Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-07-28
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, JULY 2S, 1880

weight ana Impulse OIL the attack, 1
) this was their idea they were badl
mistaken. Our men promptly rcturne,
) the fire, and for ten or fifteen minute
! the work Of death went on. There wa
no cheering, no time lost in unnecessar,
movements. Every man there, bot
, Union and rebel, were veterans, AM
knew just what was wanted. They
stood there face to face, loading ant
firing, and 80 close that every sho
told. In short time the brigades o
J Gross and Brook began forcing th,
} enemy back, and after firing for abou
} ten minutes Colonel Kelly gave tn,
order to charge. The men, rushing
forward with cheer, were among the
Johnnies in few moments.
A SUCCESSFUL RUsE.
Here took place a rather extraordi
nary scene, In an instant our mer
and their opponents were mingled to
gether. In charging we had literally
ran right in among them. Firing in
stantly ceased and we found there
were as many of the enemy as there
were of ourselves. Officers and men
looked for time utterly bewildered
all the fighting had stopped, yet the
Graybacks still retained their arms
and showed no disposition tosurrendcr
At this moment Union officer called
out in q loud voice "Tho Confederate
troops will lay down their arms and
90 TO the rear This ended scene
that was becoming embarrassing. The
COnfederates promptly obeyed, and a
large number Of what | think were
some of Kershaw's brigade became
our prisoners. In front of Kelly's bri.
gade we found that the enemy had
suffered much more than we had.
When engaged our line was below
theirs, as they stood on the crest of
the hill. They fired down while our
men fred upward, and our fire was
more effective On their line we found
many dead, but few wounded-they
were nearly all hit in the head or upper
part of the body. Behind one rock |
counted five dead bodies. This was
some of the most severe fighting our
division had ever done, and so close
that the officers used their revolvers.
During the fight my regiment held
the extreme right of the DIVISION and
from where we stood could see the
peach orchard, and none Of our troops
were between that point and us-a
distance of more than quarter Of a
mile. As we were engaged column
Of troops passed through this interval,
going into our rear, and formed line
Of battle facing the wheat field. The
hour that this column moved in here
is put down on the Government maps
as Z o'clock. Think this is incorrect
it could not have been 80 late. And
now we find that while our division
had been, in manner, victorious in
checking the impetuous attact at this
point, and had taken many prisoners,
we are ourselves in very serious
trouble-a line of battle in our rear
and annther in nnr front hnth moving
TO attact us at once. As we get ready
to repel the attack in front, Wofford's
Georgia troops strike us in the rear.
The brigades of Cross and Brook are
more fortunate Just now than those of
Zook and Kelly. The Confederate
lines in our rear did not extend far
enough to cover the two first, but
Kelly and Zook were completely sur.
rounded, and the only way out of the
trap was to pass down between the
two rebel lines, so the two brigades
started on double.quick-fring as
they ran-toward Little Round Top,
the only opening through which we
could escape.
THROUGH AN ALLEY OF DEATH.
Passing through this alley Of death,
where the bullets came thick as hail,
we got away with large part OF the
division, but the loss was terrible. In
the half hour that we were under fire
fourteen hundred men were lost. or
the four brigade commanders, two
were killed-General s. IL. Zook and
Colonel Il. L. Cross. Cross fell almost
at the first fire and Zook a few minutes
aiterward. On the morning Of that
day, General Hancock said to Colonel
Cross: "This is the last time you will
fight as o Colonel TO day will make
you Brigadier General" Gross an
swered firmly and sadly, as though he
felt sure OF what he said "No.; it is
too late, General, will never wear the
star. To-day / shall be killed" Just
after zook fell, Colonel Richard p,
Roberts, who succeeded to tho com.
mand of the brigade, was shot through
tho heart He was gallant and much
beloved officer, and he left sick bed
when he heard Of Lee moving into
Pennsylvania, and weak and emacated
he found his regiment only two days
before he was killed. Some of the men
who fell in the wheat field during the
retreat of this division, and were forced
TO lie there between the two fires, Jared
badly. One man of my regiment fell
shot through the leg, and while he lay
there was hit five or six times. When
il became evident that we had to fall
back, our wounded, with visions ol
Andersonville and Libby before them
begged pitcously to be taken along
many of them keeping with us, wholly
unaided. Sergeant Thomas Grey was
shot through the stomach and, with
entrails protrudng, managed TO drag
himself along and succeeded in escap
ing with us.
1t was now getting late; the sur
was nearing the horizon, but the bat
tie of the day was not yet ended, Th'
wheat field was TO have more victims
As Caldwell retired, Ayers camo NJ
aud went in with bis Regulars-anothel
effort to gain the wooded crest tha'
extended from Little Round Top 70
ward the peach orchard. As he ad
vanced he must had struck the hanl
of the Confederates that bad but shori
time before poured destruction into thu
rear of Caldwell's division. Ayer'
doubled them up, driving everything
before him TO somewhere near thu
point from whence we had just beer
driven. Then McCandless took up thu
fight and, with the Pennsylvania Re
serves, succeeded in gaining aud hold
! ingsome ofthe lost ground. The fight
ing at this point, during the evening
of July I'd, was of a most sanguinary
character, each side fighting will
dreadful earnestnoss, -Four or five o
our best divisions had charged owe
the same spot and were met every
time by the choice troops OF the encml
both determined TO hold the ridge il
front Of the wheat field. Gen. Buior'
says of the first days fight "Thcr,
, seems TO be no directing head. ''Thi
! front of the wheat field. Gen. Bufor,
saws of the first days fight: "Ther