The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-09-22

An Erening Ners reporter called to-
day on a gallant Philadelphia soldier,
whose devotion 10 the cause Of the I'M
ion is shown In a shattered constitution
and a body In which the wounds have
not yet healed. General Baxter, the
old commander Of the Seyenty-second
Pennsylvania, the gallant Philadelphia
Fire Zouaves, Is the gentleman referred
TO, and when asked this morning II he
was cogniznt OF the exact facts OF
Hancock's conduct at Gettysburg, he re-
piled, ~ am; | was In his W corps"
Twin you kindly review those facts
and give them for publications.
General Baxter expressed his willing
ness To do so, and began with this tell
ing sentence: General Hancock nerer
heard a shot fired by his corps at the BAT
tLe Of Gdfysbury."
did he select the battle grouadl"
mo, sir-emphatiedily mol He had
nothing 70 do tcih it,"
THE MEMORABLE lsT or JULY.
General Hancock" began General
Baxter, "was In command Of the sec
ond corps, and was with that corps ON
the morning Of the LIST OF July, 1868.
lie remained with IL until it resumed
its march. At l O'Clock OF that day,
the troops having been halted for the
bimonthly muster for pay, General
Hancock proceeded ahead OF his CON-
mand, and rode on To join General
Meade. who was supposed TO be at
Taneytown, Md. He arrived there
about $50 o'clock. Up 10 that time no
one not Immediately engaged with Gen
eral Reynolds knew anything OF the
lighting, and the death OF that gallant
officer and the subsequent defeat of our
troops. While General Hancock was
there Mt General Meade's headquarters
a mounted officer from the staff Of Gen.
eral o. o. Howard rode up in great
haste and informed Meade Of the death
OF the gallant Reynolds and the disaster
OF the morning. This was the first
General Meade knew Of the battle, and
the officer was only able to give him a
general description, but none OF the de-
tails, except that General Howard had
taken n position on the top Of Cemetery
hill. There he was massing what troops
he had, and he sent word to General
! Meade that he could hold the position
until rcinfurcements could reach him.
General Meade had designed having
the troops on the ridge ut Stoney creek,
but this information astonished him.
MEADE IMMEDIATELY SENT HANCOCK
to the front with instructions to pro-
coed rs rapidly Ms possible to Cemetery
Hill, where Howard was. Hancock
was ordered TO assume command Of all
the forces he should find there, and II,
In his judgment, the position was not n
good one, he was to remove the troops
10 the position on Stoney creek, desig-
mated previously. General Hancock
then left General Meade and proceeded
10 the front under his instructions. He
arrived at Cemetery Hill about $50
O'Clock on that afternoon Of July l, hav-
ing covered thirteen miles of road
There he found the Eleventh corps,
commanded by General Howard, the
Third corps, commanded by General
Sickles, and u part Of the d~emoralized
First corps that was so terribly worsted
in the morning, with a lot Of stragglers
coming in rs rapidly as possible. Be-
fore General Hancock had time to as
sumo authority or to decide upon the
p~racticability or impracticability of
holding that position, General Slocum,
in command Of the Fourth corps, and
whose troops were then on Culp hill,
made his appearance ON Cemetery hill,
and, AS he %outranked Hancock, he,
General Slocum, assumed command OF
all the troops there. General Slocum
directed General Hancock to return to
General Meade and say to him that he
General Slocum) had taken the posi-
tion on Cemetery Ridge, and that he
would undoubtedly hold 1t against the
enemy until reinforcements could reach
him.
General Hancock returned to Gen.
eral Meade and assumed command of
the second corps, which had arrived Mt
Taneytown. At O'Clock the CON-
mand was put in marching order for
the front to reinforce the troops then
upon Cemetery hill and ridge. After
marching some eleven or twelve miles
they reached Round Top about half past
8 O'Clock on the night OF July /. where
they ~biyouacked. That ends the 1st Of
July. Now for
THE 2D OF JULY AT GETTYSBURG.
"At daylight on the morning Of July
. they 1.-THE second corps) were taken
down to join the troops already upou
Cemetery hill and ridge. On that MORN
ing the third corps General Sickles')
was moved on the left with the inten-
tion Of occupying Round Top, but Gen.
eral Sickles found General Doubleday
already there. General Sickles then