
 odds. All of our men who were free came swarming 
 up the hill, and the cavalry - were fighting over and 
 around the guns. In spite of the confusion, and even 
 while their comrades at the same place were being 
 sabred, the men at that battery kept to their duty. 
 They did not even look up or around, but kept up 
 their fire with unwavering steadiness. 
 
 " There was one rebel, on a splendid horse, who 
 sabred three gunners while I was chasing him. He 
 wheeled in and out, would dart away, and then come 
 sweeping back and cut down another man in a manner 
 that seemed almost supernatural. We at last succeeded 
 in driving him away, but we could not catch or shoot 
 him, and he got off without a scratch." 
 
 Adjutant Kitchen was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel 
 of the Second New Jersey Cavalry the following 
 August, and served until June 30, 1864, when he 
 resigned. 
 
 The First New Jersey Cavalry in this, as in every 
 engagement in which it took part, was noted for the 
 bravery of its men and the thoroughness with which 
 they performed their duty. Its record is a noble and 
 brilliant one, and no command shed greater honor 
 upon its native State than this. The casualties in the 
 
COLONEL HUGH H. JANEWAY, 
 
 Major Com d g ist N. J. Cav. 
 (From a War-time Photograph.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 6 1 
 
 fight at Brandy Station were 52, of whom 6 were 
 officers and 46 enlisted men as follows : 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Virgil Broderick. 
 Major John H. Shelmire. 
 Company A John Black. 
 
 " B Joseph Howard. 
 
 E Sergeant James H. Palmatier ; 
 
 George T. Poulson. 
 F Sergeant Samuel Rainear. 
 G Augustus Ringleb. 
 
 Wounded and Missing. 
 
 Colonel Percy Wyndham, gunshot wound through 
 fleshy part of leg. 
 
 Captain Henry W. Sawyer, wounded and prisoner. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Hyde Crocker, prisoner. 
 
 First Lieutenant Joseph Brooks, wounded, sabre cut 
 of left arm. 
 
 Company A Henry Cash, Ephraim Croasdale, 
 Charles E. Wilson, missing. 
 
 Company B First Sergeant Smighton P. Crossman, 
 Private Aaron H. Rake, wounded ; Jacob Casler, John 
 Tynon, missing. 
 
 Company D Octave Antonio, wounded and miss 
 ing ; Isaiah Buchanan, wounded in shoulder; Joseph 
 Crane, missing. 
 
 Company E First Sergeant Joseph Killey, slightly 
 
62 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 wounded in head ; Sergeant George W. Steward, 
 gunshot wound in hip ; Theodore L. Clement, Daniel 
 McCormick, missing. (The last named deserted.) 
 
 Company F Corporal Amos L. Poinsett, severely 
 wounded in face and neck ; Charles Cadott, wounded in 
 leg ; Daniel Cliver, wounded and missing ; Sergeant 
 Joseph F. Thibeaudeau, Corporal Ridgway S. Asy, 
 Nathan Moore, John C. Dantz, missing. 
 
 Company G First Sergeant Jeremiah P. Brower, 
 Private James H. Stubbs, wounded and missing ; 
 Richard Darmstadt, wounded ; Borden G. Joline, 
 Marshall Summers, missing. 
 
 Company H Timothy Mahoney, wounded in leg ; 
 Corporal John A. Schaffer, Privates William H. Jack 
 son, Douglas E. Grey, missing. 
 
 Company I Sergeant Frederick Schaal, gunshot 
 wound left wrist ; Sergeant Charles Earley, wounded 
 and missing ; Philip Hann, missing. 
 
 Company K Sergeant Robert Tuthill, wounded in 
 thigh ; Sergeant Richard Decker, rib broken ; John M. 
 Hendershot, wounded in foot ; * Henry Heater, severely 
 wounded in the back, ball passing through and out at 
 the abdomen ; John Hanley, missing. 
 
 Company M James Linley, Horace Van Order, 
 missing. 
 
 *Heater recovered from his wound, was promoted Corporal July I, 
 1863, Sergeant, January I, 1864, and served his full term, being 
 mustered out September 16, 1864. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 63 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 Officers.. 24 6 
 
 Enlisted Men. ..,. 6 19 21 46 
 
 Total 8 23 21 52 
 
 Among the Jerseymen of Martin s Independent 
 Battery (Sixth New York) who did such heroic service 
 the following casualties are reported : 
 
 Wounded. Frank. H. Bliss, William Bishop, Augustus 
 B. Crane, Alfred T. Freeman, Robert H. Fowle, John 
 Jordon. 6. 
 
 Captured by the Enemy. Thomas Crane, Daniel C. 
 Cripps, James Horton, Jonathan Hand, Daniel A. 
 High, ^Cornelius H. Miller, Rufus M. Miller, Thomp 
 son Thorn. 8. Total, 14. 
 
 *Recaptured at same fight. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SWELL S- DASHING ADVANCE THROUGH THE VALLEY 
 MILROY SURPRISED AT WINCHESTER THE FOUR 
 TEENTH NEW JERSEY ON MARYLAND HEIGHTS- 
 HISTORY OF THE CORPS BADGE THE NEW JERSEY 
 TROOPS AND THEIR COMMANDERS AN EXHAUST 
 IVE MARCH. 
 
 ON the tenth of June General Ewell advanced his 
 troops through the Blue Ridge to Chester Gap, 
 then pushed on to Front Royal, where he 
 crossed the Shenandoah river, and by rapid marching 
 through the Valley reached Winchester on the even 
 ing of June 1 3th, making seventy miles in three days. 
 Lee s line of battle thus stretched over an interval of 
 a hundred miles, from Fredericksburg to Winchester. 
 This rapid marching had for its object the clearing of 
 the Valley of whatever Union forces might have been 
 established there, the most important point being 
 Winchester, which was held by Milroy with about 
 seven thousand men. Ewell had so skillfully per 
 formed his mission that Milroy was completely sur 
 prised. 
 
 Winchester is a railroad station about thirty miles 
 southeast from Harper s Ferry. It was considered a 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 65 
 
 good point for observation and not particularly valua 
 ble as a strategic position. General Milroy had con 
 structed a stout line of intrenchments about the town, 
 and he had a force of men sufficiently large for any 
 ordinary defence of the place. In the neighborhood 
 were many Union families who naturally relied upon 
 the military forces for protection, and to whom they 
 also were of great service. Berryville, southeast of 
 Winchester, was occupied by Colonel McReynolds 
 with a brigade, and Major Morris, with two hundred 
 men, was stationed at another outpost, Bunker Hill. 
 
 While the movements of General Lee were in pro 
 gress the authorities at Washington, on the nth of 
 June, ordered General Milroy to remove his armament 
 and supplies to Harper s Ferry. Milroy at this time 
 was ignorant of the advance of Lee s army to the north 
 side of the Rappahannock river, though the fact was 
 known to the government authorities. He was reluc 
 tant to obey the order, as he felt able to cope success 
 fully with any force of the enemy likely, in his opinion, 
 to attack his position, and he was permitted to remain, 
 subject to conditions which would enable him to avoid 
 an engagement with superior numbers. 
 
 General Hooker, ignorant of the designs of the 
 enemy, had not yet made a general movement of his 
 army. On the loth of June, after the cavalry fight at 
 Brandy Station, Generals Russell and Ames, with their 
 detachments of infantry, had been ordered to join their 
 commands, and the cavalry rendezvoused in the vicin 
 ity of Warrenton Junction. When Swell s movement 
 5 
 
66 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 was observed, General Hooker, on the nth, ordered 
 the Third Corps to move from its camps in the vicinity 
 of Falmouth to Hartwood Church, in close proximity 
 to Kelly and Beverly Fords, which crossings they 
 were to watch carefully, while the Fifth Corps, stationed 
 in the neighborhood of Banks and United States Fords 
 were to perform a like service there. On the I2th the 
 lines were still further extended, the First Corps mov 
 ing from the vicinity of White Oak Church to Deep 
 Run, the Third Corps taking a new position at Bealton, 
 Humphrey s division moving to the Rappahannock, 
 while the Eleventh Corps moved from Brook s Station 
 to the place vacated by the First Corps at Hartwood 
 Church. The next day, June I3th, when Ewell was at 
 Winchester, General Hooker had only begun to put 
 his army earnestly in motion. Milroy was in exceed 
 ing great peril. Without any knowledge of the move 
 ments of either army he was undecided for a time 
 what to do, but on the I2th he sent word to Colonel 
 McReynolds, at Berryville, to keep a sharp lookout 
 as a reconnoissance ordered by him had discovered 
 that a large force of the enemy were moving on the 
 Front Royal road, and to be prepared to fall back on 
 Winchester should he be attacked by superior num 
 bers. On the following day McReynolds fell back, his 
 rear guard engaging the enemy, and succeeded in 
 reaching Winchester before midnight, after a severe 
 march of thirty miles. The detachment under com 
 mand of Major Morris was also compelled, after a 
 severe engagement, to rejoin the main body at \Vin- 
 
LIEUT. ROCHUS HEINISCH, 
 
 Co. A, 26th Reg. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From Recent Photograph.} 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 69 
 
 Chester. Milroy s forces were being hemmed in on all 
 sides by the superior numbers of Ewell, and these 
 accessions to the troops at Winchester produced great 
 embarrassment. Their presence augmented the diffi 
 culties which beset Milroy, and they were so exhausted 
 after their arduous labors that Milroy was compelled 
 to postpone action until they recovered sufficiently to 
 endure further marching. Meanwhile Ewell was mak 
 ing the best use of his time and organized his forces 
 for attack. The eastern side of the town was ap 
 proached first, but the attack there was gallantly 
 repulsed. The enemy, reinforced, made a more deter 
 mined effort and succeeded in getting possession of 
 part of the town, but they were driven out by artil 
 lery. Milroy then attempted to steal his way out, but 
 every avenue of escape seemed to be cut off and as a 
 last resort he determined to fight his way through the 
 rebel lines. The enemy outnumbered him two to one, 
 but a desperate charge upon their lines enabled the 
 troops to break through. In the darkness the column 
 became divided and Milroy succeeded in bringing safe 
 to Harper s Ferry the greater part of his command. 
 Colonel Ely s and Colonel McReynolds brigades 
 were, however, captured.* This cleared the Valley 
 of all Union troops and made the further progress of 
 Lee s army to Williamsport an easy matter. 
 
 * Milroy s losses were severe. General Lee reported that his troops 
 captured " more than 4,000 prisoners, 29 guns, 277 wagons and 400 
 horses." These no doubt included seven hundred prisoners and five 
 guns captured by General Rodes at Martinsburg. 
 
70 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 The alarm that was felt in Washington by Ewell s 
 presence in the Valley led to the receiving of marching 
 orders by the Fourteenth New Jersey Regiment, 
 Colonel William Truex, then stationed at the Monocacy 
 river. Hurriedly, in light marching order, the regi 
 ment moved to the cars in waiting to carry them to 
 Harper s Ferry, one company remaining behind to 
 guard the bridge at the river. The regiment went 
 into camp on Maryland Heights, with the troops of 
 General Tyler, who had escaped from Martinsburg 
 after a fierce encounter with Rodes division of 
 Ewell s corps. The Fourteenth encamped on the 
 Heights for about two weeks. General Tyler was 
 superseded by General French, who at once proceeded 
 to fortify his position and make it impregnable from 
 attack. At this arduous and fatiguing duty the Four 
 teenth were kept busily engaged and suffered great 
 hardship and exposure. 
 
 On June I3th, General Hooker abandoned his posi 
 tion opposite Fredericksburg, the First Corps moving 
 from Deep Run to Bealton, the Fifth from the fords 
 on the Rappahannock toward Morrisville, Wright 
 and Newton s divisions of the Sixth Corps from Frank 
 lin s Crossing to Potomac Creek, the Eleventh Corps 
 to Catlett s Station, while the Twelfth Corps moved 
 from Stafford Court House and Aquia Creek Landing 
 to Dumfries, marching all night long. The store 
 houses and supply depots at Aquia Creek were burned. 
 As soon as the Federal army disappeared from his 
 front, General A. P. Hill broke camp at Fredericks- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 burg and started to join Longstreet and Lee at Cul- 
 pepper. 
 
 The New Jersey troops were distributed as follows 
 in the several corps :* 
 
 * Each of the corps of the Army of the Potomac were designated by a 
 badge, the First Division color being red, the Second Division white, 
 and the Third Division blue. The flags of each division headquarters 
 were designated as follows: First Division, a square flag, white, with 
 red emblem in centre; Second Division, blue flag, white emblem in 
 centre; Third Division, white flag, with blue emblem in centre. Bri 
 gade headquarter flags were triangular, the colors being arranged in 
 the same manner. This method of distinguishing the various corps 
 emanated from the simple device employed by General Kearny, while 
 in command of a division on the Peninsula campaign, under General 
 McClellan. Just before the battle of Williamsburg General Kearny 
 caused the officers and men of his division to be supplied with a patch 
 of flannel cut in the shape of a square (diamond) or lozenge, and in a 
 general order directed that all the field and staff officers should wear a 
 red diamond on the top of their caps, and the line officers the same in 
 front, the enlisted men wearing it on the left sleeve of the coat. It was 
 devised as a means of better distinguishing the officers and men, as the 
 uniforms of both were so much alike at the time as to cause confusion. 
 After the death of General Kearny, at Chantilly, General Birney, his 
 successor, ordered that these patches should be worn in memory of 
 their gallant old commander, but none were entitled to wear the badge 
 but those who had been in action with the divsion. General Hooker, 
 when he was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, utilized 
 the idea and caused each of his seven corps to be designated by a badge. 
 The badges worn by the New Jersey troops. were as follows : 
 
 it 
 
NE W JERSE y TROOPS 
 
 SECOND CORPS Third Division, Second Brigade. 
 Twelfth Regiment, Major John T. Hill. 
 
 THIRD CORPS Second Division, First Brigade. Elev 
 enth Regiment, Colonel Robert McAllister. 
 
 Third Brigade. Fifth Regiment, Colonel William J. 
 
 Sewell. 
 Sixth Regiment, Colonel George C. 
 
 Burling. 
 Seventh Regiment, Colonel L. R. 
 
 Francine. 
 
 Eighth Regiment, Colonel John 
 Ramsey. 
 
 Second Army Corps Badge Trefoil. Twelfth New Jersey, Second 
 Division: Blue. 
 
 Third Army Corps Badge (Kearny s) Diamond, First Division: 
 Red. Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh New Jersey Infantry. 
 
 Artillery Brigade: Battery " B," First New Jersey Artillery. 
 
 Sixth Army Corps Badge Greek Cross. First Division: Red. First, 
 Second, Third, Fourth and Fifteenth New Jersey Regiments. Battery 
 "A," First New Jersey Artillery. 
 
 Twelfth Army Corps Badge Five Pointed Star. First Division: Red. 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment. 
 
 The designs for the other three corps were as follows: 
 
 1 5 11 
 
 First Army Corps Disc, or lozenge. Fifth Army Corps Maltese 
 Cross. Eleventh Army Corps Crescent. 
 
 In a short time the badge was universally adopted by the corps in 
 all the armies of the Union, and became one of the most popular 
 features of soldier life. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 73 
 
 Artillery Brigade. Battery " B," First New Jersey 
 
 Artillery, Captain A. Judson 
 Clark. 
 
 SIXTH CORPS First Division, First Brigade. General 
 A. T. A. Torbert, commanding. 
 
 First Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. Henry, Jr. 
 
 Second Regiment, Colonel Samuel L. Buck. 
 
 Third Regiment, Colonel Henry W. Brown. 
 
 ^Fourth Regiment, Major Charles Ewing. 
 
 Fifteenth Regiment, Colonel William H. Penrose. 
 
 Cavalry DetacJiment. Company " L," First New 
 Jersey. 
 
 TWELFTH CORPS First Division, Third Brigade. 
 Thirteenth Regiment, Colonel Ezra A. Carman. 
 
 CAVALRY CORPS Second Division, First Brigade. 
 First Regiment, Major M. H. Beaumont. 
 
 Third Division. Brigadier-General Judson Kilpatrick, 
 commanding. 
 
 ARTILLERY RESERVE Fourth Volunteer Brigade. 
 Battery " A," First New Jersey, Lieutenant Augustin 
 N. Parsons. 
 
 General Lee s plan of operations comprised, among 
 other things, the drawing away of the Federal army 
 from the Defences of Washington, thus to enable him 
 to administer a severe blow to Hooker on Virginia 
 territory. After Ewell had successfully driven Milroy 
 from the Shenandoah Valley Hill moved to Culpepper, 
 
 * The Fourth Regiment on this campaign was detailed as guard to 
 division trains, and at division headquarters. 
 
74 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and Longstreet, moving- east of the Blue Ridge, occu 
 pied Ashby s and Snicker s Gaps, hoping by this 
 manoeuvre to entice Hooker to move against him at 
 these points. General Hooker, however, did not bite 
 at the bait thus temptingly held out, but skillfully 
 covered the Capital from any likelihood of attack and 
 moved his army to checkmate any possible designs Lee 
 might have in that direction. On June I4th he had 
 advanced his army in the following order : The First 
 and Third Corps to Manassas Junction, the Fifth Corps 
 to Catlett s Station, the First and Third Divisions of 
 the Sixth Corps to Stafford Court House, the Eleventh 
 Corps to Centreville, which place it reached next day. 
 The Twelfth Corps arrived at Dumfries on the morn 
 ing of the i4th, and remained there during the day. 
 On the 1 5th, the day of Milroy s defeat, the Army of 
 the Potomac moved rapidly to more advanced posi 
 tions. The Second Corps, which had remained at 
 Falmouth, moved to Aquia, the Fifth Corps joined the 
 First and Third at Manassas Junction, the Sixth Corps 
 moved to Dumfries, just as the Twelfth was moving 
 out for Fairfax Court House. The Cavalry Corps, 
 which had been rendezvousing at Warrenton Junction, 
 moved to Union Mills and Bristoe Station. 
 
 The march of the Twelfth Corps, from Stafford 
 Court House to Dumfries, on the I5th of June, was a 
 memorable one to the Thirteenth New Jersey Regi 
 ment. Orders for a change of camp had been received 
 on the morning of the I3th, and the Third Brigade 
 broke camp at Stafford and moved to Brook s Station, 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE GORDON MEADE, 
 Commander Army of the Potomac. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 77 
 
 where the rest of the day was spent in erecting new 
 quarters. About seven o clock in the evening- orders 
 to move were again received, and in a short time the 
 column was on the road, passing through Stafford 
 about nine o clock and continuing on all through the 
 night until Dumfries was reached the next morning. 
 The night was very dark, but for a good part of the 
 way the road was illumined by the bright reflection 
 which came from the burning buildings at Aquia Creek 
 Station. The march to Fairfax on the I5th of June 
 was also a severe one. The heat of the sun was 
 intense, there was little water to be found anywhere on 
 the route, and whenever the column halted for a brief 
 rest, men would search in vain for a stream of water to 
 quench their thirst. Occasionally a feeble stream 
 would be found, but the sudden rush for water soon 
 converted it into a mud-puddle, and thus the misery of 
 thirst was only aggravated. The distance marched 
 was about twenty-five miles, and so overpowering was 
 the heat that three men of the Third Brigade Charles 
 E. Somerville, of the Thirteenth New Jersey, and tAvo 
 men of the One Hundred and Seventh New York- 
 died from the exhaustion it caused. 
 
 General Hooker had designed to attack Hill at 
 Fredericksburg and put his army in such position as 
 to interpose between Lee s main army and Richmond, 
 but he was overruled by General Halleck. Com 
 pelled therefore to fall back and await the develop 
 ment of Lee s plans, he moved his army with marked 
 skillfulness and ability. All the authorities agree as 
 
78 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 to the general correctness of the views advanced by 
 Hooker, but he was in almost every instance balked 
 in his designs by the military authorities in Wash 
 ington, and refused the cooperation which he deserved. 
 He did not permit himself, however, to be influenced 
 by the clamorous appeals sent to him ; he was forced 
 in a defensive position by Lee s movements, and as 
 though aware of the intent of Lee to draw him into a 
 battle, he steadfastly pursued the one course of cov 
 ering the Capital against any possible designs the rebel 
 chieftain might have in that direction, and putting 
 himself in position to watch every movement his wily 
 antagonist might make. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 EWELL AT WILLIAMSPORT JENKINS RAID IN PENN 
 SYLVANIA -- CONSTERNATION THROUGHOUT THE 
 NORTH NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS GO TO THE 
 DEFENCE OF HARRISBURG HOOKER ADVANCES TO 
 A NEW LINE OF OBSERVATION INCIDENTS OF THE 
 MARCH EXECUTION OF DESERTERS AN INSTANCE 
 OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN S MERCY AND WHY IT 
 FAILED. 
 
 THE rebel leaders seemed to have everything [their 
 own way after the defeat of Milroy at Winchester. 
 General Lee was the ruling spirit of his own 
 army, and unlike the Union commander, was not hamp 
 ered by those in power at the seat of government. He 
 gave wide latitude also to his lieutenants, and thus 
 practically there were four independent armies, acting 
 with a common impulse. Ewell s brilliant exploit had 
 won for him the admiration of his troops, and they 
 hailed him as a worthy successor to the idolized 
 " Stonewall " Jackson. The complete rout of Milroy s 
 forces stimulated the advancing columns and embold 
 ened them to a wonderful degree. The fleeing team 
 sters, contrabands and non-combatants generally who 
 had escaped from Ewell s clutches, created consterna- 
 
80 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 tion and dismay among the farmers of Western Mary 
 land and the Cumberland Valley, by the wonderful 
 stories their imaginations conjured up, and these in 
 turn spread the alarm by gathering together their 
 valuables, live stock, and portable property, and fleeing 
 toward Harrisburg. The whole country was in a state 
 of alarm, and Jenkins with two thousand of his impetu 
 ous cavalrymen, started on a tour of the Valley to 
 prevent the loss of so much material and supplies, of 
 which Lee s army stood in great need. He entered 
 Greencastle on the i6th of June and at night of the 
 same day halted at Chambersburg. He levied on 
 everything of value he could find horses, cattle, 
 forage, medical stores, and went so far as to seize a 
 number of free negroes whom he sent South to be sold 
 as slaves. It is said in behalf of Jenkins fairness 
 toward the people whom he thus despoiled, that he 
 paid for the goods in " honest " Confederate money. 
 This is true only in part ; he deliberately confiscated 
 the greater part of the supplies seized, making no offer 
 of compensation. 
 
 The alarm which prevailed throughout the North 
 on the advent of Jenkins with his bold raiders in Penn 
 sylvania, was increased by the apparent slowness with 
 which the Army of the Potomac moved toward the 
 enemy. This feeling found vent in hysteric appeals 
 to the government and sharp criticism of the Union 
 commander, as the defenceless condition of Pennsyl 
 vania made its territory a fine field for depredations 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 8 1 
 
 of all kinds. On the I5th of June Governor Curtin 
 addressed an appeal to the Governor of New Jersey 
 for aid as follows : 
 
 HARRISBURG, June 15, 1863. 
 GOVERNOR JOEL PARKER : 
 
 This State is threatened with invasion by a large 
 force, and we are raising troops as rapidly as possible 
 to resist them. I understand there are three regiments 
 of your troops at Beverly waiting to be mustered out. 
 Could an arrangement be made with you and the 
 authorities at Washington by which the service of 
 those regiments could be had for the present emer 
 gency ? Please advise immediately. 
 
 A. G. CURTIN, 
 Governor Pennsylvania. 
 
 On the same day a dispatch was received by 
 Governor Parker from the Secretary of War, detailing 
 the movements of the rebel forces in Virginia which 
 had been sufficiently developed to show that General 
 Lee with his whole army contemplated moving forward 
 to invade the States of Maryland, Pennsylvania and 
 other States. The President, to repel this invasion 
 promptly, had cajled upon Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mary 
 land and Western Virginia for one hundred thousand 
 volunteers for six months, unless sooner discharged, 
 and realizing the importance of having the largest 
 possible force in the least time, desired immediate infor 
 mation as to what number, in answer to a special call 
 of the President, the Governor could raise and forward, 
 6 
 
82 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 of militia or volunteers, without bounty, for the period 
 named, and to be credited on the draft of the State. 
 
 These appeals were not as promptly responded to as 
 the authorities hoped for. In Pennsylvania, where the 
 greatest danger existed, the people seemed to feel their 
 utter helplessness, and looked longingly, anxiously, for 
 the advance of the Army of the Potomac. Philadel 
 phia was lethargic to a wonderful degree, and General 
 Couch, who had been sent to Harrisburg, for the 
 purpose of organizing a defensive force for the safety 
 of the Capital, found himself without troops, and with 
 slight prospects for getting any. Governor Parker of 
 New Jersey promptly replied to the appeal of Gov 
 ernor Curtin, promising all the assistance in his power, 
 and on the i/th issued the following proclamation : 
 
 EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, \ 
 TRENTON, N. J., June 17, 1863. f 
 
 Jerseymen ! The State of Pennsylvania is invaded ! 
 A hostile army is now occupying and despoiling the 
 towns of our sister State. She appeals to New Jersey, 
 through her Governor, to aid in driving back the 
 invading army. 
 
 Let us respond to this call upon our patriotic State 
 with unprecedented zeal. f 
 
 I therefore call upon the citizens of this State to 
 meet and organize into companies, and to report to the 
 Adjutant-General of the State as soon as possible, to be 
 organized into regiments as the militia of New Jersey, 
 and press forward to the assistance of Pennsylvania in 
 this emergency. 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL A. T. A. TORBERT, 
 Brigadier-General Commanding First N. J. Brigade. 
 
 (From Photograph after the War.} 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 85 
 
 The organization of these troops will be given in 
 general orders as soon as practicable. 
 
 [L. S.] Given under my hand and privy seal this 
 seventeenth day of June, eighteen hundred and sixty- 
 three. JOEL PARKER. 
 Attest : 
 
 S. M. DICKINSON, Private Secretary. 
 
 . The presence in the State of a number of the nine 
 months regiments, whose terms of service had or were 
 about expiring, caused the Governor to issue a special 
 appeal to these troops as follows : 
 
 STATE OF NEW JERSEY, \ 
 
 EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, TRENTON, v 
 
 June 17, 1863. ) 
 
 Soldiers ! The Governor of Pennsylvania has re 
 quested your services to assist in repelling an invasion 
 of that State. Your term of service has expired. You 
 have performed your duty, and your gallant conduct 
 has reflected honor on yourselves and the State that 
 sent you forth. 
 
 It will take time to organize and send other troops 
 to the aid of Pennsylvania. You are already organ 
 ized and drilled. The hard service you have seen in 
 Virginia has made you veterans far more efficient 
 than new troops can possibly be. 
 
 I regret any necessity that may detain you from 
 your homes, but can this appeal from a sister State, in 
 her hour of danger, be disregarded ? 
 
 Your State and United States pay will be continued. 
 
86 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 You will not be required to go out of the State of 
 Pennsylvania, and will return as soon as the emergency 
 will admit. Your response to this appeal will add to 
 the fame you have already achieved. 
 
 JOEL PARKER. 
 
 On the very day the proclamation was issued, the 
 Twenty-third Regiment, then in camp at Beverly 
 undergoing the necessary preliminaries for being 
 mustered out, were called together, and its Colonel, E. 
 Burd Grubb, made a straightforward, practical and 
 patriotic appeal to his men, who responded at once. 
 Numbers of men who were not in camp at the time 
 hastened to join their comrades, and that same evening 
 the regiment, three hundred strong, marched through 
 Philadelphia to the Harrisburg depot, receiving a 
 grand ovation on the way. The next day they reached 
 the threatened city, being the first armed force to 
 arrive, but to the surprise of the men of the Twenty- 
 third they were received with exceeding coolness. 
 From the " Notes of an officer " in Foster s " New 
 Jersey and the Rebellion," the following extract is 
 taken: " Our men were refused canteens of water by 
 the citizens, and one person who did not conceal his 
 secession proclivities came very near being * torn out, 
 so exasperated were our troops at his undisguised 
 sympathy with the rebels. It required all Colonel 
 Grubb s influence to prevent violence. The fellow at 
 last procured a flag, hung it out, promised to behave 
 in future, and was finally let off, a pretty badly scared 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 man, who took good care not to ventilate any more 
 disunion sentiments during the occupancy of the city 
 by the Jersey Blues." A very different reception was 
 experienced by Captain William R. Murphy, of Com 
 pany A, First New Jersey Militia, whose command 
 also volunteered for the emergency. In a dispatch to 
 Governor Parker he says : 
 
 "At Philadelphia and here (Harrisburg) we have 
 received every attention because we are Jerseymen. 
 A citizen of New Jersey is a prouder title than that 
 of a Roman citizen. ; 
 
 The Twenty-seventh Regiment, Colonel Geo. W. 
 Mindil, on arriving at Cincinnati, learned of the 
 threatened invasion of Pennsylvania, and the command 
 was immediately tendered to the President who 
 accepted it, and it remained in the vicinity of Pittsburg 
 and Harrisburg until the danger had passed. Ten 
 companies of New Jersey Militia and one battery of 
 light artillery also volunteered for the emergency. 
 These companies came from all parts of the State, 
 three from Trenton, commanded by Captains William 
 R. Murphy, Company A; George F. Marshall, Com 
 pany B ; James C. Manning, Company C ; Company D 
 of Lambertville, Captain Hiram Hughes ; Company E 
 of Morristown, Captain George Gage ; Company F of 
 Newark, Captain William J. Roberts ; Company G of 
 Mount Holly, Captain J. Fred. Laumaster ; Company 
 H of Newark, Captain Timothy Colvin ; Company I 
 of Trenton, Captain Joseph A. Yard ; Independent 
 Company^of Camden, Captain James M. Scovel ; Light 
 
88 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Battery of Rahway, Captain John R. Chapin. These 
 commands all reported to General Couch at Harris- 
 burg, and the militia companies were organized into 
 two battalions, commanded respectively by Captains 
 Murphy and Laumaster. 
 
 These commands remained in the State until all 
 danger was over, and received the thanks of Governor 
 Curtin for their valuable and patriotic services. 
 
 While Jenkins raid was in progress Ewell remained 
 at Williamsport to rest his men, amuse himself by a 
 feint upon Harper s Ferry, but principally to await the 
 arrival of Longstreet s corps, which had been making a 
 rather bold attempt to draw on a battle with the Army 
 of the Potomac. 
 
 This apparant inaction on the part of the enemy was 
 a source of mystery to the Union commander. He 
 was flooded with dispatches from Washington, which 
 reflected the excited views of the people North, 
 together with orders for the movement of his army 
 which, in turn, were countermanded soon after. The 
 North was alarmed, reasonably so. The Government 
 at Washington appeared to be panic-stricken. Hooker 
 alone seemed to have his head firmly set upon his 
 shoulders. It was not yet clear to his mind that an 
 invasion of Pennsylvania, further than a cavalry raid 
 on a large scale, was intended, and he therefore deter 
 mined to halt his army, then approaching Centreville 
 and Manassas, and await developments. The informa 
 tion he sought came to him most unexpectedly. 
 
 The Union cavalry had given little attention to the 
 
COLONEL JAMES N. DUFFY, 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel 3d New Jersey Volunteers, 
 
 Assistant Inspector-General on Division Staff. 
 
 (From a recent Photograph^ 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 rebel horsemen since the fight at Brandy Station, 
 quietly following the movements of the army in its 
 march toward Washington. Longstreet, unobserved, 
 had taken position along the easterly slope of the 
 mountains, and to Stuart s cavalry had been detailed 
 the duty of guarding his flanks and defending the gaps. 
 General Pleasonton had been scouting along the Blue 
 Ridge with Gregg s division of cavalry, when, on the 
 1 7th of June, he decided to go through Aldie Gap. The 
 rebel cavalry had no suspicion that Pleasonton was in 
 that vicinity, and had made a long march of forty miles 
 for the purpose of occupying it themselves. Kilpat- 
 rick s brigade was in the advance, and the opposing 
 forces soon met in deadly conflict. 
 
 Kilpatrick s force was a small one comprising the 
 Second New York, First Maine and Harris Light in 
 the latter command were two companies from northern 
 New Jersey, recruited by Kilpatrick himself. The 
 First Rhode Island had been detached that morning 
 with orders to join him at Middleburg. Forming the 
 Second New York Kilpatrick boldly charged the 
 enemy. This small force could not long withstand the 
 shock, and as they galloped back to find a rallying 
 point, the First Maine, supported by the Harris Light, 
 rode upon the enemy with such tremendous force as to 
 drive them from their defensive position, capturing 
 a battalion of dismounted men before they could reach 
 their horses, while the mounted rebels were sent 
 reeling down the hill. They made no stop until they 
 reached Middleburg, where Stuart had encountered 
 
92 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Duffie s division. The next day, the iQth, Pleasonton 
 occupied Middleburg and Philemont, and after a series 
 of brilliant encounters with the enemy succeeded in 
 holding the positions he had gained. Stuart was 
 forced to fall back behind Longstreet s infantry 
 column, and the latter was compelled to take a more 
 westerly route for his line of march. 
 
 Hooker promptly availed himself of the advantages 
 thus gained by Pleasonton. On the i8th he occupied 
 the gaps, the Twelfth Corps being ordered to Lees- 
 burg, the Fifth to Aldie and the Second to Thorough 
 fare Gap. The other corps of the army were formed 
 in a second line in reserve. 
 
 An amusing, if ghastly, incident is related by a 
 former Sergeant of Company K, Twelfth New Jersey, 
 which occurred on the march to Thoroughfare Gap, 
 with the Second Army Corps. The heat was oppres 
 sive. Men became utterly exhausted not alone from 
 the severe marching, but their inability to get water. 
 The streams were all dried up, and the little water 
 the men had in their canteens had been churned to a 
 disagreeable and nauseating degree of temperature. 
 While the column was crossing Bull Run battle-field, 
 murmurings of discontent arose from the ranks, the 
 men being exceedingly fatigued and in a complaining 
 mood. As the column moved on the body of a dead 
 soldier was discovered, one of the arms protruding 
 from the mound of earth which covered the remains 
 and pointing upward. A soldier with a penchant for 
 absurd remarks and there were many such in the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 arm y caught a glimpse of the uplifted arm and 
 shouted out : " Say, boys, see the soldier putting out 
 his hand for back pay ! " The remark was infectious. 
 Men forgot all about their sufferings, and the ghastly 
 joke broke up all the disaffection which had previously 
 existed. 
 
 The Union army halted on the line just established 
 for several days. The position was an admirable one, 
 fully protecting the Capital and giving the army a 
 good base for future operations. In the event of Lee 
 moving still further from Richmond Hooker possessed 
 splendid opportunities for attacking him in the rear 
 and threatening his line of communications. This 
 Hooker was desirous of doing, but all his requests for 
 cooperative movements were refused, and his sugges 
 tions treated with contempt. His relations with the 
 government were of the most unpleasant nature, and 
 he was continually thwarted in his designs. 
 
 The halt of the army at this juncture was not 
 unwelcome to the troops. Ignorant of the intense 
 excitement throughout the country, accustomed to 
 place little reliance in the "grapevine" stories which 
 reached them, they surrendered themselves to the 
 comforts of camp life, utterly unmindful of the 
 desperate activity which at that time was making 
 of Harrisburg a fortified city, and even awakening 
 Philadelphia to a sense of insecurity. The customary 
 duties of camp life were at once instituted, and for the 
 first time in its history an execution for desertion took 
 place in the Army of the Potomac. Three men of 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the Twelfth Corps, two belonging to the Forty-sixth 
 Pennsylvania and one to the Thirteenth New Jersey, 
 were shot in the presence of the whole of the First 
 Division on the igih of June, at Leesburg. The 
 reasons which impelled this action were given by 
 General Slocum in an address at Gettysburg, on 
 July i, 1887, at the unveiling of the monument of 
 the Thirteenth Regiment. As the incident related 
 furnishes additional evidence of the kind heart of 
 President Lincoln, it is worthy of reproduction. 
 Desertions had been alarmingly frequent, particularly 
 under General Burriside, and heroic measures were 
 necessary in order to put a stop to them. General 
 Slocum said : 
 
 " Mr. Lincoln, in the kindness of his heart, was con 
 stantly pardoning these men. He could not sign a 
 man s death warrant. 
 
 " The corps commanders of the Army of the Potomac 
 had a little conference, and they agreed that they 
 would take the thing into their own hands and put a 
 stop to it. They agreed that they would shoot some 
 body as speedily as they could. We all pledged our 
 selves to that. It so happened that I had at the time 
 three of these men in my corps. They were tried ; 
 they were convicted upon incontestable evidence, and 
 when we got up here to Leesburg, before the battle of 
 Gettysburg, as all of you remember who were there, 
 their graves were dug and the men were placed at the 
 head of the graves and they were shot. They were 
 sentenced to be shot between the hours of nine and 
 
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM HENRY, JR., 
 Commanding First Regiment N. J. Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 {From a War-time Photograph"). 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 97 
 
 one. I gave the order that the troops should be 
 brought out, and the moment the hands of the clock 
 pointed to nine those men should be executed. I did 
 so because I anticipated that a telegram would come 
 from Mr. Lincoln, if he could possibly reach me. The 
 wire had been built well up : they were within a few 
 rods of me ; I knew what was coming. Before ten 
 o clock I received a message from Mr. Lincoln saying 
 if such a man, giving his name, has not been shot, you 
 will suspend his sentence. I sat down and telegraphed 
 back to Mr. Lincoln, * The man has been executed, 
 pursuant to his sentence. Then we came up here and 
 fought the battle of Gettysburg. Great battles were 
 fought out west ; the whole country was in a state of 
 intense excitement ; and when we were ordered west 
 after the battle of Gettysburg we went up to Washing 
 ton to take the cars. I went to bid Mr. Lincoln good 
 bye ; it was the last time I ever saw him. As I entered 
 his room he said to me, without hardly waiting for me 
 to greet him, * General Slocum, the last message that I 
 received from you gave me more pain than anything 
 that has occurred since I took my seat as President. I 
 was astonished at his words and I said with surprise, 
 Mr. Lincoln, I don t remember ; what was it ? Said he, 
 You were up there at Leesburg and I telegraphed you 
 to suspend the sentence of a man who was condemned to 
 death, and, said he, the wife and the sister of that man 
 sat here at this table opposite me and I had to open 
 your telegraphic answer and read it to them. Said he, 
 it caused me more pain than almost anything that has 
 7 
 
98 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 occurred since I became President of the United 
 States. 
 
 " Now, think of it, gentlemen ; think of what had 
 intervened three or four months, all crowded with 
 great events, and yet the first thing that came into the 
 mind of that great man when he saw me was this 
 incident, this failure of his to save the life of one man." 
 
 During the time which intervened between the 
 beginning of the campaign and the halt of the army 
 on the line extending from Leesburg to Thoroughfare 
 Gap, most of the nine months regiments returned to 
 New Jersey. They were mustered out of the service 
 at the following places : 
 
 Twenty-first Regiment, on June 19, 1863, at Trenton. 
 
 Twenty-second, on June 25, at Trenton. 
 
 Twenty-third, on June 27, at Beverly. 
 
 Twenty-fourth, on June 29, at Beverly. 
 
 Twenty-sixth, on June 27, at Newark. 
 
 Twenty-seventh, on July 2, at Newark. 
 
 Twenty-eighth, on July 6, at Freehold. 
 
 Twenty-ninth, on June 30, at Freehold. 
 
 Thirtieth, on June 27, at Flemington. 
 
 Thirty -first, on June 24, at Flemington. 
 
 The Twenty-fifth Regiment, which had served with 
 the Ninth Corps, at Newport News and Suffolk, was 
 mustered out on June 20, at Beverly. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FROM THE RAPPAHANNOCK TO GUM SPRINGS EXPERI 
 ENCES OF THE SEVENTH NEW JERSEY REGIMENT 
 AND THE SECOND BRIGADE USELESS NIGHT WORK 
 AN ALL-NIGHT MARCH. 
 
 IN THE foregoing pages the larger events of the 
 campaign have been detailed with considerable 
 minuteness and the army, as a whole, treated as a 
 great machine, subject to the direction and control of 
 its commander-in-chief ; but this machine is composed 
 of a large number of individual parts, and the manner 
 in which they performed the severe tasks given them 
 fs a matter of great interest. At this first break in the 
 progress of the army a favorable opportunity presents 
 itself to introduce the recollections of some of those 
 who participated in the march, enduring its fatigues, 
 deprivations and hardships. 
 
 The Second New Jersey Brigade, Colonel George 
 W. Burling, commander comprising the Fifth, Sixth, 
 Seventh and Eighth New Jersey Regiments, the One 
 Hundred and Fifteenth Pennsylvania, and the Second 
 New Hampshire formed the Third Brigade of the 
 Second Division, Third Corps. An officer of this gal 
 lant brigade who was wounded at Gettysburg details 
 
100 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 in the following interesting- manner the experiences of 
 that command: 
 
 " On the eleventh day of June, 1863, the Second 
 Brigade broke camp near Falmouth, Va., and with the 
 rest of the Third Corps, under command of General 
 Sickles, marched up the Rappahannock river toward 
 McLean s Ford, and Rappahannock Station on the 
 Orange and Alexandria Railroad, arriving at the lat 
 ter place at sunset the next day, and bivouacking on 
 the north bank of the river. *The only incidents of the 
 march of these two days were the oppressive heat and 
 the intolerable choking dust of the latter part of the 
 march, especially when the column turned off upon a 
 by-road, which led through a dense young growth of 
 trees, to go to McLean s Ford. The close proximity of 
 the river to our halting place, gave the men an oppor 
 tunity to indulge in the luxury of a bath, and to relieve 
 the choking, parched sensation with good drafts of cof 
 fee, before sinking down by their stacks of muskets 
 for the long, good, undisturbed night s sleep. It was 
 refreshing to the tired foot soldier to be allowed to 
 sleep until he had enough, without being rudely 
 awakened in the early morning by the sound of the 
 "assembly." That was one of the few times in our 
 experience in the Army of the Potomac that we were 
 not aroused from our slumbers by some command, 
 before we had fully rested from the fatigue of a long 
 march. 
 
 " A slight stir was occasioned soon after sunrise by 
 the galloping of horses about the field. The neighing 
 

 : 
 
 COLONEL SAMUEL L. BUCK, 
 
 Com d g2d Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (From a War-time Photograph.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN 
 
 of the animals, and the shouts of the awakening soldiers 
 as the horses jumped over the long lines of sleeping 
 men in their wild career, caused no little excitement 
 and apprehension ; but no one was touched by the ter 
 rible hoofs of the mad beasts, which seemed almost as 
 miraculous as that so many should escape injury in 
 battle with a shower of deadly missiles flying all 
 around. 
 
 " The regiments of the brigade were moved out of 
 the open field during the day to the shelter of the sur 
 rounding woods, from the increasing heat of the Sum 
 mer s sun. It was sultry and hot. 
 
 "At sundown a detail from the Seventh was made, 
 of which Captain William R. Hillyer, of Company K, 
 had charge, to construct a line of rifle-pits to command 
 the approaches to the river. Having been supplied 
 with picks and shovels the detail accompanied by the 
 engineer proceeded to the river, on the bluffs over 
 looking which the pits had been marked for excava 
 tion. It was very slow work. The stiff, unyielding 
 red clay seemed to resist all efforts to make an indenta 
 tion into it with the picks, wielded by the nerveless 
 arms of tired soldiers. The urging and stimulating 
 commands of Captain Hillyer, with the constant shak 
 ing of the drowsy workers, scarcely sufficed to produce 
 more than a beginning of the ditch laid out. The 
 night s work was useless, and the men all felt that the 
 task was an unnecessary one. Another element con 
 ducive to drowsiness was the inky blackness of the 
 night, made more complete by the glimmering of 
 
104 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 myriads of fireflies, whose brilliant scintillations only 
 rendered the shallowness of their illuminating power 
 more conspicuous by the failure to penetrate the 
 intense blackness in which they sparkled so continu 
 ously. 
 
 " Just here it is in place to remark that at that period 
 of the war the veterans in the ranks had learned to 
 scent danger far more keenly than those high in 
 authority. They seemed to know intuitively when 
 danger lurked about them and were better able to 
 discriminate between useless and necessary toil and 
 hardship. Their keen intelligence and sharpened 
 instincts plainly satisfied these tired and worn-out 
 soldiers that the task given them to do was utterly 
 useless, and therefore no amount of threats or sugges 
 tive warnings had any stimulating effect upon them. 
 Nothing could move them to tax their exhausted 
 energies. We all knew before we began our labors 
 that Lee s army was not contemplating any movement 
 against Rappahannock Station, and it was no surprise 
 that work on the pits ceased at daylight, when we 
 were called into camp. We already knew that Lee 
 was in the Valley. 
 
 " The entire day of the I4th was spent in camp and 
 at 9 o clock at night marching orders were received. 
 To the squad of men who had spent the whole of the 
 previous night on fatigue duty, the prospect of an 
 all-night march was not pleasant to contemplate. 
 However we joined the columns and with the rest of 
 the corps moved up the railroad in the direction of 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 105 
 
 Manassas Junction. The aggravating halts to cross 
 sloughs and brooks in single file, the hurrying to close 
 the gaps thus made in the line, the roughness of the 
 road, cut in many places through the thick scrub 
 growth, beside the railroad bed, caused the weary 
 hours of the night to slip rapidly by, and the early 
 morning sun caught the column but ten or twelve 
 miles on the road and more thoroughly worn out, 
 than a twenty-mile march by daylight would have 
 caused. We were at least eight hours in making 
 this distance. Halting, stumbling over stumps and 
 into ruts and mudholes, dozing as we walked in the 
 ranks, and awakening by bumping against the knap 
 sack of the man ahead. 
 
 "As daylight appeared and the sun rose, and the 
 column still trudged on with no apparent intention 
 of halting, the dusty, exhausted ranks sent up the 
 shout of Coffee ! coffee ! which passed along the 
 column until it finally convinced the leader thereof 
 that the earnest demand for refreshment should be 
 heeded. About 7 o clock, when the heat had already 
 become unbearable, .we turned into a field by the 
 side of a clear stream near Warrenton Junction or 
 Catlett s Station, stacked arms, refreshed ourselves 
 with a good wash, cooked coffee, and stretching 
 shelter tents to protect us from the broiling rays of 
 the June sun, we were all soon asleep. 
 
 "At noon the march was resumed and taking the 
 railroad track moved toward Bristoe Station and 
 Manassas Junction. But oh! the sultriness of that 
 
106 NEW JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 long afternoon ! The parched lips that gasped for 
 water! The dozens of men overcome by the heat 
 who dropped down by the wayside, especially in the 
 long stretches of treeless and breezeless plantations 
 that the column was compelled to cross ! Of the 
 Seventh Regiment, comprising about two hundred and 
 fifty officers and men, there certainly were not twenty- 
 five who followed the Colonel s horse into bivouac 
 at Manassas Junction, when the command halted 
 there at nine o clock on the night of the fifteenth of 
 June. But the stragglers came in as fast as their 
 strength could carry them, and by morning all were 
 ready for another start except the dozen or so made 
 sick by the heat and march of the day before. 
 
 u This exhaustive ordeal was followed by two nights 
 of good rest, and on the seventeenth, refreshed and 
 buoyant, a change in the temperature also favoring us, 
 we went along at a swinging gait across Bull Run, over 
 the battle ground of 61, up the heights of Centre ville, 
 where we halted and rested another day. On the nine 
 teenth we marched across Fairfax County toward the 
 mountains in the distance. That day the column kept 
 well together. There was no straggling and no 
 annoyances from dust or heat. 
 
 " Hooker s manceuvering of his army was occasioned 
 by his lack of knowledge of Lee s intentions, based 
 upon the supposition that Washington was Lee s 
 objective point, and to keep his army between Lee and 
 Washington ready to be interposed upon any route of 
 approach to that city which the enemy might select. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 107 
 
 Thus it was that we first covered the fords of the 
 upper Rappahannock, and now at Gum Spring, where 
 we went into camp on the evening of the nineteenth, 
 the passes to the Valley were fully masked, while 
 Hooker in his headquarters at Fairfax Court House, 
 received hourly intelligence from the cavalry outposts 
 in the gaps of the movements of the Confederate army 
 through the Valley. 
 
 " The signal stations at Aldie, Goose Creek and Fair 
 fax Court House formed an unbroken chain. The 
 Seventh New Jersey was detached from the brigade to 
 guard the signal station from bushwackers, or Moseby s 
 guerillas, who, we were all well aware, were all around 
 us in their peaceful homes in the garb of honest farmers, 
 and innocent of all hostile intent, as long as we were in 
 force among them and on the alert. From the rocky 
 promontory at Goose Creek, on which the signal 
 station was placed, there was spread out below us the 
 Valley of the Potomac, Leesburg, Edward s Ferry and 
 the mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful pros 
 pect and thoroughly appreciated by the men of the 
 Seventh who had been for two years shut up in the 
 pine woods and lowlands of Virginia. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HOOKER S PERPLEXITIES AGGRAVATED A DASHING CAV 
 ALRY EXPLOIT LEE S ARMY IN PENNSYLVANIA 
 THE UNION FORCES CROSS THE POTOMAC STUART S 
 RAID GENERAL HOOKER RESIGNS. 
 
 THE Army of the Potomac was daily undergoing 
 serious depletion by the withdrawal of large num 
 bers of the nine months regiments owing to the 
 expiration of their terms of service. To supply their 
 places General Hooker made urgent appeals to the 
 government for reinforcements, but he was only par 
 tially successful. Stannard s Vermont Brigade, a nine 
 months command, was ordered to him and assigned to 
 Doubleday s division of the First Corps, Lockwood s 
 Maryland Brigade was ordered to the Twelfth Corps, 
 and Crawford s Pennsylvania Reserves at Alexandria 
 were also directed to be sent to him. Stahl s division 
 of cavalry, six thousand strong, were added to the 
 Cavalry Corps. The hysterical cries of inaction which 
 poured down upon Hooker, while he did not permit 
 them to influence his actions, did produce a marked 
 effect upon the government, and the administration 
 without giving him credit for any sagacity whatever 
 found much fault with him, and at the same time would 
 
COLONEL HENRY W. BROWN, 
 
 Colonel Com d g3d Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a War-time Photograph .) 
 
THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. \\\ 
 
 not give him the help he needed. His suggestions 
 were treated as of little account. In the very begin 
 ning of the campaign when he had proposed to attack 
 Hill at Fredericksburg and get between Lee and Rich 
 mond, the President wrote to him : 
 
 " If you find Lee coming to the north of the Rappa- 
 hannock, I would by no means cross to the south of it. 
 In one word, I would not take any risk of being entan 
 gled upon the river like an ox jumped half over a fence, 
 liable to be torn by dogs front and rear, without a fair 
 chance to gore one way or kick the other" 
 
 Later, on June 10, the President wrote: 
 
 " Lee s army and not Richmond is your true objective 
 point. If he comes toward the upper Potomac, follow 
 on his flank on the inside track, shortening your lines 
 while he lengthens his. Fight him when opportunity 
 offers. If he stays where he is fret him and fret him." 
 
 Yet, when General Hooker sent for Crawford s Penn 
 sylvania Reserves to join his army, which had been 
 ordered to him, the Military Governor of Alexandria, 
 where the brigade was stationed, detained them there 
 in defiance of Hooker s order, and was sustained by 
 General Halleck in this act of insubordination.* There 
 were in the immediate defences of Washington a 
 large body of troops under Generals Heintzelman and 
 Schenck, and General Hooker s suggestion that they 
 be sent to the front where they could be of direct 
 service against the enemy, was refused. A request 
 
 *Comte de Paris. 
 
112 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 by General Hooker to General Heintzelman that the 
 latter send a force of two thousand men from Pooles- 
 ville, Md., to the passes of South Mountain, and thus 
 aid in keeping Lee s column still further to the west, 
 was likewise refused on the ground that the passes 
 were not part of the Defences of Washington. Hooker 
 was certainly in an unenviable position. 
 
 Pleasonton s cavalry performed the serviceable task 
 of "fretting" Stuart forcing him to combat wherever 
 he could find him. A brilliant passage at arms between 
 the troopers of these rival chieftains took place at 
 Upperville on June 2ist. Gregg s division engaged the 
 enemy in front, while Buford swept entirely around 
 their flank and threw his whole line of battle upon 
 their weakest point. Chaplain Pyne thus describes 
 the scene : 
 
 " Every field was the scene of a sanguinary contest, 
 and every stone wall was made a fresh line of defence. 
 On one occasion a regiment of rebels pouring into a 
 field commenced forming line behind a wall, as the 
 Eighth Illinois were forming on the other side of it. 
 The race for first formation was one for life and death ; 
 and the eager horses came bounding into their places 
 with a speed that partook of desperation. At length 
 the Illinois regiment opened a deadly fire from their 
 carbines. The rebels gallantly attempted a reply but 
 the effort was too much for their failing endurance. 
 Breaking in disorder, they were chased by Buford s 
 exulting men, leaving twenty men stone dead in that 
 short minute of fire. From that moment there was no 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 longer a pretence at resistance. At full gallop the 
 enemy hurried into and through Ashby s Gap, leaving 
 nearly all their wounded, a crowd of prisoners, two 
 guns, and several colors in our hands as trophies of the 
 victory. The Confederate cavalry had lost its prestige 
 forever." 
 
 Pleasonton at once started to rejoin the army, and this 
 movement was interpreted as a retreat by the enemy. 
 The First New Jersey Cavalry covered the rear, and 
 though followed by the rebels in a spiritless manner 
 no encounters of any moment took place. On one 
 occasion when the cavalry had almost reached the limit 
 of their day s march, the enemy opened upon them 
 with artillery, a piece of shell striking Louis Vande- 
 grift, of Company D, First New Jersey, fatally wound 
 ing him. Orders had been received to fall back when 
 Vandegrift was hit, but before vacating the ground 
 his comrades concealed his body in a corner of the 
 fence. After the line halted for the night five volun 
 teers rode back to the spot, and while four of them 
 faced the enemy, the other one dismounted and placed 
 the body on his horse. Thus guarded the five gallant 
 fellows rejoined their commands and Vandegrift was 
 given a soldier s burial. This was the only casualty 
 in the course of the movement. 
 
 The retrograde movement of Pleasonton convinced 
 Lee that Hooker would not engage him in battle 
 south of the Potomac, and he accordingly gave the 
 order for the long contemplated invasion. On the 
 22d of June, Ewell crossed the Potomac river and 
 8 
 
114 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Jenkins with his cavalry brigade was ordered forward 
 to Chambersburg, which place Rodes and Johnson s 
 divisions reached the next day, Early s division taking 
 the road to York by way of Gettysburg. Jenkins 
 left Chambersburg on the arrival of these troops and 
 proceeded toward Harrisburg, which place Ewell had 
 been directed to take possession of if possible. On 
 the 23d, Lee having been apprised of Pleasonton s 
 retreat ordered the corps of Longstreet and Hill to 
 cross the Potomac, the former at Williamsport, the 
 latter at Shepherdstown, which was consummated on 
 the 24th and 25th, both forces uniting at Hagerstown, 
 in support of Swell s advance. On the 2;th, two- 
 thirds of Lee s army was massed near Chambersburg, 
 with Ewell proceeding on his northern mission. 
 
 General Hooker was apprised of Ewell s advance 
 on the 23d and on the 25th had knowledge of the 
 proposed movement of the two remaining corps, and 
 being now fully satisfied that Washington was safe 
 from a surprise movement by Lee gave orders for the 
 advance of his army on a line parallel to that of the 
 enemy, taking the east side of the South Mountain. 
 On the 26th the Twelfth Corps crossed the Potomac 
 at Edwards Ferry, with orders to proceed to Harper s 
 Ferry, and act in conjunction with the forces there 
 against Lee s communications with Richmond, and 
 follow up his rear through the Cumberland Valley. 
 The rest of the army proceeded on the line as marked 
 out, the First Corps halting at Middletown on the 
 2;th, the Second at Barnesville, the Third at Middle- 
 
LIEUT.-COL. CHARLKS EVVING, 
 
 Major Com d g4th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (Fran a War-time Photograph,) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. \\>j 
 
 town, the Fifth at Ballinger s Creek, the Sixth bring 
 ing up the rear at Poolesville. The Twelfth Corps 
 reached Knoxville, three miles from Harper s Ferry 
 on its special errand. The First New Jersey Cavalry, 
 which covered the rear of the army, was the last body 
 of troops to cross the river. 
 
 Lee was kept in entire ignorance of Hooker s 
 prompt action, by the absence of Stuart with his 
 cavalry, who, \vith the permission of his chief, had 
 started to make a circuit of the Union army. Stuart s 
 intention was to turn the left flank of Hooker, and 
 delay, if not prevent his crossing of the Potomac 
 river. This raid, so full of discomfiture, disappoint 
 ment and vexation, absolutely barren of any important 
 result, was of great value to the Union cause. 
 Leaving behind him the brigades of Jones and 
 Robertson, who were to keep close watch of the 
 Union army and follow its movements, Stuart on the 
 night of June 24th set off on his famous raid. Moving 
 in a southerly direction he encountered the Second 
 Corps at Haymarket, which compelled him to make 
 a wide detour to conceal his movement, and on the 
 27th, when Lee s troops were near Chambersburg and 
 Hooker s army had all crossed the Potomac and were 
 far away in Maryland, his two columns were at 
 Burke s and Fairfax Stations. Following in the rear 
 of the Union army he reached Drainesville on the 
 day the Sixth Corps left it, and discovered the 
 important fact that Hooker instead of waiting to have 
 his flank turned had moved off, Stuart did not know 
 
1 1 8 NE IV fER SE Y TR OOPS 
 
 where. Under the impression however that the 
 Union troops were marching in force toward Lees- 
 burg, he, with great difficulty, crossed the Potomac 
 near Drainesville, intending to rejoin Lee by marching 
 through Maryland. He was simply following in the 
 rear of Hooker s army, who had two days the start 
 of him. 
 
 Ignorant of the ridiculous position he was in, his 
 troopers began to pick up small detachments of Union 
 soldiers, capturing wagon trains, creating a panic 
 among teamsters, and committing depredations almost 
 within sight of the Capital. On his northward march 
 he did considerable damage to railroad tracks and 
 bridges, and burdened himself with a long train of 
 captured wagons, filled with supplies of all kinds, and 
 with which he was anxious to get to Lee s lines. But 
 he was ignorant of its whereabouts, and on the 2Qth 
 moved toward Westminster, where he was confronted 
 by a squadron of Union cavalry, who stoutly contested 
 his advance, and inflicted considerable loss upon him 
 before they gave way. On the 3Oth Stuart started for 
 Hanover, hoping to find Early there or to get some 
 information as to his whereabouts, but as he ascended 
 the small hills overlooking the town, to his dismay he 
 saw a column of Union cavalry marching through the 
 place, going north. Here was a dilemma. Retreat 
 was out of the question, and as he seemed to be sur 
 rounded by enemies in whatever direction he moved, 
 he determined, with becoming audacity, to attack 
 Kilpatrick s column, and gain possession of the Gettys- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 119 
 
 burg Road. His encounter with Kilpatrick, at first 
 successful, was turned into defeat by the timely arrival 
 of reinforcements, and taking a more easterly route he 
 marched his men all night long, arriving in Dover on 
 the morning of the first, only to learn that Early had 
 occupied all that territory but had departed suddenly. 
 Moving on the afternoon of the ist of July to Carlisle 
 he encountered General W. F. Smith s troops from 
 Harrisburg, who had taken possession of the town, and 
 remaining only long enough to demand its surrender 
 under threat of bombardment he started for Gettys 
 burg where he arrived on the afternoon of the 2d of 
 July, and greeted his chief for the first time in seven 
 days. His men were worn out and exhausted after 
 their long, arduous and fatiguing journey. 
 
 In thus digressing to follow Stuart in his erratic 
 movement and bewildering surprises, the regular 
 course of events with the main bodies of troops have 
 been interrupted. The orders for the Union army for 
 June 28th directed the First Corps to Frederick City, 
 the Second to Monocacy Junction, the Third to 
 Woodsboro, the Sixth to Hyattstown, the Eleventh 
 to Middletown, and the Twelfth to Frederick City. 
 The contemplated movement on the rear of Lee s 
 army was thus abandoned, by the refusal of General 
 Halleck to permit the troops at Harper s Ferry to be 
 placed under Hooker s control and that officer resigned 
 his command, which was promptly accepted. 
 
 It is very evident that the removal of General 
 Hooker was a subject that had for some time been 
 
120 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 in contemplation by the government. He was delib 
 erately refused every important thing he asked for, 
 and realizing that without the active support and 
 cooperation of the government, the army would be 
 crippled in an encounter with the enemy, he promptly 
 resigned. The feeling of the government as it existed 
 toward Hooker is fully explained in the following 
 extract from Mr. Elaine s " Twenty Years in Con 
 gress " : 
 
 " The indispensable requisite to Union success was a 
 commander for the Army of the Potomac in whose 
 competency the administration, the people, and most of 
 all the soldiers, would have confidence. In the judg 
 ment of military men it was idle to entrust another 
 battle to the generalship of Hooker, and as the army 
 moved across Maryland, General Hooker was relieved 
 and the command of the army assigned to General 
 George G. Meade." 
 
 General Hooker would evidently have been relieved 
 had he not resigned, but it was clearly a mistake to 
 have retained him so long in command without giving 
 him the support and cooperation he deserved. His 
 request for the utilization of the forces at Harper s 
 Ferry was refused. General Meade was permitted to 
 use them without a murmur. The Pennsylvania 
 Reserves, refused to Hooker, joined Meade on the 
 march. In fact Meade, whose competency to com 
 mand had yet to be proved, who had yet to win the 
 confidence of the soldiers as a leader, was to be as 
 strenuously upheld in all his acts as Hooker had been 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 12 1 
 
 repressed. The difficulty of choosing- a successor to 
 Hooker had for some time been a source of trouble to 
 the Secretary of War, and it is related that when the 
 messenger whom Secretary Stanton had sent with the 
 order putting Meade in command of the army, 
 returned, the Secretary was impressed with the great 
 fact that General Meade, while he had no desire to 
 succeed to the command of the army, made no com 
 ment on the removal of Hooker. This may or may 
 not be true, but General Meade very wisely made no 
 change in the personal staff, retaining that of General 
 Hooker s as his own. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE ALARM IN THE NORTH NEW JERSEY S GOVERNOR 
 APPEALS TO THE PRESIDENT THE NEW UNION 
 COMMANDER MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMIES REMI- 
 NISCENSES OF AN OFFICER OF THE SECOND NEW 
 JERSEY BRIGADE THE THIRTEENTH NEW JERSEY 
 AT LITTLESTOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE THE 
 BATTLE. 
 
 r I A HE alarm which prevailed in Pennsylvania when 
 X Jenkins made his raid of the i/th subsided on his 
 return to Williamsport, only to break out afresh 
 and with increased anxiety when the forward movement 
 of Lee s army began in earnest. The Twenty-third New 
 Jersey Regiment had returned home and on the 2/th 
 of June was mustered out; the Twenty-Seventh Regi-. 
 ment remained until the 26th of June when it left 
 Harrisburg for Newark, where it was mustered out on 
 July 2d ; the militia under Captain Murphy had 
 received orders from Governor Parker to return, but 
 the changed situation caused him to remain until all 
 danger was over. With Longstreet and Hill at Cham- 
 bersburg, Ewell with two divisions at Carlisle while 
 Early was moving toward York, destroying the 
 
BVT. MAJOR-GEN. WILLIAM J. SEWELL, 
 
 Colonel Com d g 5th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From Photograph Since the H ar.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Northern Central railroad, and levying contributions 
 on the people, and Jenkins with a large cavalry force 
 moving directly on Harrisburg, the invasion assumed 
 immense proportions. 
 
 The finest agricultural region of the North lay at the 
 mercy of the rebel army. If Lee s horses laughed and 
 his men became merry at the bounteous plenty which 
 surrounded them they met their Bartholomew a few 
 days later. The tendency to pillage and destroy was 
 great, and many unnecessary burdens were placed 
 upon these peaceful people ; but Avar is a terrible, 
 earnest thing, and General Lee endeavored to mitigate 
 its severities by issuing strict orders as to the manner 
 in which supplies should be taken. If the revengeful 
 spirits of his men overcame their respect for their 
 commander s instructions, that was a matter beyond 
 his immediate control. 
 
 Governor Curtin called anew for troops and issued a 
 proclamation for the raising of sixty thousand men. 
 Vain call. There were no arms with which to supply 
 so large an army except old flint locks and shot-guns, 
 and the time was short for the proper organizing of 
 such a host. But some came. New York, West 
 Virginia and Philadelphia responded, and additional 
 appeals were made to New Jersey for aid. The 
 attempt to muster into the United States service all the 
 troops which had volunteered for the emergency, 
 seemed to Governor Parker a serious thing, as it would 
 take from his control the militia of the State then 
 serving in Pennsylvania, and his own fears that New 
 
I2 5 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Jersey was imperilled led him to telegraph to Presi 
 dent Lincoln direct as follows : 
 
 EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, ) 
 TRENTON, June 29, 1863. j 
 
 To the President of the United States : 
 
 The people of New Jersey are apprehensive that the 
 invasion of the enemy may extend to her soil. We 
 think that the enemy should be driven from Pennsyl 
 vania. There is now certainly a great apathy under 
 such fearful circumstances. That apathy should be 
 removed. The people of New Jersey want McClellan 
 at the head of the Army of the Potomac. If that can 
 not be done, then we ask that he may be put at the 
 head of the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania 
 troops now in Pennsylvania defending these middle 
 States from invasion. If either appointment be made 
 the people will rise en masse. 
 
 I feel it my duty, respectfully, to communicate this 
 state of feeling to you. 
 
 JOEL PARKER. 
 
 The President replied as follows : 
 
 WASHINGTON, June 30, 1863. 
 To Governor Parker : 
 
 Your dispatch of yesterday received. I really think 
 the attitude of the enemy s army in Pennsylvania 
 presents us the best opportunity we have had since the 
 war begun. 
 
 I think you will not see the foe in New Jersey. 
 
 I beg you to be assured that no one out of my 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 127 
 
 position can know so well, as if he were in it, the 
 difficulties and involvements of replacing General 
 McClellan in command, and this aside from any impu 
 tations upon him. 
 
 Please accept my sincere thanks for what you have 
 done and are doing" to get troops forward. 
 
 A. LINCOLN. 
 
 The invasion, however, came to an abrupt and sud 
 den termination. On the 28th of June General Lee 
 had been reliably informed of the presence of the Army 
 of the Potomac at Frederick. This was startling news, 
 as he had supposed that that army was still south of 
 the Potomac, held in check by the ambitious and dar 
 ing Stuart. He saw at once that his communications 
 were endangered, and, as Hooker had predicted, an 
 attack in Lee s rear would compel him to turn back 
 and give battle, or at least bring the invasion to an 
 end. Realizing the great peril of his position he 
 determined upon the no less bold and audacious plan 
 of threatening Baltimore, and thus he simply did what 
 General Meade was preparing to meet, though not 
 exactly in the manner in which he was compelled to. 
 Lee at once sent couriers to all his corps commanders 
 to concentrate their troops at Gettysburg, and on the 
 29th the rebel columns headed southward. 
 
 The change of commanders in the Army of the 
 Potomac from General Hooker to General Meade 
 was effected quietly and with no intermission in its 
 work. The march was continued as though nothing 
 
128 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 unusual had happened, but there was a deep feeling of 
 regret at the resignation of General Hooker. The 
 frequent changes that had taken place in the head of 
 the Army of the Potomac, from the time McClellan 
 had been relieved by order of the President, had 
 almost destroyed the feeling of hero worship which 
 existed in its early history. The army had developed 
 into a self-reliant body of men, bent upon a certain 
 mission the success of which outweighed all personal 
 considerations, and its emotional nature though not 
 wholly destroyed, had been disciplined into wholesome 
 restraint. McClellan, who organized the army, had 
 won the affections of the men. They followed him with 
 enthusiasm through all the vicissitudes of the Penin 
 sula campaign ; they hailed his return to command, 
 after the defeat of Pope, with joy and gladness, and 
 their final parting with him was like the separation of 
 life-long friends. Under any other form of govern 
 ment, a change of this nature, in the very midst of an 
 active campaign and on the eve of an important mili 
 tary movement, might have led to serious conse 
 quences ; but McClellan s ready acquiescence in the 
 orders of his government had much to do with allaying 
 personal feeling in so important a matter. General 
 Burnside, who succeeded him, was known to the men 
 of the Army of the Potomac as a patriotic and loyal 
 man of great personal bravery, and of commanding 
 presence. His modesty of demeanor, coupled with 
 his gallantry and bravery, caused him to be received 
 with great cordiality, and with the same fidelity it had 
 
IN THE. GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 129 
 
 shown toward McClellan, the Army of the Potomac 
 moved with Burnside and fought the disastrous battle 
 of Fredericksburg, where on Marye s Heights it vainly 
 expended its force in a succession of assaults which 
 stand unrivalled evidences of soldierly performance of 
 duty and personal valor. The supersedure of Burn- 
 side by Hooker, who had won the significant 
 cognomen of "Fighting Joe," by many deeds of 
 daring in the Peninsula, restored the confidence of the 
 army which had been seriously impaired by the 
 Fredericksburg disaster. The unfortunate result of 
 the Chancellorsville campaign did not destroy the 
 confidence of the army in Hooker s ability, and it 
 entered upon the Gettysburg march with all its old- 
 time ardor and spirit. The change, sudden as it was, 
 whereby General Meade succeeded to the command of 
 the army, caused only a momentary feeling of regret 
 to pass through the ranks. Hooker was beloved, 
 Meade was little known, except as the commander of 
 one of the best corps in the army. This fact reconciled 
 the troops at once to his appointment. He had never 
 won distinction, or made himself conspicuous, as had 
 Hooker or Kearny "or Hancock; but his qualifications, 
 so greatly the reverse of those which made them thus 
 prominent, stamped him as a man of sterling worth ; 
 his personal bravery was undisputed, and his heart 
 was in full sympathy with the government. The 
 characteristics of the several corps commanders were 
 discussed frequently on a march, and they were 
 generally " sized up " with great accuracy. It was the 
 9 
 
130 NEW JERSEY TROOfS 
 
 prevalent belief that Meade was a " safe " man, but not 
 a brilliant or inspiriting commander. The army was 
 willing to take him on trial. 
 
 General Meade s first action on assuming command 
 was to recall General Slocum and the Twelfth Corps, 
 from its special mission in cooperation with the forces 
 of General French at Harper s Ferry, and to order the 
 latter to occupy Frederick when the army advanced. 
 As strong evidence that General Hooker s removal 
 had been contemplated for some time past, the action 
 of General Halleck is significant. His first dispatch 
 to the new commander of the army, placed under his 
 control, with unlimited power, not only the troops of 
 General French, which were refused to Hooker, but 
 also the forces of Generals Schenck and Couch. For 
 the first time in its history the commander of the Army 
 of the Potomac was such in fact as well as in name. 
 
 The responsibilities of General Meade were great 
 and he realized it. Retaining the personal staff of 
 General Hooker as his own, he thus came into the 
 possession of information which was of great assistance 
 to him, but he was still ignorant of the intentions of 
 Lee. Having abandoned Hooker s idea of attacking 
 Lee on the line of his communications with Richmond, 
 he so disposed his forces as to interpose them between 
 the rebel army and the cities of Philadelphia, Baltimore 
 and Washington, should Lee attempt an advance on 
 either place. His orders to the several corps com 
 manders for the 29th of June were for the First and 
 Eleventh Corps to move to Emmetsburg ; the Third 
 
COLONEL GEORGE C. BURLING, 
 
 6th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf., Commanding zd N. J. Brig. (3d 
 
 Brig., 2d Div., 3d Corps. 
 (From a Photograph after the War.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 133 
 
 and Twelfth to Taneytown; the Second to Uniontown; 
 the Fifth to Liberty, and the Sixth to New Windsor. 
 The orders to the cavalry were for Butord to guard 
 the left flank of the army by moving toward Fairfieid, 
 Gregg s division to protect the right flank at New 
 Windsor, while Kilpatrick was to cover the centre by 
 an advance to Littlestown. The army moved in three 
 columns, the First and Eleventh Corps forming the 
 left, the Third and Twelfth Corps the centre, and the 
 Second, Fifth and Sixth Corps the right columns. 
 
 The country through which the army was now 
 passing teemed with a loyal and patriotic people. The 
 presence of the Army of the Potomac was greeted 
 with every manifestation of delight. To men who had 
 spent the greater part of their soldier life in the pine 
 forests of Virginia, where population was sparse, and 
 what there was of it hostile to the cause they repre 
 sented, and whose professed loyalty to the government 
 was in most cases a subterfuge to secure protection for 
 their property, the change to the open country of 
 Western Maryland, and among a people who showed 
 by their demeanor that they were friends to the Union 
 cause, was exceedingly gratifying. An officer of the 
 Second New Jersey Brigade in a letter to the author 
 thus details his recollections of events on this march, 
 the correctness of which every soldier in the Army of 
 the Potomac, at that time, will verify : 
 
 " On the 25th of June the Second Brigade crossed 
 the Potomac river at Edward s Ferry, marched rapidly 
 up the tow-path of the Ohio and Chesapeake canal, 
 
134 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 which here followed the course of the river, and 
 bivouacked where night overtook us on the bank of 
 the stream. The marching was rapid, no rests were 
 taken, and every man seemed to be left to himself to 
 plod along as well as possible. When night came on 
 every man halted where he was, picked out a good 
 spot for his night s rest and without any formality 
 spread his blankets and soon fell into a deep and 
 refreshing sleep. The bank of the river, for ten or 
 fifteen miles, was lined with straggling regiments. No 
 details for picket or guard were made, the canal on 
 one side and the bank of the river on the other preclud 
 ing the necessity for sentries, and abandoning them 
 selves wholly to the novelty of the situation, all were 
 soon wrapped in deep slumber. The next morning 
 witnessed a grand scurrying along of ten thousand 
 lost warriors, eager to join their colors lest absence 
 without leave might be scored against them. Officers 
 and enlisted men were all in the same list, and it was 
 impossible to say whether colonels and brigadier-gen 
 erals had lost their commands, or regiments and bri 
 gades had lost their commanders. It was an open 
 question and has never been settled. Nevertheless, 
 as the sun mounted up into the sky there was a mys 
 terious gravitating of the units of military commands 
 into their proper bodies, and a gradual augmenting 
 of companies, regiments and brigades as the minutes 
 and hours flew by, so that by the middle of the fore 
 noon we were once more pushing along in solid 
 columns and with no straggling. We crossed the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 135 
 
 Monocacy river on the canal aqueduct, took the road 
 for Point of Rocks, climbed up the hills, in a sheltered 
 depression on the north side of which we bivouacked 
 for the night. 
 
 " The next day we marched northward through the 
 beautiful valley to Middletown, then turned eastward 
 over the mountains by the pike to Frederick City, 
 stripping the cherry trees on every hand and enjoying 
 a royal feast of that delicious fruit which abounded in 
 profusion and perfection just at that time. Here it was 
 that the Army of the Potomac first realized what it 
 was to march through a country inhabited by a loyal 
 and patriotic people. Our progress was an ovation of 
 cheering, sympathetic, grateful greetings from a happy, 
 peaceful populace, unscathed by the devastation of 
 war. The cherry trees were the only property of the 
 farmers of Maryland that the toil-worn, hungry veter 
 ans were permitted to depredate upon, and they were 
 stripped clean by the fortunate divisions of the army 
 that chanced to be in the van. 
 
 " The welcoming demonstrations of the people of 
 Maryland aroused great enthusiasm in the Army of the 
 Potomac. The profuse display of the Stars and Stripes 
 from almost every house, the waving of handkerchiefs, 
 and the smiles of fair ladies, the hearty hospitality as 
 exhibited by the generous distribution of biscuits, 
 milk, pies, cakes, and chickens, hastily cooked, to the 
 appreciative soldiers was a revelation to the Army of 
 the Potomac all the more astounding because of its 
 contrast with the reception of the Massachusetts 
 
136 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 troops two years before in the city of Baltimore, and 
 the well-tested disloyalty of that city and southern 
 Maryland in the intervening years. The rivers of 
 fresh milk that poured down the throats of the fifty 
 thousand veterans of the army in those two or three 
 days cannot be computed in gallons or in value, and 
 it was all the more refreshing and grateful because it 
 was a generous gift from the farmers to their defend 
 ers. That night we encamped on the north side of 
 Frederick, after passing through that city amid the 
 waving of innumberable flags and the cheering of the 
 delighted populace. The next morning came the 
 thunderbolt into camp which announced the resigna 
 tion of the gallant fighter and beloved commander of 
 our old division, Joe Hooker, and the appointment of 
 General Meade as his successor. 
 
 " On June 2Qth we marched north toward Taney- 
 town, the residence of the late Chief Justice of the 
 United States, who rendered the famous Dred Scott 
 decision, one of the fire-brands that helped to kindle 
 the flames of rebellion. We also passed the home of 
 Philip Barton Key, who was killed by our corps com 
 mander General Daniel E. Sickles, in Washington 
 several years before the war, both being members of 
 Congress at the time." 
 
 The demonstrations of welcome which greeted every 
 corps of the army acted as an inspiration upon the 
 men. Fatigue was forgotten, and the one all-pervading 
 desire was to meet the rebel army while it was on 
 northern soil. As the column of Meade s army reached 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 137 
 
 northward, all unconscious of the direct approach of 
 Lee southward, the rebel chieftain was likewise mov 
 ing without any knowledge of the whereabouts of 
 Meade, whom he still supposed to be forty miles or 
 more away, at Frederick and vicinity. The orders 
 General Meade gave for his army brought them in the 
 following position on the 3Oth of June : The First 
 Corps at Marsh Run, the Third at Bridgeport, the 
 Fifth at Union Mills, the Sixth at Manchester, the 
 Twelfth at Littlestown. The Second Corps remained 
 at Uniontown and the Eleventh at Emmetsburg, while 
 the cavalry was operating on the flanks of the army, 
 Kilpatrick encountering Stuart at Hanover, while 
 Buford was scouting about the mountains near Fair- 
 field, Gregg covering the extreme right by moving on 
 Manchester. In accordance with General Meade s 
 instructions, a portion of General French s command 
 took position at Frederick City. 
 
 The advance of the Twelfth Corps from Taneytown 
 to Littlestown on the 3Oth of June brought the 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment to the front, their 
 position for the day being the extreme right of the 
 line. The march was void of incident until within 
 about a mile of Littlestown when the column halted, 
 owing to a report from Kilpatrick s cavalry that a 
 large cavalry force of the enemy was near the town. 
 The presence along the road of a large number of able- 
 bodied citizens, who had left Littlestown, was a source 
 of much comment and no little amusement to the 
 veterans, and as they loaded muskets preparatory to a 
 
138 \I<:W JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 possible encounter with the enemy, the non-combatants 
 expressed doubt of the ability of the Arrny of the 
 Potomac to cope with the rebel forces. Moving- 
 forward at a rapid gait the Third Brigade of the 
 Twelfth Corps reached the outskirts of Littlestown, 
 and three regiments of the brigade with Winegar s 
 battery went on a double quick through the town and 
 to the fields beyond. 
 
 The approach of the Union army was hailed with 
 joy by the people of Littlestown who heartily 
 welcomed them by furnishing the soldiers with 
 abundant supplies of food. To the tired army this 
 generous hospitality was appreciated, and when at 
 night the Thirteenth Regiment with the First Division 
 of the Twelfth Corps went into camp on the farms of 
 Spangler and Le Fevre on the McSherrystown road, 
 they felt it no hardship to obey the strange and before 
 unheard-of order : " No rail fences are to be disturbed 
 and no rails burned for any purpose whatever." 
 This order was religiously obeyed, and the people of 
 Littlestown to this day bear testimony to that fact. 
 These incidents gave strong indication of near 
 approach to the enemy, and the Army of the Potomac 
 was on the alert and ready. 
 
 At Harrisburg General Couch had succeeded in 
 getting a few thousand militia organized and with 
 General W. F. Smith kept close watch of the enemy s 
 movements, reporting to Washington the information 
 thus obtained. By this means General Meade was 
 kept informed as to the progress Lee was making, and 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 139 
 
 on the 3Oth had received notification of the withdrawal 
 of Ewell s forces. When Ewell received orders from 
 Lee to return at once to Carlisle, he had disposed his 
 forces for the purpose of advancing upon and captur 
 ing Harrisburg, and as he moved backward General 
 Smith, with such cavalry as he could muster, closely 
 followed him. Ewell had no sooner left Carlisle for 
 Harrisburg than General Smith occupied the place, 
 and when Stuart a short time after came to the town 
 in search of Ewell, after his long and exhaustive ride, 
 he found the Union forces in possession. 
 
 General Lee s orders to his army were for Heth s 
 division with eight batteries of artillery, followed by 
 Fender s division, with Hood and McLaws en echelon 
 behind him to march to Gettysburg. Swell s division 
 was scattered, Johnson s division was sent to Green 
 wood, and he was greatly delayed in rejoining his 
 command. This was the situation on the night of 
 the 30th of June. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE FIRST DAY S FIGHT AT GETTYSBURG GALLANTRY 
 OF BUFORD S TROOPERS HEROIC RESISTANCE BY 
 THE FIRST ARMY CORPS DEATH OF GENERAL 
 REYNOLDS ARRIVAL OF HOWARD AND THE 
 RETREAT TO CEMETERY RIDGE HANCOCK S OP 
 PORTUNE ARRIVAL ON THE FIELD. 
 
 ETTYSBURG ! The terrible three days con- 
 flict on the heights surrounding this little town, 
 from the masterly and heroic achievements of 
 Buford s cavalry and the First Army Corps at Wil- 
 loughby Run, to the spectacular and brilliant charge by 
 Pickett s Virginians of Longstreet s corps on the third 
 day of July, has been a theme of controversy among 
 the chief participants and inspired the pens of the most 
 gifted writers to a description in detail of all the 
 momentous events which there happened. Swinton, 
 in his admirable " History of the Army of the Poto 
 mac," gives a critical review of the battle ; Doubleday, 
 who commanded the First Corps, after the lamentable 
 death of Reynolds, in its desperate struggle with 
 superior numbers of the enemy, has written a graphic 
 and unvarnished account of that magnificent engage 
 ment ; Walker in his "History of the Second Army 
 
COLONEL Louis R. FRANCINE, 
 
 7 th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (From a War-time Photograph -1863.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 143 
 
 Corps" pays a glowing tribute to the men who com 
 posed that gallant body of soldiers, and Longstreet 
 has given his version of the battle from his knowledge 
 of Lee s plans, and in vindication of his own course, 
 which has opened a controversy along the southern 
 line of the argument that seems to grow more aggres 
 sive with time. The Comte de Paris, from the stand 
 point of an impartial and disinterested observer, has 
 furnished the most complete and thorough record of 
 the battle, and his unbiassed views on all the disputed 
 questions which have arisen will be accepted as being 
 nearer correct and just than those of interested contro 
 versialists. To the mind of the layman, these points of 
 dispute are of little account. The advent of the rebel 
 army to the close proximity of Harrisburg ; the great 
 destruction it did do and was capable of doing; the 
 doubt and uncertainty which prevailed as to the ability 
 of the Army of the Potomac to repel the invasion and 
 drive the southern army back to its own soil, these 
 were the questions of great concern then. The fact 
 that the invasion was stayed and the Union arms 
 victorious over an exulting foe, is sufficient cause for 
 satisfaction now, and the army which accomplished it 
 is deserving the admiration of mankind. 
 
 If there be such a thing as chance in the affairs of 
 nations, good fortune had certainly smiled upon the 
 preliminary movements of the Army of the Poto 
 mac. The Quixotic raid of Stuart, whose long absence 
 lured the rebel commander into a belief that his prin 
 cipal antagonist was unable or unwilling to follow him, 
 
144 NEW J ERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 was the first of a series of fortunate blunders which 
 contributed to the success of the Union army. 
 
 As has been already noticed General Lee had 
 ordered the concentration of his army at Gettysburg, 
 for the double purpose of protecting his own line of 
 communications, and being in position to threaten the 
 cities of Baltimore and Washington. He Avas thus 
 contemplating just such a move as General Meade had 
 been preparing for, and both Generals were desirous 
 of fighting on a defensive line. Lee hoped by manceuv- 
 ering to compel Meade to attack him, and under the 
 impression that the Union army was in the neighbor 
 hood of Frederick, the movement of his army toward 
 Gettysburg was conducted in a leisurely and confident 
 manner. When General Meade gave orders for Rey 
 nolds with the left wing of the army to occupy Gettys 
 burg on the first of July, he was also in ignorance as 
 to the whereabouts of Lee, or what his intentions were, 
 and when, later in the day, on the soth, he received 
 information from General Halleck that the rebels were 
 moving southward, he resolved to take up a defensive 
 position on the line of Pipe Creek, toward which the 
 army was to fall back should they encounter the enemy 
 in great numbers. He was still unaware of the close 
 proximity of the rebel army and did not change his 
 orders for the day. Thus both armies were moving 
 simultaneously toward a common centre neither of 
 them dreaming that the bloodiest drama of the war 
 was about to be enacted at the very place each desired 
 to occupy. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Gettysburg is the county seat of Adams County, 
 and from it many roads radiate in all directions like 
 spokes from a hub. At the north of the town the 
 three roads, known as the Harrisburg, Carlisle and 
 Mummasburg roads, all concentrate, while the York 
 and Bonaughtown roads join at the east. On the 
 western border the Chambersburg and Fairfield roads 
 unite, while on the south the Emmetsburg, Taneytown 
 
 HANOVER 
 "SYKES 
 TTLESTOM/N 
 
 POSITION OF BOTH ARMIES ON THE MORNING OF JULY I. 
 UNION, WHITE J REBELS, BLACK. 
 
 and Baltimore roads, on all of which the Union army 
 was marching, converge. Both armies were surely 
 but gradually coming together, and the well-matured 
 plans of the Union commander were to be overruled. 
 The topography of the country about Gettysburg 
 was admirably adapted for a battle-field and the many 
 eminences afforded splendid opportunities for effec- 
 
 10 
 
JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 tive artillery display. It is very evident General 
 Meade, though a Pennsylvanian, did not have any 
 personal knowledge of the natural advantages the 
 country about Gettysburg afforded for military opera 
 tions. 
 
 General Meade was fortunate in having able and 
 experienced corps commanders to assist him in this 
 trying emergency. The cavalry arm of the service 
 Avas well officered and ably commanded, by men who 
 had all been tried in desperate encounters with the 
 enemy, and they were nerved to any ordeal that 
 might present itself, while, as for the troopers them 
 selves, they had measured sabres with their opponents 
 and did not fear them, and as will be seen in the 
 pursuit of this narrative, they boldly and spiritedly 
 resisted the infantry columns of the enemy, and with 
 marked effect. Watchful, sleepless, Pleasonton s 
 cavalry seemed to be everywhere and always just 
 where it was most needed. On the 28th of June, the 
 day that Meade took command, Gregg s division was 
 on the right of the army, Buford guarding the left 
 flank, while Kilpatrick covered the centre. Buford 
 had sent Merritt s brigade of Regulars to Mechanics- 
 town, southeast of Emmetsburg, while he accompanied 
 the brigades of Gamble and Devens, on a spirited 
 reconnoissance down the west slope of South Mountain. 
 On the following day he moved up the valley north 
 ward to Waynesboro, recrossed the mountain range, 
 and at night halted on the Fairfield road along which, 
 in the distance, he saw the fires of Davis brigade of 
 
BVT. MAJOR-GEN. JOHN RAMSEY, 
 
 Colonel Com d g 8th Regt. N. J. Vols. 
 
 (From a War-time Photograph?) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 149 
 
 Heth s rebel division of Hill s corps. At break of day 
 on the 30th he dashed into the presence of the enemy, 
 who retreated northward after exchanging a few shots, 
 and satisfied of his inability to successfully cope with 
 them, returned to Emmetsburg where he reported to 
 Reynolds the events which had transpired. That 
 officer having received orders for the left wing of the 
 army to proceed to Gettysburg the next day, ordered 
 Buford to take immediate possession of the town, and 
 hold it until the arrival of the First Corps. 
 
 This important duty could not have been entrusted 
 to a better or more capable man. Buford had distin 
 guished himself in many previous engagements with 
 the rebel cavalry, but his stubborn resistance to the 
 infantry columns of Lee s veterans on the first day of 
 July, was an exhibition of daring and skillful general 
 ship which entitles him to rank with the bravest and 
 best of those who fought so desperately and well on 
 that memorable field. 
 
 The encounter with Buford s cavalry on the Fair- 
 field road did not seem to produce any special excite 
 ment in the rebel lines, as on the 3Oth of June when 
 Heth s division reached Cashtown, he dispatched Petti- 
 grew s brigade, with a large wagon train, to Gettys 
 burg for the purpose of making a requisition on the 
 town for shoes and clothing. Pettigrew was about 
 entering the town, when Buford came thundering 
 along with his four thousand troopers, and the rebel 
 scouts had barely time to notify Pettigrew of his 
 approach, and thus enable that officer to fall back to a 
 
150 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 safe position on Marsh Creek. Halting^ his column 
 there, Pettigrew notified Heth of the occupancy of the 
 town by the Union cavalry. General- Buford did not 
 attempt to follow up Pettigrew, but took position on 
 the west and north of the town, posting videttes far 
 ahead on all the roads that were intersected by his 
 line. Buford knew that the rebel army was close by 
 and he anticipated a desperate and a serious struggle. 
 He at once notified Meade and Reynolds of the dispo 
 sition he had made of his forces, and calmly awaited 
 the advance of the enemy s infantry. 
 
 At an early hour on the morning of July ist Heth s 
 division moved from Cashtown toward Gettysburg, 
 and gathering up Pettigrew s division marched for 
 ward rapidly, anticipating nothing more serious than 
 a brush with militia. But their first encounter with 
 Buford s brave cavalrymen who had been posted in 
 the most advantageous manner along Willoughby Run, 
 amazed them. Buford stoutly contested every inch 
 of ground, and held the advancing columns in check. 
 Indeed, the numerical strength of the enemy was so 
 great that by a persistent advance they could have 
 swept Buford s forces away, but the ignorance which 
 prevailed throughout the whole rebel army as to the 
 whereabouts of the Army of the Potomac, caused them 
 to move with caution. The Union cavalry made so 
 determined and stubborn a resistance, however, that 
 Heth supposed he had encountered a strong body of 
 infantry. Reinforcing his line he again advanced, and 
 Buford putting in his last reserve, and personally 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 151 
 
 directing the fire of his artillery, prolonged the strug 
 gle until the troops of Reynolds came in sight. 
 
 When Buford saw the desperate conflict his men 
 were waging against superior numbers he doubted his 
 ability to hold the position a great while longer, and 
 started for the seminary building to get a view, if 
 possible, of the First Corps. He was quickly apprised 
 of its approach by the appearance of General Rey 
 nolds himself, who had galloped forward in advance 
 of his troops as soon as he heard the booming of 
 Buford s guns. The cavalry had made a gallant and 
 glorious fight, and the check the rebel advance had 
 received saved to the Union army the line of hills 
 south of the town on which the decisive battle was 
 finally fought. 
 
 When the sound of conflict reached the ears of 
 General Reynolds, he lost no time in hurrying forward 
 his men. Giving orders to prepare for immediate 
 action he started off on a gallop to find Buford, on a 
 ride that would have been immortalized in verse had 
 the drama, in which he was so prominent a figure, not 
 assumed proportions of such great magnitude. The 
 regiment in the advance of the First Corps that day, 
 was the Ninety-fifth New York, Colonel George H. 
 Biddle. In its ranks were a goodly number of New 
 Jersey boys, mostly from the city of Newark, whose 
 patriotism had exercised so controlling an influence 
 over their emotions that they went into New York 
 city and enrolled themselves in the first regiment 
 . which took their fancy. While, therefore, no distinct- 
 
152 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ively New Jersey regiment was engaged in the first 
 day s battle at Gettysburg, the State was most nobly 
 represented by more than a score of brave fellows, 
 " natives all and to the manner born." 
 
 The march to the scene of action was an inspiriting 
 sight. General Reynolds was one of the ablest and 
 best known of all the corps commanders. Possessing 
 rare personal courage, coupled with military ability 
 and skill of a high order, he was well adapted to 
 initiate the great battle about to take place. A native 
 of Pennsylvania, he was incensed at the presence of 
 the rebel army there, and was anxious to engage them 
 in battle at the very earliest opportunity. His men 
 were all infected with the same spirit, and they moved 
 to the sound of Buford s artillery with that steady, 
 quickened motion which betokened confidence and 
 gave evidence of the desperate earnestness which so 
 distinguished them a few hours later. The Comte 
 de Paris in describing the spirit which animated the 
 Army of the Potomac says : 
 
 " The Federal soldiers and their leaders are fired by 
 extraordinary zeal ; like Antaeus, who gathered new 
 strength whenever he touched the earth, it seems that 
 the idea of fighting on the soil of the free States, in the 
 midst of a friendly population threatened with, a 
 terrible invasion, doubles their energy and their 
 activity. The hesitations, the delays, and the frequent 
 discouragements which seemed to paralyze the best 
 conceived plans in Virginia, have given place to a 
 noble emulation which urges them to dispute with 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 153 
 
 each other the honor of dealing the swiftest and 
 heaviest blows to the enemy. Without taking any 
 account of their numbers, Reynolds himself notwith 
 standing the immense responsibility weighing upon 
 him, gives them an example of this zeal by contributing 
 more than any one else to inspire them with it. Sad 
 and dejected, it is said, before the meeting of the two 
 armies, he has become invigorated as soon as he felt his 
 proximity to the adversaries with whom he desired to 
 come to blows since the opening of the campaign." 
 
 Buford and Reynolds ascended to the cupola of the 
 Lutheran Seminary from which an extended view of 
 the country for miles around was obtained. Wads- 
 worth s division of the First Corps was observed 
 moving with rapid strides toward the sound of battle 
 and it was seen to move to the left without entering 
 the town, and advance up the easterly slope of 
 Seminary Hill. Wadsworth s command consisted of 
 two brigades under Generals Cutler and Meredith and 
 as they moved to position an aide of General Howard 
 made his appearance and asked for instructions for the 
 Eleventh Corps. General Reynolds directed that 
 General Howard bring his corps forward at once and 
 " form them on Cemetery Hill as a reserve," * and 
 
 * General Howard has no recollection of having received any such 
 orders, but as he did get orders to come forward, and as his corps was 
 to occupy some place in rear, as a support to the First Corps, nothing 
 is more probable than that General Reynolds directed him to go there; 
 for its military advantages were obvious enough to any experienced 
 commander. Lieutenant Rosengarten, of General Reynolds staff, 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 then accompanied Waclsworth to place his men in 
 position. 
 
 The place chosen for the battle-ground was on the 
 west side of the town along the course of the stream 
 known as Willoughby Run, its course at this point 
 being almost due north and south. The Chambersburg 
 and Fairfield roads both cross the stream, and uniting 
 near the town form an angle of considerable extent. 
 These roads also cross two elevations of ground, or 
 ridges, running parallel with the stream, the one 
 further west from the town being the scene of the first 
 day s fighting. On the heights nearest the town is 
 situated the Theological Seminary, from which the 
 ridge derives its name. The steeple of this building 
 was used by the commanders of both armies as an 
 observatory. The rebels were advancing on the 
 Chambersburg road in strong numbers when Wads- 
 worth arrived, and Reynolds in person posted the 
 Second Maine Battery in the road, and threw forward 
 the Fourteenth Brooklyn, Colonel Fowler, and the 
 Ninety-fifth New York, Colonel Biddle, (both under 
 
 states positively that he was present and heard the order given for 
 Howard to post his troops on Cemetery Ridge. The matter is of some 
 moment, as the position in question ultimately gave us the victory, 
 and Howard received the thanks of Congress for selecting it. It is 
 not to be supposed that either Howard or Rosengarten would misstate 
 the matter. It is quite possible that- Reynolds chose the hill simply 
 as a position upon which his force could rally if driven back, and 
 Howard selected it as a suitable battle-field for the army. It has since 
 been universally conceded that it was admirably adapted for that 
 purpose. Donbleday. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 155 
 
 Fowler s command,) in advance on the left, the other 
 three regiments of the brigade One Hundred and 
 Forty-seventh New York, Seventy-sixth New York, 
 and Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania being placed in line on 
 the right of the road. Gamble s brigade of cavalry 
 were withdrawn and formed in column on the left of 
 the infantry, Deven s brigade, further to the right 
 
 ADVANCE OF DAVIS AND ARCHER S REBEL BRIGADES. 
 UNION, BLACK ; REBELS, WHITE. 
 
 facing north, still awaiting the approach of the enemy 
 from that direction. 
 
 The battle which was here waged with persistent 
 fury, was a fitting prelude to the desperate conflict 
 which succeeded it, and but for the gallant resistance 
 made by the veterans of the First Corps in this initia 
 tory contest, the admirable position on the hills south 
 of Gettysburg would undoubtedly have been lost to 
 the Army of the Potomac. Both armies thus con- 
 
I 56 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 fronted each other, and were coming closer together 
 in such manner that a conflict was inevitable. To 
 hold the enemy in check until the rest of the army 
 could arrive and take position on the ridge in rear of 
 the town, the admirable advantages of which had pre 
 sented themselves to both Buford and Reynolds, was 
 the imperative duty of the First Army Corps. How 
 well they succeeded, how desperately they fought, 
 how tenaciously they held their ground against over 
 whelming numbers, relinquishing it only when over 
 powered, is graphically related by Doubleday. 
 
 The army of General Lee was close at hand. Hill s 
 whole corps was available for immediate action. Ewell 
 was advancing from the north, with his entire com 
 mand except Johnson s division, and the small body of 
 men posted to contest their advance could have been 
 swept away like leaves before the wind ; but the rebel 
 leaders were not anticipating a meeting with the Army 
 of the Potomac. Ewell had passed through Gettys 
 burg two days before, at which time no one knew any 
 thing about Mode s army, and General Lee conse 
 quently felt no particular anxiety concerning it. The 
 obstructions so far encountered were to his mind 
 " some gentlemen militia," who would be ready to 
 depart as soon as it became a little warm for them. 
 
 Davis rebel brigade, which had been thrown for 
 ward, to clear the road, formed behind a ridge, and 
 was unperceived by Cutler s men. When they 
 advanced into view the left of their line came square 
 upon the right flank of Cutler s small force, which was 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 157 
 
 compelled to fall back, and was ordered to re-form on 
 Seminary Ridge. The Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania first 
 perceived the enemy and opened fire, but they were 
 soon overpowered and with the Seventy-sixth New 
 York Regiment succeeded in getting away, continuing 
 their retreat to the outskirts of the town ; but the One 
 Hundred and Forty-seventh New York Regiment, 
 not receiving the order to fall back its Colonel having 
 
 DEFEAT OF ARCHER S AND DAVIS BRIGADES. 
 
 been killed before the order could be given was 
 being hemmed in on all sides and made a desperate 
 fight. As this movement of Davis brigade also 
 uncovered the right flank of Colonel Fowler s two 
 regiments, while Archer s rebel brigade was advanc 
 ing to envelop their left, they fell back in good 
 order. Meredith s " Iron Brigade," commanded by 
 Colonel Morrow its permanent commander having 
 been wounded by a shell had been formed in line 
 
58 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 on the west slope of Seminary Ridge, and as Archer s 
 brigade, preceded by skirmishers, was advancing to 
 get possession of a small wood between the two 
 roads, Colonel Morrow was ordered by General 
 Doubleday to secure the position and hold it at all 
 hazards. Enthusiastically they moved to the task, the 
 Sixth Missouri Regiment being detached and with 
 the headquarter guard composed of the One Hun 
 dred and Fifty-ninth Pennsylvania, forming a reserve. 
 The "Iron Brigade" was composed of the Second 
 Wisconsin, Colonel Lucius Fairchild ; Sixth Wis 
 consin, Lieutenant R. R. Dawes; Seventh Wisconsin, 
 Colonel W. W. t Robinson ; Twenty-fourth Michigan, 
 Colonel Henry A. Morrow; Nineteenth Indiana, 
 Colonel Samuel Williams five regiments in all. 
 Advancing boldly toward the enemy the Second Wis 
 consin enveloped their right flank, capturing Archer 
 himself and more than a thousand of his men. Sur 
 prised at this extraordinary movement the remnant 
 oi Archer s troops fled precipitately, being pursued 
 to the opposite side of Willoughby s Run by the vic 
 torious Unionists. 
 
 There was now time to pay some attention to the 
 attack on Cutler, as Davis men were exultant over 
 their success, and were pursuing the flying regiments 
 to Gettysburg. Lieutenant-Colonel Dawes with the 
 Sixth Wisconsin, advanced against the exposed flank 
 of Davis, and Colonel Fowler with the Fourteenth 
 Brooklyn and Ninety-fifth New York, joined forces 
 with him. Noticing this movement Davis stopped 
 
BVT. MAJOR-GEN. ROBERT MCALLISTER, 
 
 Colonel Com d g nth N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (Front a Steel Engraving?) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 161 
 
 his pursuit of Cutler s men, and rushing- into the rail 
 road cut, where the grading afforded them shelter, 
 they made a desperate resistance, but they had entered 
 a trap. Fowler confronted them above, and Dawes 
 opened a murderous fire upon them with a section of 
 artillery which enfiladed their position, and he also 
 formed his men across the cut, by Colonel Fowler s 
 order to fire through it, thus having them completely 
 at bay. The One Hundred and Forty-seventh New 
 York was released from its perilous position, and 
 two-thirds of the enemy surrendered, the rest escap 
 ing by scattering over the country. 
 
 These brilliant exploits were saddened by the death 
 of General Reynolds, who was instantly killed by a 
 musket ball immediately after deploying the men of 
 Cutler s brigade. General Doubleday at once took 
 command of the corps, and during the respite occa 
 sioned by the inaction of the enemy re-formed and 
 strengthened his lines. 
 
 General Heth had halted his column to await the 
 result of the action of his two brigades, and the news 
 he received was far from encouraging. Replacing his 
 defeated and dispirited troops with the fresh men of 
 Pettigrew and Brockenborough supported by Fender s 
 division, he advanced to a renewal of the fight. 
 
 Doubleday anxiously awaited the arrival of his other 
 two divisions, Robinson s and his own commanded 
 temporarily by General Rowley. At this time General 
 Howard had arrived upon the scene, having preceded 
 his corps, and noting the precipitate retreat of the two 
 ii 
 
1 62 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 regiments . of Cutler s brigade, magnified their dis 
 orderly haste into a rout of the First Corps, and so 
 notified General Meade. At eleven o clock to the great 
 relief of General Doubleday the remainder of the First 
 Corps came up. The enemy had established their line 
 in a commanding position, and their artillery was 
 advantageously posted, so as to sweep the Chambers- 
 
 SECOND ADVANCE OF HETH s TROOPS AGAINST THE FIRST CORPS. 
 DOUBLEDAY S MAP. 
 
 burg road. A severe artillery duel took place at this 
 point, the batteries of Calef and Reynolds doing 
 splendid execution. Doubleday posted his troops in 
 the following order to meet this new attack : Stone s 
 brigade, of Rowley s division, being placed to the 
 right of the woods occupied by Morrow, and Colonel 
 
7A r THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 163 
 
 Riddle s brigade on the left, with Robinson s division 
 in reserve at the seminary, on the west of which 
 Robinson s men threw up a semicircular line ot breast 
 works, which served an admirable purpose later on. 
 
 The battle which ensued was one of the most 
 desperate of the three days contest. Howard upon 
 receiving- the news of the death of General Reynolds, 
 assumed command of the left wing, turning over the 
 command of the Eleventh Corps to General Schurz, 
 General Barlow taking command of the division. He 
 also notified General Meade of the sad event and sent 
 orders to Sickles at Emmetsburg and Slocum at Two 
 Taverns to hasten to the field. Between twelve and 
 one o clock the Eleventh Corps made its appearance on 
 the scene of action and the divisions of Schimmel- 
 pfennig and Barlow were orderd to the support of 
 Doubleday, and were directed to extend his line to the 
 right, Steinwehr s division, with the reserve artillery 
 being ordered to Cemetery Hill, as a reserve. 
 
 A new danger however threatened the Union line 
 before these dispositions could be made. Buford, who 
 had been anxiously watching the road from the north, 
 where Deven s cavalry brigade had been posted, 
 informed Doubleday of the approach of Swell s troops 
 from that direction, and Howard ordered the Eleventh 
 Corps to change front and keep Ewell from assailing 
 the First Corps in flank. This relieved the cavalry, 
 who withdrew and formed still farther to the right. 
 
 The movements of E well s two divisions had been 
 
164 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 well timed and both Rodes and Early came in sight of 
 Gettysburg at almost the same moment. Before their 
 exact whereabouts were known to the Union troops 
 Rodes had posted a battery on Oak Hill, an eminence 
 to the right of and almost on a line with that occupied 
 by the troops of Doubleday. When the Eleventh 
 Corps line had been established to meet Ewell, it left a 
 wide interval between the left of Barlow and the right 
 of Cutler s brigade of the First Corps, which neces 
 sitated the use of all of Doubleday s reserves, besides 
 attenuating his general line of battle. 
 
 Noting with satisfaction the arrival of Ewell on the 
 right flank of the Union line, Hill moved promptly to 
 attack Doubleday with his whole force. Under cover 
 of the dense woods Rodes succeeded in joining his 
 line to that of Hill, while his artillery played effect 
 ively upon Doubleday s guns on the Chambersburg 
 road. Rodes attacked Cutler s right flank vigorously. 
 Doubleday proved equal to this emergency however. 
 He ordered Baxter s brigade to fill the gap between 
 Cutler and the Eleventh Corps, and as Baxter advanced 
 boldly up the Mummasburg road, Rodes sent O Neal s 
 brigade in upon his flank. O Neal was repulsed with 
 heavy loss, and Iverson s rebel brigade was ordered to 
 assail both Cutler and Baxter. Doubleday ordered in 
 another brigade, and Robinson sent forward Paul s 
 brigade, which took up position with Baxter. Double- 
 day had so far held his own against superior numbers. 
 All the positions south of the Chambersburg road 
 

 . 
 
 BVT. COL. JOHN SCHOONOVER, 
 
 Adjt. nth Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 {Front a War-time Photograph^) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 167 
 
 had been retained, but the enemy was pressing- him 
 hard on the right. Iverson s attack upon Robinson s 
 two brigades failed and his force was almost annihi 
 lated, his loss being heavy in killed and wounded and 
 over a thousand men were taken prisoners. Daniel 
 came to Iverson s rescue, but arrived too late, and his 
 advance was checked. O Neal, Iverson and Daniel 
 were each in turn defeated, and Heth, who made 
 a vigorous demonstration against Meredith was also 
 repulsed. Growing desperate the rebels determined 
 to assault in force, and Ramseur, who had come up to 
 assist Daniel, was aided by the advance of the three 
 brigades of Fender s division, thus throwing upon the 
 weakened, but obstinate Union line, a numerical force 
 that by pressure alone must carry the position. Assist 
 ance was also coming to the enemy in another shape. 
 Early s entire division was advancing to the front, and 
 they poured down upon Barlow s division in great 
 numbers, who resisted stoutly, but were obliged to fall 
 back, leaving their wounded in the hands of the enemy, 
 the heroic Barlow being among them. Schimmel- 
 pfennig was attacked by Doles brigade, and retreated 
 in hot haste, and as this division broke a general 
 retreat was ordered by Howard. Schimmelpfennig s 
 flight compelled Robinson to abandon his position, 
 and Doubleday having used up all his reserves was 
 at last compelled to fall back. Halting and re-form 
 ing his line in the semi-circular entrenchment thrown 
 up by Robinson s division Doubleday, aided by Buford, 
 
1 68 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 who formed his cavalry in line of * battalion in mass 
 to keep open the line of retreat, held the enemy in 
 check for a short time. 
 
 The position of the First Corps was exceedingly 
 critical, and its escape from annihilation is due to the 
 great presence of mind and the skillful generalship of 
 General Doubleday. As the columns of retreating 
 Unionists mixed together in the town, men became 
 separated from their commands, thousands were 
 picked up by the enemy on the streets, and the 
 roads leading to the rear were thronged with a 
 motley crew of frightened and demoralized soldiers, 
 whom no power seemed able to hold in check.f 
 
 A new actor now appeared upon the scene. When 
 General Meade, at his headquarters in Taneytown, 
 received the message from Howard that the First 
 Corps were flying from the field, there was forced upon 
 him the necessity of immediately deciding whether to 
 
 * General Francis A. Walker in his "History of the Second Army 
 Corps" relates this incident : "When last it was my privilege to see 
 General Hancock, in November, 1885, he pointed out to me from 
 Cemetery Hill the position occupied by Buford at this critical junct 
 ure, and assured me that, among the most inspiring sights of his 
 military career was the splendid spectacle of that gallant cavalry, as 
 it stood there unshaken and undaunted, in the face of the advancing 
 Confederate infantry." 
 
 f The Comte de Paris estimates that of the 16,000 men who went 
 into action on the Union side no more than 5,000 were left in fighting 
 condition. The First Corps was reduced to 2,450 men. Out of the 
 11,000 missing nearly 4,000 had been left on the field of battle, and 
 about 5,000 were taken prisoners; the rest had scattered. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 169 
 
 fight the battle where the conflict had begun or adhere 
 to his original plan of forming a line on Pipe Creek. 
 Instead of going to Gettysburg himself he sent for 
 General Hancock, who had just arrived in Taneytown 
 with the Second Corps, and appointed him to the com 
 mand of the left wing, thus superseding both Howard 
 and Sickles, who ranked him by seniority, and dele 
 gated to him the practical selection of the battle-field, 
 whether to order up the whole army to Gettysburg 
 and there join issue with the enemy, or to fall back to 
 the position originally determined upon. When Han 
 cock arrived upon the scene the confusion of retreat 
 had not subsided. Streams of frightened men were 
 passing down the Taneytown and Baltimore roads to 
 the rear, and the powerlessness of Howard to restore 
 confidence to the men was apparent. Hancock 
 addressed himself at once to the task, and his presence 
 was immediately felt by the troops. Brave, even to 
 rashness, his manner and bearing made their impress 
 felt. Men, who first thought only of flight, halted, 
 cheered for Hancock, and sought their colors. His 
 presence was worth a corps of men at that moment, 
 and, though Seminary Ridge was lined with rebel 
 infantry, and Ewell s troops were advancing through 
 the town toward Cemetery Hill, Hancock re-formed 
 the line with the Eleventh Corps on the right of Stein- 
 wehr s fortified position, the First Corps on the left 
 and all the artillery at command posted in advan 
 tageous positions, thus presenting a bold front to the 
 victorious foe. Noting the rising ground on the right 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Gulp s Hill toward which Ewell was moving, he 
 posted Wadsworth s division there, and formed the 
 cavalry on the left of Doubleday. The transformation 
 was complete. Order had been restored out of chaos, 
 and as Lee and his. officers gazed upon this new line of 
 battle, which had formed under the very muzzles of 
 their guns, they mistook the deployment of this small 
 force in a thin line to the right and left for the arrival 
 of reinforcements, and hesitated to attack. Ewell was 
 desirous of doing so, but Lee would not imperatively 
 order it, and after a short contest with Wadsworth s 
 men, the enemy halted. This was another of the 
 blunders which aided the Union cause on this 
 campaign. Had Ewell advanced at once, Gulp s Hill 
 would have fallen into his possession and he would 
 thus have commanded the roads on which Meade s 
 army was then moving. 
 
 The enemy however had had more fighting than they 
 expected to experience. Their losses had been severe, 
 and though they had met and defeated but two army 
 corps, the fact of which they had at last become 
 cognizant that the Army of the Potomac was in front 
 of them, led to a magnifying of the importance of their 
 victory. From prisoners they had no doubt learned 
 that Meade s army was well on its way to Gettysburg, 
 and as Lee had been deceived by the show of force on 
 Cemetery Hill, he preferred to await the arrival of all 
 his army before attacking. 
 
 On the morning of July ist Sickles had received 
 orders from General Meade to fall back to a position 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 171 
 
 on the Pipe Creek line of battle, but learning subse 
 quently that the First and Eleventh Corps, which with 
 his own comprised the left wing of the army, were 
 engaged with the enemy, he promptly moved toward 
 the sound of action. He had resumed command of the 
 Third Corps only a few days previous, and was 
 naturally anxious to meet the enemy. Detaching De 
 Trobriand s brigade from Birney s division, and 
 Burling s brigade composed of the Fifth, Sixth, 
 Seventh and Eighth New Jersey Regiments, the One 
 Hundred and Fifteenth Pennsylvania and the Second 
 New Hampshire from Humphreys division with or 
 ders to remain at Emmetsburg, he moved promptly 
 forward with Birney s division, and arriving on the 
 field was assigned to position on the left of the First 
 Corps. 
 
 The Twelfth Corps advanced from Littlestown on 
 the morning of July ist and at noon halted at Two 
 Taverns, about five miles southeast from Gettysburg. 
 While here word was received from Howard as to the 
 engagement then in progress, and the order to march 
 was soon given. Geary s division moved directly for 
 Gettysburg by the Baltimore pike, and Williams divi 
 sion, taking a road leading to the right advanced 
 rapidly toward the sound of artillery. Proceeding 
 some distance, skirmishers were sent forward, and as 
 Benner s Hill loomed up in their front a body of horse 
 men were seen on its summit closely scanning the 
 country around. Swell s scouts were soon encoun 
 tered and a few shots were exchanged when orders 
 
172 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 were received to bring on no engagement at that 
 place. It had been the intention of General Williams 
 to take possession of the hill, but as it had become 
 known that Gettysburg was in the hands of the 
 enemy, the line was withdrawn and position for the 
 night taken on the east side of Rock Creek. The 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment supported Wine- 
 gan s Battery (" M " First New York) during the night. 
 Geary s division was posted on the left of the army, 
 his line extending from the left of Sickles line to the 
 summit of Little Round Top, the Twelfth Corps thus 
 holding both the right and left flanks of the Army 
 of the Potomac on the night of July ist. General 
 Slocum arrived upon the scene about half-past five, 
 and General Hancock, in accordance with instructions 
 received, turned over the command to him, and started 
 for Taneytown to report to General Meade. 
 
 Hancock had performed labors almost herculean. 
 The very magnetism of his presence among the 
 defeated and retreating troops gave them renewed 
 confidence and courage, and when he had assigned 
 the last body of troops to their position for the night, 
 and saw that the force was strong enough to resist 
 any attack that might be made until the rest of the 
 army could be brought up, he started on his ride to 
 Taneytown. During the afternoon he sent two 
 dispatches to General Meade in which he favored 
 the position secured as the best on which the battle 
 should be fought, though the left was liable to be 
 turned. On his way to headquarters he halted the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 173 
 
 Second Corps, commanded by General Gibbons, which 
 he met about three miles from the battle-field, as a 
 protection to the left of the line. 
 
 The line of battle for the night extended from the 
 rising ground east of Rock Creek, to Gulp s Hill, 
 to Cemetery Hill and along the ridge west of the 
 Taneytown road to the summit of Little Round Top. 
 The Fifth Army Corps was on its way from Bonaugh- 
 town, and the Sixth Corps just entering Manchester, 
 thirty-four miles distant, had started on its long march 
 for the battle-field. 
 
 Among the interesting incidents of the first day s 
 battle is the record of John Burns, a resident of 
 Gettysburg. General Doubleday in his official report 
 of the battle says : " My thanks are specially due to 
 a citizen of Gettysburg, named John Burns, who, 
 although over seventy years of age, shouldered his 
 musket and offered his services to Colonel Wister, 
 One Hundred and Fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers. 
 Colonel Wister advised him to fight in the. woods as 
 there was more shelter there, but he preferred to join 
 our line of skirmishers in the open fields. When the 
 troops retired he fought with the Iron Brigade/ 
 He was wounded in three places." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE NEW JERSEY TROOPS COMING ON THE FIELD OF 
 BATTLE RAPID AND EXHAUSTIVE MARCHING - 
 THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT UNDERGO A FATIGUING 
 NIGHT MARCH THE SECOND NEW JERSEY BRI 
 GADE MARCH BETWEEN THE SKIRMISH LINES OF 
 BOTH ARMIES THE TWELFTH REGIMENT IN LINE 
 OF BATTLE THE DEPLOYMENT OF SICKLES LINE 
 THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT ON GULP S HILL- 
 ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST NEW JERSEY BRIGADE AT 
 
 FOUR O CLOCK A FORCED MARCH OF THIRTY- 
 FIVE MILES. 
 
 IT was nearly dark when General Hancock started 
 for the headquarters of the army at Taneytown 
 and reported to General Meade, whom he found 
 about ready to proceed to Gettysburg, where he 
 arrived about one o clock a. m., on July 2d. Hum 
 phreys division of the Third Corps left Emmetsburg 
 for the battle-field at three o clock a. m., Burling s bri 
 gade with De Trobriand s brigade of Birney s division 
 remaining behind to guard the outlet of the moun 
 tain and watch the Hagerstown road for any move 
 ments of the enemy in that direction. After a long 
 and exciting march the division arrived on the field 
 
MAJOR JOHN T. HILL, 
 Com d g i2th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 (Front a War-time Photograph 1863.) 
 
THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 at midnight and owing to the darkness could not be 
 given a place in line and was massed in rear of Bir- 
 ney s division. 
 
 The Eleventh New Jersey Regiment, belonging to 
 Carr s brigade of Humphrey s division, experienced 
 all the inconveniences of this march. They had biv 
 ouacked in a wheat-field near Emmetsburg when the 
 news reached them that the First and Eleventh Corps 
 had met the enemy near Gettysburg and were being 
 driven back. Orders to press forward rapidly were 
 received, and soon the column was in motion. On 
 crossing Marsh Run, the troops took a road to the 
 left, and were marching toward Black Horse Tavern, 
 on the Fairfield road, which was occupied by the 
 enemy ; but General Humphrey discovered, in time 
 to conceal his presence from them, that he was on the 
 wrong road, and accordingly caused the column to 
 " about face" and retrace their steps. This long 
 detour was a severe strain upon the men, but without 
 further mishap they bivouacked east of the Emmets- 
 burg road about one a. m., and was subsequently 
 massed in rear of Birney and facing west, the Eleventh 
 New Jersey being next to the last regiment in the line. 
 
 The next New Jersey regiment to arrive was the 
 Twelfth, which with the Second Corps had halted for 
 the night about three miles south of the battle-field. 
 The column moved at daylight, and was rejoined by 
 General Hancock before it reached the field, which 
 took place about 7 a. m., and was placed in position on 
 the left of Doubleday s division of the First Corps. 
 
 12 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 (General Newton was now in command of the First 
 Corps, General Meade having assigned him there on 
 learning of the death of General Reynolds.) In the 
 order of alignment Hay s division to Smith s brigade 
 of which the Twelfth New Jersey belonged was on 
 the right, Gibbons, the centre, and Caldwell s division, 
 the left. This displaced the Third Corps, which 
 formed into column and moved still further to the left. 
 This movement so full of momentous and important 
 results then unforeseen, has led to a controversy that 
 will cease only when all the actors have passed off this 
 world s stage. General Geary, who had occupied 
 Little Round Top on the night of the first, had been 
 ordered to the right of the line, and soon after day 
 break (5 a. m.) vacated the position, which was the vital 
 point of the whole line, and to regain and keep posses 
 sion of which, brought on one of the most desperate 
 struggles of the whole war. Sickles orders were to 
 prolong the line of the Second Corps, his left to rest 
 upon Little Round Top.* This is the great bone of 
 
 * General Meade, in his official report says : " The Second and 
 Third Corps were directed to occupy the continuation of the Cemetery 
 ridge on the left of the Eleventh Corps." 
 
 The Comte De Paris, in his work on Gettysburg, says : 
 " Between six and seven o clock in the morning Meade sent his son 
 to Sickles with orders to take the position which Geary had just left. 
 The order was most positive, and Meade has been blamed for not hav 
 ing attended to the execution of said order in person. * * 
 When Colonel Meade arrived between eight and nine o clock, to ascer 
 tain if the order which he had brought from his father had been 
 executed, Sickles answered him that he could not distinguish the posi- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 179 
 
 contention: What were Meade s orders to Sickles? 
 Without entering into the discussion, which has devel 
 oped a wonderful amount of misunderstanding, it is 
 clear that General Sickles did not deem his orders so 
 explicit as to prevent the exercise of his own judgment 
 in the matter. 
 
 The ridsre on which Sickles was directed to form 
 
 tion in which he was to replace Geary. Nevertheless, like an obedient 
 lieutenant, he had not waited for fresh orders, to extend his line to the 
 left, and before nine o clock Birney was deploying Graham s and 
 Ward s brigades in the direction of Little Round Top." 
 
 Doubleday gives this version : " Sickles, however, denies that^ any 
 position was ever marked out for him. He was expected to prolo ng 
 Hancock s line to the left but did not do so for the following reasons : 
 First, because the ground was low, and second on account of the com 
 manding position of the Emmetsburg road, which ran along a cross 
 ridge oblique to the front of the line assigned him, and which afforded 
 the enemy an excellent position for their artillery ; third because the 
 ground between the valley he was expected to occupy, and the Emmets- 
 burg road constituted a minor ridge, very much broken and full of rocks 
 and trees which afforded^excellent cover for an enemy operating in his 
 immediate front." 
 
 Swinton in his History of the Army of the Potomac, says : " Sickles 
 had been instructed to take position on the left of Hancock, on the 
 same general line, which would draw it along the prolongation of 
 Cemetery Ridge toward the Round Top. Now the ridge is, at this 
 point, not very well denned; for the ground in front falls off into a con 
 siderable hollow. But at the distance of some four or five hundred 
 yards in advance it rises into that intermediate crest along which runs 
 the Emmetsburg road. General Sickles, thinking it desirable to occupy 
 this advanced position which he conceived would, if held by the 
 enemy, make his own ground untenable assumed the responsibility 
 of pushing his front forward to that point." 
 
l8o NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 descended into low ground which extended for four or 
 five hundred yards to Little Round Top. In his front 
 the ground ascended gradually, and on the crest of this 
 rising ground ran the Emmetsburg road. Sickles first 
 formed his line as directed, Birney s left resting at the 
 base of Little Round Top and connecting with 
 Humphrey s division on the right. 
 
 The Second New Jersey Brigade (Burling s) of 
 Humphrey s division and De Trobriand s brigade of 
 Birney s division, which had been left at Emmetsburg 
 to guard the mountain passes, received orders at two 
 o clock a. m. to rejoin the Third Corps, and began their 
 hurried march. To them also had come the startling 
 intelligence of a battle at Gettysburg, the death of 
 General Reynolds, and that the First and Eleventh 
 Corps had been driven back. At three o clock, the 
 column was marching quietly and swiftly through the 
 streets of Emmetsburg. A short halt was ordered 
 after a brisk march to enable the men to make coffee. 
 The heat of the day before, and the sultriness of the 
 morning, together with the long fast and the rapid 
 marching had well-nigh exhausted the men, and the 
 prospect of a " rest " was joyously welcomed. The 
 little fires were soon blazing cheerily, but before the 
 first cup of water had reached boiling point, an aide 
 came galloping down the road with peremptory orders 
 to push forward as rapidly as possible. Not a moment 
 was to be lost. " Fall in ! " " Take arms ! " " Right, 
 face ! " " Forward, march ! " rang out over the field 
 from the throats of regiment and company -com- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 manders. There was a speedy mounting of horses, the 
 rumbling of artillery was heard on the pike, and once 
 more the column of Jerseymen pushed rapidly on. 
 Crossing Marsh Run, Berdan s sharpshooters, who had 
 been ordered to reconnoitre the rebel position, were 
 seen lying along the fence in the road and firing 
 occasionally at the enemy s skirmishers, in the edge of 
 the strip of woods at the west. The column had 
 reached the Union line just in time. Soon after the 
 brigade had passed this point Longstreet had extended 
 his lines across the road preparatory to his fierce 
 charge upon Sickles position. It was a narrow escape 
 from isolation, if not capture, as the small brigade 
 would have been overwhelmed had they come in con 
 tact with the rebel column, which would have been the 
 inevitable result had they remained long enough at 
 "rest" to have cooked and drank their coffee. Moving 
 leisurely up the pike to about the point where Pickett s 
 division crossed it the next day in making his famous 
 charge, the rail fence was thrown down, and marching 
 across the fields to the slope of Cemetery Ridge, 
 Burling s brigade halted, and at nine o clock ate their 
 breakfast without interference. In the mean time men 
 were sent forward to throw down the rail fences that 
 stood between the ridge and the pike. The brigade 
 was once more at home with its old command. 
 
 When General Meade had completed his reconnois- 
 sance and given his orders to the several corps, Geary 
 was ordered to take position on the right of the line, 
 where Williams division was to join him. By this 
 
182 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 move the Twelfth Corps was to be again united. 
 Promptly on receipt of his orders Geary moved 
 out and took position on Gulp s Hill, joining 
 Wadsworth s division of the First Corps. At eight 
 o clock, Williams division (commanded by Gen 
 eral Ruger) crossed Rock Creek and moved up 
 the west bank of that stream forming on the 
 westerly side of Gulp s Hill, and then moving by 
 the right flank took position as follows : McDougall s 
 
 brigade (the First) join 
 ing Geary, the One 
 Hundred and Seventh 
 New York of Col- 
 grove s brigade extend 
 ing the line to the edge 
 of the woods, while the 
 Thirteenth New Jersey 
 Regiment was formed 
 in rear in close column 
 by division. On the 
 right of the Thirteenth 
 New Jersey was an open space of about one hun 
 dred yards, through which coursed a small stream 
 having its rise at Spangler s spring west of the Thir 
 teenth Regiment s position. This open ground was 
 marshy, and the rest of Colgrove s brigade was formed 
 in the edge of McAllister s wood, on the south. As 
 soon as the line was established the men began con 
 structing lines of breastworks out of the fence rails, 
 old stumps, dead limbs of trees, stones and whatever 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 183 
 
 could be found that would impede the progress of a 
 bullet. Lockwood s brigade, which had joined the 
 Twelfth Corps on the morning of the second, was 
 posted to the right of Colgrove, its right resting near 
 the junction of the Baltimore pike with Rock Creek. 
 The Fifth Corps was massed near the bridge over 
 Rock Creek, on the Baltimore pike, in supporting dis 
 tance of the Twelfth Corps. By twelve o clock the 
 Union line of battle \vas intact, extending from Gulp s 
 Hill on the right to the base of Little Round Top on 
 the left, the summit of which was used as a signal 
 station. The Sixth Corps was still on its long march 
 from Manchester. 
 
 The line of battle as formed resembled more closely 
 than anything else, an immense hook, Cemetery Ridge 
 forming the shank, Cemetery Hill the heel, and Gulp s 
 Hill the end of the hook. It was an admirable defen 
 sive position, as it could be easily reinforced at any 
 point by short marches, and its vulnerability was not 
 to remain long untested. 
 
 The course of Lee in so long remaining silent 
 was a source of mystery to the Union commander, 
 and he determined to assault the enemy on the right 
 with the Twelfth and Fifth Corps, supported by the 
 Sixth Corps on its arrival, and the order for the move 
 ment was given. General Slocum and General War 
 ren made a reconnoissance of the position and reported 
 against it, and it was abandoned. 
 
 General Lee, though quiet, was not inactive. He 
 had visited Ewell during the night and ordered him to 
 
1 84 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 attack the Union right, but that officer objected on the 
 ground that the Federals were massed in his front, and 
 said that he should intrench his position. The rebel 
 army kept coming into line as the night advanced, and 
 they were exultant over the victory of the day before, 
 and confident of a more glorious result on the morrow. 
 General Lee himself was infected with the same spirit, 
 and awaited the approach of daylight with every 
 expectation of success. Knowing of the great alarm 
 the presence of his army in Pennsylvania had occa 
 sioned throughout the North, it only needed a victory 
 over the Army of the Potomac on northern soil to 
 bring about the full realization of his hopes. He saw 
 peace won at last, the Southern Confederacy an estab 
 lished fact, his army victorious and marching triumph 
 antly to their homes. Infused with such a spirit, army 
 and commander felt themselves invincible. At daylight 
 the rebel line extended from Benner s Hill, where John 
 son s division was posted, Early joining him and front 
 ing the ridge between Gulp s and East Cemetery Hill, 
 while Rodes division occupied the town, and con 
 nected with Hill s corps on Seminary Ridge, which 
 was disposed as follows : Pender s division on the left, 
 Heth on the right, Anderson in rear between Marsh 
 Creek and Willoughby Run. Longstreet with two 
 divisions of his army were close by and moving for 
 ward, and by nine o clock the rebel forces were all at 
 hand and ready for action, except the division of Pick- 
 ett, which was on its way from Chambersburg, and 
 Stuart s cavalry who were moving to take position on 
 the left. 
 
BVT. BRIG.-GEN. EZRA A. CARMAN, 
 
 Colonel Com d g i3th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a War-time Photograph.} 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 187 
 
 On the Union side the same confidence was mani 
 fested by the troops, and as each corps came upon the 
 field they reechoed the words of Doubleday s heroes 
 of the day before, "Weve come to stay!" Thus both 
 sides were nerved to the most desperate resolve, and 
 how well they maintained it the record of the next two 
 days gives abundant testimony. 
 
 Small things produce remarkable results at times. 
 As the Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment with the 
 First Division of the Twelfth Corps was making their 
 exhaustive march on July first under a broiling sun 
 from Two Taverns, men fell out of the ranks in squads 
 by the roadside for a brief rest. Four or five women 
 from Gettysburg, who had fled on the approach of the 
 rebel army stood by the side of the road, and involun 
 tarily began waving their bonnets and aprons. The 
 men at first waved their hands in token of recognition, 
 next they took off their caps to them, and finally the 
 column broke into a hearty cheer. Tired and exhausted 
 men rallied under the inspiriting huzzas, rejoined the 
 column and moved briskly toward the enemy. 
 
 At two o clock in the afternoon the advance brigade 
 of the Sixth Army Corps, came upon the field, and at 
 6 p. m. the entire corps had reported after a forced 
 march variously estimated at from thirty to thirty-five 
 miles. This corps had done some remarkable march 
 ing during the past three days, and with their presence 
 on the field, the whole Army of the Potomac was now 
 at hand. The First New Jersey Brigade, General 
 A. T. A. Torbert, commander, comprising the First, 
 
1 88 NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 Second, Third and Fifteenth Regiments (The Fourth 
 Regiment was on duty at division headquarters, three 
 companies serving as Provost Guard and seven com 
 panies guarding the ammunition trains) composed the 
 First Brigade, of the First Division, and reached the 
 battlefield at 4 p. m. The brigade with its corps had 
 marched fifty-five miles in three days, bivouacking on 
 the night of June 3Oth at Manchester after a march of 
 twenty-three miles on that day. The brigade was 
 encamped in a meadow near the town, and the tired, 
 weary men sought their soft and rich beds at an early 
 hour expecting to have a good night s rest, but it was not 
 to be. About 10 p. m. the camp was suddenly aroused 
 by the shrill, clear notes of the "Assembly." Every 
 man jumped to his feet and seized his arms. Soon the 
 order came to march, and the " Forward " sounded. 
 "Where?" "What is all this for?" were the ques 
 tions asked but no one could answer. The orders had 
 been to march to Taneytown, and the observant men 
 in line noticed that the column was countermarching 
 on the same road they had gone over. Ere long the 
 column turned into the broad Baltimore pike and 
 headed westward. All night long the steady tramp, 
 tramp, was kept up, and when daylight broke, the 
 march was still continued. There was no halt for break 
 fast, or coffee, but no one murmured or complained, 
 and on they went, until about one o clock, when to the 
 joy of every one the head of the column was seen to be 
 filing into an open field. A shout went up ! This 
 meant coffee and a little rest. Long lines stretched 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 across the field, and the smoke of small fires soon 
 showed what was being done, but hardly had the rear 
 of the column gained its place before a horseman was 
 seen coming at full speed down the pike ; his horse 
 white with foam told all ; his mission was one of urgent 
 importance. Riding up to where General Sedgwick 
 was standing he delivered his dispatch the Adjutant- 
 General promulgated it orally : " The Corps is wanted 
 at Gettysburg in the shortest possible space of time." 
 A thrill went through every man s heart. Coffee in 
 various stages of brewing was emptied on the ground, 
 and stacks were broken ere the message was finished. 
 From mouth to mouth went the summons : " Our 
 comrades at the front want us," and but one thought 
 animated all. Away the column went, and on gaining 
 the pike, the stride of the men in their eagerness 
 to get forward kept the officers horses on a dog-trot. 
 No more glorious sight ever met the eye of a soldier 
 than this one as he looked back over that magnificent 
 body of men as they marched up that pike on the 
 afternoon of July the second. Ten miles were passed 
 over and Rock Creek was reached, but one mile from 
 the line of battle. A short halt to fill canteens with 
 water was made. The great journey was over. The 
 most wonderful march ever made by so large a body 
 of troops had been accomplished thirty-five miles in 
 eighteen hours ! The New Jersey Brigade rested near 
 the centre of the line of battle for nearly two hours, 
 when they were ordered to the left of the line where 
 they arrived at dark. General Torbert reports that 
 
I g NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 there were but twenty-five men absent when the march 
 was ended and these reported to their commands 
 during the night. 
 
 A strong picket line was sent out from the brigade, 
 under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wiebecke of 
 the Second Regiment, composed of Company D, 
 Captain Lipfert, and Company E, Lieutenant Gustavus 
 Peine, of the Second Regiment, and details from the 
 First, Third and Fifteenth Regiments. They became 
 warmly engaged with the enemy during the third and 
 sustained a loss of eleven men. Colonel Wiebecke 
 with the gallantry and heroism that always character 
 ized him in action won high encomiums from his 
 superior officers for the gallant services rendered on 
 this occasion. 
 
BVT. BRIG. -GEN. FRED. H. HARRIS, 
 
 Captain Co. E, 13111 Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a Recent Photograph.) 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE SECOND DAY S BATTLE SICKLES NEW LINE - 
 LONGSTREET S ATTEMPT TO TURN THE FEDERAL 
 LEFT THE SECOND NEW JERSEY BRIGADE, THE 
 ELEVENTH REGIMENT, AND BATTERY " B," FIRST 
 NEW JERSEY ARTILLERY IN ACTION HOOD RE 
 PULSED AT LITTLE ROUND TOP A GALLANT 
 AND SUCCESSFUL CHARGE BY THE TWELFTH NEW 
 JERSEY REGIMENT CASUALTIES AMONG THE NEW 
 JERSEY TROOPS. 
 
 WHEN the line of the Third Corps had been 
 established by the deployment of Birney s 
 division in the position vacated by Geary, 
 its right rested on the left of the Second Corps and 
 its left at the base of Little Round Top. This rocky 
 eminence, owing to the indefinite instructions given 
 to General Sickles remained unoccupied, and its 
 importance was apparently not then appreciated by 
 him, or he may have thought other troops would 
 form on his left to cover it. But, whatever the cause, 
 it was unoccupied except by the Signal Corps. 
 Randolph s, and Clark s (" B," First New Jersey) 
 batteries were placed in position in Birney s front, 
 and were commanded by the ridge along which ran 
 
194 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the Emmetsburg road. Seeley s, Smith s and Wins- 
 low s batteries of the Third Corps were parked within 
 convenient distance. The skirmishers placed along 
 the Emmetsburg road and to the front of it had been 
 engaged in a desultory firing during the entire 
 morning, and the army was momentarily expecting an 
 attack from the enemy. The firing kept increasing in 
 volume along Birney s front, and at noon he sent 
 forward one hundred of Berdan s sharpshooters, sup 
 ported by the Third Maine Regiment, with instruc 
 tions to push as far forward as possible and feel the 
 enemy s right. They advanced promptly to their 
 work and soon became heavily engaged. The rebel 
 skirmish line was driven back and a large body of men 
 were found moving in column toward the Federal left. 
 The reconnoitering force were in turn driven back 
 with great loss, and General Birney informed General 
 Sickles of his discovery, who ordered him to change 
 front to meet the expected attack. 
 
 This movement, which led to such important results, 
 has now become the subject of an excited controversy 
 among military critics. The simple facts in the case 
 seem to be these : Between Cemetery Ridge, on the 
 prolongation of which the Union line of battle was 
 formed, and Seminary Ridge, occupied by Lee s army, 
 was a subordinate ridge of ground, along the crest cf 
 which ran the Emmetsburg road. The low ground, 
 between Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top which 
 Sickles occupied, was commanded by this inferior ele 
 vation. The trend of this rising ground is southwest- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 95 
 
 erly, and the most commanding position along its 
 course is the Peach Orchard at the junction of a cross 
 road with the Emmetsburg road. From the Peach 
 Orchard running easterly, the high ground continues 
 for a short distance and then ends abruptly at a rocky 
 depression known as the Devil s Den, between which 
 and the Round Top, there is a defile or gorge through 
 which runs a small stream known as Plum Run. Gen 
 eral Sickles had previously informed Meade of the 
 nature of the ground in his front and solicited permis 
 sion to make the change, requesting that a staff officer 
 be sent with him to examine the position. General 
 Hunt, Chief of Artillery, made a reconnoissance of the 
 entire line, extending his tour to the summit of Little 
 Round Top, and returned to General Meade, whom he 
 requested to personally examine the left of the line 
 before approving of Sickles proposed advance. Gen 
 eral Meade had in the mean time called a council of 
 corps commanders at his headquarters near Zeigler s 
 Grove, and was awaiting the presence of Sickles in 
 obedience to the call. Sickles, not hearing anything 
 from General Hunt, gave the order to -Birney to 
 advance to the new ground, and ordered Humphreys 
 to take position on the Emmetsburg road connecting 
 with Birney at the Peach Orchard. He then started 
 for Meade s headquarters, but before he had time 
 to dismount the sound of Clark s guns announced 
 to the assembled corps commanders that the " ball 
 had opened." Meade then accompanied Sickles to 
 the threatened point of attack, and while he did not 
 
1 96 NE. W JER SEY TROOPS 
 
 approve of the movement, saw there was no time to 
 make a change, as Sickles expressed himself willing 
 to do. 
 
 The change of front General Birney was directed to 
 make brought his division along the left arm of the 
 angle extending from the high ground above the 
 Devil s Den to the Peach Orchard, at the intersection 
 of a cross-road with the Emmetsburg road, General 
 Ward s brigade being on the left of the line, De Tro- 
 briand in the centre, and Graham on the right. Ward s 
 left regiment, the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth 
 New York, was the extreme left of the line and was 
 placed on the high ground west and north of the 
 Devil s Den. This exposed flank was protected only 
 by Smith s (Fourth New York) battery of rifled guns, 
 which commanded the gorge, with the Fourth Maine 
 Regiment still farther to the left at the base of Little 
 Round Top, supporting it. On the right of Smith s 
 battery was a thin belt of woods, and into the open 
 ground (a wheat-field) beyond it Winslow s battery of 
 light twelve-pounders was placed. Graham s line was 
 formed along the Emmetsburg road, its left being at 
 the Peach Orchard and refused so as to form an angle 
 at this point. De Trobriand formed across the extreme 
 point of the wheat-field to make connection with Ward 
 and Graham, and in position to reinforce either, as cir 
 cumstances might require. Humphreys advanced his 
 division to the Emmetsburg road, leaving only Bur- 
 ling s brigade in support, which was soon after sent to 
 reinforce Birney s weak line. By this movement a 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 I 9 7 
 
 wide gap was made between the left of the Second 
 Corps and Humphreys right, which Gibbons filled by 
 sending forward two regiments of his division. 
 
 The position of the Third Corps was now complete, 
 and it was strengthened by the batteries of Bigelow, 
 Phillips, Hart and Clark (" B " First New Jersey), in 
 the open ground north of the cross-road and in rear of 
 the Peach Orchard, and protected by a slight intrench- 
 ment dug along the road which gave to it the name of 
 the "sunken road." Ames battery occupied the Peach 
 orchard, supported by the Third Maine and Third 
 Michigan Regiments, which formed in front of the 
 Orchard facing south, while Randolph s, Seeley s and 
 Turnbull s batteries were placed along the Emmets- 
 burg road fronting west. Sickles had been directed to 
 call upon Sykes for a division of the Fifth Corps, and 
 Hancock also ordered a division of the Second Corps 
 to respond to any call for aid. 
 
 Meade and his corps commanders expected an attack 
 by Lee at some point in the line at an early hour, and 
 his desire to anticipate such a move was his reason for 
 his order directing the Twelfth and Fifth Corps to 
 charge the enemy s left on the arrival of the Sixth 
 Corps. That movement appears to have been aban 
 doned by the adverse reports of Generals Slocum and 
 Warren, and Meade therefore changed his plans to an 
 offensive movement by his left, which he was not, how 
 ever, permitted to make. Lee s delay in attacking the 
 Federal position was a source of astonishment to the 
 Union army and incomprehensible to Meade, who had 
 
1 98 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 been expecting an advance against the Union right as 
 more likely than at any other point, and the continued 
 silence of the Confederate leader gave rise to a number 
 of conjectures as to his possible intentions. 
 
 General Lee was not idle, however, but time, which 
 was of so much value to him, was being ruthlessly 
 wasted. After the abandonment of the plan whereby 
 Ewell was to attack the Federal right, he had formed a 
 plan of attack on the left of Meade s army, Ewell to 
 assault the right at the sound of Longstreet ? s guns 
 while Hill was to make a vigorous demonstration on 
 the centre. Ewell had expressed the belief that he 
 could successfully assault the right as soon as Long- 
 street should break through the Union left. No time 
 seems to have been fixed upon for the beginning of this 
 movement, and every hour s delay only strengthened 
 the Union line. General Lee informed Longstreet of 
 his proposed attack, but that officer attempted to dis 
 suade him from it. A long time seems to have been 
 spent in controversy, and finally Longstreet plead for 
 more time until McLaws division, which had been on 
 picket should arrive. 
 
 Lee had abandoned the " offensive-defensive " plan of 
 operations, and to the objections of both Longstreet 
 and Hood to the proposed movement said : " The 
 enemy is here, and if we do not whip him he will whip 
 us." * Lee was sanguine of success. His troops had 
 been victorious the day before, and they, as well as 
 himself were filled with a belief in their invincibility. 
 
 * Hood in his letter to Longstreet. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 199 
 
 Three-quarters of an hour were lost waiting for the 
 arrival of McLaws, and when at last he reported, a 
 further delay of several hours occurred in the march of 
 the troops. This was occasioned by the instructions of 
 General Lee which called for the masking of the move 
 ment from the Federals, the design being to fall 
 suddenly and impetuously on the left flank of the 
 Union army, which Lee supposed rested on the 
 Emmetsburg road. 
 
 One incident was in Lee s favor. The Union cavalry 
 which should have been placed on Sickles left, had by 
 a misunderstanding been ordered elsewhere, and there 
 was nothing apparently to prevent a surprise move 
 ment but the skirmish line of the Third Corps. The 
 situation seemed favorable for a repetition of " Stone 
 wall " Jackson s flank movement by which the Eleventh 
 Corps was put to flight at Chancellorsvifle ; but there 
 was an important obstacle to its success, which Long- 
 street made a wide detour to overcome. This obstacle 
 was the Signal Station on Little Round Top. The 
 officer in charge discerned the marching column of the 
 enemy, and at once notified General Sickles and Gen 
 eral Meade of the fact. General Meade sent General 
 Warren, of his staff, to the Signal Station, and Sickles 
 ordered Birney to develop the enemy s right with the 
 result as previously described. There was no chance 
 now for a surprise. 
 
 Longstreet observed the signal station on Round 
 Top, and knowing that the movement could no longer 
 be concealed, formed his troops for the assault. 
 
200 A r W /ERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 Hood s division was placed on the right in the fol 
 lowing order : 
 
 Laws brigade, supported by Benning, on the right ; 
 Robertson, with Anderson s brigade in his rear, on 
 the left. 
 
 McLaws division formed on the left of Hood, Ker- 
 shaw s brigade in front and Semmes brigade in rear 
 of Kershaw, constituting his right ; Barksdale, sup 
 ported by Wofford, the left. 
 
 Hood s division was to attack first, by crossing the 
 Emmetsburg road and advancing along the line, taking 
 the left of the Union line in flank and rear. As soon 
 as that was accomplished, McLaws was to deploy 
 across the road in two lines of battle and drive he 
 Federals from the Peach Orchard. These instructions 
 were not carried out in the manner designed, and the 
 battle was fought on a plan which developed itself. 
 
 General Hood, on whom devolved the opening of 
 the fight, had received word from his scouts who had 
 ascended Round Top, of the defenceless condition of 
 Little Round Top, and the apparent ease with which 
 the Federal army could be attacked in rear by passing 
 completely around the larger mountain, and he vainly 
 sought to secure a modification of the order, and to be 
 permitted to move to the south of Round Top for 
 that purpose. Three separate requests were sent to 
 Lee, and finally Longstreet went to Hood and repeated 
 the order of General Lee, which was to be strictly 
 obeyed. 
 
 Birney s infantry line was a weak one, but his front 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 2OI 
 
 at the angle was well covered with artillery while 
 Smith s battery to the extreme left had a commanding 
 position. Birney having discovered the position of 
 the rebel column, at two o clock ordered Clark s bat 
 tery (" B " First New Jersey) to open upon them, and 
 after the firing of a few rounds they disappeared. 
 About three o clock a rebel battery opened fire on 
 Park s position, from the Emmetsburg road, about 
 one thousand four hundred yards to the front, and 
 the fire was effectively replied to, the battery soon 
 ceasing to annoy them. The enemy, however, were 
 massing their artillery under cover of which the 
 infantry attack was to be made. The batteries of 
 Reilley and Latham covered the front of Laws and 
 Robertson s brigades, and further to the left thirteen 
 batteries were placed along the front of Seminary 
 Ridge, their fire converging at the Peach Orchard 
 and enfilading Sickles line in both directions. At 
 half-past three the columns of Hood were seen passing 
 along Birney s front to the left. The whole artillery 
 line on Seminary Ridge opened upon Birney s posi 
 tion, their fire taking Graham s brigade and Hum 
 phreys division then advancing to their new line 
 on the Emmetsburg road in flank. The Confederate 
 infantry preceded by a strong line of skirmishers, 
 advanced to the Federal position. The artillery which 
 accompanied the rebel line opened fire vigorously 
 upon Smith s battery near the Devil s Den which 
 replied effectively. 
 
 Ward s line was a very thin one and the left 
 
2O2 NEW [ERSEY TROOPS 
 
 extremely weak. There was but one regiment to 
 resist the whole of Laws rebel brigade the Fourth 
 Maine and Hood having disregarded Lee s orders 
 either because he was surprised at finding a line of 
 battle extending from the Peach Orchard to the base 
 of Little Round Top to oppose him, or believing the 
 latter to be the key to the whole battle-field and 
 easily taken, as his scouts had reported it defence 
 less directed Laws to bear to the right, and Rob 
 ertson noting the movement also bore in the same 
 direction, and fell with crushing force upon Ward s 
 line at its weakest point. Sickles at once called upon 
 Sykes for the division which had been ordered to his 
 support. 
 
 When Humphreys moved forward to the Emmets- 
 burg road, as directed by General Sickles, Carr s 
 brigade was in the advance, followed by Brewster, 
 Burling s brigade being in the rear. The severe 
 artillery fire upon the fated Peach Orchard was then 
 in progress. Seeley s battery which had been ordered 
 to take position on the right of a log house on the 
 Emmetsburg road, was transferred to the left of the 
 building and its fire soon silenced the guns in its 
 front. Turnbull s battery from the artillery reserve 
 took the place vacated by Seeley. In the alignment 
 of Carr s brigade, the Eleventh New Jersey Regiment 
 was brought to the Emmetsburg road, its right rest 
 ing on the Smith, or Essex house, and extending 
 nearly parallel with the road and about twenty paces 
 to the east of it. In the rear of the Smith house was 
 
BRKY. MAJOR A. JUDP.ON CLARK, 
 
 Captain Com d g Battery B, ist N. J. Artillery. 
 (From a ll ar-time Photograph - 1862.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 205 
 
 an apple orchard, and to the left or south of it, a small 
 peach orchard.* The Eleventh Regiment was the 
 extreme left of the brigade and joined the troops of 
 the First Division. 
 
 Soon after Humphreys had disposed his line to 
 meet the expected attack of the enemy, he sent Bur- 
 ling s brigade to the support of Birney, as already 
 stated. This brigade moved down to the rear of the 
 right of Birney s division, where it was massed in a 
 piece of woods south of the Trostle house, and on 
 the margin of the road leading to the Peach Orchard. 
 General Birney ordered Burling out of the woods 
 into an open field and immediately on unmasking, 
 the enemy opened a terrific cannonade on his left 
 flank. For half an hour the brigade was exposed to 
 a severe storm of shot and shell, when, at the solici 
 tation of his regimental commanders, he moved the 
 brigade back about one hundred yards where they 
 could have the protection of a slight rise in the 
 ground. This movement, under the heavy fire of the 
 enemy, was made in perfect order, but it attracted 
 the attention of Captain Poland of General Sickles 
 staff, who not understanding it rode furiously up to 
 Burling and demanded to know by whose orders he 
 had moved his brigade. " By my own," replied Bur- 
 
 *This fact has given rise to the belief that the position of the Regi 
 ment was in Sherfey s Peach Orchard which was some distance further 
 to the left, and at the junction of a cross-road which runs from the 
 Taneytown to the Emmetsburg road. Marbakcr, Historian Eleventh 
 Regiment. 
 
2o6 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ling. " Take your command back to the position you 
 left, sir," was Poland s excited reply, and Burling at 
 once started to obey, but just at that moment an order 
 was received from General Birney to detach two regi 
 ments to go to the support of General Graham. 
 The Second New Hampshire and the Seventh New 
 Jersey, Colonel Louis R. Francine, were detailed for 
 that purpose. The Second New Hampshire was 
 ordered to the support of Ames battery in the Peach 
 Orchard, and in taking position its right wing fronted 
 the Emmetsburg road, and its left the cross-road in 
 rear of the orchard, thus forming an acute angle. 
 The Seventh New Jersey was ordered to the support 
 of the remaining batteries, and took position to the 
 rear of Clark s battery ("B" First New Jersey). It 
 had been at this place only a short time when the 
 terrific and deafening cannonade, which preceded the 
 advance of the enemy, began. The fire from the 
 rebel .batteries was sharp and effective. Many of the 
 shells burst directly over the regiment and several 
 men were killed and wounded as they lay in the ranks. 
 Trying as the ordeal was the men of the Seventh 
 bore it bravely. Unable to engage the enemy they 
 courageously submitted to the dreadful down-pour 
 of missiles which broke upon them and from which 
 their position permitted of no escape. 
 
 The Fifth New Jersey Regiment, Colonel William J. 
 Sewell, was next detailed. Reporting to General 
 Humphreys the Fifth was ordered to relieve the Sixty- 
 third Pennsylvania, on picket duty on the Emmetsburg 
 
208 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 road. Colonel Burling was now left with but three 
 regiments of his brigade. 
 
 The fighting on Ward s front to the left had been 
 furiously kept up. The men of Robertson s brigade 
 threw themselves upon the Federal line, and sought 
 to envelop it by turning the left, the batteries of Smith 
 and Winslow opened upon them, at first with case-shot, 
 as they came nearer with shell, and when within three 
 hundred yards with grape and canister. The infantry 
 reserved their fire until the enemy Avere but two 
 hundred yards away, when they poured a terrific 
 volley into them checking their advance and throwing 
 them into great disorder. Between the opposing lines 
 was a stone fence and both sides waged a sharp contest 
 for its possession. The battle was a frightful one. It 
 seemed as though both Confederates and Federals 
 were determined to fight until death before giving 
 way. For more than an hour the lines alternately 
 advanced and retreated, but Robertson, in his eager 
 ness to interpose between Ward s left and the gorge, 
 so extended his lines as to expose his flank to the fire of 
 De Trobriand s brigade who was on the right of Ward. 
 So deadly was the fire from this unexpected quarter 
 that the left of Robertson s line was thrown back, and 
 in order to avert disaster Robertson summoned up the 
 rest of his brigade to meet De Trobriand s fire, which 
 relieved Ward from the enormous pressure upon him 
 and he promptly advanced and recovered the ground 
 which he had lost. 
 
 Anderson s brigade at this juncture of affairs moved 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 2Og 
 
 down to the attack on De Trobriand, but he was also 
 repulsed with heavy loss. Benning s brigade came in 
 to Anderson s assistance and the fighting was renewed 
 with great desperation on both sides. 
 
 Laws brigade, General Hood accompanying it, with 
 two regiments of Robertson s brigade moved directly 
 across the gorge and attempted to scale the rocky 
 sides of Little Round Top. Ward had no troops to 
 prevent the movement, and there was nothing 
 apparently to prevent the capture of this important 
 position. 
 
 General Warren had not been long on Little Round 
 Top before he saw the great importance of this summit 
 to the Union army. As he. saw the movement of Hood 
 toward it he directed the signal officers to keep on 
 waving their flags while he went for troops to defend 
 it, and galloping out to the road he saw Barnes divi 
 sion of the Fifth Corps moving to Sickles assistance. 
 These reinforcements should have been at Sickles line 
 an hour before, but they were in time to save Round 
 Top. At the urgent request of Warren, General Sykes 
 detached Vincent s brigade, and detailed Hazlett s bat 
 tery to accompany them. Warren returned to his post 
 and looked upon the frightful scene below. The inces 
 sant roar of artillery and musketry ; the rapid move 
 ment of troops now blue, now gray as they emerge 
 from the shelter of woods and rocks, or plunge reck 
 lessly into each other s ranks ; the yells, the shouts, the 
 cheers which arise above the sound of musketry all 
 these are seen and heard, but to Warren, who sees the 
 14 
 
210 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 enemy moving up the steep sides of the hill he occu 
 pies, the terrible conflict below becomes painful, as he 
 anxiously awaits the arrival of Vincent. Noticing a 
 body of troops on the road he once more starts for 
 help, and at his urgent solicitation Colonel O Rorke, of 
 the One Hundred and Fortieth New York Regiment, 
 follows him on a double-quick. During Warren s 
 absence Vincent emerges on the spur of Little Round 
 Top, and before him is spread a panorama of exceed 
 ing beauty and, just at that moment, of terrible grand 
 eur, but he has no time to devote to its contempla 
 tion. As he posts his regiments along the rocky sum 
 mit, Laws enthusiastic Alabamians and Texans are 
 pushing their way up the slope. Vincent s men are 
 soon in position, the Sixteenth Michigan on the right, 
 Forty-fourth New York and Eighty-third Pennsylvania 
 in the centre, and the Twentieth Maine, Colonel Cham 
 berlain, on the left. The enemy advance inspired by 
 the sanguine words of their impulsive leader, and 
 attack Vincent s centre. The rebels stumble and fall 
 over the rocks and stones which impede their advance, 
 but they push on, sheltering themselves as best they 
 can from the close fire of Vincent s men. Unable to 
 scale the obstructions in front, Hood extends his left to 
 outflank the Sixteenth Michigan, which makes a gallant 
 resistance but is being overpowered. Just at this 
 moment, O Rorke, with his brave New Yorkers, arrives 
 on a run, and without any attempt at formation, they 
 rush madly, bravely, desperately upon the enemy, and 
 check their movement, capturing many prisoners as 
 
CAPT. AMBKOSK M. MATTHEWS, 
 
 Co. I, 1 3th Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a Recent Photograph.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 213 
 
 trophies for their gallant charge. Hazlett, by the most 
 extraordinary exertions has succeeded in placing his 
 battery on the summit of Little Round Top. Dragging 
 the heavy guns by hand, skillfully surmounting the 
 numerous obstacles in the shape of huge bowlders and 
 fallen trees, which were met with at every step, his 
 plucky artillerymen performed a service as remarkable 
 as it was glorious. Training his guns upon the enemy 
 below, he began a cannonade against the forces so 
 fiercely attacking Ward, and as the sound of his guns 
 was heard, a cheer went up along the Union line, and 
 all knew that Little Round Top was safe. 
 
 The battle which raged between the contesting 
 forces on Little Round Top, and Benning, Anderson 
 and Robertson s rebel brigades with the troops of Ward 
 and De Trobriand, was of the most desperate nature. 
 The two Federal brigades supported by Smith s and 
 Winslow s batteries resisted stubbornly, but their posi 
 tion became more and more perilous. Smith leaving 
 three of his guns, went to the rear and opened that 
 section of his battery, firing obliquely through the 
 gully. The rebels were everywhere. They were 
 strongly disposed behind the natural defenses of rocks 
 and ridges and kept up an incessant musketry and 
 artillery fire. The Sixth New Jersey Regiment, 
 Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. Gilkyson, commanding, was 
 sent to Ward s support, and at the same time the 
 Fortieth New York, Colonel Egan of De Trobriand s 
 brigade. Proceeding on a double-quick to the most 
 exposed point in Ward s line, the Sixth New Jersey 
 
214 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 took an advanced position in the gully and near the 
 Devil s Den, where they engaged the enemy. The 
 Eighth New Jersey was ordered in to the right of 
 Ward s brigade, probably by General Birney s direct 
 order, as Colonel Burling did not know what disposi 
 tion had been made of it, and the One Hundred and 
 Fifteenth Pennsylvania Regiment took position to the 
 left of the Eighth in like manner, thus closing a gap 
 which existed in the line between Ward and De 
 Trobriand. Colonel Burling s command had thus been 
 broken up and put into action at different parts of the 
 line, over an extent of territory reaching from the 
 Rogers house on the Emmetsburg road, to the Devil s 
 Den, a distance of fully one mile. 
 
 The engagement had now become general along 
 Birney s entire front. Kershaw s brigade of McLaws 
 division followed by Semmes brigade had engaged De 
 Trobriand s line and finally attacked the apex of the 
 angle at the Peach Orchard. Tilton s and Sweitzer s 
 brigades of Barnes division of the Fifth Corps moved 
 in to the relief of De Trobriand s worn out and 
 exhausted men, whose ranks had been fearfully 
 thinned, and met Kershaw s attack with great vigor, 
 but they were finally driven back, thus imperiling the 
 entire position. 
 
 The Sixth New Jersey and the Fortieth New York, 
 who had pushed down to the support of Ward s left, 
 " fighting like tigers," were exposed to a galling fire. 
 For two hours the Sixth fought the enemy in the 
 rocky gorge, protecting themselves by the huge 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 21$ 
 
 bowlders and ledges of rock, which are to be found 
 everywhere at this point, and only retired from the 
 field when ordered by General Ward to rejoin its 
 brigade. The losses of the Sixth Regiment during the 
 battle were as follows : 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Wounded Major Theodore VV. Baker. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Hart W. Bodine, 
 Corporal Smith Applegate, Corporal Thomas V. 
 Dougherty (killed June 18, 1864, near Petersburg, 
 Va.), Thomas Shields, William K. Morris, William 
 Walton. 
 
 Missing Samuel Applegate, David L. Compton. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Charles B. Yearkes (died 
 August 20, 1863), Andrew Holland (died July 26, 
 1864, of wounds received in Wilderness). 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Frederick Boorman, John Fin- 
 erty, Henry Herman. 
 
 Missing Austin A. Skinner, Martin Williams. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant William D. Smith, Sergeant 
 Eli H. Baily, Daniel P. Bendalow. 
 
 Missing Sergeant Edgar Hudson (supposed dead), 
 Samuel English. 
 
2l6 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Levi E. Ay res, First 
 Sergeant George W. Jackson, Sergeant Charles G. P. 
 Goforth (died September i, 1864), William Hartman, 
 Edward Johnson. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Adam Sheppard, Samuel B. 
 Matlack, Charles Horstman. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 Wounded William E. Eastlack. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Stephen Hull, Ambrose Kizer, 
 Peter Wean (died July n). 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant John E. Loeb, Henry Hessel. 
 Missing William D. Jacobs, James W. Lewis. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Killed Corporal Benjamin F. Reeves. 
 Wounded John Lane, Dennis Laughlin, John A. 
 Smith (died of peritonitis November 30, 1863). 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Afisstng. Total. 
 
 Officers 3 3 
 
 Enlisted Men i 29 8 38 
 
 Total i 32 8 41 
 
BRIG.-GEX. WILLIAM H. PEXROSE, 
 
 Colonel Comm d g 15111 Regt. N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From Photograph after the War.) 
 
AV THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 219 
 
 The Eighth New Jersey Regiment, Colonel John 
 Ramsey, when ordered into action advanced across 
 the wheat-field, taking position behind a stone wall, 
 from whence they were ordered further to the right, 
 placing them in an exposed position, with the stone 
 wall on their left, and a rocky hill on their right. In 
 front of this position there was a thick brush, big tim 
 ber and rising ground, beyond which was a ravine 
 with a hill on the other side. A few fence rails that 
 were lying about were quickly seized upon and made 
 to form a slight protection before the coming storm 
 of battle should strike them. The only troops in front 
 were a few of Berdan s sharpshooters. While some of 
 the men were gathering fence rails they discovered 
 Kershaw s column of troops approaching in line of 
 battle to the attack of De Trobriand s position, on the 
 left of whose line they were, and quickly gave the 
 alarm. In a few minutes the enemy came into full 
 view, and then ensued a sharp, severe and bloody 
 struggle. The Eighth fought with the gallantry and 
 bravery which proved them worthy followers of the 
 heroic Kearny. Their ranks were rapidly thinned, and 
 as they fell slowly back, their colors became entangled 
 in a tree. The remnant of brave fellows rallied around 
 them with cheers and re-formed to meet the advancing 
 foe. At this point the Eighth was subjected to a severe 
 musketry fire and sustained heavy losses. Colonel 
 Ramsey was wounded, and the command of the regi 
 ment devolved upon Captain John Langston, of Com 
 pany K. A brigade of the Fifth Corps came into line 
 
220 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 at this time and the Eighth was relieved. Its losses 
 were 49, out of about 1 50 men who went into action, 
 as follows : 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Wounded Colonel John Ramsey. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Killed George B. Hopwood, Anson R. Waer. 
 
 Wounded First Lieutenant Leonard M. Lambert, 
 Sergeant John M. Freeland, Corporal James Van 
 Wickle, James M. Day, Thomas Oldham, Henry M. 
 Shugard (died July 29). 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Killed Sylvester W. Hardy, Charles Meeker. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Joseph Browe, Joseph 
 Burroughs (died July 16), David L. Shiple}-, James E. 
 Jones, William Robinson, John Jackson. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Wounded Charles E. Creelan, David James, Ira J. 
 Smith (also missing). 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Andrew J. Mandeville, 
 Harvey K. Ammerman, Anthony C. Bull, John L. 
 Hoffman. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Killed John Classer, David Cooper. 
 Wounded Mark Greengrove. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 221 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Killed Sergeant James Riley. 
 
 Wounded First Lieutenant Henry Hartford, First 
 Sergeant Daniel M. Ford, Stephen D. Longee, Thomas 
 Van Cleave (died July 17). 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 Wounded Captain Edward C. Nichols, Corporal 
 John Cahill, Edward Quigley, William Riley. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Killed Jonas W. Longenhuer. 
 
 Wounded Captain Andrew S. Davis (died July 29), 
 First Sergeant William J. Donnelly, Sergeant Obadiah 
 Evans, John H. Gustus, Ervin Wilson, J. Irwin Lake, 
 Elisha Bowlby. 
 
 Missing Corporal Andrew J. Hoppock (prisoner of 
 war). 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 WoundedWilliam R. Ralph, John F. Clouser, 
 Patrick Riley. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 Wounded Corporal Benjamin Murphy. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 
 Officers 7 7 
 
 Enlisted Men 8 34 i 43 
 
 Total.. 8 41 i 50 
 
222 NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 The Seventh New Jersey Regiment suffered consid 
 erably from the artillery fire of the enemy while lying 
 in support of the batteries, a number of men being 
 killed and wounded. A ball from one spherical case- 
 shot exploding overhead, plunged into the neck of 
 Corporal Eugene Pollard of Company K as he lay on 
 his face in the ranks. His brother and file-mate picked 
 him up for dead and carried his body back to the 
 woods and rocks where the regiment first formed, lay 
 ing him down where he might be found again, when 
 they returned to their places.* One shell came 
 screaming over the regiment from the left to the right 
 and plunging into the ranks exploded, killing two or 
 three and wounding several others, among the latter 
 Second Lieutenant Stanley Gaines of Company K, 
 who was detailed to the command of another company, 
 which had no commissioned officer present. 
 
 At last when the fighting was the fiercest at Little 
 Round Top, the Devil s Den and the wheat-field, the 
 Seventh became exposed to a shower of flying bullets 
 at their backs. The regiment changed front to the 
 left by the right flank, bringing them to face the 
 lane and moving a few hundred feet over toward the 
 Emmetsburg road, and nearer to Trostle s lane. Just 
 at this time the artillery, in order to escape the advanc 
 ing lines of Longstreet s hosts, limbered up and came 
 hastening to the rear from the Peach Orchard and 
 
 * Corporal Pollard was only slightly wounded, and the bullet which 
 the surgeons cut out of his neck he carried in his pocket. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 223 
 
 from the field. One battery coming straight toward 
 the Seventh Regiment, caused the right four com 
 panies to separate from the line, thus causing a gap, 
 and to avoid being crushed to death by the reckless 
 drivers of the battery, were forced across Trostle s 
 lane. The artillery became temporarily blocked in the 
 lane, the anxiety of the drivers caused them to lap their 
 horses over the pieces and caissons in front of them, 
 thus effectually preventing the right four companies of 
 the Seventh from rejoining their colors and the other 
 six companies on the south side of the lane. Simul 
 taneously with this blockade in Trostle s lane, came the 
 rebel lines into the sunken road, running from the 
 Emmetsburg pike to Round Top, and with colors 
 planted on this natural breastwork, they opened a 
 galling fire upon the Seventh New Jersey and the 
 Second New Hampshire which, falling back from its 
 first position at the extreme angle in the Peach 
 Orchard, had made this its last stand, in the field about 
 midway between the two roads. The right of the 
 Seventh, which was then the color company of the 
 regiment commanded by Captain Hillyer, rested under 
 a single tree that still stands on the fence line of Tros 
 tle s lane. The regiment could not return with any 
 effect the fire of the rebel line, as nothing but the 
 slouch hats of their men were visible ; they were unable 
 to lie down in the lane owing to the blockade of the 
 artillery, and there was no other shelter for the gal 
 lant veterans of the Seventh, who had no thought of 
 leaving the field without firing one shot at the enemv 
 
224 N IV JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 at least, before the guns were safely withdrawn. 
 Colonel Francine, Lieutenant-Colonel Price and Major 
 Cooper in a few moments saw that it would be impos 
 sible to hold the men together inactive, exposed to this 
 concentrating and galling fire, which in a few moments 
 would become deadly when the rebel riflemen had 
 obtained a more accurate range. Believing that a 
 charge on the double-quick, with hearty Yankee cheers 
 would check the advance of the enemy s line and draw 
 his fire from the retreating batteries, at the same time 
 destroying his range, the order was quickly given : 
 "Fix bayonets; forward, double-quick, charge!" and 
 this devoted little band swept across the field with 
 shouts of confidence. As they reached about the pro 
 longation of the line of the Second New Hampshire 
 which stood like a wall, hopelessly matching its spent, 
 feeble and almost exhausted fire against the long line 
 of battle confronting it the hopelessness of the Sev 
 enth s effort was apparent, and all knew that any 
 further advance meant certain annihilation for the 
 brave Jerseymen. A halt, a hasty adjustment of the 
 line, and a volley at the line of dirty slouch hats in 
 front, was the work of but a minute, and the rattle of 
 musketry drowned all other sounds, while the smoke 
 totally obscured the rebel hats and colors. 
 
 At this point Colonel Francine, Lieutenant Mul- 
 lery, Adjutant Dougherty, and over one-third of the 
 Seventh were quickly placed /tors du combat. The 
 few who were still able to get away (wounded and 
 unhurt) fell back beyond the Trostle house where 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 22$ 
 
 they joined the other four companies, under the com 
 mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Price, who rallied the 
 scattered fragments and made another stand near 
 Trostle s dwelling, until he himself fell shot through 
 the thigh when the command devolved upon Major 
 Frederick Cooper. In falling back from its most 
 advanced position many more were struck by the 
 shower of balls, among them Captain Hillyer who 
 managed to hobble from the field with a flesh wound 
 in the calf of his leg. 
 
 The losses of the Seventh were severe, amounting to 
 114, killed, wounded and missing, as follows: 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Wounded Colonel Louis R. Francine (died July 16, 
 1863), Lieutenant Colonel Francis Price, Jr. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Killed Corporal Parker S. Davis, Martin Van 
 Houten, James Flavegar. 
 
 Wounded Lieutenant Robert Allen, First Sergeant 
 Frederick Laib (died July 7), Corporal Swain S. 
 Reeves, William H. Kirby, Thomas Brady, Lewis 
 Haag, Jonathan C. Stevens, Owen S. Clark (died July 
 20), John Geckler. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Killed First Lieutenant Charles F. Walker, George 
 W. Berry. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Daniel Collins, Corporal John 
 W. Donnington, Sopher ?1 " Powers, Wallace Waer, 
 15 
 
226 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Patrick Carrigan, Stephen P. Williams, Reuben Pierce, 
 William Noonburg. 
 Missing Thomas Flannery, Cornelius Vandervliet. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Killed - - Sergeant James H. Harrison, Sergeant 
 James Brown. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Robert N. Beach, Corporal 
 George W. Major, Corporal Alfred Husk, Stephen 
 W. Edwards, James Keene, John Norman, Charles 
 Wilson, Garret C. Bush. 
 
 Missing John Lynch. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Wounded Lieutenant James H. Onslow, First Ser 
 geant Walter Rotherham, Sergeant John T. Pine, 
 Corporal Martin Cook, Corporal Samuel R. Stibbins, 
 Joseph Deighlebohr, .Mahlon Hackney. 
 
 Missing-^-lokm Mushlee, Charles W. Guice, Charles 
 Stibbins. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Calvin J. Osmun, Sergeant James 
 Roseberry, Corporal Edward Creveling, Corporal 
 David R. Rockafellow, James McKeever (and missing), 
 William H. Pettit, John S. Gulick, Robert Dairy mple, 
 Joseph Weaver, Michael Barry. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Killed Henry Rourke, James Bennett, Jeremiah 
 McNulty, Joseph Hall. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant James F. Renshaw (died July 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 227 
 
 ii), Sergeant Edward H. Ridgway, Charles P. Platt 
 (died July 24), Thomas J. Labaugh. 
 Missing Edwin F. Platt. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 Killed Corporal Thomas Flannigan, Edward Mew- 
 hanney. 
 
 Wounded James Fletcher (died July 8), Henry Van 
 Riper, Thomas Walthall, Robert Dunkerley, John 
 James. 
 
 Missing William K. Willis. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Killed John A. Dempsey. 
 
 Wounded Lieutenant Charles R. Dougherty, Lieu 
 tenant Thomas Clark, First Sergeant Jesse C. Morgan, 
 Corporal William B. Davis, Corporal Lorenzo Paynter, 
 John Armstrong, Samuel T. Beckett, Henry F. Har- 
 rold, Albert Johnson, George C. Lovejoy, Samuel H. 
 Nelson, Joseph Wolf, Thomas W. Wyne, William J. 
 Wallen. 
 
 Missing Daniel W. Simmerman. 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Killed Sergeant William A. Ezekiel. 
 \Voundcd First Sergeant Edward R. Holt, Corporal 
 Ryerson Space, Joshua Leonard, Daniel Sheldon. 
 Missing Richard South. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Wounded Captain William R. Hillyer, Lieutenant 
 Michael Mullery, Lieutenant Stanley Gaines, Corporal 
 
228 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Eugene Pollard, Corporal George W. Derrickson, Cor 
 poral John L. Denton, Lemuel Adams, George F- 
 Bayles, Charles Y. Beers (died July 6), Abel Gruber, 
 Jacob S. Hopping (died July 16), John H. Haley, 
 Robert L. Jolly (died July 22), Theodore F. Searing, 
 George Shipman. 
 
 Missing Joseph Ward, John Recanio. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 
 Officers i 10 n 
 
 Enlisted men 14 77 12 103 
 
 Total _ 15 87 12 114 
 
 The Fifth New Jersey Regiment, Colonel William J. 
 Sewell, which had been ordered to the relief of the 
 picket line on the Emmetsburg road, moved by the 
 right flank at a double-quick, and reached the position 
 named by deploying as skirmishers. The right of the 
 regiment rested at a white house, the left extending to 
 a barn on the Emmetsburg road, the line covering the 
 entire front of Humphreys division. The Fifth was 
 subjected to a severe artillery fire for full an hour, 
 when the enemy s infantry (Barksdale s brigade) made 
 their appearance to the left and in front of the position 
 occupied by the regiment. Colonel Sewell at once 
 notified General Humphreys of the enemy s appear 
 ance, and after an examination of the ground was con 
 vinced that the only place to check the attack was on 
 the road and the crest of the hill which he held. The 
 enemy first encountered the left of the line of battle, 
 and pushed forward in such strong force as to drive in 
 
MONUMENT IST N. J. RR IO ADK~IST ? 20, 3 n, 4 TH, 
 
 4TH, I5TH RFGTS. 
 
230 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the troops on SewelPs left. The "flank of the Fifth 
 Regiment thus becoming exposed, the left of the line 
 fell back and the ground thus surrendered was at once 
 occupied by a rebel battery. Sewell held his men 
 firmly to the position expecting an advance of the 
 troops in his rear, but none came to his support. The 
 Fifth was now seriously compromised. Exposed to a 
 combined musketry and artillery fire which it was 
 impossible to withstand, it was apparent that to remain 
 any longer meant annihilation or capture. Rallying 
 the regiment on the right Colonel Sewell skillfully with 
 drew it from its perilous position, at the same time 
 covering Seeley s battery, which was firing in retreat. 
 As the Fifth fell back in good order and amid a terri 
 ble fire of musketry and artillery, it was noticed that 
 Humphreys line was changing front to his rear and 
 right so as to connect with the First Division, which 
 had been compelled to vacate its position. The Fifth 
 Regiment fought with great gallantry and confronted 
 overwhelming numbers, but the strong and rapid 
 advance of the enemy carried everything before it. 
 Colonel Sewell and Acting Major Victor M. Healey 
 were both seriously hurt, the former by a musket ball 
 and the latter by a piece of shell. Captain E. P. Berry, 
 acting adjutant, was so badly hurt that his leg had to 
 be amputated, from the effects of which he died July 6. 
 The casualties complete were as follows : 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Wounded Colonel William J. Sewell, Captain, and 
 Acting Adjutant, Edward P. Berry. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 231 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Killed Second Lieutenant Henry R. Clark, Samuel 
 W. Bradford. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Thomas Hannigan, Charles H. 
 Compton, John Haney, Michael Humphrey, John 
 Miller, Patrick Ryan (died July 8), Henry Schweis, 
 Patrick Tynan. 
 
 Missing Augustus F. S. Singleton. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Killed Corporal Edgar S. Van Winkle. 
 
 Wounded Captain Virgil M. Healy, Sergeant John 
 Mclvors (died July 16), Corporal John J. Keeney, 
 James W. Andrews, James Bell (died July 12, 1864), 
 Roderick Egan, Michael Fox, John H. Ibbs, Annanias 
 H. Lynn, George W. Trauger, George T. White. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Killed John Ryan. 
 
 Wounded Captain Henry H. Woolsey, Sergeant 
 John W. Jennings, Edward Bessigkommer, David J. 
 Huntington, Michael C. Manning, Michael McTigh, 
 George Schriber, William Waldron. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Wounded Corporal John F. Chase, Andrew Jack 
 son, John Coyle. 
 
 Missing Corporal John H. Brady, Levi Hall, 
 Edward Cassaday (died January 2, 1864, at Belle Isle, 
 Va., prisoner of war), John Roaleff. 
 
 Missing Lewis J. Low (supposed dead). 
 
232 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Killed H enrich Troch. 
 
 Wounded - - Corporal Hugh Riley, Anton Burtz, 
 James R. Clark, Samuel Haines, Eli Hamilton, 
 Albertus K. Hibbs, Jacob Meyers, John Melcher, 
 William Nelson. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Killed First Sergeant Theodore Sutphin. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Richard P. Ogden, George 
 Drummond, Jacob M. Frazer, James M. Welsh, Jona 
 than Wentzell. 
 
 Missing Corporal Samuel Ray. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Martin Doyle, John J. Irving, 
 David McManus, David Miller. 
 
 Missing Jacob Baier, John O. Heath (missing, sup 
 posed dead), David Stolter. 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Killed Samuel Henselman, Patrick Kelly. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Hugh Starrs (died June 29, 
 1864, at Anderson ville, prisoner of war), Corporal 
 John F. Lee, George Rhinecker, Howard O Daniel, 
 William H. Ketch (missing, supposed dead), Joseph 
 Zahn. 
 
 Missing John H. Johnson (supposed dead). 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Killed Captain Thomas Kelly, William L. Bennett, 
 Edward Martin. 
 
MONUMENT STH N. J, Voi.s., INF. 
 
NE IV JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 Wounded Sergeant William K. Haines, Corporal 
 Thomas Norcross (died October 30, 1863), Benjamin 
 O. Birch, Richard Nesbitt, George Whitney. 
 
 Missing Alfred L. Britton. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Killed Sergeant Samuel Shackleton. 
 
 Wounded Captain Cyrus H. Rogers, William J. 
 Button (died September 24, 1863), William H. Cary, 
 Thomas Hampton, Charles B. Leonard. 
 
 Missing First Sergeant Edwin G. Smith, James 
 Brady, John Easch (supposed dead), Nehemiah Sayers. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 
 Officers ... 2 5 7 
 
 Enlisted Men... n 60 16 87 
 
 Total. __ 13 65 16 
 
 94 
 
 The praise bestowed upon the fighting qualities of 
 Burling s Jersey brigade is wholly deserved. General 
 Birney says of them : " I cannot estimate too highly 
 the services of the regiments from Burling s brigade, 
 Second Division the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh New 
 Jersey Volunteers. These regiments were sent to me 
 during the contest and most gallantly did they sustain 
 the glorious reputation won by them in former battles." 
 The absence of any allusion to the heroic conduct of 
 the Eighth Regiment is undoubtedly due to the fact 
 as Colonel Burling says in his report that it was taken 
 from him without his knowledge, and as Colonel 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 235 
 
 Ramsey, who commanded the regiment was wounded, 
 no report of its services was ever sent in. 
 
 Of the brilliant services of the Fifth Regiment 
 General Humphreys who commanded the Second 
 Division of the Third Corps, says : 
 
 " Colonel Sewell, commanding the Fifth New Jersey 
 Volunteers, of my Third Brigade, reported to me and 
 relieved the pickets of General Graham s brigade on 
 my left, some of which extended over a part of my 
 front. This regiment had been posted but a short time 
 when a most earnest request was made by a staff 
 officer of General Sickles that another regiment should 
 be sent to the support of General Birney. At this 
 moment Colonel Sewell sent me word that the enemy 
 was driving in my pickets and was about advancing in 
 two lines to the attack. * * * * Seeley s battery 
 had now opened upon the enemy s infantry as they 
 began to advance. Turnbull s battery was likewise 
 directed against them, and I was about to throw 
 forward somewhat the left of my infantry and engage 
 the enemy with it, when I received orders from 
 General Birney (General Sickles having been danger 
 ously wounded and carried from the field) to throw 
 back my left and form a line oblique to and in rear of 
 the one I then held, and was informed that the First 
 Division would complete the line to Round Top ridge. 
 This I did under a heavy fire of artillery and infantry 
 from the enemy, who now advanced on my whole 
 front. 
 
 " At this time Colonel Sewell s regiment returned to 
 
236 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the line, having maintained most gallantly its position 
 on picket, with very heavy loss. 
 
 ***: 
 
 " As I have already stated, my Third Brigade was 
 ordered to the support of Major-General Birney, com 
 manding the First Division. The accompanying report 
 of Colonel George C. Burling, commanding that bri 
 gade, exhibits the disposition that was made of the 
 regiments of the brigade. In succession they, with the 
 exception of Colonel Sewell s regiment, were sent to 
 aid the brigades of the First Division. The Seventh 
 New Jersey, Colonel Louis R. Francine, commanding, 
 and the Second New Hampshire, were sent to the sup 
 port of General Graham s brigade, and the Eighth 
 New Jersey, Colonel John Ramsey, commanding; the 
 Sixth New Jersey, Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. Gilkyson, 
 commanding, and the One Hundred and Fifteenth 
 Pennsylvania, were sent to the support of General 
 Ward s brigade. For the part taken in the engage 
 ment by these regiments I must refer to the reports 
 of the commanders of these brigades. That they did 
 their duty in a manner comporting with their high 
 reputation is manifest from the severe loss they met 
 with 430 killed and wounded. Colonel Sew ell, Colonel 
 Francine, Colonel Ramsey, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Price, officers distinguished for their skill and gal 
 lantry, were severely wounded.. Colonel Francine s 
 wound proved to be mortal. 
 
 # # % # # # 
 
 u Colonel Sewell s conspicuous gallantry in the main 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 237 
 
 tenance of his post has been already mentioned by me. 
 He was severely wounded soon after his regiment 
 rejoined the main line." 
 
 General Ward, to whose support the Sixth and 
 Eighth New Jersey Regiments were sent, makes no 
 mention whatever in his report of the valuable services 
 rendered by these splendid regiments, an oversight 
 that appears strange indeed, in view of the profuse 
 praise bestowed on other regiments whose services 
 were no better, nor more greatly needed. Captain 
 Smith of the Fourth New York Battery, is an honora 
 ble exception to both General Ward and Colonel 
 Tipton who commanded Graham s brigade (General 
 Graham having been wounded and fell into the hands 
 of the enemy) in whose support the Second New 
 Hampshire and Seventh New Jersey went. Captain 
 Smith says : " At this time the Sixth New Jersey 
 Volunteers, Lieutenant- Colonel Gilkyson command 
 ing, and Fortieth New York Regiment, Colonel Egan 
 commanding, came to our support. These regiments 
 marched down the gully, fighting like tigers, exposed 
 to a terrific fire of musketry, and when within one 
 hundred yards of the rebel line the Fourth Maine, 
 which still held the hill, were forced to retreat. Very 
 soon afterward the Fortieth New York and Sixth 
 New Jersey Regiments were compelled to follow." 
 
 The Eleventh New Jersey Regiment, Colonel Rob 
 ert McAllister commanding, of Carr s brigade, was 
 also heavily engaged in the dreadful conflict which 
 followed the impetuous charge of Barksdale s brigade, 
 
238 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 as it broke through the lines at the Peach Orchard. 
 They heroically braved the tempest of shot and shell 
 which ploughed through their ranks, and the heavy 
 casualty list attests their unwavering conduct during 
 this dreadful ordeal. General McAllister, in a recent 
 letter to the author, thus describes the scene : 
 
 "We (the Eleventh New Jersey Volunteers) were 
 in front of the apple orchard at the Smith house, 
 along the Emmetsburg road. During this heavy artil 
 lery firing we not being actively engaged I ordered 
 my men to lie down. The shot and shell played over 
 our heads and through the apple trees in our rear, 
 carrying the branches through the air like chaff. The 
 gunners and horses of our artillery were rapidly cut 
 down. If the destruction of life could have been left 
 out of mind I would have considered the scene grand 
 beyond description. So exciting was it that I could 
 not keep lying down. I had to jump up and watch 
 the grand duel. In about half an hour the artillery 
 ceased and the first charge of the rebel infantry was 
 made in my front. We prepared to receive the 
 charge. I ordered my men to Fire/ I was on the 
 right of my regiment. As the rebels advanced our 
 pickets came into our lines, and we received the 
 charge. I was wounded while passing from the right 
 to the centre of. my regiment severely wounded by 
 a minie ball passing through my left leg and a shell 
 striking my right foot. I did not see a single man in 
 the regiment flinch or show the least cowardice under 
 that terrific cannonading or the fierce charge which 
 we met." 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 239 
 
 The Eleventh was assailed on the right by Wilcox s 
 brigade, and the charge by Barksdale at the Peach 
 Orchard uncovered its left. To meet his attack the 
 regiment was directed by General Carr to change 
 front by bringing the left to the rear, which movement 
 was as orderly and as handsomely executed under the 
 terrible fire to which it was exposed, as though on 
 parade. This brought the Eleventh directly in the path 
 of Barksdale s advance. Barksdale was mounted upon 
 a splendid horse and was conspicuous by wearing a red 
 fez. He rode to the right and foot of his brigade, 
 with ringing voice and waving sword urging his men 
 on, and General Carr, recognizing the worth of this 
 leader s example and enthusiasm sent an aide to the 
 commanding officer of the Eleventh, directing him to 
 bring down the mounted officer. Company H, com 
 manded by Captain Ira W. Cory \vas ordered to direct 
 its entire fire at Barksdale, and he fell pierced (as it was 
 afterwards ascertained) by five balls. 
 
 The change of front to meet Barksdale s charge 
 brought the Eleventh to the foot of. the slope in rear 
 of the Smith house, and there occurred its greatest 
 loss, the casualties among the officers being unusually 
 large. Colonel McAllister fell severely wounded just 
 as he gave the command. Major Philip Kearney, the 
 next in command, soon received a shot in the knee, and 
 spinning around like a top fell, ten paces away. 
 Captain Luther Martin, of Company D, the senior 
 officer, was notified to take the command, but before he 
 had time to realize the responsibility of his position, 
 
240 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 was killed. Captain D. B. Logan of Company H, who 
 succeeded him, also fell severely wounded, and four 
 men who were taking him to the rear were all shot 
 down before they could reach a place of safety and 
 Captain Logan killed. Captain Andrew H. Ackerman, 
 of Company C, then assumed command and he, too, 
 soon fell dead. The regiment was being cut up at a 
 frightful rate, and began falling back. To check this 
 movement Corporal Thomas Johnson of Company I, 
 was ordered to take the colors two color-bearers had 
 already been shot and plant them twenty paces to the 
 front. He did so and remained there kneeling until 
 ordered back, when the regiment moved with the line 
 of battle to a position some distance to the rear, where 
 it halted behind a hedge. 
 
 The casualties in the Eleventh were heavy over 
 fifcy per cent, of the number who went into action. 
 They were as follows : 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF. 
 
 Wounded Colonel Robert McAllister, Major Philip 
 J. Kearney (died August 9, 1863), Adjutant John 
 Schoonover. 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Wounded Corporal Tyler L. Haring (died July 4), 
 First Sergeant Joseph Burns, Corporal George H. 
 Johnson, Emmet Burke, Christopher Snyder, Robert 
 E. Mayo, William H. Weaver, Nathan E. Wappen- 
 stein, Archibald Patten, Isaac Harlow, Daniel L. 
 Snider, Henry McMahon. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 241 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Woiinded First Lieutenant William S. Provost, 
 First Sergeant William Hand, Corporal Charles A. 
 Voorhees (loss of both eyes), Corporal Thaddeus 
 Doane, Corporal Andrew Webster, John H. Rue (died 
 July 19), Benjamin F. Jackson (died July 7), Albert 
 Oss, William H. Smith, Fidelle Haase, J. A. Lowther, 
 Samuel Stacker, Jacob Van Pelt (died July 9), John 
 Voorhees. 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Killed Captain Andrew H. Ackerman, Sergeant 
 Corum Righter, Joseph Cheston, John Clark, Jr. 
 
 Wounded First Lieutenant John B. Fassett, Color- 
 Sergeant David Schafer, Corporal Amos Rockhill, 
 John Lindsey, Franklin Armstrong, Richard Howell, 
 James K. Webb, John Crane, Charles Stevenson, Peter 
 Cogill. 
 
 Missing Charles Purdan. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Killed Captain Luther Martin, Corporal Isaac A. 
 Hendershot, Randolph Merriman. 
 
 Wounded Lieutenant Sidney M. Layton, Corporal 
 Manuel Runyon, Richard Burtrone, Edward Spell- 
 man, Theodore Waller, David C. Keve. 
 
 Missing Edward B. Nelson, James Beattie (reported 
 died July 2), Frederick C. Tuers (reported died July 3). 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Killed Thomas Tinney. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Silas W. Volk, Ser- 
 16 
 
242 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 geant Eliphalet Sturdevant (died July 13), Corporal 
 Absalom Talmadge, Corporal Elisha F. Rose, Corporal 
 Edward J. Kinney, Charles Bowman, James F. Gibson, 
 Benjamin H. Joinier, James King, Samuel W. Morse, 
 Thomas Scattergood, John H. Wilson, Jacob Miller 
 (also missing), Joseph W. Walton. 
 Missing David Daley. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Killed John L. Cozzins. 
 
 Wounded Captain William H. Lloyd, First Lieu 
 tenant Edwin R. Good, First Sergeant Benjamin F. 
 Morehouse, Sergeant Thomas D. White, Sergeant 
 James C. White, Sergeant John F. Bartine, Corporal 
 George W. Morton, Corporal Charles Dilks, Corporal 
 Edward White, Corporal William H. Terhune, Edward 
 Powers, James Thompson, Ephraim Robbins, William 
 Collins, Miller H. Lewis. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 Killed George S. Bird, George H. Bunting, Henry 
 Elbertson, Michael Goff, Stewart Parent, Peter 
 Robins. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant O. F. Hollo way, Sergeant Ferdi 
 nand W. Krug, Corporal George Holloway, Corporal 
 Israel Nixon, Corporal Smith H. Eldredge, Charles A. 
 Koenig, Thomas Lowry, George A. McGuire, George 
 F. Sever, Chapman Marcellus, William Emmons (priso 
 ner of war), Thomas Foutch, Abijah Thompson, John 
 Lloyd, Joseph Fowler, Thomas Kelly (also missing). 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 243 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Killed Captain Dorastus B. Logan, Edward Barber. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant William E. Axtell, 
 Sergeant J. V. Lanterman, Joshua Barber, Joseph L. 
 Decker, Bartley Owen, John C. Nutt, John J. Sites, 
 Timothy K. Pruden, Patrick King, William Halsey. 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Killed Corporal James P. Stryker, Silas D. Clark. 
 
 Wounded-- Sergeant Thomas J. Thompson, Corporal 
 Richard J. Merrill, Corporal E. M. Robinson, Corporal 
 John W. Joline (died August 17, 1863), Corporal 
 Michael Cooney, Francis Wassimer, William H. Luce, 
 James Finnons, Stacey Babcock, John M. Errickson, 
 Alfred Barcalo, Daniel J. Buckley, George Cham- 
 berlin, Henry L. Molleson, Jacob L. Chevalier. 
 
 Missing John Desbrow, Hugh Downey (died at 
 Andersonville, September 19, 1864.) 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Killed Corporal Jeremiah O Brien, Corporal W. H. 
 Morgan, Martin Bekie, Henry Kring. 
 
 Wounded First Sergeant Charles C. Reilley, Ser 
 geant Edward Appleton, Corporal Amon J. Foote, 
 John Ardner, William Carson, Jr., Frederick Soldner, 
 John A. Labort, Gersham J. Froate. 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 
 Officers .*. 3 IO J 3 
 
 Enlisted Men - 20 113 7 140 
 
 Total.. 23 123 7 153 
 
244 NE W J ERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 General Joseph B. Carr, commanding the First 
 Brigade, Second Division, Third Army Corps, in his 
 report calls the attention of the General commanding 
 the division to the gallant and meritorious conduct of 
 Colonel Robert McAllister, commanding Eleventh 
 New Jersey Volunteers, Major Philip J. Kearney, 
 seriously wounded (since dead), Adjutant John Schoon- 
 over, who was twice wounded, but remained in com 
 mand of his regiment, and to Lieutenant John Older- 
 shaw, acting aide-de-camp, to whom his sincere thanks 
 are extended for valuable services rendered. 
 
 The fighting had been furious. Ward, on the left at 
 the Devil s Den, had borne the heaviest part of it for 
 nearly two hours, and the onslaught of Benning with 
 Anderson s brigade finally forced him back with the 
 loss of three guns of Smith s battery, and a casualty 
 list of frightful proportions. The attack on De Tro- 
 briand had caused his line to recede. His ranks were 
 frightfully decimated. The artillery also fell back a 
 short distance to get out of the way of the advancing 
 enemy, and if Kershaw had been able to press a little 
 stronger success would have crowned his efforts. But 
 just at this moment, when defeat seemed certain Cald- 
 well s splendid division of the Second Corps arrived on 
 the field, and Ayres Regulars of the Fifth Corps 
 followed in front of Little Round Top. Another effort 
 to preserve the line was to be made. Ayres detached 
 Weed s brigade to which the One "Hundred and 
 Fortieth New York belonged to reinforce the 
 exhausted band on Little Round Top, where he 
 
MONUMENT 6TH REGIMENT N. J. VOLS., INF. 
 
246 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 \ 
 
 ^fiiS } 
 
 arrived just in time to learn that the gallant Vincent 
 and the brave O Rorke had both been killed, and their 
 troops menaced by another assault from Hood s 
 persistent veterans. Moving to the right Hood sought 
 to turn the flank of the Twentieth Maine. He opened 
 a sharp fire along the whole line, and Weed, who was 
 standing near Hazlett s battery encouraging his men, 
 received a mortal wound, while Hazlett in stooping 
 
 down to hear his 
 dying words, was 
 struck by the bullet 
 of a sharp-shooter 
 and fell upon the 
 dead body of his 
 friend a corpse. The 
 enemy moved to the 
 
 J 
 
 right to get in Cham 
 berlain s rear, and in 
 so doing was com 
 pelled to weaken his 
 line. Chamberlain 
 noticing the fact 
 boldly charged upon the attacking force capturing 
 over three hundred of them and before they could 
 recover from their surprise at this seeming piece of 
 audacity, Chamberlain, at the point of the bayonet 
 forced the remainder down the mountain side. It was 
 a glorious achievement, but only one of many of like 
 nature which characterized the battle of Gettysburg. 
 While this conflict tor Little Round Top was going 
 
 L 
 
 ,* FioKft for LITTLE ROUND TOP 
 JULV 2. t_f*<r3_.. . 
 
IN 7 "HE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 247 
 
 on, Caldwell s division was advancing- to meet the 
 victorious troops o-f Anderson and Kershaw, who had 
 driven back but had not penetrated the line of Birney 
 and Barnes. The " Irish Brigade " commanded by 
 Colonel Kelley, formed amid the dreadful sounds of 
 the conflict, and before going into action, the chaplain, 
 a Catholic priest, ascended a rocky bowlder and pro 
 nounced a general absolution for the whole brigade. 
 At the word of command they dashed impetuously 
 upon Anderson s line and brought his troops to a halt. 
 Cross and Zook and Burke s brigades in turn assailed 
 the enemy, but a movement by Wofford, who boldly 
 dashed into the line in his eagerness to aid Barksdale, 
 who had advanced in two lines of battle against the 
 Peach Orchard, compelled Birney, Humphreys, Barnes 
 and Caldwell s divisions to re-form on the main line, 
 and relinquish the Emmetsburg road and the whole 
 of the ground back to Little Round Top, to the enemy. 
 General Meade had sent for reinforcements from all 
 parts of the battle-field, and troops from the First, 
 Sixth and Twelfth Corps were promptly moving to 
 the scene. Hill had begun a lively cannonade on the 
 position of Cemetery Hill to which the batteries there 
 responded vigorously and effectively. Meade in his 
 great desire to preserve the left had stripped the 
 right of his line, by ordering the whole of the 
 Twelfth Corps to the support of Sickles, but to this 
 movement General Slocum warmly protested. At 
 his earnest solicitation Green s brigade of Geary s 
 division was permitted to remain on Gulp s Hill, and 
 
248 
 
 NE W fERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 Us 
 
 of 
 
 00. 
 
 oo^ 
 
 DD U 
 
 by extending his several regiments in a thin line along 
 the works was able to occupy a good portion of them, 
 but not all. At half-past seven o clock Ruger s divi 
 sion took up position in line with Doubleday s division 
 of the First Corps and Birney s of the Third Corps, 
 forming in two lines of battle, Colgrove s brigade in 
 front, and McDougall in rear. Lockwood s brigade, 
 which had arrived earlier, was led by General Meade 
 into the very jaws of the enemy, and by their suc 
 cessful charge, enabled 
 the new line to become 
 more firmly established. 
 This movement brought 
 the Thirteenth New 
 Jersey Regiment, Col. 
 Ezra A. Carman, to the 
 scene of conflict. The 
 Thirteenth had been 
 massed on the south 
 easterly slope of Gulp s 
 Hill at an early hour in 
 the morning, when Meade s orders to charge Ewell s 
 line had been given, and on the abandonment of that 
 scheme, relieved the Third Wisconsin Regiment in 
 McAllister s wood to the south of Spangler s Run. 
 The Twelfth Corps had thrown up a line of small 
 breastworks along the crest of Gulp s Hill, and in 
 McAllister s woods, and when ordered to the left 
 vacated them all except that part of the line held by 
 Green s brigade of Geary s division on the summit of 
 Gulp s Hill 
 
 n 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 249 
 
 Meade had called upon every corps in the army, 
 during the day, except the Eleventh, for reinforce 
 ments to Sickles line, and they all moved promptly 
 to the left, where they were put in at every exposed 
 point. The wounding of Sickles, put Birney in tem 
 porary command of the Third Corps, but by order of 
 General Meade, Hancock was placed in command of 
 the corps in addition to his own. Hancock performed 
 herculean service. His watchful eye detected every 
 weak spot in the line and he promptly protected it. 
 The attack culminated by the effort of Wilcox, Perry 
 and Wright s brigades to break through Humphreys 
 line, and Wright succeeded in piercing the centre of 
 the Federal position by the capture of four guns. 
 Wilcox was almost in a line with him, but General 
 Newton sent forward Doubleday s division of the 
 First Corps who reached Webb s line in time to see 
 Wright falling back, but they pursued him sharply 
 and recaptured six guns which had been in the enemy s 
 possession. By Hancock s own order the First Minne 
 sota Regiment bravely attacked Wilcox, and drove 
 him back as far as the Emmetsburg road, but with a 
 loss of half its men. 
 
 Never before had the artillery branch of the service 
 endured such a tremendous strain. The loss in horses 
 and men was unusually heavy, and the abandonment of 
 so many guns by the Federals shows with what 
 desperation the fighting was carried on. Batteries 
 were kept at work until there were not left enough 
 men and horses to draw them away, and Bigelow s 
 battery, which took position near the Trostle house, 
 
< 
 
 LONGSTREET IN 1 oSITION IOK HIS ATTACK ON SlCKl.KS. 
 
 The map on the opposite page shows the Union line after Sickles defeat. 
 INION, WHITE: CONFEDERATE, ni ACK. 
 
^>kj5flfr1ftfi 
 
 
252 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 was deliberately sacrificed, the men firing canister 
 until they could no longer load owing to the close 
 approach of the enemy. Clark s battery ( " B " First 
 New Jersey) was in the very thickest of all this car 
 nage. When Kershaw s line penetrated into the Peach 
 Orchard a South Carolina regiment moved boldly up to 
 Clark s pieces. A Pennsylvania regiment lying in the 
 u sunken road " concealed, rose up and poured a deadly 
 volley into their faces which caused them to retire in 
 confusion. From 2 p. m. until 6.30 Clark s battery was 
 in continual action, and when at the retiring of the 
 infantry column, it was compelled to fall back, one 
 caisson and one caisson-body were left on the field 
 there being no horses to draw them off. The loss in 
 the battery was 2 men killed, 15 wounded, 3 missing, 2 
 of whom were taken prisoners. Seventeen horses were 
 killed and five so badly disabled that they were 
 abandoned. The casualties were as follows : 
 
 Killed Thomas N. Post, Jr., Rensallaer Cassel- 
 man. 2. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Leander McChesney, Privates 
 Richard S. Price, Joseph M. Morris, 1 Hiram A. 
 Grover, 2 Hiram Tierney, 3 Edson E. Sheppard, Patrick 
 F. Castello, William Riley, Robert Stuart, 4 John 
 Truly, Anthony Collier, Joseph Baker, Chileon D. 
 Richards, Leopold Smally, Stephen McGowan. 15. 
 
 1 Hiram A. Grover, - Hiram Tierney, of the Second Michigan 
 Volunteers; 3 Edson E. Sheppard, 4 John Truly, of the Sixty-third 
 Pennsylvania Volunteers; and 5 Stephen McGowan of the Ninety- 
 ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, were temporarily attached to the 
 battery, and were not members of it. 
 
A\ r THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN, 253 
 
 Missing Privates Henry C. Buffum, Henry E. 
 Davis, Daniel W. Laws all prisoners of war. 3. 
 
 Colonel McGilvery, who commanded the First 
 Volunteer Brigade, Artillery Reserve, describes the 
 artillery fighting at this part of the line : 
 
 " A New Jersey battery (Clark s " B " First New 
 Jersey Artillery) immediately on the right of the two 
 Massachusetts batteries, was receiving the most of the 
 fire of two or more rebel batteries. Hart s Fifteenth 
 New York Independent Battery reporting at that time 
 I placed it in position in a peach orchard on the right 
 and a little to the front of the New Jersey battery. 
 The four batteries already mentioned presented a front 
 at nearly right angles with the position occupied by 
 our troops, facing toward our left, the fire of which I 
 concentrated on single rebel batteries, and five or more 
 were driven in succession from their positions. 
 
 " At about a quarter to six the enemy s infantry 
 gained possession of the woods immediately on the left 
 of my line of batteries and our infantry fell back both 
 on the right and left, when great disorder ensued on 
 both flanks of the line of batteries. At this period of 
 the action all of the batteries were exposed to a warm 
 infantry fire from both flanks and front, whereupon 1 
 ordered them to retire two hundred and fifty yards 
 and renew their fire. The New Jersey battery was 
 relieved, being out of ammunition, and retired to the 
 rear. Captain Bigelow retired by prolonge, firing 
 canister, and with Phillips and Thompson on the right, 
 
254 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 in their new position checked the enemy for a short 
 time." 
 
 During the fighting on Sickles front the enemy s 
 skirmishers kept up an annoying fire upon the Second 
 Corps line. Their reserves occupied an old building, 
 known as the Bliss barn, which also commanded the 
 line, and about five o clock in the afternoon General 
 Hayes directed Colonel Smyth, commanding the Sec 
 ond Brigade, to dislodge them. Colonel Smyth called 
 upon the Twelfth New Jersey Regiment, whereupon 
 the Avhole regiment arose to volunteer, when he indi 
 cated that a detachment of four companies would be 
 sufficient for the work in hand. The barn mentioned 
 was of brick, was five hundred and eighty-seven yards 
 from the line, and it and the line of the Twelfth s 
 advance were so completely covered by the fire of 
 the enemy s skirmishers and artillery, that it was 
 known that serious loss must result from the attack. 
 Major John T. Hill detached for this service compa 
 nies B, H, E and G, under command of Captain 
 Samuel B. Jobes, the ranking officer. 
 
 The column moved out by the flank to the right 
 of the Bryan barn ; then, formed by company into 
 line. As the rear cleared the wall the movement came 
 under the eyes of the whole brigade and of part of 
 Gibbons division, and of Robinson s division of the 
 First Corps upon the right, and now in close formation 
 the Twelfth begins its march. The artillery of Hill ^ 
 Corps opened upon the line at once, the enemy s skirm 
 ishers poured in an annoying fire, his reserve from the 
 
MONUMENT yTH REGIMENT N. J. VOLS., INF. 
 
256 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the shelter of the barn thinned its ranks, Jobes was 
 wounded, Captain Horsfalls, of Company E, was killed, 
 and 40 men out of the 200 were stricken down ; but there 
 was no wavering in that brave column of Jerseymen. 
 
 Bringing their arms to the right shoulder, and 
 taking the double quick, with ringing cheers they 
 burst through the enemy s skirmish line with the 
 might of a giant, and in one bold mass closed down 
 upon, surrounded and captured the Bliss barn, with 
 the enemy s picket reserve of ninety-two men and 
 seven officers, and bringing their prisoners with them, 
 regained our lines. 
 
 No bolder attack was made upon that well-contested 
 field, and it deservedly gave the regiment a reputa 
 tion for gallantry which it never lost. 
 
 The battle on the left had been a bloody one. Long- 
 street s men, nerved to their work by the belief that 
 victory would surely follow their assault and this be 
 followed by the speedy ending of the war, fought with 
 a valor and heroism unsurpassed ; but they had not 
 only the physical force of the Union army to contend 
 against. Every man in it who handled a musket or 
 wielded a sabre felt that Lee s army was in their 
 power, and never once thought of defeat. This battle 
 ground meant defeat for one side or the other, and 
 no man in the Army of the Potomac believed defeat f 
 possible for them. The driving in of the First and 
 Eleventh Corps the day before had not disheartened 
 them ; but as the news of the rout at the first battle 
 of Bull Run created a feeling throughout the North 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 257 
 
 that the rebellion should be put down at whatever cost, 
 so the defeat of these two corps on the first day of July 
 made the determination of Meade s soldiers to win, 
 all the stronger. 
 
 The fighting for the day had not been confined 
 wholly to Sickles front, and though Longstreet had 
 failed to turn the left of the army, yet sufficient ground 
 had been wrested from the Union line to give a 
 semblance of victory to his desperate efforts. The 
 Third Corps had been defeated, but the Union line of 
 battle was intact. A startling report, however, came 
 to Meade s ears from the right of the line, which he 
 had stripped to reinforce Sickles. This was to the 
 effect that Eweli had advanced and occupied the posi 
 tion vacated by the Twelfth Corps ! 
 
 CORRECTION. In the final revision of the casualty 
 lists of the regiments engaged in the second day s fight 
 ing, certain changes were made which were not car 
 ried forward in the recapitulation, and this omission 
 was not discovered until too late for correction. The 
 following tables show the losses sustained by the sev 
 eral New Jersey troops on that occasion, compared 
 with the number reported present for duty on June 
 30. From the latter an allowance of fifteen per cent, 
 for detailed men should be made to get at the actual 
 number present for action : 
 
2 5 8 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 CASUALTIES ON JULY 2. 
 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Aggregate. \\ 
 
 d 
 
 JH 
 5 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 *c3 
 o 
 H 
 
 | 
 
 s 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 Missing. 
 
 13 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 Battery " B ist N. J. Artillery 
 Fifth Regiment ... 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 3 
 9 
 7 
 10 
 
 7 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 13 
 
 2 
 TO 
 I 
 14 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 1*5 
 
 61 
 29 
 
 77 
 33 
 H3 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 20 
 87 
 38 
 103 
 42 
 I4O 
 
 20 
 94 
 41 
 H3 
 49 
 153 
 
 470 
 
 Sixth Regiment 
 
 Seventh Regiment. 
 
 I 
 
 Eighth Regiment 
 
 Eleventh Regiment 
 
 3 
 
 Total 
 
 6 
 
 34 
 
 40 
 
 55 
 
 328 
 
 47 
 
 430 
 
 
 PRESENT FOR DUTY JUNE 30. 
 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 MEN. 
 
 TOTAL. 
 
 Battery <1 B" ist N. J. Artillery, 
 Fifth Regiment 
 
 4 
 
 139 
 oofi 
 
 143 
 
 Sixth Regiment 
 
 *3 
 
 M 
 
 20-7 
 
 2 l6 
 
 Seventh Regiment... 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 Eighth Regiment 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 J U V 
 
 T Se 
 
 33 1 
 
 Tn Q 
 
 Eleventh Regiment 
 
 
 10 D 
 
 190 
 
 
 
 
 *75 
 
 Total 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 >4 1 4 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE SECOND DAY S BATTLE CONCLUDED - - THE 
 TWELFTH CORPS POSITION ATTACKED BY EWELL S 
 TROOPS GREEN S HEROIC DEFENCE THE ATTACK 
 ON CEMETERY HILL - - A FIERCE AND DEADLY 
 HAND-TO-HAND STRUGGLE - - RETURN OF THE 
 
 TWELFTH CORPS TO THE RIGHT DURING THE 
 NIGHT. 
 
 GENERAL LEE S orders for a simultaneous 
 attack on the right and left of the Union line 
 miscarried, but had they been promptly acted 
 upon he would not have been any more successful. 
 It would have prevented the stripping of Slocum s 
 line, which would have made the Union position on 
 the right still more difficult, if not impossible, to carry, 
 and the Sixth Corps could have been utilized for the 
 duty which called the Twelfth Corps away. Had 
 Longstreet turned the Federal left and got in rear of 
 the Union army, that would no doubt have made a 
 great difference in the situation, but the left of Meade s 
 line did not rest where Lee thought it was, and when 
 after the most stubborn and heroic resistance ever 
 made by any body of troops, the Third Corps was 
 forced back, it was not upon a demoralized body of 
 
260 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 men, but to the original line of battle, to defend 
 which Meade had more troops at command than could 
 be used. It was really better for General Lee that 
 the attack by Ewell was delayed, but the advantage 
 he had gained was lost by the ignorance which caused 
 Johnson s division to halt all night long in the vacated 
 works of the Twelfth Corps. 
 
 It seems strange to those who have always consid 
 ered General Lee, par excellence, the one great soldier 
 developed by the war, that he should have left Ewell 
 wholly dependent upon his sense of hearing to fix the 
 precise time of his attack. The instructions to Ewell 
 were to advance as soon as he heard the firing of 
 Longstreet s guns. The time fixed for the latter s 
 assault, after innumerable delays, was four o clock, 
 and at that hour the fighting had begun in dead 
 earnest along Birney s front. But another providen 
 tial circumstance favored the Union army. The 
 wind blowing directly from Ewell carried the sound 
 of Longstreet s artillery and the Union batteries reply 
 ing to it, to the southwest, so that he did not hear 
 it at all ! Nearly one hundred pieces of artillery 
 on both sides kept up a continuous and rapid firing, 
 not two miles from Ewell s front, and the deafening 
 roar of musketry which accompanied it, made a noise 
 loud enough to have drowned the sound of a dozen 
 Niagaras, but Ewell might as well have been a deaf 
 man on that occasion. His silence led Meade into 
 the false belief that no danger was to be apprehended 
 from that quarter, and he had therefore -stripped his 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 2 6l 
 
 right, instead of utilizing- his reserves, to reinforce the 
 threatened left. 
 
 Ruger s division of the Twelfth Corps, on it arrival 
 at the left, formed in two lines of battle west of the 
 Taneytown road ; while Geary, who evidently misun 
 derstood the orders given him, moved to the extreme 
 right and halted on the Baltimore pike, east of Rock 
 Creek, two miles from the fighting on the left and at 
 least a mile to the right of his position on Gulp s Hill, 
 with no enemy in his front. 
 
 About six o clock Hill opened with his batteries in 
 pursuance of the original plan, on the Union centre, 
 and Ewell, hearing his guns, formed for the proposed 
 attack. His line, it will be remembered, extended 
 from Benner s Hill on the left which was occupied by 
 Johnson s division, Early s division being to his right 
 and fronting Cemetery Hill and the ridge connecting 
 it with Gulp s Hill, while Rodes division occupied the 
 streets of Gettysburg, and extending to the right 
 fronted Cemetery Hill proper. It is also urged as a 
 reason why Ewell did not sooner advance, that he had 
 sent two of his brigades on a wild-goose chase on the 
 York road, because of a report that a body of Federal 
 infantry had moved in that direction, and he was 
 waiting for their return. However, about seven 
 o clock, just as the Twelfth Corps was vacating its 
 line, Johnson s division was moving down to Rock 
 Creek, his march being concealed by the thick woods 
 into which he entered. The nature of the ground was 
 unfavorable for the use of artillery and Johnson left 
 his on Benner s Hill. 
 
2 62 NE W JERSE V TROOPS 
 
 The line of works constructed by the First Brigade 
 of Ruger s division and by the One Hundred and 
 Seventh New York and Thirteenth New Jersey Regi 
 ments of Colgrove s brigade, were practically defence 
 less. General Green had extended his brigade in a 
 thin line to cover the position vacated by Geary and 
 could furnish little more than a weak skirmish line for 
 the defence of the entire slope. He also established a 
 picket line along the bank of the stream, but Johnson s 
 movements were unperceived by them. 
 
 Gulp s I till, which Johnson was ordered to assault is 
 a thickly wooded eminence, and the approaches to 
 the summit are obstructed by numerous rocks and 
 immense bowlders. The troops of Williams had util 
 ized many of these rocks as a means of defence by con 
 necting them with a line of works made of logs, stones, 
 branches of trees and whatever could be utilized for 
 the purpose. This afforded ample protection against 
 the musketry fire of an infantry column and would 
 have been difficult to carry. 
 
 Johnson s line advanced with Steuart on the left, 
 Jones on his right, supported respectively by Williams 
 and Nichols brigades. Rock Creek, which separated 
 them from Gulp s Hill, is a shallow stream, and easily 
 forded. Grossing boldly they soon drove in the Union 
 pickets, and Steuart advanced to the vacated works on 
 the south followed by Williams. These were easily 
 taken, but Jones who advanced to attack the left of 
 Green met with stubborn opposition. Green, how 
 ever, was hard pressed. Steuart was on a line with 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 263 
 
 his works, and to prevent a flank attack, Green 
 shortened his line and extended it obliquely to the 
 west, and sent an urgent demand for assistance. The 
 fighting waxed hotter and hotter. Attacked by a force 
 three times larger than his own, he held them all at 
 bay and inflicted severe injuries upon the enemy. 
 Jones was badly wounded and Nichols moved 
 promptly up to his relief. At this time a brigade from 
 the Eleventh Corps came to Green s assistance, and 
 Wads worth extended his line to the right in support. 
 Night soon settled down upon the scene and the con 
 flict ended save by a desultory firing which continued 
 for some time. 
 
 When Johnson s division moved down to the attack 
 on Gulp s Hill, Ewell ordered Early and Rodes to 
 advance and attack in their front. This movement, 
 which should have been performed in unison appears 
 to have been affected by a misunderstanding of orders. 
 Early moved at once with the brigades of Hays and 
 Hoke (Avery commanding), with Gordon s brigade in 
 reserve. The Confederate artillery on Benner s Hill 
 opened fire upon the Union position, but the batteries 
 on Cemetery Hill soon silenced it. As the brigades of 
 Early advanced to the slope of the hill, their movement 
 was aided by the houses and other buildings which 
 concealed them from the Union line, and when they 
 reached the ascending ground the batteries in their 
 front were trained upon them, but the guns could not 
 be depressed sufficiently to do effective work. 
 
 It was now eight o clock, and Rodes ought to have 
 
264 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 been in position on the left to assault there, but that 
 officer had some difficulty in getting through the 
 streets of the town to the position he desired, and 
 lost thereby considerable time. Advancing the bri 
 gades of Iverson, Ramseur and Doles toward the 
 western face of Cemetery Hill a short distance he 
 halted them, evidently intending to await the result 
 of Early s attack. When the brigades of Hays and 
 Avery emerged on the open ground to ascend the 
 slope, they brushed away Von Gilsa s brigade of the 
 Eleventh Corps, and rushed for the summit. Their 
 left flank became exposed to the Fifth Maine Bat 
 tery, which poured an enfilading fire down their 
 whole line, but without checking them. In an instant 
 they were among the guns of Weiderick s and Rick- 
 ett s batteries, capturing the former and spiking two 
 of Rickett s guns. The order had been given to these 
 gallant artillerists not to retreat under any circum 
 stances, but to fight to the last moment, and right 
 loyally they obeyed. The fighting was hand-to-hand, 
 rammers being used as clubs, and hand-spikes and 
 even stones, being hurled into the faces of the enemy. 
 This movement of the enemy brought their left flank 
 in front of Stevens battery, which opened a terrible 
 fire of double canister upon them, and the Thirty- 
 third Massachusetts poured in, obliquely to their line, 
 a destructive musketry fire, but still they fought on 
 desperately, vainly expecting Rodes division to attack 
 on the other side. In fact the Federal line was pre 
 pared for just this sort of thing, and Hancock momen- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 265 
 
 tarily expected Rodes line to advance ; but his 
 trained ear heard the desperate fighting going on to 
 the right and rear of his position, and as the enemy 
 in his front remained stationary, he detached Carroll s 
 brigade to the rescue of Howard s guns. Advancing 
 with a firm tread they soon came in sight of the bat 
 tle and moving rapidly over the hill plunged with 
 cheers and shouts into the midst of the enemy, who re 
 
 treated hastily. 
 As they wnt 
 flying down the 
 slope the Fed- 
 e r a 1 batteries 
 opened a raking 
 fire upon them 
 practically an 
 nihilating Hays 
 " Louisiana Ti 
 gers," which 
 went into the 
 fight one thou 
 sand seven hun 
 dred and fifty 
 strong and returned with scarcely one hundred and 
 fifty men! The Eleventh Corps line was restored, 
 and Carroll s brigade, which did such signal service 
 was by the request of Howard permitted to remain on 
 that part of the line. 
 
 The sound of the desperate contest on the right and 
 right centre reached the ears of the Union troops on 
 
266 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the left as soon as the firing in that quarter ceased, 
 and about ten o clock an order was sent to Ruger to 
 return to his old position on the right as the enemy 
 were in possession on the Twelfth Corps works. 
 The division promptly moved, Colgrove s brigade 
 leading, and as they neared Gulp s Hill a skirmish 
 line was sent forward to feel the position of the enemy. 
 One man was captured in the old line of works in 
 McAllister s woods, and Company F of the Second 
 Massachusetts advancing across the open ground into 
 the woods at the base of Gulp s Hill and near Spang- 
 ler s spring, captured twenty-three men, with whom 
 they returned. From these it was ascertained that 
 Steuart s and Jones brigades held the position. Filing 
 into McAllister s woods the brigade sought their old 
 works, but as it was discovered that the position of 
 the Third Wisconsin, which had been occupied by 
 the Thirteenth New Jersey, and the line along Rock 
 Creek, would be enfiladed by the fire of the enemv, :: 
 the brigade was formed on a line about fifty yards 
 to the rear. In taking this position two companies 
 
 * Extract from Colonel Hawley s report: " Darkness coming on I 
 received orders from you, sir, (Colonel Colgrove) to move out as we had 
 marched in, and following the regiment on my right flank was marched 
 back to the position which I had spent the day in fortifying, and there 
 rested under arms. It then being ascertained that the enemy had 
 advanced over our breastworks and occupied a rocky, wooded hill on 
 my left, thus enfilading my position and severing our line, by your 
 order I took position perpendicular to my former line, so as to face 
 the enemy s advance in this position, and there lay under arms for the 
 remainder of the night." 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 267 
 
 of the Thirteenth New Jersey, Company C, Captain 
 David A. Ryerson, and Company I, Captain Ambrose 
 M. Matthews, were refused, to connect with the right 
 of the Second Massachusetts, the rest of the line of the 
 Thirteenth running along the edge of the woods 
 on a rising piece . of ground fronting Rock Creek. *The 
 line as thus formed was as follows : Thirteenth New 
 Jersey on the right, Second Massachusetts centre, 
 
 Third Wisconsin 
 on the left, Twenty- 
 seventh Indiana in 
 reserve. The First 
 Brigade, McDou- 
 gall s, formed on 
 the left of Colgrove. 
 During the night 
 also Geary s troops 
 returned from their 
 isolated position on 
 the Baltimore pike, 
 and joined with 
 Green s forces on Culp s Hill. The prisoners brought 
 in by the Second Massachusetts were turned over to 
 the Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment and Company 
 D was detailed by order of acting Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Beardsley, to conduct them to the Provost Marshal of 
 the corps near Two Taverns. 
 
 At midnight the Twelfth Corps had all arrived and 
 lay in line awaiting the approach of daylight to 
 advance upon and drive the enemy from their posi 
 tion on Gulp s Hill. 
 
 UP HILL iNP&ssert* 
 OF REBEUS. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE THIRD DAY S BATTLE THE TWELFTH CORPS 
 CHARGE THE ENEMY AT CULP S HILL AND REGAIN 
 THEIR WORKS THE SECOND MASSACHUSETTS AND 
 TWENTY -SEVENTH INDIANA REGIMENTS CHARGE 
 THE ENEMY SUPPORTED BY THE THIRTEENTH NEW 
 JERSEY REGIMENT LEE FOILED IN HIS ATTACK ON 
 THE FEDERAL RIGHT. 
 
 THE Confederates seem to have had little knowl 
 edge of the topography of the country about 
 Gettysburg, otherwise the failure of Ewell to 
 follow up the great advantage he had so fortunately 
 gained on the night of July 2d must be classed as a 
 stupendous blunder. The left of Steuart s line was 
 within one hundred yards of the Baltimore pike, the 
 road over which Meade s army would be compelled to 
 retreat in the event of defeat. The reserve artillery of 
 the Army of the Potomac lay parked back of Powers 
 Hill on the slope of which General Slocum had his 
 headquarters, while Meade s headquarters were but a 
 short distance off. Furthermore, the presence of the 
 rebel army in force on the pike would have created 
 consternation in the Federal army. Unquestionably 
 Ewell was ignorant of the advantage he had gained, 
 and conversation with some of the survivors shows 
 
MONUMENT STH REGT. N. J. VOLS., INF. 
 
270 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 that the rebels were greatly surprised at the ease with 
 which they got possession of the vacated works, and 
 feared that some Yankee trick was being played upon 
 them. Of the great blunder Meade had committed, 
 of course they knew nothing, and this was only com 
 pensated for by the rapid approach of darkness, which 
 caused Johnson to exercise great caution in his move 
 ments. He only knew the enemy was in his front, and 
 he determined to attack at daylight. The men whom 
 he commanded were "Stonewall" Jackson s veterans, 
 who had won many hard-fought battles, and they were 
 not easily to be disposed of. 
 
 During the night a conference was held in McAllis 
 ter s woods, at which General Hunt, chief of artillery, 
 Generals Slocum, Williams and Ruger were present. 
 The artillery, twenty-six guns in all, had been posted 
 on every commanding eminence to cover the enemy s 
 position on Gulp s Hill, and only awaited the appear 
 ance of daylight to open upon it. 
 
 As early as three o clock Johnson began to form 
 his men for attack, and Geary noting that some move 
 ment was contemplated by the enemy determined to 
 assume the offensive. At day-break the crash of 
 musketry was heard. Geary opened a fierce fire 
 along his whole front and with deadly effect. The 
 First Brigade sent forward the Twentieth Connecticut 
 to penetrate the woods at the southern base of the hill 
 and the Second Massachusetts and Twenty-seventh 
 Indiana of the Third Brigade were ordered to charge 
 the enemy in flank by Colonel Colgrove. The Union 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 2JI 
 
 artillery opened along the whole line, and from this 
 time until ten o clock a fierce, stubborn and desperate 
 battle was waged. On the success of the Twelfth 
 Corps now depended the safety of the army. Rein 
 forcements were sent to Gulp s Hill, Lockwood s bri 
 gade of the Twelfth and Shaler s brigade of the Sixth 
 Corps both going to the support of Geary. The 
 continued roll of musketry, the deafening roar of the 
 artillery were listened to by the waiting army with ap 
 prehension. The long lines of wounded men being car 
 ried to the rear gave evidence of the severity of the 
 struggle. The Reserve Artillery back of Power s Hill 
 had harnessed and was made ready for any call upon it. 
 The cavalry to the right were all mounted and drawn 
 up ready for action. The Sixth Corps in reserve were 
 under orders for an advance at a moment s notice. 
 There was plenty of support for the right, should 
 further help be needed. Still the battle raged. The 
 enemy were driven back repeatedly and they as 
 often returned to the charge. They were now able 
 to note where they were and as they caught glimpses 
 of the Federal wagon trains and ambulances moving 
 down the Baltimore pike it seemed to drive them 
 to desperation. Too late they realized what had 
 been lost by the night s delay. They fought madly, 
 heroically and with a bravery which only Jackson s 
 men could show, but they were at a disadvantage. 
 The Union line sheltered by the rocks and immense 
 bowlders up to the face of which the rebels charged 
 again and again, enabled them to inflict serious injury 
 
2/2 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 upon their assailants, and heavy as the Union loss 
 was that of the enemy was treble. 
 
 When the order was given at dawn for the Second 
 Massachusetts and Twenty-seventh Indiana of Col- 
 grove s brigade to advance and attack the enemy, 
 there was thought to be a mistake in the meaning 
 of it. Lieutenant Snow who brought the order from 
 General Ruger was asked a second and third time 
 
 as to the intent of 
 it, and he repeated, 
 the order is to ad- 
 
 111 1S&**& \ "n " flU vance. Colonel 
 
 ^Ai M( Mudge of the Sec- 
 
 ond Massachusetts, 
 when he received 
 the order, said, " It 
 is murder, but must 
 be obeyed! for 
 ward ! " and the 
 brave Mudge with 
 as gallant a body 
 of men as ever lived moved out to swift and certain 
 death. The Twenty-seventh Indiana were to advance 
 and join the right of the Second Massachusetts, but 
 Colonel Mudge when he reached the open ground 
 moved at once against the enemy driving them ahead 
 of him, and though exposed to a deadly fire the Second 
 reached the shelter of the woods on the other side. 
 The brave Mudge was killed, and the casualties in the 
 regiment were severe. The Twenty -seventh Indiana 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 273 
 
 Regiment advanced gallantly, and the right companies 
 of the Thirteenth New Jersey changed front and occu 
 pied the breastworks vacated by the Second Massachu 
 setts. As the Twenty-seventh reached the open ground 
 they encountered a terrible musketry fire which checked 
 them where they were. The left wing of the regi 
 ment extended to the [open ground the right resting 
 in the wood, the line facing northeasterly. This regi 
 ment fought gallantly but was compelled to fall back, 
 
 whep the Thirteenth 
 New Jersey returned 
 to its former line and 
 the Twenty-seventh 
 occupied the position 
 thus vacated. The 
 fighting continued with 
 great stubbornness. 
 The enemy seeing the 
 Twenty-seventh fall 
 back formed for a 
 counter-charge and ad 
 vanced across the open ground to the marshy banks 
 of Spangler s Run, where they encountered the fire 
 of the Third Wisconsin, Twenty-seventh Indiana, and 
 such portions of the Thirteenth New Jersey as could 
 reach them. The two left companies, C and I, were 
 in the direct front of the advancing enemy, and for a 
 short time a sharp engagement ensued, in which the 
 rebels were repulsed. The Second Massachusetts 
 from its position on the opposite side of the swale 
 18 
 
2/4 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 had an enfilading fire down their line which precipi 
 tated their retreat. During this engagement Captain 
 David A. Ryerson, of Company C, Thirteenth New 
 Jersey, was wounded, the command of the left com 
 panies thus devolving upon Captain Ambrose M. Mat 
 thews, of Company I ; James Parliament, of the same 
 company, was struck in the breast from which wound 
 he died a few days later, and Henry Damig, of Com- 
 pa^ny G, was killed. 
 
 Walker s brigade of the enemy had been sent to the 
 extreme left of the line to watch the movements of 
 the regiments of Colgrove s brigade in McAllister s 
 woods. A strong line of skirmishers appeared on the 
 crest of the hill east of Rock Creek, and they took 
 position behind the rocks and trees and thus picked off 
 officers and men at their leisure. A small stone house 
 seemed to be filled with them, and whenever a head 
 was projected above the breastworks a bullet was sure 
 to come unpleasantly near it. The Thirteenth New 
 Jersey and the Twenty-seventh Indiana suffered most 
 severely from this fire. A stretcher-bearer of the latter 
 regiment went to the front, carrying a white stretcher 
 with him, to look after some of the wounded lying in 
 the edge of the woods, whose cries for water and help 
 were agonizing. Just as he had scaled the works and 
 before he had gone thirty feet to the front a rebel 
 sharpshooter sent a bullet through his head and he fell 
 lifeless at the foot of a tree. This uncalled-for act 
 exasperated the men, and they demanded that the stone 
 house should be demolished. Captain Winegar of 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 275 
 
 Battery " M " First New York Artillery, came down to 
 the line, and after examining the position returned to 
 his battery, which soon opened fire upon the building. 
 The first shot penetrated the house and as the men saw 
 the dust and splinters flying about they gave a pro 
 longed cheer. No further annoyance came from that 
 quarter. 
 
 The engagement with Johnson s division lasted until 
 ten o clock, when a ringing cheer broke from the man 
 on Gulp s Hill and it was known that the enemy were 
 falling back. The Third Wisconsin, of Colgrove s 
 brigade, advanced a picket line across the open ground 
 in the front capturing a few men, and the regiment 
 advanced up to the position formerly held by Col- 
 grove s regiments on the right of the First Brigade. 
 Geary and McDougall also advanced and reoccupied 
 their old position and the lines of the Union right were 
 once more intact. 
 
 The battle had been a hard one. For three hours of 
 the previous evening Green, with his little brigade, 
 had made a stalwart defense of the position he held, 
 and to the valor of his men is due the safety of the 
 Union army on the third of July. From the first break 
 of day to ten o clock on the morning of the third full 
 seven hours the battle continued. The trees were 
 mangled and torn with the shells and the solid shot 
 which was hurled among them, and the effect of 
 this dreadful day s work was noticed a year later 
 when one part of this immense forest, where the fight 
 ing was fiercest, was found to have been killed. The 
 trees .were leafless. 
 
276 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 The sight, after the battle, in the Union front was 
 frightful. The fighting had been waged at such close 
 quarters and with such desperation, that there were as 
 many dead rebels on the ground as there were men 
 who fought them. They lay in many instances close 
 up to the front of the Union line of works, and the 
 bayonet thrusts in several of the bodies testified too 
 plainly the terrible manner of their death and the 
 ferocity of the contest. With the recapture of the 
 position on Gulp s Hill, the fighting ceased on the 
 right, save by skirmishers and sharpshooters posted 
 along the Rock Creek ridge. The casualties in the 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment were twenty-one as 
 follows : 
 
 Killed Henry Damig, Company G. 
 
 Wounded Company A Edward S. Smith. 
 
 Company B Thomas Ferris. 
 
 Company C Captain David A. Ryerson, Alexander 
 Barnes, James Winter, James Parliament (died July 
 27th), William Remington. 
 
 Company D James P. Ho watt. 
 
 Company E Corporal Thomas H. Williams (leg 
 amputated), John Van Winkle. 
 
 Company F Cornelius Clark. 
 
 Company G Captain John H. Arey, Corporal 
 Cyrus Williams, John Welsch, drummer. 
 
 Company H David Latourette. 
 
 Company I Lieutenant Charles W. Johnson (acting 
 Adjutant), Aaron Chamberlain, Smith P. Brown. 
 
 Recapitulation Killed, i. Wounded Officers, 3: 
 enlisted men, 17; total, 21. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE THIRD DAY S BATTLE CONCLUDED LONGSTREET S 
 
 CHARGE ON CEMETERY RIDGE DISASTROUS 
 REPULSE OF PICKETT S AND HETH S DIVISIONS _ 
 
 DREADFUL EXECUTION WITH " BUCK AND BALL" 
 BY THE TWELFTH NEW JERSEY HEXAMER S OLD 
 BATTERY (" A " FIRST NEW JERSEY) ENGAGED THE 
 FIRST NEW JERSEY CAVALRY WIN NEW LAURELS. 
 
 ENERAL LEE had now unsuccesfully attacked 
 both the right and left positions of the Union 
 army, but with a fatuity which seems incompre 
 hensible, he determined upon one more assault. He 
 seems to have believed that the defeat of Sickles had 
 seriously crippled Meade s whole army, and Johnson s 
 success in getting possession of the vacated works of 
 the Twelfth Corps gave him a foretaste of victory, if 
 promptly followed up. The repulse of Hood at 
 Round Top, of Hays and Avery at Cemetery Hill, 
 and the failure of Wilcox and Wright to reap any 
 substantial benefit from their advance almost into the 
 Union lines on the second of July, were regarded as 
 mere episodes of the battle, not worthy of serious 
 thought. The time had come, according to General 
 Lee s reasoning for the one great decisive blow which 
 
2 ; 8 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 should end the war in his favor. But on this third day 
 of July the entire Army of the Potomac was on the 
 field, and so disposed that reinforcements could be sent 
 to any point on short notice. Further the Union army 
 felt that they had gained quite as much for their cause 
 as Lee considered he had accomplished for himself, and 
 though the stragglers, who poured down the roads to 
 the rear spread dismal tales of defeat for the Army of 
 the Potomac, the men at the front had no such feeling. 
 
 When the final charge by the Twelfth Corps was 
 made upon the enemy s lines, and they were forced 
 back to the opposite side of Rock Creek, it stimu 
 lated the tone of the whole army. Confident of success 
 before they were sanguine now, and the further move 
 ments of Lee were awaited with impatience. The deep 
 stillness which settled upon the battle-field after the 
 cessation of the fighting on the right soon became 
 oppressive. It was the prevalent belief that Lee 
 intended a more desperate move than any yet planned 
 but where the blow would fall could only be conject 
 ured. As the centre of the line had so far escaped a 
 direct assault the feeling grew that there the blow 
 would fall, and the intuition which thus selected the 
 point of attack was confirmed a few hours later. 
 
 General Lee had determined the night before to 
 assault the centre of Meade s line, and to Longstreet s 
 corps he assigned the task. These troops had borne 
 the brunt of the fighting the day before, and their 
 ranks were terribly decimated. It was impossible that 
 they could successfully accomplish the work Lee had 
 
MONUMENT inn RKGT. N. J. VOLS., INF. 
 
2 8o NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 in hand, and further they could not well be spared 
 from the positions they then occupied. The only 
 division that had not participated in the battle at any 
 time was Pickett s, and he was accordingly selected to 
 lead the charge. Pickett had arrived within a short 
 distance of the battle-field the night before, after a 
 forced march from Chambersburg, and at seven o clock 
 on the morning of the third he reported to General 
 Longstreet. The interviews between Longstreet and 
 Lee were frequent. The former was opposed to the 
 contemplated movement and interposed every possible 
 objection to the determination of Lee to make the 
 assault. But the rebel chieftain was immovable. He 
 saw no reason for depression, but believed everything 
 was favorable for success. He construed the capture 
 of Sickles advanced line as a victory, and in his official 
 report uses this language : 
 
 " After a severe struggle Longstreet succeeded in 
 gaining possession of and holding the desired ground. 
 Ewell also carried some of the strong positions which 
 he assailed, and the result was such as to lead to the 
 belief that he would ultimately be able to dislodge the 
 enemy. The battle ceased at dark. These partial 
 successes determined me to continue the assault the 
 next day." 
 
 Argument and protestation could not move the man 
 who thus summed up the results of the previous day s 
 fighting, and Longstreet was compelled to notify Pickett 
 of the work that had been assigned him to do. 
 
 General Lee s line of battle at daylight on the third, 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 281 
 
 was much the same as when night closed in and ended 
 the conflict of the second day. Laws and Robertson s 
 brigades were in front of the Round Tops, Wofford in 
 the centre west of the wheat-field, and Kershaw on the 
 left, occupying the Peach Orchard. The rest of Long- 
 street s corps stretched along the line of Seminary 
 Ridge, and Hill occupied his former position on the 
 left of Longstreet. Evvell was at that moment engaged 
 in a death struggle on the extreme left, but the result 
 was not to be awaited victory there was confidently 
 anticipated. It was ten o clock before Lee gave the 
 final order to form for the attack. With Longstreet he 
 had fully reconnoitred the ground, and that officer again 
 tried to dissuade him from the proposed movement. 
 Longstreet scented defeat. He was opposed to an offen 
 sive movement and desired to turn the flank of Meade, 
 and compel him to attack the southern army. But all 
 in vain. It was finally determined to assail the Union 
 line with a strong column, under cover of a heavy 
 artillery fire, and the orders were given. Colonel Alex 
 ander posted the Confederate artillery along the ridge 
 which Humphreys had vainly tried to hold the day 
 before, extending from the Peach Orchard on the right 
 to the Codori house on the left. A battery on the right 
 of the Peach Orchard, and the Washington Artillery 
 with Bearing and Cabell s batteries stationed on the 
 left were to aid in the attack. This vast congrega 
 tion of batteries comprised one hundred and thirty- 
 eight pieces of cannon, and behind this wall of iron the 
 division of Pickett, with the troops that were to sup- 
 
282 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 port him, formed for the impending collision. Pickett s 
 division was composed of five brigades, three only of 
 which were upon the field Garnett s, Armistead s and 
 Kemper s comprising in all about four thousand five 
 hundred men. They formed behind the rising surface 
 of the ground, Kemper and Garnett in the advance, 
 Armistead in rear, and lay down to await the order 
 for the charge to be made. A battery of light artillery 
 was detailed to accompany them. To support Pickett, 
 Hill contributed the brigades of Wilcox, Perry and 
 Wright, and Heth s division, composed of the bri 
 gades of Archer, Pettigrew, Davis and Brocken- 
 borough, with the brigades of Scales and Lane added, 
 made up a total attacking force of fully fifteen thou 
 sand men. This mighty host, supported by the con 
 centrated fire of the largest artillery force ever gathered 
 together, was to launch itself upon the front of the 
 Second Corps and break the Union line in two. 
 
 The position of the Second Corps which was to 
 be the scene of the coming conflict was an admirable 
 one for defence. In its entire length from Zeigler s 
 Grove which separates Cemetery Hill from Ceme 
 tery Ridge to the copse of trees, where the left of 
 Pickett s line halted, is considerably less than a 
 mile. In the advanced edge of the wood known 
 as Zeigler s Grove the extreme right of the Sec 
 ond Corps line Woodruff s battery ("I" First 
 United States Artillery) was stationed, supported 
 by the One Hundred and Eighth New York. 
 On the left of this position, a natural out- 
 
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284 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 cropping of rock forms a low wall, and at a 
 distance of fifty yards from the grove, near Bryan s 
 well, a stone wall had been constructed on the natural 
 rock, and continued for about three hundred and fifty 
 yards. Hays division of the Second Corps occupied 
 this position being formed in two lines of battle. The 
 left consisted of Smyth s brigade, posted in the follow 
 ing order: The Twelfth New Jersey on the right, 
 the First Delaware on the left of the Twelfth, the 
 Fourteenth Connecticut next. The One Hundred 
 and Eleventh New York and One Hundred and 
 Twenty-fifth New York of the Third Brigade were 
 immediately in the rear of these regiments, on higher 
 ground which enabled them to fire over the front line. 
 The other regiments of the Third Brigade and Car 
 roll s brigade were also in the rear of the line of 
 battle for a time, but subsequently became hotly 
 engaged. Arnold s Rhode Island battery occupied 
 a position on the left of Smyth, and in front of Arnold 
 the stone wall runs due west, where it connects with 
 a post and rail fence, thus forming a sharp angle. 
 Gibbon s division connected with Hays, Webb s bri 
 gade, on whose line Cushing s battery was posted, 
 formed the right, and Hall s brigade with Brown s 
 Rhode Island battery, the centre, and Harrow s bri 
 gade with Rorty s New York battery, the left. The 
 rail fence which skirted the natural rock surface 
 before these brigades, was thrown down and the 
 rails used as a slight protection from musketry fire. 
 Doubleday s division of the First Corps were to the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 285 
 
 left of Gibbon, Stannard s Vermont brigade being in 
 a clump of bushes and trees a short distance in 
 advance, concealed from the enemy s view. This 
 small space of territory was destined to become the 
 scene of one of the fiercest conflicts of modern times. 
 The lines of men thus grouped together were to be 
 subjected to a rain of missiles that no body of men ever 
 before experienced, and their courage and valor was 
 to be put to the severest test known in the annals 
 of modern warfare. The Union line as continued 
 to the left, comprised the following: To the left of 
 Doubleday was Caldwell s gallant division of the 
 Second Corps, which suffered so severely the day 
 before in trying to repair Sickles broken line. Birney s 
 division of the Third Corps continued the line south 
 ward and the Fifth Corps, whose line now extended 
 to the summit of Round Top itself, completed this 
 front, with the Sixth Corps mainly in reserve. At 
 every point where artillery could be used a battery 
 was posted. McGilvery had stationed forty guns 
 along this line in addition to the thirty guns of the 
 Second Corps which were commanded by Captain 
 John G. Hazzard. 
 
 During the time Lee was preparing his column 
 for attack, General Hunt, chief of artillery, was 
 examining the batteries along the Union line. He 
 made the best disposition possible of the artillery 
 at his command, and stationed the Reserve Artillery 
 within easy supporting distance. Sharp skirmish 
 firing broke out occasionally along the Union front, 
 
286 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and early in the day while the heavy firing on 
 the right was going on, the enemy in front of the 
 Second Corps reoccupied the Bliss barn and the 
 Twelfth New Jersey was again called upon to dis 
 possess them. Companies K, F, D, C and A were 
 selected, and under command of Captain Richard S. 
 Thompson of Company K, the charge was success 
 fully made and a number of prisoners taken. The barn 
 was finally burned by the Fourteenth Connecticut. 
 
 The minutes grew into hours and the Federals waited 
 impatiently for some sign to show what the enemy 
 intended to do. With the cessation of the firing on the 
 right the stillness grew oppressive. The same feeling 
 of impatience prevailed among Pickett s men. They 
 had been formed in line for their charge ever since 
 ten o clock and the delay was growing 1 tedious. 
 Finally the word passed that all was ready. Long- 
 street dreaded the ordeal. Pickett was anxious to 
 begin. Longstreet sought to impose upon Colonel 
 Alexander the duty of notifying Pickett what to do, 
 that officer bluntly refused, saying that unless the 
 charge was to be made he should not order the artil 
 lery to fire. Suddenly, at one o clock, two shots were 
 fired by the Washington Artillery the signal for the 
 cannonade to begin. At once, as though the gunners 
 had impatiently waited for the signal, there was vom 
 ited from the deep throats of the one hundred and 
 thirty-eight cannon along the Emmetsburg road a 
 volume of flame, and the air was filled with flying 
 missiles on their death-dealing mission. For fifteen 
 
/A THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 287 
 
 minutes the Federal batteries remained silent, and then 
 
 from eighty guns along the Union line, all that could 
 
 be brought to bear on the position, an answering 
 
 refrain went up, which, combined with the volume of 
 
 sound proceeding from the enemy, created an ensemble 
 
 that was terrifying even to ears that had endured the 
 
 dreadful sound of artillery warfare for months. But 
 
 never before, nor since, had those who listened to the 
 
 sharp detonation of those two hundred and eighteen 
 
 guns passed through a more harrowing experience. 
 
 The ground was ploughed into furrows. Exploding 
 
 shells endangered everything within their range ; the 
 
 house used by General Meade for his headquarters 
 
 was in the very line of this terrible, dreadful and 
 
 merciless storm of iron nail. Horses tied to the fences 
 
 were killed by scores or, badly wounded, filled the 
 
 air with their shrieks of terror and fright. It was 
 
 chaos come again. General Meade abandoned his 
 
 headquarters and sought refuge with General Slo- 
 
 cum at Powers Hill. Caisson after caisson, being 
 
 struck by the enemy s shells, exploded, but the line 
 
 of infantry remained as stationary and immovable as 
 
 the rocks behind which they sought shelter. A shell 
 
 would penetrate their front occasionally and lessen 
 
 their number, but none moved from their places. The 
 
 artillerists, more exposed suffered greatly ; horses 
 
 were killed in large numbers, and the destruction of 
 
 gun carriages, caissons and limbers was unusually 
 
 heavy. For one hour and a-half this terrific duel had 
 
 been kept up, when, at half-past two General Hunt 
 
NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ordered the firing to be gradually slackened, and in a 
 few minutes nothing could be heard but the firing of 
 the rebel guns. Replacing the disabled batteries with 
 others from the Artillery Reserve and replenishing 
 the ammunition boxes for the infantry attack which 
 all knew would follow, the Union artillery line was 
 reestablished. 
 
 The accuracy of the fire from the Federal batteries 
 had inflicted serious damage on the enemy s artillery, 
 and had also caused much destruction of life among 
 the infantry. Armistead s brigade was compelled to 
 change its position three different times to get out of 
 the range of the Union guns and with sighs of relief 
 they noted the slackening fire from Meade s line. It 
 was now three o clock. Pickett formed his men for the 
 charge and reporting to Longstreet asked for the word 
 of command. He would not give it, and Pickett, with a 
 gleam of fire in his eyes said, " I shall go forward, sir," 
 to. which Longstreet simply nodded his head, and the 
 impetuous and brave southerner returned to his 
 division. Just as the rebel line proceeded on its march, 
 Hunt ordered up to the threatened point of attack 
 Fitzhugh s, Weir s, Cowan s, and Parson s ("A" First 
 New Jersey Artillery) batteries, which advanced 
 rapidly into position. 
 
 Pickett impatiently awaited the opportunity to 
 advance. In a short time it came in a message from 
 Colonel Alexander to the effect that the Federal 
 battery had been silenced. The line was formed 
 Kemper on the right, Garnett in the centre, Armistead 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 on the left and as it swept through the artillery 
 and came into full view of the Federals, a thrill of 
 admiration went through the breast of every man 
 gazing upon the magnificent spectacle. Marching in 
 close order, with measured steps, as though on parade, 
 it moved forward deliberately, solidly. With flags 
 unfurled, guns aligned, obeying every word of com 
 mand, the line moved steadily onward. Leaving 
 Wilcox behind, Pickett made a half-wheel to the left, 
 the movement being finely performed, but it presented 
 its right flank to the Union line and McGilvery con 
 centrated the fire of all his guns upon it. The 
 accuracy of McGilvery s fire tore great gaps in the 
 ranks, but they were promptly closed up, and on the 
 assailing column came across the fields, scaling strong 
 fences, until it reached the base of the ridge Pickett 
 was directed to assault. Here he changed direction by 
 a half-wheel to the right, and halted his column under 
 the heavy fire which confronted him, to rectify his line. 
 Wilcox in the mean time moved forward to the right 
 of Pickett, but the wheeling of Pickett s line separated 
 them, and left a wide gap between, while Pettigrew, 
 who with Heth s division was to support the move 
 ment on the left, was not able to get into line as soon as 
 desired, by having a longer distance to traverse. 
 When Pickett again advanced he was met by a terrific 
 fire of musketry and canister from the men in his front, 
 and McGilvery ploughed his line with shot and shell. 
 The Twelfth New Jersey Regiment from its com 
 manding position on the right of the Second Corps, had 
 19 
 
290 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 withstood the shock of the dreadful cannonade with 
 heroic fortitude, and watched the splendid advance of 
 the assaulting column with eagerness and expectancy. 
 Major Hill, who was in command, encouraged the 
 men by his own coolness and intrepidity, and cautioned 
 them to reserve their fire until each shot could be 
 made to tell. The men obeyed, and emptying their 
 cartridge boxes and placing their ammunition on the 
 ledges of stone in front of them where they could the 
 more easily use it, they confidently awaited the ap 
 proach of the attacking forces. The regiment was 
 armed with the smooth bore musket, and they used the 
 buck and ball cartridge, calibre sixty-nine, enabling 
 them to give a deadly fire at short range. 
 
 The unfortunate misunderstandings which had sep 
 arated Pickett from his supports on the right and left 
 placed him in a perilous position. The ridge he now 
 essayed to reach was held by a line of men as 
 determined as himself and his brave Virginians. The 
 advocates of State Rights and Human Slavery, and the 
 defenders of National Unity and Freedom, were neither 
 disposed to flinch now that the contest had narrowed 
 to the space of a hundred yards. As Pickett moved 
 up the slope the men in blue shouted " Fredericks- 
 burg." Ominous word. The slaughter at the heights 
 of JSt. Marye had not been forgotten, and the fate that 
 there befell Burnside s brave men in blue now awaited 
 the brave men in gray. Pickett s right flank exposed 
 itself as he advanced, to Stannard s Vermonters con 
 cealed in the copse of trees, and Hancock at once 
 
MARKER i2TH REGT. N. J. VOLS. 
 (At Bliss Barn.) 
 
292 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ordered them to move upon it. Stannard s men 
 poured a destructive fire into Armistead s ranks, and 
 disorganized, the brigade surged to the rear of Pickett, 
 which for a moment moved in the direction of Hays 
 division. Armistead pushed his way through the mass 
 to the front, and then with a plunge Armistead, Kem- 
 per and Garnett s men, all in one confused crowd fell 
 upon the brigades of Hall and Harrow, and finally con 
 centrated upon Webb, where the mass swayed from side 
 to side like a huge Avave seeking an outlet through an 
 opening too small for it. The fighting was now at close 
 quarters. Webb, heroic soldier that he was, gallantly 
 sought to stem the tide, but in vain. The enemy 
 pierced the centre, the artillery opened with canister 
 at point blank range, Hancock and Gibbon pushed 
 forward all their reserves, and Webb, Hall and 
 Harrow, had a desperate encounter with the enemy. 
 Gushing, of Battery A, Fourth United States Artillery, 
 advanced with his guns into the very midst of the 
 enemy, and Armistead rushing boldly up urged his 
 men to capture the battery. Inspired by the force of 
 his brave example a crowd broke through the lines of 
 Federals, and the gallant Gushing fired his last round 
 into their faces and himself expired from a mortal 
 wound previously received. Armistead had time only 
 to place his hands upon the guns when he fell dead by 
 Cushing s side. The loss of life had been dreadful on 
 the Confederate side. Armistead and Garnett had 
 been killed, Kemper badly wounded, and of the whole 
 number of field officers of the splendid division which 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 293 
 
 advanced so proudly and in such magnificent array 
 across the intervening fields, Pickett and a lieutenant- 
 colonel alone remained. Pickett was a most conspicu 
 ous figure, and was in the fiercest of the fight. His 
 escape from death seems miraculous. 
 
 Pettigrew s command which moved out to take 
 position on Pickett s left, comprised the brigades of 
 Archer, Marshall, Davis and Brokenborough ; these 
 were followed by the brigades of Scales and Lane 
 under Trimble, who took position in rear of the right. 
 As Pickett made his left half-wheel, by which he 
 separated himself from Wilcox, his left was brought 
 nearer to Trimble, who hastened forward to close 
 up the interval while the left of the line slackened 
 its pace, thus changing the position of the attacking 
 force from a single line of battle, supported by the 
 two brigades of Scales and Lane, to a movement en 
 echelon, in the order of Archer, Marshall, Davis and 
 Brokenborough, with Scales and Lane in rear of 
 Archer and in line with Marshall, the right of Scales 
 extending beyond Archer s right. This part of the 
 attacking force bore directly toward Smyth s brigade 
 of Hays division of the Second Corps, posted behind 
 the stone wall previously described. Colonel William 
 E. Potter, of the Twelfth Regiment New Jersey Vol 
 unteers, in his masterly address at the dedication of 
 the monument of that regiment on the 26th of May, 
 1886, thus describes the advance and repulse of Petti 
 grew s division : 
 
 " The brigade of Smyth, now about to receive this 
 
294 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 tremendous attack, was still posted as I have hereto 
 fore stated. Our own regiment (the Twelfth New 
 Jersey) was its proper right. The strength of the 
 latter, as shown at the muster of June 3Oth, three 
 days before, was twenty-five officers and five hundred 
 and seven enlisted men present for duty, or a total of 
 five hundred and thirty-two. Despite the casualties 
 thus far it probably then had in line four hundred 
 men. It was armed with the Springfield smooth-bore 
 musket, calibre 69 a terrible weapon at close range. 
 The usual cartridge carried a large ball and three 
 buckshot, but many of the men, while awaiting the 
 enemy s advance, had opened their boxes and pre 
 pared special cartridges of from ten to twenty-five 
 buckshot alone. It was the only regiment in the 
 division bearing the arm mentioned, and I doubt 
 whether anywhere upon that field a more destructive 
 fire was encountered than at the proper time blazed 
 forth from its front. 
 
 " The men were young, well disciplined, of respecta 
 ble parentage, in comfortable circumstances and 
 almost solely of native birth. In the entire regi 
 ment, as originally mustered, there were but seventy- 
 two men of foreign nativity, and these were almost 
 without exception faithful soldiers. The men had 
 the confidence of their officers, who were in turn 
 very generally trusted and respected by their men. 
 Of very much the same stock were the One Hundred 
 and Eighth New York, Fourteenth Connecticut and 
 First Delaware, as they then stood. 
 
BVT. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM E. POTTER, 
 Second Lieut. Company K, i2th Regt., N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a Recent Photograph.} 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 297 
 
 "The skirmishers along our front fell back before 
 the enemy s advance, and taking position in the 
 Emmetsburg road, fire with destructive effect; they 
 are, however, soon driven in. 
 
 " The enemy s column first comes in contact with 
 the Eighth Ohio Volunteers, under command of Lieu 
 tenant-Colonel Franklin Sawyer, who, with four com 
 panies, deployed as skirmishers, supported them with 
 the remainder of the regiment as a reserve, to the 
 front of and somewhat to the right of Vv r oodruff s 
 battery. Under the stringent orders of Colonel Car 
 roll to hold their position to the last man, they had 
 maintained their post without relief since 4 p. m., of 
 the second of July ; having lost from their small 
 numbers, up to noon of the third, 4 men killed, and I 
 Captain, I Lieutenant, the Sergeant-Major and 38 men 
 wounded. 
 
 "As the enemy s column came on, according to 
 Colonel Sawyer s report, now ployed in mass with a 
 regiment in line upon its flank, that officer exhibits 
 brilliant soldiership. Instead of retiring his skirmish 
 ers, he advances his reserve to their support, and 
 dispersing the enemy s regiment advancing in line, he 
 changes front forward upon his tenth company, closes 
 down upon the column itself, and opens a fierce fire 
 directly upon its flank. Though smitten deep, the 
 force of Sawyer was too light to stay the progress of 
 the heavy column, which swept onward with majestic 
 impetus to attack Smyth s brigade. The Eighth 
 Qhio, however, captured a large number of prisoners 
 
298 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and three stands of colors, and its total loss during the 
 action was 101 killed and wounded ; including i 
 officer killed, and 9 officers, the sergeant-major, 2 
 orderly sergeants and 2 duty sergeants wounded. 
 
 u In our main line, to use the language of the official 
 report of General Hancock, the l men evinced a 
 striking disposition to withhold their fire. In our 
 own regiment they did so under the orders of Major 
 Hill, enforced by their company officers. The enemy 
 now reached the Emmetsburg road, the fences fall 
 before their pressure, and as they emerge into the 
 broad turnpike, Smyth s brigade rising to its feet 
 pours a terrific sheet of musketry into the column, 
 before which the whole front line seems to go down. 
 The masses in rear press on, but vainly strive to pass 
 the line of death marked by the road. The blazing 
 line of Smyth s brigade is in their front ; the Eighth 
 Ohio presses upon their left ; the guns of Woodruff 
 firing double charges of canister upon their flank, 
 sweep down whole ranks at once. To advance is 
 annihilation, to retreat is death. In vain do they make 
 the most strenuous exertions to regain their lost 
 momentum ; in vain do their leaders, officers, color- 
 bearers, strong men, spring to the front and endeavor 
 to move the column forward or cause it to deploy to 
 fire. These are instantly shot down ; and in less time 
 than I have taken to tell the story the whole of the six 
 brigades to the left of Pickett are either prone upon the 
 ground, or fleeing in disordered groups northward and 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.^ 299 
 
 westward to escape the fire and to regain Seminary 
 Ridge. 
 
 "Just at the critical moment General Hays brought 
 forward from the rear the Third Brigade and formed 
 it in rear of the Twelfth New Jersey. These troops 
 did not, however, open fire, though they suffered con 
 siderable loss, and one shell, it is said, exploding near 
 the colors of the One Hundred and Eleventh New 
 York, killed 7 men. 
 
 " In the height of the fight Lieutenant Richard H. 
 Townsend, of Cape May county, fell shot through the 
 heart. Promoted from the Tenth Regiment New 
 Jersey Volunteers, he had been able to join his new 
 command only three days before, and thus died in his 
 first battle. 
 
 " At least 2,000 prisoners and fifteen colors were 
 taken by Hays division. Of the latter Smyth s bri 
 gade took nine ; the Fourteenth Connecticut capturing 
 four, the First Delaware three, and the Twelfth New 
 Jersey two. The aggregate loss of the brigade in the 
 action was 366. The loss of the Twelfth New Jersey 
 was: killed, 2 officers and 21 men; wounded, 4 officers 
 and 79 men; missing, 9 men; an aggregate of 115, 
 about one-fourth of its total strength. The total loss 
 of the division in killed, wounded and missing 
 was 1,291. 
 
 " If I have made myself clear, it will thus be 
 perceived that Smyth s brigade, with Woodruff s 
 battery, not only checked the enemy s advance, but 
 practically destroyed his column. No portion of the 
 
300 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 enemy s troops reached our line. One smooth-cheeked 
 lad, indeed, the leader of thousands, ran forward 
 through all that fire to fall dead and covered with 
 wounds within, twenty feet of our colors. Another 
 reached the Byran barn, and from behind it, firing one 
 shot down our line, was killed by Color-Sergeant 
 Charles E. Cheeseman, a brave soldier, who, shot 
 through the body himself, died by my side at the field 
 hospital of the Wilderness, in May of 1864. These two 
 men, like spra}^ driven from a wave, marked the 
 farthest limit of the enemy s advance in our front." 
 
 The disastrous fire from Hays front threw the 
 attacking forces into the utmost confusion and dis 
 order, and the troops of Scales and Archer who with 
 stood the shock united with Pickett, but it was too 
 late, the force of the attacking column was spent, its 
 power broken, and those who could get back to 
 Seminary Ridge went there. Pickett s division was 
 practically annihilated. Out of the four thousand five 
 hundred men who advanced with him, not more than 
 one thousand returned. 
 
 Wilcox, on the right of Pickett who had become 
 separated from him on the advance, reached a position 
 in front of Birney s division of the Third Corps. With 
 out any knowledge of the disaster which had befallen 
 Pickett on the left, he deployed his men ; but Stannard 
 who had returned to his place in the wood observed 
 Wilcox s position, and repeating the movement by 
 which he threw Armistead s line into confusion he 
 advanced two of his regiments on Wilcox s flank and 
 
v%% / III T^VI ! t*B 
 
 - *:Vt if r^^t/.;$* 8 t B uit^ul ; 
 
 ^%r jrafe\^| 
 
 ?/ r SVr^s^JwR 
 H^^iW^o^* 
 
 THE GENERAL LINE OF BATTLE AT THE TIME OF PICKETT S CHARGE. 
 
302 NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 poured an enfilading fire down his line. The sudden 
 ness of this attack caused Wilcox to halt, and finding 
 himself assailed by Stannard on the left and by artillery 
 in front, he hastily departed with a loss of 200 of his 
 men. 
 
 When the enemy was forming for their charge 
 Battery "A," First New Jersey Artillery, Lieutenant 
 Augustin N. Parsons commanding, was ordered by 
 General Tyler, commanding the Artillery Reserve, to 
 advance to the support of the Second Corps, in accord 
 ance with the instructions of General Hunt, chief of 
 artillery. Promptly at the word Parsons, and his 
 brave Germans who had distinguished themselves in 
 many fields of action with their beloved commander 
 Hexamer, moved into position along the Taneytown 
 road and by order of Captain R. II. Fitzhugh was 
 posted near the stone fence in front of General Webb s 
 position, on the -left of Fitzhugh s battery (K, First 
 New York Artillery). "At this time," reported Fitz 
 hugh, " the enemy were making a strong effort to 
 break the Second Corps line, their infantry having 
 charged up to the stone fence near a small wooded 
 knoll about seventy-five yards on my right, while their 
 artillery fire swept the ground occupied by the two 
 batteries. Just then there were no other batteries at 
 that point and there seemed to be a good deal of con 
 fusion. The rebel artillery fire, from near a house and 
 barn, about one thousand yards on my left and front, 
 was especially severe, but soon materially slackened 
 and became very wild under a fire of percussion and 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 303 
 
 time-shell from Battery K. In the mean time Lieuten 
 ant Parsons poured forty rounds of shrapnel into the 
 flank of the rebel infantry charging- the Second Corps, 
 and in about half or three-quarters of an hour the 
 enemy abandoned the attack on that point altogether. 
 
 " After a pause of about an hour the rebel infantry 
 began forming on the right of the house and barn 
 before spoken of while from the same quarter their 
 artillery opened upon us a brisk but poorly directed 
 and inefficient fire, to which, by direction of General 
 Hunt, I made no reply, but awaited the attack of 
 their infantry (Wilcox and Perry s brigades), who 
 soon charged over the open field toward some broken 
 ground, about five hundred yards on my left, as they 
 did so giving the two batteries an opportunity to pour 
 in an enfilading fire, which they did with great effect, 
 for the enemy did not reach the point but broke and 
 gave way in all directions when about the middle of 
 the field. 
 
 " Of the conduct of officers and men, both of Battery 
 1 A First New Jersey Artillery, Lieutenant A. N. 
 Parsons commanding, and of K First New York 
 Artillery, with Eleventh New York Battery attached, 
 I cannot speak too highly. Coming into position at a 
 critical point of the rebel charge on our centre and 
 under a galling fire, the guns were worked with great 
 deliberation and a most decided effect." 
 
 Battery " A " sustained a loss of 2 killed and 7 
 wounded ; 5 horses were killed and 200 rounds of 
 
304 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 ammunition expended, of which 120 rounds were 
 shrapnel and 80 shell. 
 
 The conduct of the Twelfth New Jersey Infantry was 
 also of the most exemplary character, and the reports 
 of all the superior officers, mention specifically their 
 brilliant achievements and the coolness and bravery 
 exhibited under the most trying- ordeal human nature 
 had ever been subjected to. Colonel Thomas A. Smyth, 
 commanding the brigade says : u The officers and 
 men behaved with the greatest coolness, and endured 
 this terrible fire with much fortitude. As the fire of 
 the enemy s batteries slackened their infantry moved 
 upon our position in three lines preceded by skirmish 
 ers. * * Major John T. Hill, commanding 
 Twelfth New Jersey Volunteers, directed his men to 
 retain their fire during the charge of the enemy until 
 they were within twenty yards, when, at his command, 
 so tremendous a fire of buck and ball was poured into 
 their ranks as to render it impossible that one of them 
 could reach the breastworks." 
 
 The report of Lieutenant William E. Potter of the 
 Twelfth, whose duties as ordnance officer received 
 the warm commendation of General Hays, shows that 
 two thousand five hundred stand of arms were col 
 lected, and that fully one thousand more were left 
 upon the field for want of time to gather them. The 
 number of prisoners General Hays estimates at 2,000. 
 
 The casualties of the Twelfth Regiment during the 
 two days were heavy. The loss sustained in charg- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 305 
 
 ing the Bliss barn was severe, the total for the two 
 days being 115, as follows: 
 
 COMPANY A. 
 
 Killed Private George H. Martin. 
 
 Wounded Privates John S. Adams, James S. Butler, 
 Joseph S. Fletcher, Benjamin F. Guant, Isaac D. Jones, 
 Ira Knowlton, Joseph Morgan, Jr., David W. Scott, 
 Daniel Smalley, Adam Stormes, Thomas Whitzell. 
 
 COMPANY B. 
 
 Killed Corporal Joseph B. Spachius ; Privates John 
 Bishop, Edward W. Coward, Samuel Platt, William 
 H. Spencer. 
 
 Wounded First Sergeant Henry P. Reed ; Privates 
 William L. Carty, Joseph H. Danley, Michael C. 
 Donegan, Samuel McCulloch, George H. Rhubart, 
 Edward Thomas, Charles D. F. Wilkie. 
 
 Missing Privates Clark S. Champion (returned and 
 discharged), John Elliott (died at Annapolis, Maryland, 
 December 9, 1863), William G. Leak (returned and 
 discharged). 
 
 COMPANY C. 
 
 Killed Second Lieutenant Richard H. Townsend. 
 Wounded Privates Thomas Huttom, Charles Lex, 
 George H. Wood, William S. Woodward. 
 
 COMPANY D. 
 
 Wounded - - Captain James McComb ; Privates 
 George W. Crumback, Enos Garrison, Robert Gant 
 
 20 
 
306 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 (died at Field Hospital, July 3, 1863), Samuel Green, 
 Samuel L. Latcham. 
 
 COMPANY E. 
 
 Killed -- Captain Charles K. Horsfall ; Privates 
 George Anderson, Isaac H. Copeland, James A. Riley. 
 
 Wounded Second Lieutenant Stephen G. Eastwick ; 
 Corporal Thomas E. Prickett ; Privates Jacob Asay, 
 Matthew Cavanagh, Francis Haggerty, Joseph Meyers, 
 Seth C. Southard, Charles Sullivan, William Tozer. 
 
 COMPANY F. 
 
 Kitted Corporal William H. H. Stratton ; Privates 
 George W. Adams, John Albright, William H. 
 Johnson. 
 
 Wounded First Lieutenant John J. Trimble ; Cor 
 poral Abel K. Shute (died at Hospital, Baltimore, 
 Maryland, July 31, 1863); Privates Alfred Eastburn, 
 Joseph T. Garwood, John Grice, Joseph Jones, Wil 
 liam H. Park, James K. Russell. 
 
 COMPANY G. 
 
 Killed Privates John Conley, Thomas R. Middle- 
 ton, Thomas J. Rudrow. 
 
 Wounded Sergeant Hiram Smith ; Corporal Charles 
 Mayhew ; Privates Edward L. Brick, Isaiah Groff, 
 Thomas M. Harrison, William Herring (died at home, 
 May 20, 1864), Charles D. Husbands, Adam Jordan, 
 John H. Lamar, Aaron Parker, Nathan Parker, 
 Richard F. Plum. 
 
 Missing Privates Edward H. Pancoast (returned 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 307 
 
 and discharged April 5, 1865), John L. Severns 
 (returned and transferred to V. R. C., March 31, 1864). 
 
 COMPANY H. 
 
 Killed Privates William S. Harker, Daniel Kiernan. 
 
 Wounded Sergeants Alfred H. Brick, Clarkson Jen 
 nings ; Corporals George A. Cobb, Edmund C. Tier ; 
 Privates David H. Atkinson, David Ballinger, Richard 
 Barnes, Isaac A. Dubois, James Lippincott, James 
 Magee, John Neusteal, Samuel L. Seran, James 
 Stretch, Charles String. 
 
 Missing Private William L. Seran (returned and 
 commissioned in One Hundred and Twenty-first 
 United States Colored Troops). 
 
 COMPANY I. 
 
 Wounded Captain Henry F. Chew ; Privates Jacob 
 Adams, Richard V. Fithian, John J. Hoffman, James 
 Horner, John Miller (3rd), John W. Niblick. 
 
 COMPANY K. 
 
 Killed - - Privates Simon W. Creamer, Henry S. 
 Sockwell. 
 
 Wounded Privates Daniel H. Carman (died at Field 
 Hospital July 3, 1863), William H. Dickeson, Charles 
 H. Simpkins, Bloomfield Spencer, Samuel Tomlinson. 
 
 Missing Sergeant Aaron Terry (died at Anderson- 
 ville, Georgia, March 24, 1864); Privates Thomas C. 
 Galloway (died at Andersonville, Georgia, August 28, 
 1864), Theophilus Sutton (died at Andersonville, 
 Georgia, October 28, 1864). 
 
308 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 RECAPITULATION. 
 
 Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. 
 
 Officers 24 6 
 
 Enlisted Men 20 80 9 109 
 
 Total.. 22 84 g 115 
 
 The following figures show the strength of the 
 Twelfth New Jersey Infantry Volunteers on the dates 
 named. 
 
 June 30, 1863: Officers. Men, Total. 
 
 For duty 25 507 532 
 
 Total present 27 569 596 
 
 July ij, i8bj : 
 
 For duty 18 383 401 
 
 Total present 22 441 463 
 
 None of the other New Jersey regiments were 
 engaged in this defense of Cemetery Ridge. The 
 Eleventh with Carr s brigade had been ordered up to 
 the support of the line, but their services were not 
 called in requisition. The First New Jersey Brigade 
 was in reserve occupying a commanding position 
 watching the contest. They were under the orders of 
 General Newton* of the First Corps to whom they 
 
 * General John Newton, commanding First Army Corps, to whom 
 the First New Jersey Brigade was gent, reports as to the formation of 
 the line : 
 
 " The dawn of day (July 3) found the position of the First Corps as 
 follows : First Division on Gulp s Hill; Second Division on Cemetery 
 Hill to support the Eleventh or Second Army Corps ; the Third 
 Division on the left centre adjoining Hancock. Between the left of the 
 Third Division and Sykes on the left an interval of half a mile there 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 309 
 
 had been sent as a reinforcement and ready for any 
 service. 
 
 The exhausted regiments of the Second New Jersey 
 Brigade were in reserve in rear of Caldwell s division, 
 and Clark s battery (" B" First New Jersey Artillery) 
 did not become engaged. The Thirteenth Regiment 
 lay in line of battle in McAllister s woods, and at five 
 o clock with the One Hundred and Seventh New York 
 and two other regiments, all under command of 
 Colonel Carman of the Thirteenth proceeded at a 
 rapid pace to Rummel s farm to support Gregg s 
 cavalry in the fierce conflict there going on. With the 
 brilliant services of the First New Jersey Cavalry in 
 the contest with Stuart s proud horsemen, New Jer 
 sey s record in the glories achieved on that historic 
 field will be completed. 
 
 On the second of July Pleasonton so distributed his 
 cavalry that Sickles was left dependent wholly upon 
 his own skirmish line for a knowledge of what was 
 going on upon his flank. Fortunately on the third 
 Kilpatrick took up position on the Union left with the 
 brigades of Farnsworth and Merritt, and moved 
 
 were no troops in position. I reported this fact to General Meade, 
 who authorized me to go to General Sedgwick and obtain troops from 
 him. While proceeding on this mission I encountered Caldwell s 
 division of the Second Corps, which I put in position on the left of the 
 Third Division, First Corps. General Sedgwick could only spare me 
 the First New Jersey Brigade, General Torbert, which was placed in 
 position on the left of Caldwell." General Newton also highly 
 compliments Lieutenant H. W. Jackson of the Fourth New Jersey, who 
 was acting aide-de-camp on his staff. 
 
3 io 
 
 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 toward the Emmetsburg road, on which the Con 
 federate trains were moving. This demonstration 
 commanded the attention of Law, who succeeded 
 Hood in command of his division, and he despatched 
 Robertson s brigade to intercept the movement. 
 Farnsworth charged the rebel infantry with great bold- 
 
 ness, but the nature of the country with its numerous 
 fences furnished so many obstacles that he was driven 
 to bay, and suffered heavy loss. Farnsworth was 
 killed. Merritt on the Emmetsburg road encountered 
 Anderson s brigade, and he was also repulsed. The 
 cavalry was then re-united and posted to closely watch 
 the further movements of the enemy. This by-play 
 
MONUMENT IZTH KEGT. N. J. VOLS., INF. 
 
312 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 was productive of one good result. It called from 
 Lee s army two brigades of infantry that otherwise 
 could have been of service in strengthening Pickett 
 when the attack upon the Union centre was ordered. 
 
 Stuart after receiving his instructions from Lee on 
 the afternoon of July i, ordered the concentration of 
 all his cavalry on the right of the Union army. Lee s 
 confidence in a victorious assault upon Meade s line is 
 clearly shown in the orders he gave to Stuart which 
 were to get around the Federal right, and take posi 
 tion so as to strike their column in flank, in the event 
 of their retiring by way of Westminster. Stuart s 
 movement was discovered by General Howard who 
 reported to Meade that the enemy s cavalry in strong 
 force was moving to the right of the Federal line, and 
 General Gregg started with his cavalry to meet him. 
 The disposition by Stuart of his troopers was such 
 that Gregg saw his intentions, and posting the First 
 New Jersey Cavalry as mounted skirmishers to the 
 right and front in a wood, near the Bonaughtown 
 road, the Third Pennsylvania was deployed as dis 
 mounted skirmishers to the left and front in the open 
 fields, and the First Maryland on the Hanover turnpike 
 to protect the right of his line. Stuart s force was 
 much larger than Gregg s, and he advanced in strong 
 force upon the latter. The firing of the skirmishers 
 grew in volume like that of a line of battle, and both 
 sides brought their artillery into play. Finally the 
 rebel horsemen mounted for the charge appeared, 
 and they galloped briskly forward, being met by the 
 
IN THE GE T T YSB UR G CA MPA IGN. 3 1 3 
 
 Seventh Michigan who were driven back. The First 
 Michigan in turn charged the victorious enemy and 
 drove them back to their original position. Charges 
 and counter-charges were made the enemy in every 
 instance being foiled, and as they withdrew from the 
 field to their left, the First New Jersey, posted in the 
 wood, gallantly and successfully charged the flank of 
 the column, driving them from the field. Chaplain 
 Pyne relates the following incident which occurred 
 during the fight : 
 
 " Sent forward as a forlorn hope, to give time for 
 the rest of the division to come up with unblown 
 horses, this little band of one hundred and fifty men, 
 by their undaunted bearing and steady fire, staggered 
 the troops that by a single charge could have ridden 
 over them. Refusing to dismount in spite of the 
 storm of bullets constantly whistling over our men, 
 Janeway rode from end to end of his line of skirmish 
 ers, encouraging, warning and directing its every 
 portion showing here as on many another field a 
 coolness and bravery that made him a marked man 
 among men. Advancing from point to point, heralding 
 each charge by a cheer which shook the enemy worse 
 than the bullets of their carbines, for more than a hun 
 dred yards the First Jersey pushed their little line ; 
 and at last, with ammunition exhausted, they still 
 held their ground facing the rebels with their 
 revolvers. Then Janeway rode back to the reserve 
 and reported to Major Beaumont the condition of his 
 men, requesting ammunition and reinforcements. At 
 
314 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Major Beaumont s request, Colonel Mclntosh ordered 
 another regiment to take the place of the First Jersey. 
 That regiment halted a hundred yards to the rear of 
 the line where the Jerseymen were stationed, and 
 would not advance any further, while the latter 
 resisted every effort to move them back. Presently 
 Colonel Mclntosh rode up to Major Beaumont saying, 
 Major, where is your regiment? On the skirmish 
 line, sir ! But I ordered them to be relieved. The 
 other regiment cannot be got to relieve them ! I 
 will see about that, said the Colonel ; recall your 
 men ! I have recalled them, replied the Major, and 
 they won t come. Even Colonel Mclntosh failed to 
 get the relieving regiment up through the tremendous 
 fire to the position of the First Jersey ; old soldiers as 
 they were they could not calmly face it. At length, 
 however, the Third Pennsylvania came upon the line, 
 and the First Jersey was at liberty to retire from the 
 action. But no ! they sought every method to avoid 
 falling back. Borrowing ammunition from the Penn- 
 sylvanians, they kept their boldly won position, and 
 cheering like mad, defied the efforts of the enemy- 
 only a handful retiring, casting reluctant looks behind 
 as they went." 
 
 The charge by the New Jersey Cavalry which the 
 historian of the regiment strangely omits all mention 
 of was one of the most brilliant and effective exploits 
 during the day. General Gregg, commanding the 
 division, and General Pleasanton, of the Cavalry 
 Corps, both speak of it in their reports. There is no 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 315 
 
 official report from the officers of the regiment of its 
 services at Gettysburg, and none by the commander 
 of the brigade previous to July 4. The regiment sus 
 tained a loss of 7 men wounded during the battle. 
 
 About eleven o clock at night the brigade of infantry 
 from the Twelfth Corps under command of Colonel 
 Carman, appeared on the Hanover road, but their aid 
 was not required. The battle was over. Lee had 
 been defeated at every point, and sorrowfully he pre 
 pared for the southward march, his men never more to 
 appear on Northern soil, except as men of peace, and 
 all American citizens under one flag and one govern 
 ment. 
 
 The total casualties in New Jersey Regiments during 
 the two days they were engaged are given in the fol 
 lowing table : 
 
 
 OFFICERS. 
 
 ENLISTED MEN. 
 
 Aggregate. 
 
 Total present for 
 duty June 30. 
 
 Per centage of 
 loss. 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 "rt 
 o 
 H 
 
 *d 
 _u 
 
 3 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 br, 
 
 c 
 
 i 
 
 J 
 
 nj 
 
 I 
 
 First New Jersey Cavalry 
 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 7 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 8 7 
 38 
 103 
 42 
 140 
 
 "3 
 
 7 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 94 
 4i 
 "3 
 49 
 S3 
 "5 
 
 21 
 
 234 
 116 
 H3 
 
 221 
 
 2 4 6 
 
 331 
 198 
 275 
 
 
 
 3 
 8 
 14 
 42 
 *7 
 34 
 24 
 55 
 
 21 
 
 6 
 
 First New Jersey Artillery Bat A 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 First New Jersey Artillery Bat. B 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 10 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 20 
 2O 
 
 I 
 
 15 
 61 
 29 
 77 
 33 
 "3 
 80 
 17 
 
 3 
 16 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 9 
 
 Fifth New Jersey Infantry 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 3 
 9 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 7 
 3 
 10 
 
 7 
 13 
 6 
 3 
 
 Sixth New Jersey Infantry 
 
 Seventh New Jersey Infantry 
 
 I 
 
 Kighth New Jersey Infantry 
 
 Eleventh New Jersey Infantry 
 Twelfth New Jersey Infantry 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Infantry 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 8 
 
 4i 
 
 49 
 
 78 
 
 439 
 
 56 
 
 573 
 
 622! 2656 
 
 22 
 
 
 The First New Jersey Brigade though not at any 
 time engaged in the battle sustained a few losses from 
 stray bullets and shells, and its detailed skirmishers 
 
316 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 also suffered somewhat. On the march back to 
 Virginia there were several skirmishes with the 
 enemy, the total casualties in the several regiments 
 being reported on July i8th as follows : 
 
 SECOND REGIMENT NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 Wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg Sergeant 
 William Duffy, Company C ; Charles Lenz, Gottfried 
 Schraitman, William Krauss, Frederick Imhaff, Com 
 pany D ; Wallingsen Van Houten, Company I. On 
 skirmish line near Hagerstown, July 11, 1863 Second 
 Lieutenant Johan J. G. Schmaltz, Corporal Ernest 
 Fischer. Total 8 wounded. 
 
 THIRD REGIMENT NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 Killed Corporal Daniel Schuh, Company H, July 5, 
 1863, near Fairfield, Pa. 
 
 Wounded Captain John Frantz, Company B, July 
 12, 1863, near Funkstown, Md.; John C. Martin, Com 
 pany E, and Corporal Matthew H. Ivory, Company H, 
 both on July 3, near Gettysburg. 
 
 Total i killed, 3 wounded. 
 
 FIFTEENTH REGIMENT NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 Wounded At Gettysburg, July 3 Isaac Cathrell, 
 Company A (died July I3th); Jacob B. Hendershot, 
 Company B ; John C. Conklin, Company K ; near 
 Funkstown, July 12 Jacob O. Burdett and John 
 Ackerson, Company D. Total, 5 wounded. 
 
 Total losses for the First New Jersey Brigade 
 killed, i ; wounded, 16. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE SCENES ON THE FIELD THE 
 CARE OF THE WOUNDED EFFECT OF GENERAL 
 
 MEADE S ORDER SENDING ALL WAGONS TO THE 
 REAR PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE SERVICE AT THE 
 TWELFTH CORPS HOSPITAL RETREAT OF LEE S 
 ARMY AND THE PURSUIT. 
 
 THE battle of Gettysburg was a complete and 
 decisive victory for the Federal, army. The 
 news of Lee s defeat was flashed across the con 
 tinent the next morning July 4th and a few hours 
 later a dispatch from General Grant announcing the 
 capitulation of Vicksburg, filled the whole North with 
 rejoicing. Bells were rung, salutes fired, enthusiastic 
 greetings exchanged, public meetings held, and it is 
 safe to say that never before was there such a cele 
 bration of the Nation s birthday as that of July 4th, 
 1863. 
 
 The scenes on the field of battle defy description. 
 Beginning on the right of the Union line, the dead 
 bodies of the enemy which lined Gulp s Hill from its 
 summit to the banks of Rock Creek presented a 
 harrowing sight. They were so close together that it 
 was impossible to walk over the ground without care 
 fully selecting a spot for each step, and the broken 
 
3 1 8 NEW /ERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 muskets, straps, belts, clothing and implements of war 
 fare which go to make up the debris of a battle-field, 
 presented a demoralizing spectacle. Behind the rocks 
 and trees along the creek, and in the stone house from 
 which the enemy s sharpshooters did such effective 
 work in the ranks of the Thirteenth New Jersey and 
 Twenty-seventh Indiana regiments, the dead bodies 
 of several rebels were found, showing that the fire 
 from these regiments had done severe execution. 
 The rebel battery on Benner s Hill had met with 
 disaster. The dead bodies of the horses which were 
 killed by the fire of the batteries on Cemetery Hill, 
 lay where they fell, while the newly-made graves to 
 the rear marked the last resting places of the brave 
 men who manned the guns. Two disabled caissons 
 remained, further evidences of the destructive and 
 accurate fire of the Union batteries. In front of the 
 ridge which connects Gulp with Cemetery Hill, 
 where the Louisiana Tigers made their heroic but fatal 
 charge similar scenes were witnessed, but across the 
 open country in front of the line of the Second and 
 Third Corps, the sights beggared description. Dead 
 and bloated horses, the disfigured bodies of hundreds of 
 brave soldiers, abandoned material of every kind con 
 ceivable met the eye in all directions. Along Sickles 
 angle, in the Peach Orchard and beyond, over the 
 wheat-field and among the rocks of the Devil s Den, 
 blue bodies and gray were intermingled. Under the 
 porches and even under the houses themselves 
 wounded men had crawled to escape the dreadful hail 
 
320 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 of leaden missiles, only to die of neglect. It was such 
 a sight as only the destroying angel could reproduce, 
 and it told of the horrors of war, as only a battle-field 
 can tell it. But these mortifying bodies could not be 
 permitted to remain. Details of men, with shovels and 
 picks were seen moving over the field. Wide trenches 
 were at first dug and the dead placed side by side and 
 covered up, a board with the number of bodies 
 buried, being placed at the head of the mound. In 
 the case of Union men who were buried by details 
 from their own regiments, the board would be marked 
 with the name and company of the dead soldier, but it 
 happened in many cases that the dead of one regiment 
 were buried by details from other regiments, and thus 
 came about the long list of " Unknown " dead, whose 
 bodies were afterward transferred to the National 
 Cemetery. The number of bodies to be buried was so 
 large that trenches could not be dug for all, and as a 
 matter of sanitary policy, it became necessary to 
 simply cover them where they lay with earth, and in 
 that manner hundreds were disposed of. 
 
 The care of the wounded was however the most 
 important duty. The Medical Director of the army 
 had made ample and complete arrangements for the 
 establishment of field hospitals, but the trains with the 
 necessary supplies were not permitted to come nearer 
 the battle-field than Taneytown, and on July 2d all 
 trains were ordered by General Meade still farther to 
 the rear to Westminster twenty-five miles from the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 321 
 
 battle-field. * The effect of this order was to deprive 
 the Medical Department of the means for taking- 
 proper care of the wounded until the result of the 
 engagement of the second and third days of July was 
 fully known. In most of the corps the wagons exclus 
 ively used for medicines moved with the ambulances, 
 so that the medical officers had a sufficient supply of 
 dressings, chloroform, and such articles until the 
 wagons could come up, but the tents and other appli 
 ances were not available until July 5th, and though 
 this was a disobedience of orders, yet it produced 
 such excellent results that the Medical Director of 
 the army quotes approvingly from the report of 
 Medical Director McNulty of the Twelfth Corps, 
 who says : " It is with extreme satisfaction that I 
 can assure you that it enabled me to remove the 
 wounded from the field, shelter, feed them, and dress 
 their wounds within six hours after the battle ended, 
 and to have every capital operation performed within 
 twenty-four hours after the injury was received." 
 Medical Director Letterman says of this: "I can, I 
 think, safely say that such would have been the result 
 in other corps had the same facilities been allowed a 
 result not to have been surpassed, if equaled, in any 
 battle of magnitude that has ever taken place." . 
 
 The following interesting account of the hospital 
 work of the Twelfth Corps, is from one of the promi 
 nent surgeons of the First Division : 
 
 * Report of Jonathan A. Letterman, Medical Director. 
 21 
 
322 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 " The Twelfth Corps Field Hospital was first located 
 in the rear of Power s Hill, but after being shelled 
 out on the afternoon of July second was permanently 
 located (by Surgeon J. McNulty, medical director 
 of the corps, and Surgeon A. Chapel, chief medical 
 officer of the First Division), on a farm owned, I think, 
 by G. Bushman, situated or lying on Rock Creek, near 
 a cross road running from the Baltimore pike to the 
 Taneytown road, some two or two and one-half miles 
 from the town of Gettysburg. The farm house was 
 used as a dining place for the surgeons and attendants, 
 and the female portion of the farmer s family were 
 kept busy in the preparation and serving of food. The 
 large barn was utilized for shelter for as many of the 
 wounded as it would hold, and hospital tents were 
 put up in rows on each side of an imaginary street 
 running up in the field north from the bam. The 
 tents on the west side of the street were alloted to the 
 Second Division, and those on the east side to the 
 First Division. Surgeon H. E. Goodman, Twenty- 
 eighth Pennsylvania, was placed in charge of the 
 Second Division, and Surgeon J. J. H. Love, Thir 
 teenth New Jersey Volunteers, had the care of the 
 First Division. In the First Division the chief opera 
 tors were Surgeons W. C. Rodgers, Forty-s.ixth Penn 
 sylvania ; W. C. Burnett, Fifth Connecticut, and W. 
 H. Twiford, Twenty-seventh Indiana. While in the 
 Second Division Surgeons J. A. Ball, Fifth Ohio ; A. 
 K. Fifield, Seventh Ohio, and E. L. Dunn, One Hun 
 dred and Ninth Pennsylvania, were assigned to similar 
 
JOHN J. H. LOVE, 
 
 Surgeon-in-Chief 3d Brigade, ist Division, I2th Corps. 
 Surgeon I3th Regiment, N. J. Vols., Inf. 
 
 (From a War-Time Photograph.) 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 325 
 
 duty. To keep the records, provide shelter and food 
 was assigned to Surgeons R. T. Paine, Twenty-eighth 
 New York; J. A. Freeman, Thirteenth New Jersey; 
 Geo. W. Burke, Forty-sixth Pennsylvania ; E. L. Bes- 
 sell, Fifth Connecticut; W. T. Tibbals, Fifth Ohio, 
 and C. H. Lord, One Hundred and Seventh New York. 
 
 " During the evening of July second the wounded 
 began to arrive, and all that night and the next day 
 until afternoon late the ambulances were constantly 
 bringing in loads of wounded men. First Lieuten 
 ant George M. Hard, Thirteenth New Jersey Volun 
 teers, had charge of the ambulance train of the First 
 Division. My records state that about six hun 
 dred (600) wounded were brought to the hospital. 
 These were -sheltered, their wounds dressed, all 
 necessary operations performed, and everything fixed 
 up in good condition by Sunday afternoon, July 
 fourth. Then the army having left the vicinity, 
 Surgeon H. E. Goodman with twelve assistant 
 surgeons and the necessary number of hospital stew 
 ards and nurses were detailed to take charge of the 
 hospital, and the balance of the surgeons mount 
 ing their horses took a hasty gallop over the battle 
 field and rejoined their respective commands late 
 that night at Littlestown, Pennsylvania. Surgeon 
 Freeman and Hospital Steward Albert Delano, of the 
 Thirteenth New Jersey Volunteers, were among those 
 left behind to assist in caring for the wounded. 
 
 " The facility and despatch shown by the surgeons of 
 the Twelfth Corps in caring for their wounded at this 
 
326 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 battle, was the result of a disobedience of or a neglect 
 to obey an order issued by General Meade on July first,, 
 reducing the medical transportation and sending all 
 trains, except ammunition wagons and ambulances, to^ 
 the rear, somewhere between Union Mills and West 
 minster. The medical department of the Twelfth 
 Corps had its full allowance of supplies on hand ready 
 for use, and was the only corps in the Army of the 
 Potomac that had. 
 
 " During the memorable cannonade on the afternoon 
 of July third, the surgeons and attendants became so 
 excited that all, for a time, left their work and crowded 
 the top of a knoll in rear of the hospital, from which a 
 view could be had toward our line of battle. The 
 roar was terrific ; the ground under us trembled ; all 
 knew that the great crisis in the history of the Army 
 of the Potomac and that of Northern Virginia had 
 come; that one or the other must conquer or be 
 defeated, and all understood what the consequences 
 would be in either event. The bursting shell comes 
 nearer. Look ! there falls one in the field across the 
 road from us. The roar increases. The shell rain on 
 that ploughed field, hurling its loose dirt in great 
 masses skyward. The enemy must be driving our 
 troops, or else secured a more .favorable position for 
 one of their batteries. See, there ! the Second Corps 
 Hospital, between us and Little Round Top, is under 
 fire, and they must move, and that quickly. Men, 
 wounded and otherwise, ambulances, hospital wagons, 
 mules, led horses, servants, surgeons, all come hurrying 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN, 327 
 
 through the fields under that shell fire. How soon 
 will our turn come ? The cannonade begins to slacken 
 and die out, and in a little while come the rattle and 
 steady roar of musketry. Which side holds its own ? 
 No ambulances come in ; no messengers from the 
 front ; no stragglers can be seen pouring over the hill, 
 as on the previous afternoon when the Third Corps 
 was fighting its great battle. The minutes seem hours* 
 Presently an orderly is seen hurrying across the fields. 
 We call him to us and eagerly ask what news from the 
 front. * The Union lines stand firm, he shouts. Each 
 man breathes a silent prayer of thanks to God, and 
 then with three cheers for General Meade and the 
 Army of the Potomac all return to their work." 
 
 The number of wounded who were cared for by the 
 medical director of the Army of the Potomac was 
 14,193, and Confederates 6,802 a total of 20,995. 
 These figures include the Federal wounded of July i, 
 who fell into Union hands on the 4th. 
 
 The wounded from other corps suffered dreadfully. 
 During the morning of July 4th a heavy rain fell an 
 occurrence which seemed to succeed every great battle, 
 and hundreds, of disabled soldiers were without shelter, 
 and unable to reach any. The water in Rock Creek 
 rose to a considerable height and in immense volume 
 rushed southward with great force, in several instances 
 carrying down with it the wounded men along its 
 banks who were unable to move to higher ground, and 
 some were drowned. The effect of the rain upon the 
 
328 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 dead bodies of men and horses lying on the field was 
 ghastly but it would be painful to particularize. 
 
 The town of Gettysburg had not suffered much in a 
 material sense. The enemy occupied it, and this saved 
 it from the terrible effects of a cannonade from that 
 side. Its residents were Union people and no attempt 
 therefore to shell the rebel lines there was made by 
 Meade. But occasionally a cannon ball penetrated the 
 town and in two instances houses were pierced, the 
 balls remaining imbedded in the brick walls where 
 they can now be seen. 
 
 On the morning of July fourth about eight o clock 
 the Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment rejoined its 
 corps and with them went on a reconnoissance over 
 the enemy s position on the Union right. They found 
 no signs of Ewell s troops, that officer having retired 
 the night before, and passing through Gettysburg 
 formed a new line with Lee s army, along the ridge of 
 Seminary Hill. Meade did not attempt a counter 
 charge after the fight on the third. General Han 
 cock, when wounded, had suggested it, but Lee had 
 been given too much time to prepare for defence. 
 On the evening of the third of July Meade sent for 
 ward a body of troops to feel the enemy, who 
 speedily withdrew, and at a council of his corps 
 commanders that night it was decided not to at- 
 attack Lee, nor to follow the same route, if he 
 retired. It was not at all clear to Meade s mind 
 that Lee was so badly punished that he was not able 
 to outnumber him, and taking the benefit of the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 329 
 
 doubt, he waited to ascertain what Lee intended 
 doing. That officer however was preparing for his 
 march back to Virginia, and taking advantage of 
 Meade s inaction had covered a long distance before 
 the Army of the Potomac moved. Lee had the 
 shorter and more direct route to the Potomac and his 
 advance had reached the river several days ahead of 
 his pursuers, but the heavy rains had so swollen the 
 stream that he could not replace the bridges that had 
 been swept away. It was the twelfth of July before 
 Meade confronted him in line of battle and on the 
 night of the thirteenth unmolested Lee crossed over 
 into Virginia. A few of his rear guard were captured 
 the next morning by Union cavalry, but Lee, with all 
 his plunder, had escaped. The Army of the Potomac 
 recrossed into Virginia and no engagement of any 
 importance took place between the two armies. There 
 was a good deal of lively skirmishing between the 
 cavalry. On the fifth of July the First New Jersey 
 had a sharp engagement in the mountain passes north 
 of Emmetsburg, and again on the sixth, Lieutenant 
 Thomas S. Cox receiving a bad wound. On the 
 fourteenth the regiment had an encounter with the 
 Twelfth Virginia and captured its colonel. Affairs of 
 this kind occupied the attention of the cavalry daily, 
 but aside from these nothing of moment occurred on 
 the march. 
 
 The Comte de Paris who has made an exhaustive 
 research among the figures presented by both armies 
 sums up the effective strength during the battle to be : 
 
330 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 For the Army of the Potomac from eighty-two to 
 eighty-four thousand men ; army of Northern Virginia 
 from sixty-eight to sixty-nine thousand men, actually 
 upon the field of battle. The losses were enormous 
 for the number of combatants engaged, amounting to 
 twenty-seven per cent, for the Union army and thirty- 
 six per cent, for the Confederates. 
 
 The losses in officers in both armies were heavy. 
 On the Union side were Major-General Reynolds, and 
 Brigadier-Generals Vincent and Weed, killed ; Major- 
 Generals Sickles, Hancock, Doubleday, Gibbon, Bar 
 low, Warren and Butterfield, and Brigadier-Generals 
 Graham, Paul, Barnes, Brooke and Webb, wounded. 
 
 The rebels lost in killed Generals Armistead, Barks- 
 dale, Garnett, Pender, Semmes and Pettigrew (during 
 the retreat) ; and Generals Anderson, Hampton, Hood, 
 Jenkins, Jones, Kemper and Scales, wounded. The 
 rebel General Archer was captured on July ist. 
 
 The list of officers of lower rank would fill a page. 
 The death of Hazlett and Gushing of the artillery 
 service, and of Colonels Rorty, Sherrill, Zook, Cross 
 and Willard, of the infantry each signify especially 
 heroic services rendered most opportunely, and under 
 circumstances of the most exalting nature. 
 
 The success of the Union arms at Gettysburg did for 
 the cause of humanity precisely what the Declaration 
 of Independence did for mankind in 1776. The latter 
 was the protest of a misgoverned people against the 
 encroachments of kingly rule upon their rights and 
 privileges ; the battle of Gettysburg proclaimed the 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 331 
 
 dawn of liberty to an enslaved race and exhibited 
 to the world the sublime spectacle of a nation of 
 freemen determined that every one within its borders 
 should* have that liberty which the Declaration 
 of Independence proclaimed to be the inalienable 
 right of all men. The war for the Union, first begun 
 by the slaves States of the South, was waged on the 
 part of the government for national preservation, but 
 when President Lincoln issued his Proclamation of 
 Emancipation, the contest took on a new phase, and 
 slavery was doomed to eternal destruction by the 
 success of the national arms. How eloquently Presi 
 dent Lincoln drew the picture in his dedicatory address 
 at Gettysburg a speech immortalized as a master 
 piece of English composition, in the breadth of thought 
 as well as in the beauty of expression which character 
 izes it : 
 
 " Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought 
 forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in 
 liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men 
 are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great 
 civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, 
 so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We 
 are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have 
 come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final rest 
 ing-place for those who here gave their lives that the 
 nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper 
 that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we 
 cannot dedicate we cannot consecrate we cannot 
 hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, 
 
33 2 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our 
 poor power to add or detract. The world will little 
 note nor long remember what we say here, but it 
 never can forget what they did here. It is for us the 
 living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished 
 work which they who fought here have thus far so 
 nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedi 
 cated to the great task remaining before us that from 
 these honored dead we take increased devotion to that 
 cause for which they gave the last full measure of 
 devotion. That we here highly resolve that these 
 dead shall not have died in vain ; that this nation, 
 under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ; and 
 that the government of the people, by the people, and 
 for the people, shall not perish from the earth." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF THE GETTYSBURG BATTLE-FIELD 
 COMMISSION A RECORD OF ITS WORK DESCRIP 
 TION OF THE MONUMENTS. 
 
 FOR several years efforts had been made to enlist 
 the sympathies of the survivors of New Jersey 
 regiments for the purpose of securing the erec 
 tion of monuments to mark the position occupied 
 by each of them on Gettysburg battle-field. For a 
 long time little progress was made, until at a meeting 
 of the Eighth Regiment Association a bill was pre 
 pared and presented to the Legislature for State aid in 
 the work of erecting monuments, which was enacted 
 into a law. The Twelfth New Jersey Regiment 
 previous to this with commendable promptness and 
 energy went voluntarily to work to procure a monu 
 ment for themselves and were the first New Jersey 
 organization to erect and dedicate a monument on the 
 battle-field. 
 
 In 1885 tne Legislature passed the bill entitled "An 
 act to provide for the erection of suitable monuments 
 to mark the position of New Jersey regiments upon 
 the battle-field of Gettysburg," which provided for the 
 appointment by the Governor of three commissioners, 
 to be known as u the Gettysburg Battle-field Com mis- 
 
334 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 sion of New Jersey," and empowering them to call to 
 their aid one officer or enlisted man who was present 
 at the battle of Gettysburg, from each New Jersey 
 regiment and battery there engaged, to assist them in 
 locating the lines and positions occupied by their respec 
 tive regiments and batteries. This bill became a law on 
 May 27, 1886, and the Governor subsequently appointed 
 the following Commissioners : Colonel James N. Duffy 
 of Newark, Honorable William H. Corbin of Elizabeth 
 and Honorable Gottfried Kreuger of Newark. The 
 Commissioners organized by the selection of Colonel 
 Duffy for president and Honorable William H. Corbin 
 as Secretary. In accordance with that provision of the 
 law which authorized the selection of representatives 
 of the several regiments and batteries engaged at 
 Gettysburg, to aid in locating the sites of their 
 respective commands, the following were selected by 
 the commission : 
 
 First Infantry First Sergeant William Brant. 
 
 Second Infantry Surgeon Lewis W. Oakley, Lieu 
 tenant Joseph Donovan. 
 
 Third Infantry First Sergeant A. W. Cattell. 
 
 Fourth Infantry John P. Beech. 
 
 Fifteenth Infantry Corporal Jacob Reidinger. 
 
 Fifth Infantry Colonel William J. Sewell. 
 
 Sixth Infantry Joseph Smith. 
 
 Seventh Infantry First Sergeant W. H. H. Condit, 
 Theodore Searing. 
 
 Eighth Infantry Sergeant Benjamin Murphy. 
 
: GETTYSBURG BATTLE-FIELD COMMISSION OF NEW JERSEY, 
 
 COL. JAMES N. DUFFY, President. 
 HON. WILLIAM H. CORBIN, Secretary. HON. GOTTFRIED KRUEGER. 
 
336 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Eleventh Infantry Frank P. Mulcahy. 
 Twelfth Infantry Sergeant James White. 
 Thirteenth Infantry Samuel Toombs. 
 First Cavalry Lieutenant George A. Bovvne. 
 Battery " B," First Artillery Captain A. Judson 
 Clark. 
 
 The Commission, with these representatives, visited 
 the Gettysburg battle-field on the first of July follow 
 ing and selected the positions for the monuments to the 
 several regiments. When the expenses of the trip were 
 defrayed and the payment to the Gettysburg Battle 
 field Memorial Association of $3,000 was made, it was 
 found that but $370 remained for each regiment and 
 battery with which to erect a monument. 
 
 The Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment held its first 
 reunion since the war at Orange on October i3th 
 following, and appointed a committee on monument 
 which promptly organized and submitted a design for 
 the approval of the Commission. As the cost was to 
 be two thousand dollars, and the State appropriation 
 was only three hundred and seventy dollars, the Com 
 mission approved the design, the committee of the 
 Thirteenth Regiment becoming responsible for the 
 balance of the money. This was the first monument 
 erected and dedicated by the State Commission. 
 
 In 1886 and 1887 the act creating the Commission 
 was amended by increasing the amount to be appropri 
 ated to each regiment and battery to nine hundred and 
 fifty dollars each, and this sum was increased to one 
 
IN THE GET 7 YSB UK G CA MPA IGN. 337 
 
 thousand dollars by voluntary subscriptions from a few 
 public-spirited and patriotic gentlemen. 
 
 The Commission presented its first report to the 
 Legislature of 1887, wherein is set forth the several 
 locations as agreed upon, and which will be found 
 marked on the map accompanying this book. 
 
 The work of the Commission has been most admira 
 bly performed, and the greatest care has been exer 
 cised that in every particular, the foundations, material 
 and workmanship shall be of the very best, and the 
 most durable in quality. These stones are not erected 
 for a day but for all time and they will stand for 
 centuries silent monitors of the greatest battle of 
 modern times ; and coming generations will read the 
 inscriptions engraved on them with mingled feelings 
 of curiosity and respect for the valor of the men who 
 so stubbornly fought on that bloody field for the integ 
 rity of the Republic and the rights of mankind. 
 
 THE MONUMENTS. 
 
 TWELFTH NEW JERSEY INFANTRY. 
 
 The handsome stone which commemorates the 
 services of the members of this regiment in their 
 gallant defense of Cemetery Ridge on the third day 
 of July, was erected by private subscription among 
 the members of the regiment and their friends, and 
 was the first of the New Jersey monuments put up. 
 As early as 1882, members of the regiment interested 
 themselves in the work, and at the annual meeting of 
 
 22 
 
338 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 the Society of the Twelfth Regiment New Jersey 
 Volunteers in 1883, a monument committee, compris 
 ing Comrades Joseph Burroughs, Frank M. Acton 
 and James S. Kiger, was appointed. At the next 
 meeting in 1884, the committee was enlarged by the 
 appointment of Comrades H. F. Chew and George 
 Danenhower. Under the active surpervision of this 
 committee the necessary funds were raised and on the 
 26th of May, 1886, the monument was formally dedi 
 cated. Captain F. M. Riley of Bridgeton, the Presi 
 dent of the Association presented the monument to the 
 Gettysburg Battle-Field Memorial Association and 
 it was accepted by the Secretary, J. M. Krauth, Esq. 
 Colonel William E. Potter, who was Second Lieu 
 tenant of Company K at the time of the battle, 
 delivered the oration. 
 
 The monument is constructed of Richmond granite, 
 a very durable stone, and is twelve feet six inches in 
 height. It is located in the centre of the position 
 occupied by the regiment, and is one of the most 
 prominent in the whole line. The base of the monu 
 ment is four feet eight inches square, and two feet 
 high with sides rustic-dressed. The sub-base is three 
 feet eight inches square and eighteen inches high, fine 
 hammered, and containing this inscription : " 2d Brig. 
 3d Div. 2d Corps," on three of its sides. The die is 
 two feet eight inches square by four feet ten inches in 
 height, polished on the two faces fronting Round Top 
 avenue and inscribed as follows: On first face : 
 
340 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 " In memory of the men of the Twelfth Regiment 
 New Jersey Infantry Volunteers, who fell upon this 
 field July 2d and 3d 1863, and who elsewhere died 
 under the flag, this monument is dedicated by their 
 surviving comrades as an example to future genera 
 tions." 
 
 On the second face : 
 
 "Buck and Ball 
 
 calibre 69." 
 
 " This regiment made two separate charges on the 
 Bliss barn and captured it." 
 
 The capstone is three feet two inches square by two 
 feet high, upon each face of which has been placed the 
 badge of the Second Corps, the Trefoil, raised and 
 polished. 
 
 The capstone is surmounted by a pedestal upon 
 which is a representation of the missiles so effectively 
 used by the regiment in repelling the charge of the 
 enemy buck and ball. The monument was con 
 structed by Mr. Michael Reilly of Camden, N. J., and 
 cost entire $1,000.00. 
 
 TWELFTH REGIMENT MAKKKR. 
 
 Under the provisions of the law by which the New 
 Jersey Gettysburg Battle-Field Commission are gov 
 erned, the Twelfth Regiment was entitled to a monu 
 ment by the State, and the Commission very wisely 
 determined to place a substantial marker on the site 
 of the Bliss barn, in the capture of which the Twelfth 
 had performed one of the most daring- and heroic acts 
 
IJV THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 341 
 
 which characterized the battle. The site of the Bliss 
 barn had been purchased by the Fourteenth Con 
 necticut Regiment, who also charged upon the enemy 
 secreted there, and burned it, but they generously 
 accorded to the State Commission the right to put a 
 marker there for the Twelfth Regiment. This marker 
 or tablet is one massive piece of Ouincy granite, ten 
 feet three inches long, three feet nine inches wide and 
 two feet thick, extending into the ground five feet, and 
 weighs about eight tons, and was constructed by Messrs. 
 Frederick & Field, of Ouincy, Mass. The part above 
 the ground measures five feet three inches in height. 
 The stone is in the form of a tablet and base combined, 
 cut solid, and the upper part is polished front and back 
 and suitably inscribed. On the slant, or top, are two 
 crossed bayonets, carved, and corps badge laid on top> 
 face of same polished. Also * i2th N. J. Vols," in 
 raised and bold face letters. On front is the following 
 inscription : 
 
 " Erected by the State of New Jersey, 1888, in honor 
 of the 1 2th Regiment of Volunteers, a detachment of 
 which in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, charged the 
 Bliss house and barn here, capturing the enemy s 
 skirmish reserve of 7 officers and 85 men stationed 
 therein." 
 
 On the rear of the tablet is the following : 
 
 " On the morning of July 3 another detachment of 
 the regiment charged, capturing the buildings, one 
 officer and 0112 mm, and driving back the skirmish 
 reserve. The regiment lost in their charges 60 officers 
 and men." 
 
342 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 THIRTEENTH NEW JERSEY INFANTRY. 
 
 The beautiful memorial stone of the Thirteenth 
 Regiment was the second New Jersey monument 
 erected on the battle-field, and the first in which the 
 State Commission was officially interested. This regi 
 ment manifested a very marked interest in the work of 
 the Commission, and in the erection of its monument. 
 At a meeting of the Regimental Association in Septem 
 ber, 1886, a monument committee, comprising the fol 
 lowing members of the association was appointed : F. 
 H. Harris, A. M. Matthews, J. J. H. Love, Albert 
 Delano, Samuel Toombs, John Grimes, W. S. Clarke, 
 M. Conners, Charles Webber, 13. A. Ryerson, G. W. 
 Lawrence, W. B. Jacobus, William H. Pridham, 
 Andrew Jackson, Jacob White, Joseph E. Crowell, 
 Ogden Foxcroft, Charles A. Hopkins. The committee 
 worked so faithfully and diligently that by the next 
 July but ten months from the time of their appoint 
 mentthey had secured enough funds which, added to 
 the State appropriation, enabled them to dedicate the 
 monument with appropriate ceremonies on July i, 
 1887, addresses being made by Major-General Henry 
 W. Slocum, His Excellency Governor Robert S. 
 Green, Honorable William H. Corbin, Adjutant-Gen 
 eral W. S. Stryker, Captain A. M. Matthews and Dr. 
 J. J. H. Love. 
 
 The monument stands on a knoll in an open space in 
 McAllister s woods, directly overlooking Rock Creek, 
 the site being, as near as could be determined, exactly 
 where the colors of the regiment stood on the third 
 day of July^ 1863. The monument is a tablet-shaped 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 343 
 
 bowlder, seven feet high, five feet nine inches across 
 the face, two feet ten inches thick at bottom, tapering 
 to two feet in thickness at the top, and was constructed 
 by the Smith Granite Company of Boston, Mass. This 
 tablet rests on a granite support six feet six inches 
 broad at the base, three feet in height and four feet 
 thick, all supported by a rock foundation made of 
 broken stone and Portland cement. The excavation 
 for the foundation is six feet in depth below the 
 original ground surface, and the stone work has been 
 carried up four feet above the ground line. This pro 
 tects it absolutely from frost, and as there are but two 
 immense stones in the monument itself it will require 
 an extraordinary revulsion of nature to disturb it. 
 The four feet of foundation above the ground surface 
 has been concealed from view by mounding it over and 
 sodding it carefully. The entire height of monument 
 above original ground line is fourteen feet. The height 
 of monument proper ten feet. On the easterly face of 
 the stone is carved a figure, life-size, of a soldier kneel 
 ing and in the act of firing. He is represented as in 
 the woods, his haversack and canteen at the foot of a 
 tree, and all the detail of uniform and equipments faith 
 fully portrayed. Across the stone is the legend : 
 u 13 New Jersey Vols." The inscription on the 
 western face is as follows : 
 
 i3TH REGIMENT, N. J. VOLUNTEERS, 
 
 3D BRIGADE, 1ST DIVISION, 1 2TH CORPS. 
 
 Thirteenth Regiment, N. J. Volunteers, reached this 
 battle-field 5 P. M. July i, 1863, and with the brigade 
 
344 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 went into position on the north side of Wolf Hill. 
 During the night occupied a position in support of 
 Battery M., First N. Y. Artillery. July 2, in morning, 
 held position near Gulp s Hill; in afternoon marched 
 to relief of Third Corps near Round Top ; at night 
 returned to right of the army. July 3d occupied posi 
 tion marked by this monument, supporting Second 
 Massachusetts and Twenty-seventh Indiana in their 
 charge on Confederate flank. In evening moved to 
 extreme right to support Gregg s Cavalry. 
 
 Killed and mortally wounded, 2; wounded, 19. 
 
 Mustered in August 25, 1862. Discharged June 8, 
 1865. 
 
 ENGAGEMENTS : 
 
 Antietam, 1862. Nancy s Creek, 1864. 
 Chancellorsville, 1863. Peach-Tree Creek, 1864. 
 
 Gettysburg, 1863. Siege of Atlanta, 1864. 
 
 Resaca, 1864. March to the Sea, 1864. 
 
 Cassville, 1864. Siege of Savannah, 1864. 
 
 Dallas, 1864. Averysboro, 1865. 
 
 Kulp s Farm, 1864. Bentonville, 1865. 
 
 Total losses during the war: Killed or Died of 
 Wounds, 75. Died of Disease and in Prison, 43. 
 Wounded, 244. Total, 362. 
 
 FIRST BRIGADE MONUMENT. 
 
 (First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifteenth Regiments 
 Infantry) 
 
 The monument erected to the First New Jersey 
 Brigade is one of the most conspicuous objects on the 
 battle-field. It represents a watch-tower and is forty 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAlMPAJGN. 345 
 
 feet in height, being constructed mainly of battle-field 
 granite a dark colored and exceedingly hard stone 
 the trimmings being of light granite. At the base the 
 monument is eight feet thick and in the entablature in 
 front the inscription is placed. The Sixth Corps 
 badge a Greek cross is cut in the stone above and 
 the fluted columns on each side give it the appearance 
 of being an entrance way to the interior. Bronze 
 medallions of General Philip Kearny, who organized 
 the brigade, and of General A. T. A. Torbert, who 
 commanded it at Gettysburg, are conspicuously 
 placed, one on each side. A carved stone, weighing 
 several tons, containing the State arms and the number 
 by which each regiment was known, the figures being 
 interlaced with leaves and vines, is one of the attractive 
 features of this handsome design. While this tower 
 marks the position of the brigade on the third day of 
 July, each regiment has separate markers designating 
 their position, the marker for the Fourth Regiment 
 being placed a little south of Power s Hill, that regi 
 ment having been on duty with the division trains 
 during the battle. The brigade monument was de 
 signed by, and the contract awarded to, the New 
 England Monument Company of 1321 Broadway, 
 New York. The monument bears the following 
 
 inscriptions : 
 
 Front : 
 
 First Brigade, New Jersey Volunteers. 
 
 Bng.-Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert. 
 
 (ist 2d 3d 4th and I5th Regiments Infantry-). 
 
 ist Brig, ist Div. 6th Corps. 
 
346 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 July 2 in reserve. July 3 and 4, detached from the 
 Corps, held this position. 
 
 Erected by the State of New Jersey, A. D. 1888, in 
 testimony of the patriotism, courage and patient 
 endurance of her volunteer soldiers. 
 
 Rear : 
 
 u Kearny s New Jersey Brigade " 
 
 Fought in all the important battles of the Army of 
 the Potomac from May 1861 to the end of the war at 
 Apommattox Court House in 1865. 
 
 Total Strength 13,805, including loth, 23d and 4Oth 
 Regiments of New Jersey Volunteers which were 
 attached to the Brigade. 
 
 FIFTH NEW JERSEY INFANTRY. 
 
 This monument located on the west side of the 
 Emmetsburg road, just south of the Rogers house 
 is a massive and enduring structure, and is made 
 of Hallowell, Me., granite. The base is six feet square, 
 and the total height fifteen feet six inches, and weighs 
 about fifteen tons. The die or lettered piece of monu 
 ment rests on two bases and contains the following 
 
 inscriptions : 
 
 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. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 347 
 
 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 ;th 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 
 
348 NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 face of which is highly polished. On this rests the die 
 piece each side of which is polished, and contains the 
 following- inscriptions : 
 
 l : ront : 
 
 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,/. 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. 
 
MONUMENT BATTKRY R, IST N. J. ART 
 (Clark s Battery.) 
 
350 XE\V JERSEY T ROOTS 
 
 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 minie 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. i ;th New Jersey Vols. July 2, 1863. 
 
 No. 2 *Killed 24, wounded 77, missing 13, total 1 14. 
 
 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 i88<S. 
 
 No. 6 Mustered in Sept. 3, 1861. Mustered out 
 July 17, 1865. Engaged in 38 battles. 
 
 No. 7- 3d Brig. 2d Div. 30! Corps. 
 
 * This is an error. The casualties will be found on page 258 of this 
 book. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 351 
 
 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 : 
 
352 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 Front : 
 
 8th New Jersey Volunteers. 
 
 Col. John Ramsey. 
 
 3d Brig. (Burling s) 
 
 2d Div. 3d Corps. 
 
 Erected by tlje 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 1 70. 
 
 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: 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 353 
 
 nth 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 sev ere 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 : 
 2 3 
 
354 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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. 
 
 Sout/i 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 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 355 
 
 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/3OO rounds 
 of ammunition. Losses - - Killed 4,5 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, 
 
356 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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, 2cl Cavalry Division. 
 
 July 3, 1863. 
 Erected by the State of New Jersey 1888. 
 
 West SMc: 
 
 Organized in September, 1861, and served to the end of 
 
 the War. Participated in 97 Engagements. 
 
 L os t_Killed in Action, 79; Died of Wounds, etc., 170; 
 
 Died prisoners of war, 34 ; Missing (supposed 
 
 dead), 12. 
 
MONUMENT FIRST N. J. CAVALRY. 
 
358 NE W JER SE Y TROOPS 
 
 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. " John W. Bellis. 
 
 " John H. Lucas. " Voorhees Dye. 
 
 Capt. Thomas R. Haines. " Alanson Austin. 
 
 THE DEDICATION. 
 
 The formal dedication of the New Jersey monu 
 ments took place on Saturday, June 3Oth, 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 AVest Point July i, 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 i; 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 
 
360 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 36: 
 
 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 
 
362 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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, 
 1862. 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 i, 1865. When, on July i, 1865, the 
 army was reorganized on a peace basis, he was assigned 
 to the command of the Military Division of the Atlantic, 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 363 
 
 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 Uanover Junction, 
 
364 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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 maior 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- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 365 
 
 nor s Room of the City Hall, were taken to West Point 
 and buried in the military cemetery on the i8th, 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 Mclntosh, 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, Games 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 
 
366 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 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. 
 
 On being mustered out of the service he retired to his 
 home in Milford, Del., but had been scarcely three years in 
 private life when President Grant appointed him United 
 States Minister to the Central American States. Two 
 years later he was sent to Havana as consul-general, and 
 thence to Paris in the same capacity. He entered upon 
 his duties in the French capital in the latter part of 1873, 
 and held the office till May, 1878. On August 25, 1880, 
 General Torbert sailed from New York city in the Havana 
 steamship " City of Vera Cruz," and was drowned in the 
 foundering of that vessel off the Florida coast on Sunday 
 morning following (29th). His body was washed ashore, 
 and recovered and reverently buried by some of the saved 
 seamen who were attracted by his handsome appearance 
 and stalwart figure. It was subsequently disinterred and 
 and brought north under a military escort detailed by the 
 Secretary of War. 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 367 
 
 COLONEL SAMUEL L. BUCK. 
 
 Colonel Samuel L. Buck, who commanded the Second 
 Regiment New Jersey Volunteers at Gettysburg, was born 
 of revolutionary stock at Bethel, Vt., June 8, 1820. In 
 infancy he was taken to Montreal, Province of Quebec, 
 and at the breaking out of the first Canadian rebellion 
 enlisted in the Montreal Rifle Battalion which was 
 detailed for garrison duty during the absence of the 
 regular troops. A short time after this he was living in the 
 city of New York, and in the year 1838 enlisted in the 
 Sixth Regiment National Guard of New York. From 
 there Colonel Buck removed to Newark, N. J., and his 
 love of military life caused him in 1850 to join the "Union 
 Blues," which was afterward incorporated with the Newark 
 City Battalion, New Jersey State Militia, and was com 
 missioned first lieutenant and adjutant. 
 
 In response to the call for seventy-five thousand three 
 months men about sixty or seventy men of the City 
 Battalion organized at once and elected Adjutant Buck 
 captain. Active measures were taken to organize a regi 
 ment, which was speedily effected, and at the election for 
 field officers Captain Buck was elected major. Mustered 
 in the United States service at Trenton as the Second 
 Regiment New/Jersey Volunteers, it was ordered to Wash 
 ington, D. C. After a week or more delay in Washington 
 the regiment was ordered to report to General Runyon at 
 Alexandria, Va. Shortly after the first Bull Run battle 
 the regiment was brigaded with the First and Third regi 
 ments under General Kearny as the First New Jersey 
 Brigade. On the 3ist of December, 1861, Colonel McLean 
 resigned and Major Buck was promoted lieutenant-colo 
 nel. At the battle of Games Mills (or Farms) Colonel 
 Tucker was killed and Major Ryerson wounded and 
 
368 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 captured. From that time up to and after the battle of 
 Antietam Lieutenant- Colonel Buck was the only field 
 officer in the regiment. At New Baltimore, Md., July i, 
 1862, he received his commission as colonel. At the battle 
 of Salem Heights, while in command of the brigade, 
 Colonel Buck had his shoulder dislocated by his horse 
 falling under him, and being ordered to Washington for 
 medical treatment was placed on court-martial duty, 
 where the second invasion of Maryland found him. By 
 special order of the Secretary of War Colonel Buck was 
 granted leave to join his regiment, which he did and con 
 tinued with it to the close of the campaign, when he 
 returned to Washington for medical treatment. During 
 the Wilderness campaign under General Grant until the 
 regiment reached White House Colonel Buck commanded 
 the regiment. As the three years for which it enlisted had 
 expired some time previous to this the regiment was 
 ordered home for^muster out, and on July 21, 1864, Colonel 
 Buck received his honorable discharge. 
 
 COLONEL HENRY W. BROWN. 
 
 Colonel Henry W. Brown of the Third Regiment, is a 
 native of Boston, Mass., and at the beginning of the Civil 
 War, resided in Philadelphia. He was engaged in recruit 
 ing a company in that city and was invited to take charge 
 of a full company in Woodbury, N. J., which he accepted, 
 turning over his Philadelphia men to H. G. Sickell, who 
 was at that time organizing a company in Philadelphia. 
 On the 29th day of April he received his commission as 
 captain of Company A, Third New Jersey Regiment and 
 was mustered in May 22, 1861. On the 3ist of the same 
 month he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the regiment 
 and on May 15, 1862, was promoted colonel to succeed 
 Colonel Taylor, who had been promoted brigadier-gen- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 369 
 
 eral. Colonel Brown served faithfully with his regiment 
 and performed distinguished and gallant services. At 
 Salem Heights, Va., on May 3, 1863, he was wounded, 
 while commanding the brigade, and again at Spottsyl- 
 vania, Va., on May 12, 1864, he was severely injured by a 
 shot from the enemy. Colonel Brown remained in the 
 service until the close of the war and was mustered out at 
 Trenton, June 23, 1864. 
 
 LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CHARLES EWING. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Ewing was born in the city 
 of Trenton, N. J., Sunday, June 6, 1841. He was the son 
 of Francis A. Ewing, M. D., and grandson of the Chief 
 Justice of New Jersey whose name he bore. In August, 
 1859, he sailed as master s mate in the United States 
 Steamer Sumter for the African Coast, and on that 
 station was transferred to the United States Frigate San 
 Jacinto. He was sent home (to Norfolk, Va.) as one of 
 the officers in charge of a slaver captured by the latter 
 vessel, arriving in January, 1861, just before the outbreak 
 of the rebellion. In April of that year he went out 
 as ensign of Company A, Third Regiment, under the 
 President s call for three months troops, being then not 
 quite twenty years of age. On their return in July he 
 went to recruiting for the Sixth Regiment New Jersey 
 Volunteers, three years troops, and on September 9, 1861, 
 was commissioned captain of Company B. He served 
 with this regiment until January 8, 1863, when he was 
 promoted major and transferred to the Fourth Regiment 
 New Jersey Volunteers. He was in command of this 
 regiment during the Gettysburg campaign and on Sep 
 tember n, 1863, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. 
 Colonel Ewing was constantly in service in the field, and 
 was several times wounded, once at Second Bull Run, 
 24 
 
370 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 again at Fredericksburg Heights, and again while on 
 picket duty. At the expiration of the term of service of 
 the regiment, they reenlisted for the war and Colonel 
 Ewing went with them. At Spottsylvania Court House 
 he received a serious and nearly fatal wound, being shot 
 through the body, which kept him an invalid for a long 
 time and finally caused his honorable discharge. He 
 regained ordinary health, but never fully recovered from 
 the effects of his wound. Colonel Ewing died in Trenton 
 March 14, 1872, in the thirty-first year of his age. 
 
 BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL WILLIAM J. SEWELL. 
 
 In the list of casualties at Gettysburg, every field officer 
 of the five New Jersey regiments engaged on the second of 
 July except in the case of Lieutenant-Colonel Gilkyson 
 of the Sixth Regiment was wounded, some of them 
 mortally. On this roll of honor appears the name of 
 Colonel William J. Sewell, of the Fifth New Jersey. 
 Colonel Sewell was born in Ireland in 1835, and coming to 
 the United States at an early age, developed a strong love 
 for his adopted country as he advanced in years. When 
 the call for troops to serve for three years was issued, 
 Sewell recruited a company for the Fifth New Jersey 
 Volunteers, and on the 28th of August, 1861, received his 
 commission as Captain of Company C. On the yth of 
 July, 1862, he was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the 
 regiment, and on the recalling of Colonel Starr, to his post 
 in the regular army, Sewell was on October 21, 1862, com 
 missioned Colonel of the Fifth Regiment. In all the 
 trying emergencies of army life Sewell was never found 
 wanting. Always watchful for the interests of his men he 
 exacted from them a faithful performance of duty, and so 
 well did each come to know the other that the regiment 
 was noted for its steadiness and bravery under the most 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 371 
 
 trying circumstances. This faculty, possessed by few men, 
 exhibited itself most conspicuously at the battle of 
 Chancellorsville, when Sewell led the whole brigade into a 
 charge, and accomplished a signal and valuable service. 
 The brigade, under General Mott, had heroically defended 
 its position on the Plank road against superior numbers of 
 the enemy. General Mott was wounded, and Colonel 
 Sewell assumed command. The men were exhausted from 
 their severe labors, and had expended almost all their 
 ammunition. As no relief came to them they withdrew. 
 The enemy at this time grew bold in the prospect of 
 victory, and taking possession of some works which had 
 been thrown up for the protection of artillery, they 
 defiantly opened fire upon the Federal lines. Colonel 
 Sewell seeing the importance of retaking the position 
 gallantly led the brigade to the charge and drove the 
 rebels from the works. But that fatality which seemed to 
 accompany every daring movement at Chancellorsville, 
 was experienced by Sewell the brigade was not supported 
 and the brave Jerseymen were compelled to fall back 
 exposed to a terrible fire and suffering great loss. 
 
 Colonel Sewell s wounds at Gettysburg were severe, and 
 prevented his doing active service in the field for some 
 time. He recovered, however, but during the Wilderness 
 campaign he was prostrated by exposure. On the second 
 of July, 1864, he resigned owing to ill-health, but in 
 September following he accepted the colonelcy of the 
 Thirty-eighth Regiment and remained with it until its 
 term of service expired October, 1864. He was brevetted 
 brigadier-general for gallantry and distinguished services 
 at Chancellorsville, and major-general of United States 
 Volunteers, for meritorious services during the war. 
 
 At the time of the railroad strikes in 1877 General Sewell 
 was appointed by Governor Parker provisional commander 
 
372 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 of the State forces at Phillipsburg, and to his well-known 
 reputation for military ability and personal bravery, is 
 largely due the subsidence of the trouble. 
 
 In public affairs General Sewell has occupied a promi 
 nent place. He represented Camden county in the State 
 Senate for three successive terms, and in 1880 was 
 president of that body. He was elected to the United 
 States Senate in 1881, succeeding ex-Governor Theodore 
 F. Randolph,- and served until March 4, 1887, when his 
 term expired. 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL GEORGE C. BURLING. 
 
 General George C. Burling, the commander of the 
 Second New Jersey Brigade, which did such heroic service 
 on the second day of July at Gettysburg, was born on the 
 iyth day of February, 1834, in Burlington county, New 
 Jersey, a few miles from the city of Burlington. He was 
 reared on his father s farm and educated at a private 
 school conducted by Mr. Aaron at Norristown, Mont 
 gomery county, Pa. He entered into business life in 
 Burlington at an early age, and at the breaking out of the 
 war was engaged in the retail coal business. He was a 
 public-spirited young man and identified himself with 
 various measures in which his neighbors and friends were 
 interested, being at this time captain of the "Marion 
 Rifles " of Burlington Company K, Fourth New Jersey 
 Militia. He promptly offered his services with his com 
 pany to Governor Olden, and was accepted and mustered 
 in for three months service on the 2yth of April, 1861. On 
 their return home and muster out in July, 1861, Captain 
 Burling immediately recruited his original command, and 
 with it, a company of over one hundred men, was mustered 
 in for three years service on September 9, 1861, and was 
 designated as Company F, Sixth Regiment New Jersey 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 373 
 
 Volunteers. On March 19, 1862, he was promoted major 
 and on May 7, 1862, received his commission as lieutenant- 
 colonel. On the promotion of Colonel Mott to brigadier- 
 general of United States Volunteers, Burling was promoted 
 colonel of the Sixth Regiment, and, as the senior officer, 
 commanded the brigade at Gettysburg, a position he held 
 until October of the same year, when ill-health caused him 
 to relinquish it, and compelled him to resign on March 4, 
 1864. He was brevetted brigadier-general on March 13, 
 1865. 
 
 On the i5th of October, 1862, while colonel commanding 
 the Sixth New Jersey Volunteers, Colonel Burling married 
 Miss J. T. Reckless of Abingdon township, Montgomery 
 county, Pa. (formerly of Philadelphia), and their wedding 
 tour extended to Colonel Burling s headquarters at Alex 
 andria, Va., where the bride remained until the command 
 was ordered away. After the close of the war, with his 
 health greatly broken he went with his family to reside on 
 a farm near Byberry (Twenty-third ward of Philadelphia). 
 Subsequently he became connected with the Pennsylvania 
 Railroad, at their main office, Fourth street below Walnut, 
 Philadelphia. General Burling died at his residence 1842 
 North Eighteenth street, Philadelphia, on December 24, 
 1885, from a pulmonary cancer, the result of a contused 
 wound received at the battle of Chancellorsville. He had 
 been wounded twice previous to this at Williamsburg, 
 May 5, 1863, and at Second Bull Run, August 29-30. 
 
 COLONEL LOUIS R. FRANCINE. 
 
 Colonel Louis R. Francine, of the Seventh Regiment 
 New Jersey Volunteers, was born, one account says, at 
 Dillerville, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, March 26, 
 1838. Another account says he was born in Philadelphia 
 in 1839. He was by profession a civil engineer, graduated 
 
374 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 from the Polytechnic College at Philadelphia in 1855, then 
 went to Europe in 1856 and was graduated from the 
 L Ecole Polytechnique at Paris. At the outbreak of 
 hostilities Francine was about entering upon the prac 
 tice of his profession, but when the call for three year 
 troops was issued he recruited Company A of the Seventh 
 Regiment and was commissioned its captain on September 
 18, 1861. He was senior captain and acted as field officer 
 during the greater part of the Peninsula campaign. July 
 8, 1862, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and on 
 December gih of the same year was commissioned colonel,, 
 succeeding Colonel Revere who had been promoted 
 brigadier-general United States Volunteers. Colonel 
 Francine was a brave and fearless officer and was engaged 
 in rallying his men when he received the wound at Gettys 
 burg from the effects of which he died on July 16, 1863. 
 He was buried from one of the churches in Philadelphia 
 with military honors, Major-General A. A. Pleasonton 
 commanding the funeral escort. His remains are interred 
 at Laurel Hill Cemetery. For his gallant services at 
 Gettysburg Colonel Francine was brevetted brigadier- 
 general of volunteers on July 2, 1863. 
 
 BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN RAMSEY. 
 
 General John Ramsey, who commanded the Eighth 
 Regiment New Jersey Volunteers at Gettysburg and was 
 wounded there, was one of the young soldiers of the army, 
 arid became noted for his daring and energy. He was 
 born in the city of New York October 7, 1838, and was in 
 his twenty-third year when hostilities began. On the iyth 
 of April, 1861, he enlisted in Company G, Second Regi 
 ment New Jersey Volunteers for three months, as a private, 
 and was subsequently elected first-lieutenant by his com 
 pany, being mustered in April 25th. On the election 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 375 
 
 of Captain H. M. Baker to the colonelcy Ramsey was 
 made captain on May i, 1861. He was mustered out with 
 his regiment at the expiration of its term of service, July 
 31, 1861. The command participated in no battles and 
 Ramsey, who had little relish for that sort of soldiering, 
 reentered the service on August 17, 1861, as captain of 
 Company B, Fifth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, and 
 remained in the army until the war was fought out, being 
 mustered out July 17, 1865. On the 7th of May, 1862, he 
 was promoted major of the Fifth for distinguished gal 
 lantry at the battle of Williamsburg, and on October 21, 
 1862, was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of his regiment. 
 In April, 1863, he was promoted Colonel of the Eighth 
 Regiment. 
 
 Colonel Ramsey took an active part in all the campaigns 
 of the Army of the Potomac, from the Peninsula, under 
 McClellan, to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox on 
 April 9, 1865 on which day his command formed part of 
 the advance line. The only important battle in which he 
 was not a participant was Antietam, caused by the deten 
 tion of the Third Corps in the vicinity of Washington 
 after the defeat of Pope at the second battle of Bull Run 
 This corps had been sent from Harrison s Landing to join 
 Pope at Warrenton with all possible despatch, and reached 
 there only to be ordered back. On the way back to 
 Centreville they engaged the enemy in numerous skirm 
 ishes, and receiving orders to proceed to the front again 
 encountered Jackson at Bristoe, whom they compelled to 
 retire, and reached Pope a day or two before the second 
 battle of Bull Run, in which Ramsey s command took 
 part, as also in the battle of Chantilly. The Third Corps 
 then proceeded to Alexandria, and the Second. New Jersey 
 Brigade was ordered to move in light marching order. To 
 make all possible speed in reaching their destination, their 
 
376 NEW JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 effects were put on board the cars, and these being burned, 
 all was lost. The men were used up, many of them with 
 out shoes, and other articles of clothing, and were in no 
 condition for the Maryland campaign, which they were 
 thus prevented participating in. For distinguished 
 services in the campaign before Richmond, Colonel Ram 
 sey was brevetted brigadier-general and by a special 
 order of President Lincoln, he was assigned to duty with 
 that rank. On June 5, 1864, General Ramsey was assigned 
 to the command of the Second Brigade, Second Division, 
 Second Army Corps, known as the Corcoran Legion, and 
 was one of the commands that was ordered to attack 
 Petersburg on the night of June 16, 1864, in which engage 
 ment General Ramsey was wounded. When able for 
 duty he was given the command of the First Brigade, 
 First Division, Second Army Corps, and remained with it 
 until he assumed command of the First Division, Second 
 Army Corps. General Ramsey was five times wounded 
 at Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Gettys 
 burg and Petersburg. On March 13, 1865, he was 
 brevetted major-general of United States Volunteers for 
 gallant and meritorious services during the war. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT McALLISTER. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Juniata county, 
 Pennsylvania, on June i, 1813, in which State he spent 
 the early years of his life, but his war record belongs to 
 New Jersey, with whose troops he served during the con 
 tinuance of the conflict. He was one of the very first to 
 take up arms in defence of the Union, and he was present 
 in the field when General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. 
 When the First Regiment, three years volunteers, was 
 being recruited, McAllister was, on May 21, 1861, com 
 missioned its lieutenant-colonel, and with it proceeded to 
 
IN THE GP2T7^YSBURG CAMPAIGN. 377 
 
 the Capital. He was a quiet, steady, fearless man, of 
 even temperament and thoroughly self-possessed. Lieu 
 tenant-Colonel McAllister remained with the First New 
 Jersey Regiment until June 30, 1862, when he was com 
 missioned colonel of the Eleventh New Jersey Regiment, 
 then being recruited. This regiment was mustered into 
 the United States service August 18, 1862, and was 
 assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Third 
 Army Corps. At Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville 
 Colonel McAllister displayed marked heroism. At Gettys 
 burg he was wounded during the second day s fighting in 
 the left leg with a minie ball, and in the right foot with a 
 fragment of shell. For three months he was unable to 
 take the field, but with this exception he served continu 
 ously through the war, from the first battle of Bull Run to 
 the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. Colonel McAllister 
 was brevetted brigadier-general for his glorious behavior 
 at the first "Bull Pen," as the tremendous fight on Boyd- 
 ton Plank road, October 27, 1864, was styled, and major- 
 general for meritorious conduct throughout the war. 
 Since the war he has been engaged as general manager of 
 the Ironton Railroad Company, in mining and shipping 
 ore to the furnaces in Lehigh Valley. 
 
 LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN SCHOONOVER. 
 
 John Schoonover was born at Bushkill, Pa., August 12, 
 1839. He received his education from the common schools 
 of his native place, and the instructions of the Rev. J. K. 
 Davis, of Smithville, Pa. At the age of sixteen he began 
 the work of teaching and preparation for college. The 
 outbreak of the rebellion found him thus employed at 
 Oxford, Warren county, N. J. Soon after the proclama 
 tion of President Lincoln calling for seventy-five thousand 
 men to serve for three months, Schoonover joined a com- 
 
378 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 pany raised by Captain Campbell at Belvidere. The 
 company reported at Trenton, but so quickly had the 
 State s quota been filled the four regiments? being com 
 pleted in seven days that they reached the Capital too 
 late for acceptance. As the company was about to return 
 to Belvidere, Captain Campbell stepped to the front and 
 asked all who were willing to go with him for three years 
 to do likewise ; but seven responded Schoonover being 
 one of the seven the number of three year patriots being 
 so small all returned to their homes. But Schoonover s 
 patriotism was not of the kind that could rest content 
 with the acquisition of such laurels as these, and we soon 
 find him again at Trenton as a private in Company D 
 (Captain Valentine Mutchler) First New Jersey Regiment 
 for three years. This regiment left the State June 28, 
 1861. The following September Schoonover was made 
 corporal. The ensuing winter, Colonel Torbert, then 
 commanding the First Regiment, issued an order directing 
 each captain to select a sergeant to prepare for examina 
 tion, the one standing the highest to receive a commission 
 as second-lieutenant of Company D. No sergeant of D 
 being willing to stand the trial, the subject of this sketch 
 was selected to represent that company. Four only 
 appeared for examination, the successful one being Com 
 missary Sergeant S. G. Blythe. Schoonover, standing 
 second, was promoted commissary sergeant, dating from 
 March 24, 1862. He served in that position until August 
 2, 1862, when he received a commission as adjutant of the 
 Eleventh New Jersey Volunteers, then organizing at 
 Trenton. The Eleventh left the State on August 25, 1862, 
 and was first engaged in Burnside s attack upon Freder- 
 icksburg. This first engagement proved to the men of the 
 Eleventh that their adjutant was one on whom they could 
 depend. During the desperate fighting of the regiment 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 379 
 
 in the woods at Chancellorsville on May 3 and 4, 1862, 
 Adjutant Schoonover was conspicuous for his bravery and 
 coolness, and received honorable mention therefor. On 
 the second of July at Gettysburg he received two wounds 
 and six bullet holes through his clothing, and on the third 
 his horse was shot under him. He again received slight 
 wounds at Spottsylvania and at Barker s Mills, but he never 
 thought his wounds sufficiently severe to necessitate going 
 to the rear. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel in 
 1863 and brevetted colonel March 13, 1865, for conspicuous 
 gallantry. 
 
 MAJOR JOHN T. HILL. 
 
 Major John T. Hill was born in New Brunswick, N. J., 
 July, 1836, and he was therefore twenty-five years of age 
 when the war broke out, at which time he was a clerk in 
 the Park Bank of New York City. He had no previous 
 military training and took but little interest in military 
 affairs, but his patriotism was of the most practical sort. 
 When hostilities opened he joined a militia company in his 
 native city, passing through all the grades from a private 
 in the ranks to captain of the company. When recruiting 
 began for the Eleventh New Jersey Volunteers Major 
 Charles Herbert, private secretary for Governor Olden, 
 sought to obtain for Captain Hill the adjutancy, but 
 recruiting for the command was so slow that the officers 
 became very much discouraged. Company " I " had 
 enrolled about thirty men, and it seemed impossible to 
 rise beyond that number. Major Herbert sent word to 
 Captain Hill that if he would take the company as it was 
 and fill it up to the required number he should have the 
 captaincy. Notwithstanding the discouragements which 
 had, operated against enlistments Captain Hill consented, 
 resigning his position in the bank, and at once began the 
 
380 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 work of recruiting, in a comparatively short time securing 
 the enrollment of one hundred and three names. He was 
 at once commissioned and became second in order of 
 seniority, Captain Martin having been mustered in one 
 week before. The Eleventh Regiment, under Colonel 
 McAllister, went to Washington in August, 1862, and just 
 before the battle of Fredericksburg was assigned to the 
 Third Army Corps, taking part in that desperate engage 
 ment. The following April Captain Hill received a com 
 mission as major of the Twelfth New Jersey Infantry, 
 and joined that command in the latter part of the same 
 month, a short time before the beginning of the Chancel- 
 lorsville campaign. The Twelfth Regiment was in the 
 Second Brigade, Third Division, Second Army Corps, 
 and was closely engaged with the enemy. After the rout 
 of the Eleventh Corps, Colonel Willets being badly 
 wounded in the early part of the fight, the command 
 devolved upon Major Hill, owing to the absence of the 
 lieutenant-colonel, who was sick. The Twelfth sustained 
 severe losses in this engagement, and did heroic work 
 under the command of Major Hill. At Gettysburg the 
 regiment was also under his command, and its splendid 
 achievements on that battle-field are fully recorded in 
 the preceding pages. After the battle Major Hill 
 remained in command until the return of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Davis the latter part of the Summer of 1863, and 
 was soon after stricken down with inflammatory rheuma 
 tism, which prostrated him for two years. He was 
 discharged from the hospital at Annapolis in 1864, much 
 against his will, but the board of army surgeons exercised 
 the arbitrary power conferred upon them and compelled 
 him to take an involuntary, though honorable discharge. 
 Major Hill s military record throughout was that of a 
 brave and faithful officer, a trusted and honored com- 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 381 
 
 mander, and his enforced withdrawal from service was 
 regretted by all his comrades in arms. He still resides in 
 the city of New Brunswick, and is President of the Ninth 
 National Bank, New York City. 
 
 COLONEL WILLIAM E. POTTER. 
 
 William Elmer Potter, the youngest son of James Boyd 
 and Jane Barren Potter, was born June 13, 1840, in Bridge- 
 ton, Cumberland county, New Jersey. His grandfather, 
 Colonel David Potter, was a soldier of the Revolution, and 
 saw considerable service. He was first colonel of the 
 second battalion of Cumberland, and, as such, was in com 
 mand of his regiment forming a part of the brigade of 
 Brigadier-General Hugh Mercer, at Perth Amboy in the 
 Autumn of 1776. He was elected brigadier-general by the 
 Legislature of New Jersey, February 21, 1777, but declined 
 the appointment. He again entered active service as colo 
 nel of a battalion of State troops. On the twentieth of 
 September, 1777, by order of Governor Livingston, he was 
 detached in command of the effective troops of the brigade 
 of Brigadier-General Silas Newcomb to reinforce the main 
 army under General Washington, then retreating after the 
 disastrous battle of the Brandywine. He crossed the Dela 
 ware with his command, and in some one of the skirmishes 
 preliminary to the battle of Germantown, or in that battle 
 itself, it is not now known which, he was taken prisoner by 
 the enemy. He was confined for a long time upon the prison 
 hulks in Long Island Sound, and was afterward released 
 upon parole, and was not exchanged, at least as late as 
 1781. He was afterward marshal of the Admiralty Court 
 of New Jersey, sheriff of the County of Cumberland, and 
 one of the commissioners to ratify the Constitution of the 
 United States. 
 
 The subject of this sketch having determined upon the 
 
382 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 law as a profession, entered the office of Honorable John 
 T. Nixon, as a student, in October, 1857. He remained 
 until September, 1859, and the same month became a 
 student at the law school of Harvard University. From 
 this school he graduated in January, 1861, with the degree 
 of LL. B., and in September of the same year entered the- 
 junior class of Princeton College. Under the spur of 
 patriotic ardor he abandoned his collegiate studies, and in 
 July of the following year enlisted in Company K, Twelfth 
 Regiment New Jersey Volunteers. He was commissioned 
 second lieutenant of the same company August 14, 1862, 
 and mustered into the service of the United States as such 
 September 4, 1862. He was promoted to a first lieutenancy 
 of the same company and regiment August 6, 1863, and to 
 the captaincy of Company G February 4, 1864. Captain 
 Potter became brevet-major United States Volunteers for 
 meritorious services, May i, 1865, by promotion of the 
 President of the United States, and was, in 1866, commis 
 sioned aide-de-camp to Governor Marcus L. Ward, of New 
 Jersey, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, upon whose 
 staff he served for three years. 
 
 While in the field with his regiment he was detailed as 
 ordnance officer of the Third Division, Second Army 
 Corps, and acted as such in the campaigns of Chancellors- 
 ville and Gettysburg, on the staff of Major General 
 William H. French, and with Brigadier-General Alexander 
 Hays. He served in that capacity until October i, 1863^ 
 and was then appointed judge-advocate of the division on 
 the staff of General Hays, continuing thus until he 
 rejoined his regiment and took command of his company. 
 He was wounded at the battle of the Wilderness while in 
 command of his company on the sixth of May, 1864, and 
 reported again for duty at Cold Harbor, Va., June 4, of the 
 same year. On the first of July, 1864, he was detailed as 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 383 
 
 aide-de-camp to Colonel Thomas A. Smyth, commanding 
 Third Brigade, Second Division of the Second Army Corps. 
 On the first of August, 1864, he was made judge-advocate 
 on the staff of Major-General John Gibbon, commanding 
 the Second Division, Second Army Corps, and served thus 
 until January 15, 1865, when he was detailed as aide to 
 Major-General John Gibbon, commanding the Twenty- 
 fourth Army Corps, Army of the James, and as acting 
 judge-advocate of the corps. He remained on duty in the 
 latter capacity until mustered out of service, June 4, 1865. 
 During this period Colonel Potter was present in the 
 following engagements : Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, 
 Auburn, Bristoe Station, Blackburn s Ford, Locust Grove, 
 campaign of Mine Run, Morton s Ford, Wilderness, Cold 
 Harbor, the entire campaign of Petersburg, Deep Bottom 
 (first and second engagements), Reams Station, Hatcher s 
 Run, Boydton Road, assault and capture of Petersburg, 
 Rice s Station and Appomattox Court House. By an 
 order from headquarters, Twenty-fourth Army Corps, in 
 company with five other officers, he was detailed to deliver 
 the colors, surrendered by General Lee s army, seventy-six 
 in number, to Honorable Edward M. Stanton of the War 
 Department, which ceremony occurred on May i, 1865. 
 He was the only New Jersey officer present on this 
 occasion. 
 
 Colonel Potter, during his military career, displayed 
 gallantry and judgment, which won for him the highest 
 encomiums from his superior officers. Colonel Potter 
 received from Princeton College his degree of A. B. in 
 1863 and of A. M. in 1866. He was admitted as an 
 attorney at law in 1865, and as a counselor in 1869. Hav 
 ing begun practice in Bridgeton, he, in 1870, formed a 
 co-partnership with J. Boyd Nixon, with whom he has 
 since continued his professional labors, and attained a 
 prominent position at the bar of New Jersey. 
 
384 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 He was a delegate to the Republican National Conven 
 tion at Chicago in 1868, as also to the convention held at 
 Cincinnati in 1876, and an elector on the Garfield ticket in 
 1880. He was elected an honorary member of the Society 
 of the Cincinnati of New Jersey, July 4, 1874, and presi 
 dent of the New Jersey Officers Association for 1880. The 
 colonel was, on the 27th of May, 1869, married to Alice, 
 daughter of the late Alfred Eddy, D D., of Niles, Mich. 
 Their children are Alfred E., James Boyd, David, Alice, 
 and Francis Delavan. 
 
 BREVET BRIGADIER -GENERAL EZRA A. 
 CARMAN. 
 
 Ezra A. Carman, colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment 
 New Jersey Volunteers, entered the service in 1861, being 
 commissioned on September i4th of that year lieutenant- 
 colonel of the Seventh Regiment. He was wounded in the 
 battle of William sburg, Va., May 5, 1862, and was commis 
 sioned colonel July 8, 1862. He organized the Thirteenth 
 Regiment, which he commanded, and with it proceeded to 
 Washington on August 3ist. He was disabled at Antietam 
 and Chancellorsville, and at Gettysburg was placed in 
 command of a provisional brigade, which was sent -to 
 support Gregg s cavalry, on the evening of July 3d. At 
 the close of the Gettysburg campaign three regiments of 
 the brigade to which the Thirteenth belonged were sent to 
 New York to aid in quelling the riots which had been in 
 progress there and Colonel Carman commanded the bri 
 gade then composed of the Thirteenth New Jersey, One 
 Hundred and Seventh and One Hundred and Fiftieth New 
 York Regiments. When the Thirteenth Regiment, with 
 the Twelfth Corps, went west, he was appointed president 
 of a military commission which held its sessions in 
 Tullahoma, Tenn. In the Atlanta campaign the Thirteenth 
 
IN THE GRTTYSBUG CAMPAIGN. 385 
 
 Regiment was frequently engaged with the enemy, 
 notably at Resaca, Cassville, Pumpkin Vine Creek some 
 times called Dallas and also New Hope Church Nancy s 
 Creek, Buffalo Creek, Peach Tree Creek, Kulp s Farm, 
 and several times in front of Atlanta, on each occasion 
 winning golden opinions for its gallantry and bravery. 
 On the March to the Sea, Colonel Carman commanded the 
 brfgade, and in front of Savannah held the extreme left of 
 the army. The brigade was ordered to the South Carolina 
 shore, for the purpose of closing up Hardee s only avenue 
 of escape, but that wily officer, afraid of a movement of 
 that kind, as he had noted the crossing of the brigade to 
 Argyle Island in the middle of the Savannah river, evacu 
 ated the city, which was entered by part of the Second 
 Division of the Twentieth Corps, who captured a guard 
 detail of the enemy who were unable to get away. At 
 Savannah Colonel Carman was ordered to Nashville on 
 special duty. He was brevetted brigadier-general of 
 volunteers for gallant and meritorious services during the 
 war to date from March 13, 1865. 
 
 BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL FREDERICK H. 
 
 HARRIS. 
 
 General Frederick Halsey Harris, of the Thirteenth 
 Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, was born in the city of 
 Newark, N. J., March 7, 1830. He is descended on the 
 maternal side from the Baldwin and Gould families, who 
 settled in Newark over two hundred years ago. His 
 grandfather, Robert Baldwin, was born in Orange, N. J., 
 and was engaged in the war of 1812, on the New Jersey 
 coast. His mother was a grand-daughter of General Will 
 iam Gould of Caldwell. His father s ancestors were 
 originally of Welsh origin and the date of their settlement 
 in this country is forgotten. Moses Harris, the grand- 
 2 5 
 
386 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 father of General Harris was born in Morrisania, New 
 York, and in 1X05 moved to Newark, N. J., when the 
 father of the general was an infant. He was engaged for 
 many years in business near the corner of Market and 
 Broad streets in Newark as a merchant tailor. His 
 father s mother was a Halsey and came originally from 
 Elizabeth, N. J. William H. Harris, his father, was an 
 architect and builder for many years in Newark, where he 
 learned his trade. 
 
 The subject of this sketch attended private school in 
 Newark when a boy, being one of the attendants at the 
 Newark Academy where the postoffice building now 
 stands afterward attending the select school of Reverend 
 William R. Weeks, D. D., on Washington street. In the 
 Fall of 1844 he was sent to the Bloomfield Academy, then 
 under the management of Messrs. Holt & Rindler, where 
 he remained until the Fall of 1847. A long-cherished 
 desire to enter Princeton College, for which he was pre 
 paring, was interfered with by the serious illness of his 
 father, who urgently requested him to leave school and 
 temporarily abandon the proposed college course and the 
 profession of medicine, which he then contemplated. This 
 put an end to his schooling; until 1858 he remained in 
 business with his father, when he began the reading of 
 law in the office of Charles R. Waugh, Esq., afterward 
 presiding judge of Essex county, and in the office of David 
 A. Hayes, Esq., and was admitted to the bar in June, - 
 1862. 
 
 The urgent call for troops after the Peninsula campaign 1 
 led him to begin recruiting for the Thirteenth Regiment, 
 both in the city of Newark and township of Bloomfield, 
 and on the 25th of August, 1862, his company, E, was 
 mustered into the United States service with the regiment, 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 387 
 
 and on Sunday, August 31, proceeded to Washington. He 
 participated in the Chancellorsville campaign and at the 
 battle of Gettysburg, Company E was the color company 
 of the regiment. During his military service Captain 
 Harris was constantly with his regiment and on frequent 
 important occasions commanding it, notably at the 
 time of the advance of the army to Atlanta, where 
 the Thirteenth under Colonel Harris was sent out 
 to support the skirmish line then heavily engaged. 
 Advancing his regiment to a knoll overlooking the 
 enemy s breast works, he halted it there, and when the 
 skirmish line was driven back, he deployed the right and 
 left companies as skirmishers, until the skirmish line ad 
 vanced and reestablished itself. This was the nearest point 
 to Atlanta ever reached by any command during the siege, 
 and it was fortified by the Thirty-third Wisconsin Regi 
 ment, which relieved the Thirteenth. On the arrival of the 
 regiment at Savannah Colonel Carman was sent to Nash 
 ville on special service, and during the whole of the Caro 
 lina campaign, Colonel Harris commanded it, participat 
 ing in the battles of Averysboro and Bentonville. In the 
 latter battle the Thirteenth Regiment particularly dis 
 tinguished itself under his command, by repulsing the 
 enemy, who were advancing in large numbers, and won the 
 highest encomiums of praise from its superiorTofficers. At 
 Goldsboro, N. C., severe illness caused him to relinquish the 
 command to Major John H. Arey, and he went to hospital 
 at Newburn for medical treatment. He rejoined the regi 
 ment at Washington and participated in the grand review, 
 and was mustered out with it on June 8, 1865. On July 
 17, 1864, he was promoted major and November i, 1864, 
 lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. For gallant and meri 
 torious services during the campaign in Georgia and the 
 Carolinas he was brevetted colonel, and subsequently 
 
388 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 brigadier-general of United States Volunteers for gallant 
 services a* Bentonville. 
 
 At the close of the war General Harris was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth J. Torrey at Honesdale, Pa. He never held 
 political office though frequently solicited to be a candi 
 date for numerous important and lucrative positions. In 
 the Summer of 1865 he resumed the practice of law, and in 
 the Spring of 1866 became the treasurer and assistant 
 secretary of the American Insurance Company of Newark. 
 Being elected a director, he continued to perform the 
 duties of secretary and treasurer until the death of Presi 
 dent Gould in January, 1883, when he was unanimously 
 elected to fill the position of president of that old and 
 prominent company. 
 
 JOHN JAMES HENRY LOVE, M. D. 
 
 Surgeon J. J. H. Love, of the Thirteenth Regiment New 
 Jersey Volunteers, was born on April 3, 1833, in Harmony 
 township, Warren county, New Jersey. His father was the 
 Rev. Robert Love, a Presbyterian minister, and he was 
 the -great grandson of Lieutenant Thomas Love, aide-de 
 camp to General Samuel Cochrane of the Continental 
 Army during the Revolutionary War. Doctor Love was 
 educated at Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., and in the 
 medical department of the University, city of New York, 
 graduating from the former in 1851 and from the latter in 
 I ^ > 55- When the Thirteenth Regiment was being recruited 
 he was appointed surgeon on July 19, 1862. He had seen 
 some service, however, previous to this. After the battle of 
 Williamsburg and the beginning of the siege of Yorktown, 
 May 5, 1862, he was sent out as a volunteer surgeon by 
 Governor Olden to look after and care for the wounded 
 of New Jersey regiments. On the 23d of March, 1863, 
 Surgeon Love was assigned to duty as surgeon-in-chief 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 389 
 
 Third Brigade, First Division, Twelfth Army Corps, and 
 served in that capacity during the battle of Gettysburg, 
 doing most efficient service in the care of the wounded. 
 On the first of August, 1863, when the Twelfth Corps had 
 settled down for a rest at Kelly s Ford, Va., after the 
 arduous campaign then just ended, he was appointed 
 surgeon-in-chief First Division, Twelfth Corps, and became 
 a member of General A. S. Williams staff. In this 
 capacity he served until the following January, after 
 accompanying the corps to the w r est, when on the 28th of 
 that month, 1864, he resigned his commission and was 
 honorably discharged from the service. On his return 
 home he at once entered upon the practice of his profes 
 sion, in which he holds a high place. 
 
 CAPTAIN AMBROSE M. MATTHEWS. 
 
 Captain Ambrose M. Matthews, of Orange, N. J., was 
 engaged in business as a hat manufacturer when the war 
 broke out, and leaving his business he enlisted on May 10, 
 1861, as a private in Company G, Second Regiment, New 
 Jersey Volunteers. Twice he was offered a first lieuten 
 ancy in the Excelsior Brigade, but declined, and on the 
 fifth of August, 1862, was discharged by Special Order 
 No. 223, C. S. Headquarters Army of the Potomac, at 
 Harrison s Landing, Va., at the request of the Governor 
 of the State, to assist in raising a new regiment. On 
 August 22, 1862. he was commissioned second lieutenant 
 of Company E, Thirteenth Regiment, New Jersey Volun 
 teers, and was mustered with it into the United States 
 service three days later. At the battle of Antietam he 
 was wounded, and his gallant services there were recog 
 nized in his promotion as first lieutenant of Company K. 
 On November i, i862, he was promoted Captain of Com 
 pany I. At Chancellorsville, where the Thirteenth Regi- 
 
390 NE W JERSE Y TROOPS 
 
 ment did splendid and praiseworthy service, Captain 
 Matthews was again wounded, and he received honorable 
 mention in a regimental order, issued a few days after 
 the return to their old camp, by Captain Beardsley, who 
 was then in command. At Gettysburg his Company I, 
 with that of Captain Ryerson s Company C, comprised 
 the left flank of the regiment, they being formed almost 
 perpendicular to the main line, creating an angle. This 
 brought these two companies, then commanded by Cap 
 tain Matthews (Captain Ryerson acting as major of the 
 regiment) directly in front of the enemy, and when the 
 charge by part of Steuart s rebel brigade was made upon 
 this position, they aided in repulsing it. Captain Ryerson 
 was wounded, and Captain Matthews had a narrow escape 
 from death, a ball penetrating his hat just above the 
 scalp line. At Resaca, Ga., he was again wounded. 
 Captain Matthews accompanied his regiment through all 
 its campaigns, the siege of Atlanta, the March to the Sea, 
 the Carolina campaign, and in every emergency was 
 noted for his courage and coolness. He was a strict disci 
 plinarian and held his men to a rigid performance of duty, 
 and always looked carefully after their interests. No man 
 of the Thirteenth Regiment to-day is held in higher 
 esteem by his comrades than the subject of this sketch. 
 
 COLONEL JAMES N. DUFFY. 
 
 Colonel James N. Duffy, the President of the Gettys 
 burg Battle-Field Commission of New Jersey, served 
 during the battle on the staff of General H. G. Wright, 
 commanding First Division, Sixth Army Corps, his rank 
 being that of lieutenant-colonel and his duties those of 
 acting assistant inspector-general. Colonel Duffy entered 
 the service as captain of Company C, Second Regiment, 
 New Jersey Volunteers, in May 27, 1861. On July i, 1861, 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 391 
 
 he was promoted major, and on September 14, 1862, was 
 commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Third New Jersey 
 Regiment. September 29, 1863, after the battle of Gettys 
 burg, he was commissioned colonel of the Fourth Regi 
 ment New Jersey Volunteers, but as the organization had 
 become reduced below the minimum he could not be 
 mustered. He served with the Third Regiment until the 
 close of the war and was mustered out with it as lieu 
 tenant-colonel June 23, 1864. Colonel Duffy has been 
 prominently identified with the manufacturing interests 
 of Newark and for several years maintained a - large 
 factory for the manufacture of patent and enameled 
 leather in that city. Subsequently he started a factory in 
 Eldred, Pennsylvania. His appointment as a member of 
 the State Commission for the erection of monuments at 
 Gettysburg was received with great favor by all the sur 
 vivors of the commands interested. 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL WILLIAM H. PENROSE. 
 
 William H. Penrose was born at Madison Barracks, N. 
 Y., March 10, 1832, and his early life was spent in garri 
 son, following his father, who was an officer in the 
 Regular Army, to the various posts at which he was sta 
 tioned. The outbreak of the Mexican war separated the 
 father from his family, the latter finding a comfortable 
 home with the Honorable Charles B. Penrose, of Carlisle, 
 Pa., and William was then sent to Dickinson College. 
 While here the death of his father occurred, and as the 
 family were not in affluent circumstances, it became 
 necessary for the young lad to seek employment, which 
 he found in the machine shops at Reading, Pa. The old 
 military instinct, imbibed when a mere boy, kept con 
 tinually asserting itself within him, and the breaking out 
 of the rebellion gave him the opportunity he sought to 
 
392 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 enter the service. Receiving an appointment in the 
 Regular Army the commission dating April 13, 1861 he 
 wa3 assigned, as second lieutenant, to the Third Infantry, 
 but as he was then out West and his company in Texas 
 he was ordered to report to the commanding officer of the 
 Fourth Artillery, then stationed at Fort Randall, Dakota. 
 From here he went to New York to join his company of the 
 Third Infantry which had arrived from Texas, and he 
 there ascertained that it had been surrendered by General 
 Twiggs to the State authorities, and the men paroled. 
 Five of the companies of the regiment were at Wash 
 ington, and after considerable delay Lieutenant Pen- 
 rose secured his orders and transportation to go to the 
 Capital where he arrived two days before the first battle of 
 Bull Run, and found his regiment encamped at Arlington, 
 the commanding officer being Major (afterward Major- 
 General) George Sykes. The regulars were soon after 
 brought to Washington and put on provost duty, and 
 Lieutenant Penrose was selected for duty in the Secret 
 Service. Just after the battle of Ball s Bluff he was 
 called to Philadelphia by Lieutenant-Colonel Weister of 
 the First California Regiment (Colonel Baker s), after 
 ward known as the Seventy-first Pennsylvania, and was 
 tendered the colonelcy of the regiment. This- was a great 
 surprise to the young officer, but learning that he had 
 been recommended by some of the oldest and best officers 
 in the army, he consented to accept it. Days passed and 
 weeks flew by until at last one Sunday, while attending 
 church, a telegram was brought to him asking why he did 
 not come and take command. The telegram further stated 
 that Colonel Weister had his commission and the order 
 from army headquarters to proceed to the regiment. This 
 was a matter of extraordinary importance to Penrose, and 
 going to the adjutant-general with the telegram, that 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 393 
 
 officer, much confused, said he would sec about it. At 
 midnight that same night marching orders were received, 
 and nothing more was heard of the order until the army 
 had reached Harrison s Landing, when an investigation 
 revealed the fact that the order had been issued but Gen 
 eral Sykes pigeon-holed it, as he was opposed to any 
 officer of his command leaving it. During the Peninsula 
 campaign the colonelcy of three other regiments were 
 offered him, but the same power intervened to prevent his 
 taking either of them. Sometime in January, 1863, Gen 
 eral Torbert, then commanding the First New Jersey 
 Brigade, sent for Penrose, and asked him if he would take 
 a regiment. He explained the difficulty of getting away 
 from Sykes, but on Torbert s assurance that he would take 
 care of that part of it, Penrose accepted. Some time went 
 by and the matter had about passed from his mind when 
 a note from General Torbert informed him that he had 
 his commission as colonel of the Fifteenth Regiment New 
 Jersey Volunteers, and the order for him to take command 
 would be issued at once. Penrose received his order and 
 was in the performance of his new duties before Sykes 
 knew anything about it. From this time on the record of 
 Colonel Penrose is that of the Fifteenth Regiment. Its 
 forced march from Manchester to Gettysburg with the 
 Sixth Corps, is recorded elsewhere in the pages of this 
 book. Colonel Penrose s own recollections of what trans 
 pired when the column reached Rock Creek, are thus 
 described by himself. As no record of the exploit appears 
 in the history of the Fifteenth Regiment, it is given in 
 full here. General Penrose says : 
 
 " We had arrived none too soon. Our troops had been repulsed at 
 almost every point, the fate of the army trembled in the balance. 
 Canteens had hardly been filled when the order came to cross. The 
 tfluffs on the opposite side were steep, the water deep, but nothing 
 
394 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 could stop those brave men. In we went, and up the steep ascent on 
 the other side. I was leading the brigade with the gallant Fifteenth. 
 Hardly had I reached the level ground beyond when Captain Whittier, 
 personal aid-de-camp to General Sedgwick, rode up in great haste and 
 saying to me, Penrose, for God s sake get to the front as quick as you 
 can; cut loose and follow me, everything is gone to the devil ! I put 
 the men on a dog trot. Meeting a column crossing our track I gave the 
 order to close up and cut through it, which was promptly obeyed. I fol 
 lowed on and came into line just in rear of the Third Regulars, who 
 were on the right of the Fifth Corps our lines had been driven to the 
 crest of the hill. The situation was everything but encouraging. Regu 
 lar formation of the troops engaged there was none. Every man 
 appeared to be fighting on his own hook, but with a determination not to 
 yield one inch further. An incident occurred just at this time, which 
 in my opinion had great weight in the result of that day s fight. As I 
 went into line a man approached me having as prisoner a Confederate 
 colonel mounted. The man asked me where headquarters were. I 
 pointed out the corps flag in a field to the rear. The colonel then 
 addressed me as follows: For God s sake, how big is this Catho 
 lic corps? (having reference to our corps badge, a Greek cross.) I 
 answered Why?/ He replied, You were thirty miles from here last 
 night. We saw your colors (corps) coming over the hill, and the orders 
 for our reinforcements to be pushed in were countermanded. It will 
 thus be seen that our timely arrival checked a movement that, had it 
 been made, would have given them the crest of the hill, and cut our 
 army in two. As soon as my line was formed it was moved forward. 
 Going over the weary and worn out troops in our front, down the hill 
 we went at a thundering pace, driving every thing before us, across 
 the swamp at its foot, through the woods, never stopping until we 
 reached a house just on the edge of the wheat-field, where the enemy 
 made a decided stand. Here also stood an entire battery, every horse 
 killed. The enemy had captured it in the afternoon, but had had no 
 time to take it from the field. Here I halted, as night was coming 
 on, ]and I could see none of our troops on my right or left. Cov 
 ering these guns with our rifles, I deployed two companies to my 
 right before I made a connection with our troops, finding them to 
 be part of General Wheaton s command which had gone in on my 
 right. Six companies were deployed to my left before finding any 
 one to connect with ; it was then, if I remember right, with the 
 Twelfth Regulars. Here we lay all night, but at the first peep of day 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 395 
 
 I advanced and took the house and secured the battery. In this posi 
 tion we remained until about 12 m. of the third when I was relieved 
 by the Third Regulars, and after considerable search found and joined 
 my brigade about 3 p. m. In the last day s fight the brigade was not 
 called into action, and the Fifteenth was the only regiment of the 
 brigade that took part in the fighting on that memorable field. 
 The advanced position gained on the night of the second by the 
 Fifteenth was the same that had been occupied by the Third Corps, 
 and from which they had been driven, speaks louder than words for 
 their gallantry. Their steadiness under most trying circumstances, 
 speaks volumes for the discipline for which the regiment was noted, 
 and thus ended our share, of no insignificant value, in the turning and 
 decisive battle of the war." 
 
 On the tenth day of May, 1864, Colonel Penrose was 
 assigned to the command of the First Brigade by order 
 of General Grant, approved by the President. This was 
 a mark of distinction seldom conferred upon a junior 
 officer, and is probably the only instance of the kind in 
 the Army of the Potomac, except in the case of general 
 officers to command the army. On the nineteenth of 
 October, 1864, Colonel Penrose was brevetted brigadier- 
 general of United States Volunteers. He is now major of 
 the Twelfth Infantry United States Army, and is stationed 
 at Fort Sully, Dakota Territory. 
 
 MAJOR A. JUDSON CLARK. 
 
 A. Judson Clark, commander of Battery " B," First New 
 Jersey Artillery, was born in Fayetteville, N. Y., October, 
 1838, and became a citizen of Newark in 1860, where he 
 began the study of medicine. Enlisted April, 1861, for 
 three months under the first call for seventy-five thousand 
 men and was made sergeant of Company F, First Regi 
 ment New Jersey Volunteers. At the expiration of his 
 term of service assisted in organizing and putting into the 
 field the second battery of light artillery (Battery " B " 
 
396 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 First New Jersey), then known as Beam s battery, being 
 commissioned as first lieutenant. After the death of 
 Captain John E. Beam was promoted captain and the 
 battery was afterward known as Clark s battery. Through 
 out the whole period of the war the battery was promi 
 nently engaged in every important battle except that of 
 Antietam and won a splendid reputation for its fighting 
 and staying qualities. At Chancellorsville Captain Clark 
 was placed in command of the First Division Artillery, 
 Third Army Corps. When the attack on the Eleventh 
 Corps was made by Jackson, Clark s battery was at Hazel 
 Grove firing on the Furnace road. The enemy came 
 through to the right of Sickles corps, and in close pursuit 
 of Howard s fleeing troops. The battery was immediately 
 turned around, and began firing to the rear with canister 
 which enabled Pleasonton to forn% his line. At Gettysburg 
 Captain Clark was with his battery during all of the 
 terrific firing of the second of July, and the gallant conduct 
 of the battery on that occasion is well attested by the 
 frequent mention, in the official reports, of its splendid 
 services. At the close of the day s engagement Colonel 
 Randolph, chief of artillery of the Third Corps, was 
 wounded and Captain Clark was appointed to that office 
 which he held until just before the fight at Mine Run when 
 Randolph returned to duty. At the fight at Ream s 
 Station in front of Petersburg Captain Clark was slightly 
 wounded in the forehead by a minie ball. When the terms 
 of service of the three year members of the battery who 
 had not reenlisted expired, Captain Clark accompanied 
 them to Trenton where they were mustered out, and 
 immediately afterward returned to the battery remaining 
 with it until the close of the war. At the time of the 
 surrender the battery was in position in the line of the 
 Second Corps, to which it then belonged. Captain Clark 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 
 
 397 
 
 was specially recommended to the President for promotion 
 by General Sickles for bravery and gallantry at Chancel- 
 lorsville and Gettysburg, and in 1864, General Hunt, chief 
 of artillery Army of the Potomac, General Birney, General 
 Mott and others sent strong letters to the State authorities 
 urging that the several batteries of the State be given a 
 field officer and recommending Captain Clark for the 
 place, and in 1865, General Mott sent the following 
 additional appeal to the Governor, but for some reason or 
 other was not complied with. The following is General 
 Mott s letter : 
 
 HEADQUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, SECOND ARMY CORPS, j_ 
 May 21, 1865. \ 
 
 Governor : 
 
 As New Jersey has five batteries in the service, and no field 
 officer four being entitled to a major allow me to call your attention 
 to Captain A. Judson Clark, Battery " B," as an officer justly entitled 
 to the position. Captain Clark has served since 1861, is the senior 
 artillery officer from the State, and has on all occasions conducted 
 himself in an efficient and gallant manner. He is about leaving the 
 service, as his battery is to be mustered out, and a recognition of his 
 services by ths State will be a just reward for gallant and meritorious 
 conduct in the field. 
 
 I tak3 great pleasure in making this recommendation as the captain 
 has served under, with or near my command in almost all of the actions 
 of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 G. MOTT, Brevet Major-General. 
 His Excellency Joel Parker, Governor, etc. 
 
 Captain Clark was brevetted major of United States 
 Volunteers for gallant and meritorious services in front of 
 Petersburg, by Congress, to date from April 2, 1865. Since 
 the war Major Clark s signal abilities have been recognized 
 by his own people who have repeatedly appointed him to 
 responsible positions, first as chief of police of the city of 
 Newark, then as secretary of the Board of Assessments 
 
398 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and Revision of Taxes, and as Receiver of Taxes. He is 
 also a prominent officer in the National Guard of the 
 State. 
 
 MAJOR WILLIAM W. MORRIS. 
 
 Major William Wallace Morris was born in the city of 
 New York in 1830, and in 1832 his parents took up their 
 residence in the city of Newark. His ancestors on his 
 mother s side were Huguenots, who settled in Canada in 
 the sixteenth century, after the massacre of Paris, France. 
 His paternal ancestry were of the Morrises who immigrated 
 from Wales, and settled in Monmouth county, New Jersey, 
 in 1669. His great grandfathers on both sides were 
 soldiers during the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783, 
 and in the war of 1812 and 1814 both fought against the 
 British. Many of the male members of the family had 
 fought in every war on this continent except in the war 
 with Mexico. Major Morris was educated in private 
 schools, and learned the coach, harness and saddlery busi 
 ness and was superintendent of a large factory at the time 
 of his enlistment. When a stripling, he joined the old 
 Lafayette Guards as a private, and subsequently became 
 Ensign, and afterward joined the City Battalion under 
 Major Carter. In 1861 Major Morris raised a company 
 and was about to offer their services to the government 
 when a severe. family affliction compelled him to defer his 
 departure to the field. In August, 1862, under the call for 
 ten thousand men he recruited Company A, Twenty-sixth 
 Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, having enlisted as a 
 private soldier, and was so mustered in September 3d. 
 Subsequently he was elected captain of the company, and 
 was mustered in the United States service September i8th. 
 He left with his regiment for the front from Camp 
 Frelinghuysen September 26, 1862, and was promoted 
 
7;V 777 GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 399 
 
 major November i9th following, and mustered in Decem 
 ber 6, 1862. He took part in the battle of Fredericksburg, 
 under General Burnside December i3th and i4th, acting 
 as colonel of the regiment a considerable part of the time, 
 having but one staff officer to assist him Sergeant-Major 
 Amos J. Cummings, the regiment numbering nine hun 
 dred and seventy-five men present. Major Morris was one 
 of the storming column at Fredericksburg Heights, and 
 participated in the battle of Salem Church May 3d and 
 the battle of Salem Heights or Banks Ford May 4, 1863. 
 At the storming of the rifle pits at " Franklin s Crossing," 
 three miles below Fredericksburg, June 5, 1863, he was 
 acting as lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 During the great draft riot in New York and Newark in 
 July, 1863, when the Newark " Mercury " newspaper office 
 owned by ex-Sheriff E. N. Miller, and his residence was 
 attacked by a mob Sheriff Miller being at that time pro 
 vost marshal of the district Major Morris offered his ser 
 vices which were gladly accepted, and Sheriff Miller com 
 missioned him to organize a body of veterans, secure arms 
 and make arrangements with the military district com 
 mander, General Wool, to put down the enemies of peace 
 and good order. Major Morris organized some four hun 
 dred men, and many of his brother officers rallied around 
 him, among whom were Captains Fordham, P. F. Rogers, 
 John Hunkele, John Mclntee, Mark Sears, Lieutenant 
 Rochus Heinisch, and others. Before the arrangements 
 with General Wool were fully completed the riot in New 
 York was put down and that in Newark speedily ended. 
 
 LIEUTENANT ROCHUS HEINISCH. 
 
 Lieutenant Rochus Heinisch was born in the city of 
 Newark, N. J., December, 1835. He was educated in 
 private schools, and was brought up in manufacturing 
 
400 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 and business pursuits, following the cutlery business in 
 his father s factory. At the age of seventeen he joined 
 the Putnam Horse Guards, a famous battalion of mounted 
 men, commanded by Major Heinisch, the father of Rochus. 
 Subsequently he joined Company B, Newark City 
 Battalion, and during the war enlisted as a private soldier 
 in Company A, Twenty-sixth New Jersey Volunteers. He 
 was afterward elected second lieutenant and was pro 
 moted first lieutenant in the field. He participated in the 
 several engagements of his regiment, and was a faithful 
 and a brave soldier. At the advance of the Twenty-sixth 
 across the Rappahannock on June 5th. Lieutenant 
 Heinisch was one of the very first to enter the rebel earth 
 works. At the expiration of his term of service he 
 reentered business life, and served two terms in the 
 House of Assembly of the New Jersey Legislature. 
 
 COLONEL HUGH H. JANEWAY. 
 
 Hugh H. Janeway was born in New Brunswick, N. J. He 
 went into the service as first lieutenant of Company L, 
 First New Jersey Cavalry, and soon became noted for his 
 daring as well as fer his other strong soldierly qualities. 
 He was devoid of fear, and many are the incidents related 
 of his personal encounters with the enemy, and his adven 
 tures. He had been in the service but a short time when 
 he went on a scouting expedition and meeting with a 
 body of the enemy he boldly charged into them. Janeway 
 himself was wounded in seven different places, and was 
 left for dead, but his wounds, though severe, were none 
 of them fatal, and his reappearance among his men for 
 duty a short time after was hailed with great joy. Febru 
 ary 19, 1862, Janeway was promoted captain; on January 27, 
 1863, major ; July 6, 1864, lieutenant-colonel, and on Octo 
 ber n, 1864, colonel of the First Cavalry. During some 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN, 401 
 
 of the encounters with the enemy at Trevillian s Station 
 Colonel Janeway was wounded, but he soon after returned 
 and took command of his regiment. In the Weldon Rail 
 road expedition in December, 1864, the First New Jersey 
 bore a conspicuous part. Nearing Hicksford, where the 
 road to Gaston and Raleigh branches off from the Weldon 
 line, a force of the enemy was found in strong works, 
 defending the crossing of the Meherin river. The works 
 were covered by a thick wood extending for a mile along 
 the road ; and along the skirts of a wood a body of cav 
 alry was posted. Colonel Janeway sent forward Captain 
 Brooks to charge these men and clear the way. Pyne, in 
 his description of this action, says : 
 
 " Of course no Southern cavalry then in the field could stand against 
 a charge in which Robbins, Brooks and Craig were all engaged. 
 Along a narrow road, breaking off here and there to pursue a fugitive 
 visible through the trees, the Fifth Squadron swept forward at the run; 
 until the road took a sudden twist, and lost itself in an abbatis of felled 
 trees, perfectly impassable for horses. From the rifle-pits along the 
 front of the rebel works a heavy fire was poured into the squadron as 
 soon as it appeared. Robbins received a bullet through the hat, which 
 grazed his head; Craig and Johnson had their horses shot and some 
 of the men were unhorsed in like manner; but Brooks, covering his 
 men as well as possible, held his position until the rest of the brigade 
 came up. Then Sargent, with the First Massachusetts, was ordered 
 to make a charge. Nothing could be more gallantly attempted; but 
 it was wild to hope for any success so long as the enemy were not 
 frightened from their guns. Sargent fell dead from his horse before 
 they took the gallop; and the regiment pulled up in confusion, with the 
 loss of several horses and some men. Then Janeway and the rest of 
 the New Jersey took the field. Janeway was in his element at once. 
 There never was a quiet-mannered man who took more delight in fight 
 ing, whether mounted or on foot; and no one ever did his work more 
 thoroughly and with more perfect management of the troops under his 
 command. As a consequence the regiment was always ready to do 
 what he directed with a confidence that made them irresistible. Dis 
 mounting his whole force under cover of the woods, he charged them 
 26 
 
402 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 straight into the rifle-pits, over ditches and fallen trees, under a heavy 
 fire of musketry and artillery from the woods behind. Nothing would 
 have been more after Janeway s heart than a charge onward into the 
 rebel forts, a quarter of a mile beyond." 
 
 At Dinwiddie Court House Janeway was in the very 
 thickest of the fighting and Davies, who commanded the 
 brigade, being wounded, Janeway succeeded him only to 
 be wounded in turn. Soon recovering Janeway was again 
 with his regiment, and at Five Forks distinguished him 
 self by his bravery. At Amelia Springs, the regiment 
 again encountered the enemy, and Colonel Janeway imme 
 diately ordered a charge, in leading which he was shot 
 through the head, and died almost instantly. This 
 was April 5, 1865, but four days before the surrender of 
 Lee at Appomattox. Colonel Janeway had endeared 
 himself to every man in his command, and no braver 
 soldier, truer patriot, or courteous gentleman ever per 
 ished on the field of battle than he. 
 
 COLONEL PERCY WYNDHAM. 
 
 Sir Percy Wyndham, colonel of the First New Jersey 
 Cavalry (Sixteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers), was 
 a member of an ennobled English family, son of Captain 
 Charles Wyndham, of the Fifth Light Cavalry of the 
 English army, and born on board the ship "Arab" in " the 
 Downs," September 22, 1833. When but fifteen years of 
 age he entered the " Students Corps " in Paris, and took 
 part in the French revolution of 1848. In July of that 
 year he was transferred, at his own request, to the navy, 
 and given the rank of ensign of marines. He resigned his 
 commission in the French navy, April 7, 1850, and in the 
 following year entered the artillery branch of the English 
 army. Resigning in October, 1852, he received the com 
 mission of a second lieutenant in the Eighth Austrian 
 
IN THE GETT YSB UR G CA MPA IGN. 403 
 
 Lancers in December following. He served a period of 
 two years, being promoted first lieutenant on April 15 
 1854, and squadron commander shortly afterward. 
 
 On May i, 1860, he resigned from the Austrian service 
 to enter the Italian, and was commissioned a captain on 
 the twentieth. He greatly distinguished himself by his 
 dashing gallantry in the battles of Palermo, Nuloggo, 
 Rager and Capua. On July 2oth he was promoted to the 
 rank of major and placed in command of his regiment, 
 and on October i, to that of lieutenant-colonel on the field 
 before Capua and given command of a brigade by General 
 Garibaldi in person. He was knighted on the field by 
 King Victor Emanuel and appointed a chevalier of the 
 Military Order of Savoy. Colonel Wyndham remained in 
 command of his brigade till October 8, 1861, when he 
 obtained a leave of absence for twelve months and came 
 to the United States to offer his services to the Federal 
 Government. 
 
 Early in the month of February, 1862, upon the special 
 recommendation of General McClellan and by the appoint 
 ment of the Governor, he became Colonel of the First 
 New Jersey Cavalry. He assumed command of the regi 
 ment on the 9th, and called upon officers and men alike to 
 aid him in securing the most efficient condition by a strict 
 obedience to orders and thorough military discipline. 
 The joint influence of Colonel Wyndham and Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Karge was felt almost immediately, and by the 
 middle of May the regiment was performing meritorious 
 military service. On the afternoon of June 6, the regi 
 ment drove the enemy through the village of Harrison- 
 burgh, Va., and fell into an ambuscade in the woods, to 
 the southeast of the town, in which Colonel Wyndham was 
 captured and considerable loss sustained ; the colonel soon 
 afterward escaped. October 30, a skirmish took place 
 
404 NE W fERSK Y TROOPS 
 
 between a detachment of cavalry under command of 
 Colonel Wyndham and a force of rebels stationed at 
 Thoroughfare Gap, resulting in the retirement of the latter 
 to the almost impassable hills in the vicinity ; and on 
 February 2, 1863, Colonel Wyndham surprised Warrenton, 
 Va. He took part in General Stahl s reconnoissance, 
 leading the advance in the attack upon the enemy at 
 Snicker s Ferry, and during the raid of General Stoneman 
 through Virginia in April and May, 1863, he commanded 
 the cavalry which took possession of Columbia. 
 
 The regiment was on almost constant duty from the day 
 Colonel Wyndham took command, scouting, raiding and 
 fighting ; while its impetuous leader was time and again 
 placed at the head of a brigade when services of an extra 
 ordinary character were to be attempted. He was severely 
 wounded in the battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863, and 
 was mustered out of the service on July 5, 1864, when 
 he opened a military school in New York city at which he 
 was doing fairly well. Wyndham, however, was an 
 adventurer, of a roving disposition, and when war broke 
 out in Europe 1866-1867 he gave up his school, joined the 
 Italian army and was appointed by Garibaldi a member of 
 his staff. At the close of this war he returned to New 
 York and with an Italian chemist, engaged in petroleum 
 refining. An explosion of one of the large stills ruined 
 them, and Wyndham went to Calcutta where he started 
 the well-known comic paper u The Indian Charivari." 
 While in Calcutta he organized an Italian opera company, 
 and married a rich widow. It would be natural to find 
 him now settling down for the remainder of his days, but 
 married life evidently possessed little attraction for him, 
 as soon after that event he went into .lumber operations, 
 and in speculation in timber forests at Mandalay lost all 
 he had made in Calcutta. He then attempted to induce 
 
IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN. 495 
 
 the Burmese Government to cultivate cotton on a large 
 scale, and while they praised his schemes and promised 
 generous aid in putting his ideas into execution, they did 
 not provide him with any means to carry them out. He 
 then became a hanger-on of the court at Mandalay and 
 suffered many indignities at their hands. He had become 
 reduced to great poverty, and had pawned his jewels and 
 decorations to get money enough to pay his debts. While 
 at Mandalay he constructed an immense balloon and 
 hoped by giving exhibition ascensions to be able to 
 amass sufficient means to release his decorations, but his 
 first ascension led to his death in the following tragic 
 manner, as described in the Rangoon (India) " Gazette " 
 of January 27, 1879 : 
 
 " How little did a single soul among that vast crowd of 
 people assembled on Saturday last in and about Dalhousie 
 Park to witness the balloon ascension, which had been 
 advertised for the last two months and more, imagine that 
 they would be spectators nay, participators of a tragedy 
 which resulted in the death of one of the most adventurous 
 men of the day. Throughout the whole day one stream of 
 human beings had flowed toward the Royal Lakes, on the 
 margin of which Colonel Wyndham s balloon had been 
 inflated. The balloon was about seventy feet in height 
 and at the largest part ninety or one hundred feet in 
 circumference, made of common white shirting with a 
 coat of waterproof varnish and a somewhat slight network 
 of thin ropes over it, the ends of which were tied around 
 the edge of the wickerwork car in which the aeronaut was 
 to take his seat. Crowds of all caste and degree, from the 
 fashionable European lady and gentleman to the veriest 
 cooly who could afford a few annas for entrance money, 
 went around the baloon, examined its exterior, peered into 
 its interior through its wide mouth and criticised it or 
 
406 NEW JERSEY TROOPS 
 
 expressed their wonder. About a quarter past six o clock 
 Colonel Wyndham got into his car, in which four small 
 bags of sand and some refreshments had been previously 
 placed. Colonel Wyndham having given the signal to 
 those who held it down, the balloon was gently released 
 and rose, swaying for a short while from side to side then 
 straightening itself and rising majestically upward. When 
 it had reached an altitude of about three hundred feet it 
 was seen to burst open out and then to collapse, the 
 whole falling into the lake about a hundred yards from the 
 bank, the remnants of the balloon falling over the car. 
 which contained Colonel Wyndham. A lot of boats pulled 
 as fast as possible to the spot, but owing to the vast spread 
 of cloth presented by the fragments of the balloon, it was 
 full ten minutes before Colonel Wyndham s body could be 
 recovered. It was immediately conveyed ashore, where it 
 was placed in the hands of Doctors Oswald and Johnstone, 
 but although they exerted themselves for over an hour all 
 efforts to restore animation proved unavailing. It is the 
 opinion of medical men from the appearance presented by 
 the body, the bleeding from the nose and the peculiar 
 nature of the accident, that before reaching the water he 
 had been asphyxiated by the rushing out of the hot air or 
 gas from the balloon. As to the causes of the balloon s 
 collapse there can be little question. It was made two 
 years ago of flimsy white shirting, not improved by keeping, 
 which when inflated showed several cracks or rents in it. 
 These flaws, when pointed out to him, Colonel Wyndham 
 said were nothing ; he had gone up in balloons with holes 
 the size of a man s head. Thus ended a singular and 
 adventurous career." 
 
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