Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-04-22
~iitr,,elf : bssyg Ind ssll5ns s5iAtaf, bs Is

Himself & besS8 and G%sll5ns s5lalaf, bs IS !
incapsbis CT doing ;~njuc::so io MS eonrsaea.
In u POSITION from which tho whoio neid c'uio
be seen, 40 vas better able to Judge Oh the
csrsca Of the retreat tls.n men mixed up IN
the attacking column, cnvelopcd IT. clouds OF
smoke and dust, engaged in tbe duties Of their
command, and combining, necessarily, their
attention 10 their r,on.
Erroneous statements having been pub
lished in the newspapers, and circulated
amongst TIE people, as TO the conduct of Maj.
Gen. Hetk's Division, in the battles of the Sd
OF July, at Gettysburg, VIC, officers of the di-
vision, submit the following account OF its
operations on that memorable day:
We haze delayed a public vintioAtion OF tho
coYdurt &c tho division, under tho expectation
t:,at the official reports would have oeen pup
i;shed. From them we were conhIent that
the part taken By the division would be made
known. errors in reference to 1t removed, and
cur claim to o part Of the praise won by the
Confederate troops in that bloody battle fully
established. The official reports have not
been given to the public. and justice TO our
comrades, the living and the dead, demands
that we should no longer keep silence.
After having been more heavily engaged
than any of tho troops who participated IN
the brilliant victory of the 1T Of July, AND
having loat IS per cent. OF the men ana Az
per cent. Of tho officers, the division on the 81
Instant WAS ordered to report to Lieutenant
& nerGI Lopgs5reet. who commanded the
forces reflected for the attack, under the com>
maid Of Big. Cen. j. Johnston Pett1greW-
Mai. Gen. Heth having been wounded on the
lst of July.
Msior General Piekett's Division was in
line Of battle, concealed and protected from
tee cnemy by o hill, behind which they were
formed. uesh's Division was ordered to form
in lins on the left of Picketts, ana the or9er
was executed ty tho formation OF the brlgades
in the following manner, from right 70 ieIt:
Arcbor's Brigade, under Col. Fry, 18th Ala.
Regiment; Pettigrew's, under Col. Marshall;
Davis, under Brig. Gen. Davis; and Heth'a'
undcr Gel. Brockenbrough, 10th Firglnia-the
c,ntre AMI left being thrown back. so as 10
t.kc advantage of the protection Afforded by
the ridge upon which our artillery was posted.
In conseouepue of this necessary arrange
ment, and because the works Of the enemy
;nttai oat opposite to the right Of the line Of
attack, the right division (Pioketts) was
considerably nearer to them than was the
left.
About noon brigade commanders were III
formed that our artillery would open ire on
tho enemy, and after it ceased the TWO d,Tl-
sions would advance in line to the attack
| !Ista's Division not being intended, rs has
been stated, TO support Pickett. Ga the OPP.
rosite ridge (which afforded every physical
advantagc) and about a mile from our diyl-
sion, the enemy was strongly entrenehed, his
iiaa extending far beyond our left.
About two o'clock, ?. NJ, the artillery ceasei
firing and the infantry moved for ward TO tho
attack. Passing the crest CT the hill, We
emerged into an opcn fell, undutating and
traytrsed with many fences, which proved
formidable obstacles TO our advance. Not
withstauaiog the terrible fire of grape, shell,
canister and muskctry, tine division passed
steadily on, until it reared the enemy's works,
which, following the direction OF the ridge
upon which they were posted, formed M arc
Of a circ'a, from which u direct, ob!iquc and
nrtiiaGc fi,e Was concentrated upon US. The
colnrs of some Of the regiments Oil the eztrem,
ristr we've planted OF the enemy's works !;
he other portions Of the line were we'll up
AID rT@ss;aS forward, though they had not
reached tho e~n:ng's Gnlroucilm EMS, hecause
of tho anglo which they made wish tbs por-
tion .: our line Of baltic. A: this moment,
- severe was the i:o, aad so fearful! ware tho
odds %a.rias: ny, that the Two divisions, Gems
pletaiy o7~err1warad, gave wsy, and rntreHted
in disorder 70 the position from which the
advance WAS made. Usth's DirlSton tr1S then
formed / IN line Of battle, and remained HnttlMs
lriols army retired from Gettysburg, having
cost in this attack, ns the official reports Will
disclose, from sixty to serenity per cent, near
~ ali tho field officers bong killed or wound
ell, ard. in some instances, regiments having
no higher officers in rank than a hrst LIEU
tenant.
We concludo this brief recital of facts by
repoa,ing tina: the two divisions Advanced aad
attacked in lire togetnor; were repulsed by
the enemy's superior numbers, posted behind
most Formidable works; that both gave way
1t nearly the sams time; that Heth's was not
designed nor did it act as a support to Picke:rs,
but advanced in line to tho main attack,
which failed for the reasons indicated.
We desire, in this publication, not to reflect
upon all, officer or comm and, our sole purpose
ieing to remove erroneous impressions IN re-
ference TO the conduct of tho divisioa to which
we belong.
The following compose I'LL the officers now,
/ present with the division, who participated in
the Sd days hshs at Gettysburg:
ARcuEE's BRIGADE.
lst Tennessee Regimeat.-Felix G. Buchanan
Major; Thomas d Gregory, Adjutant; A F
W Alexander, Captain: Thos P Arnold, Cap
tain Coopaty Ii; J D Hubbard, lst Lieu
tenant; W NJ Cowan, 81 Lieutenant: j ]
Tr;bble, 81 Lieutenant; Jamas w Hollen, 81
Lieutenant; A II johnson, % Lieutenant; 4
j Eaton, q Lieutenant.
l4h Tennessee Rsgiment.-James N Dale,
Captain; W S Winfield, Captain; Mitchell,
LIST Lieutenant; 3 E OUTLAW, lat Lieutenant;
G D IIeane, 81 Lieutenant: j Beaumont, %
Lieutenant; " E Cicfup, % Lieutenant; j
4 Howard, q Lieutenant; j Gilbert, %
L;autenanr; WIN S Durrett, 81 Lieutenant.
M Tennessee Regiment.-Samrl G Shepard,
Linntonant Colonies; A D Norris, Captain: o
N Foster, Csptsin; JAS H Martin, lst Lieu
tenant; Roht q Miller, lst Lieutenant; f
Boddia, 1st Lieutenant; FIT Harris, 81 Lien
tonan!; II Fl Mcore, % Lieutenant; B Will
NTH, I'd Lieutenant; IA SIcmmons, Cd Lieu
tenant; w Fl Baher, ID Lieutenant.
1871 alabama Regimsnt.-R N Cook, Cap
tain; j NJ Simpson, lst Lieutenant; G NJ
Doane, lss Lieutenant; W II Crawford, Cd
Lieutenant: W Galloway, Cd Lieutenant;
u Savage, 81 Lieutenant; K r Ashurst. Cd
Lieutenant; LIP Broughton, Adj utant; B A
Bowen, LIT Lieutenant.
5M alabama BaAatiW.-A VandorgrauF,
Wade Rscser, Captain A N Porter, Captain:
r Payne, LIST Lieutenant; u G Turner, "a
Lieutenant; A j Mount, 2l lieutenant; W
G Clay, p lieutoDant.
PErTIGREw's BRIGADE.
26M North Carolina Regiment.-John F
Jones, 1t Colonel; Thomas j Cureton, Cap.
tain: II G Albright, Cantain; Thomas Lilley,
Captain J 4 Lowe, lst Lieutenant; JB
! Hurd, Is Lieutenant.
llM North Carolina Resimem&.-Thomas
Bird, Major; W j Kew, Captain L Elias, lsE
Lieutenant; W 3 Taylor, % Lieutenant L j
iIofle, ID Lieutenant.