Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-07-24
THE BATTLE OF GETTYsBURGH.

ID n VT Il Il Cot
The rebel accounts of the battle, from
which we copy some extracts, give especial pro-
minence to the repulse of their main attack
on Meade's left centre on Friday afternoons
and mention as the main cause of that re-
pulse the flank attack on Pickett's Division.
This, as our readers will remember, was the
work solely Of the Vermont Second Brigade.
'aged on our side, making the two regiments
(the 18th and 10Th vt.,) thrown out in
front, into fee and mix in a great deal Of
pure fiction. The statement that they car
ried any portion Of our position on Friday is
entirely ialse. 81 much of Plcketts Diyi-
sion as did not break for the rear and was
not left killed and wounded on the field land
this was the greater portion), surrendered
when the front line Of the column was a
dozen wards or So from our front line Of bat
tie, and it did not get nearer. as an attack
ing force 50 large portion of it, however,
marched on in a body as prisoners, that the
witnesses from the rebel side are perhaps e.-
cusable in thinking 1t successful entry
within our lines, and that the surrender took
place in the rear. There WAS no stone fence
in that portion Of the field, but only low
protection Of rails, against which where they
could be had, the men Iiled stones ON the
outside, the whole being not over two feet
and a half high, and intended only to pro-
tect the troops while lying PROSTATE. The /
statements that our troops concerned in the I
flank attack were repulscd and thrown into /
confusion by their artillery fire j. pure fab .
rication. Our regiments werc withdrawn /
from the flank Of Piekett's division only
after it had surrendered and then in order to /
take on the flank another charging column /
Of the enemy. These movements of our
troops to and fro were made in excellent /
order and in the same good order, after |
their successful completion, they resumed
their position in the front line Of battle, to /
await fresh attack, if Gen. Lee had any /
more divisions to throw away. 81 much we I
saw and know.
The two guns " abandoned to US, were /
50 much abandoned that in.taking them the /
Thirteenth took IS rebel prisoners The /
rebels took no prisoners on Friday. The /
statement that ' two OF three hundred /
Yankees ran to give themselves up to
column that was withering under a tremen-
dous fire on front and flank, is not only
false, but absurd.
Il is well enough to add here that most Of
the. newspaper correspondents on the field
appear to have been unaware that the third
division of the lst Corps lay (at considerable
distance from the remainder Of the cOrps) /
between the ID and Sd corps, and they have
given to the 2d corps the credit of much
that was done 10y that division, the
third, Of the lst corps. Our readers may
some Of them have noticed accounts of the
splendid fighting of Gen. Hancock's men
how his fall seemed but to excite them to
fresh efforts, &c. Our Vermont boys can
fairly claim the most Of this Gen. Han
cock fell just at the centre of the lines Of the
Vt brigade He rode down to the front line,
after Gen Stannard had ordered the flank
attack, apparently to learn from him what
the advance Of our troops meant. While
expressing his entire approval Of the move
ment, he was struck in the upper partOf the
thigh, by a twisted nGii thrown from a Ca
mister shot, inficting severe wound. He
fell into the arms Of Lieut. Hooker, of Gen.
Stannard's staff, his leg was tied up and the
bleeding stopped by Gen. Stannard's own
hands. and he was placed in an ambulance and
taken from the field by other members of Gen.
Stannard's staff As Hancock was the COM
manding General Of the ID corps, 1t was
naturally supposed ly some that the troops
in front Of him. whose work he was superin-
tending at the time, were a portion of that
corps.
We subjoin special order, issued after
the battle, which has not as yet been pub
lished
Sd BRIG, SD DIV, lsr CoRPs,
Battlefield, Gettysburgh
Pa, July 4, 1865.
Special Oriers,
No. p.
The General Commanding
returns his thanks to the officers and men of the
18th, 18th and 10Th Regis. VT Vols, for their
gallant conduct in the battles Of the ID and Sd
inst, aud congratulates them upon the coOlness
and bravery with which they met and repulsed
the enemy.
He is confident they will still continue to do
their duty on the field, emulated with the desire
to maintain. the reputation SO nobly won.
By order of Brig Gen. G. J. SrASsAHD,
WN. II. HILL