Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-06-20
Vol. LVI. No. rs.

Lincoln, war against rebellion be-
came inevitable, Governor Gearv was
again among the first to offer his mill.
tary services to the Government. He
raised and equipped, at his own ex-
pense, the 28th regiment OF Pennsyl-
vania volunteers, of which be took
the command. With this splendid
regiment, numbering over 1900 men,
he entered the field in July, 1861, and
continued in active service during tho
entire four years Of the war, with tho
exception of twenty-eight days, and
when he was incapacitated for duty by
wounds received in battle.
For meritorious deeds he was promo
ted to the rank of Brigadier General
on the 25th Of April, 1862, and Bre-
veted Major General January 18th.
1868, ''tor the fitness to command and
promptness to execute"
From reports filed in the Office in the
Secretary of War, it appears that dur
ing his term of service General Geary
was engaged in over fifty hotly con-
! tested battles and important skirmish.
es, besides many other of lesser note.
Among these engagements may be
especially named that of BOLIVAR
Heights" Cedar Mountain" ;" the three
days fight at charlottesville, the
struggle at Gettysburg, which also
lasted three days, and resulted in driv-
ing back the enemy from the soil of
Pennsylvania, "Wauhatchie," 'Look-
out Mountain" emission Ridge"
"Ringgold," "Triano,' ''MiIl Creek and
Snake Creek Gaps" 'EResaca," (two
days,) "New Hope Church" (seven
days, )"Muddy Greek ,"''Nose's Creek"
''Kolb's Farm" "Kenesaw," "Pine
Hill, Marietta" "Peach Tree Creek"
siege and capture of Atlanta (twenty
days0 siege of Savannah (ten days,)
which was captured by his division
ten hours before any other troops
reached that city, as was also Fort
Jackson, both Of which places were
surrendered in person to Gen. Geary
In this capture three hundred and
fifty prisoners, one hundred and four
teen pieces Of artillery, thrty-eight
thousand five hundred bales of cotton
and five ocean steamers, with an i'm
menso variety of ammunition and
other stores, fell into the hands of the
victors.
Upon the capture of Savannah Gen.
Geary was appointed Military Cover
nor, which position he filled with sig
nal credit to himself until he was re-
lieved, that he might accompany the
| triumphant army of Sherman in its
further march through the Carolnas.
In the battle of Bolivar Heights he
received a severe wound in the right
knee, and at Cedar Mountain he was
slightly wounded in the left ankle, and
seriously through the elbow joint of
the left arm. lie was also struck in
/ the right breast and severely injured
! by the fragment Of shell at Chanccl-
! lorsville.
His two sons accompanied him to
the field, the eldest of whom, young
man of eighteen years, who had ad-
vanced himself by sterling ability to
the command Of battery, with the
rank of Captain, and gave promise of
the utmost capacity and usefulness,
was killed at the battle of Wauhatchie.
"At the time that he fell" says an elo,
quent "riter, she was acting as Lieu
tenant Of one section Of Knapp's Bat
terry. AS an artillerist he had no su-
periCr in the army. His gun was his
pride. He was always beside her,
and his aim was unerring. At this
battle about twelve hundred and fifty
men, under command of Gen. Geary,
were attacked from an eminence, by
! five thousand of the enemy, at twelve
O'Clock at night. The unequal fight
! gallantly accepted and though the
command was at first thrown into
some disorder, they speedily rallied,
and not only repulsed, but drove from
the field the vastly superior numbers
of the enemy. In the hottest of the
fight-in the act OF sighting his gun,
his forehead was pierced with bullet,
young Geary fell, and instantly expir-
ed. His father coming to the spot,
clasped in an agonizing embrace the
lifeless form Of his boy-then, mounting
his horse, dashed wildly into the thick
est ranks of the foe, and rode like an
avenging spirit over that bloody field,
until the enemy were utterly routed
and put to flight" This Gen. Hooker
pronounces the most gallant and sue
cessful charge that has come to his
knowledge during the war.
In his official report of this battle
General Hooker says:
During these operations a heavy
musketry fire, with rapid discharges
of artillery, continued to reach us from
Geary. 1t was evident that formi-
dable adversary had gathered aroand
him and that he was battering him
with all his might. For almost three
hours, without assistance, he repelled
the repeated attacks of vastly supe-
rior numbers, and, in the end, drove
them in0lOriously from tho field At