Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-04-26
"WHO STRUCK THEFUsTRsT. .
Corroborative Evidence That TO the second Wis
consin Belongs the Honor Of Opening the
Ball at GETTYSBURG

which regiment opened the fight, on the
Union side, at Gettysburg. The Mil
waukee Sunday Telegraph has pub
lishcd several communications, among
them the following:
Editor Telegraph:
In your issue of the Sunday Telegraph
of March Is, you publish General Cut
ler's report of the battle of Gettysburg,
of which the following are extracts:
wisconsin people remember with
pride that it was one of her sons and
heroes which led the brigade which had
the honor of commencing the infantry
| fighting at the great battle of Gettys-
burg. nearly twenty years ago. The
Sunday Telegraph is the first to publish
the report of Gen. Lysander Cutler, the
| the brave old veteran, who met the adj
vancing enemy and opened the infantry
fighting"
II have the honor to make the follow
ing report of the part performed by this
| brigade in the actions of the LIST, End
and Sd days of the month, near Gettys-
burg, Pa. The brigade, except the 9TH
Indiana, which was sn duty in the rear,
moved from camp early on the 1st inst,
| (being the leading brigade of the corps
towards Gettysburg" Gen Cutters
brigade consisted of the 14th Brooklyn,
10th, 95th, and l47th New York, 9TH In
diana, and seth Pennsylvania. In re-
gard to the latter regiment, S. p. Bates,
in his history of the battle, says: '.Gen.
Cutler, in letter to Gov Curtin, writ
ten soon after the battle, says: 'When
we came upon the ground in front of
the enemy, Col. Hoffman's regiment,
the seth Penn, being the second in the
column, got into position a moment
sooner than the others. y
That battle, on the soil of Pennsylvania,
was opened by her own sons, and it is
just that it should become matter of
history"
Now, is that fact, or case of giving
honor to those that are not entitled to
it? Gen. Doubleday, who commanded
the first corps at Gettysburg, in his ac-
count of the battle writes: ''As soon
as saw that my orders-to assemble
the other two divisions-were in pro-
cess of execution / galloped to the
front, leaving the troops to follow, and
caught up with Meredith's brigade of
Wadsworth's division, commonly called
The lion Brigade, just as it was going
into action Col. Geo. III. Otis, of the
I'd Wis, in his history of this regiment
written three years ago and published
in the Sunday Telegraph, has the fol-
lowing on the same subject: "Gen.
Wadsworth was in command of our
division, which led the corps, the Iron
Brigade, under Gen. Meredith, in the
advance, in the following order: 1st,
the Second Wis; I'd the seventh Wis; 3rd
the Nineteenth Ind. 18th, the oath Mich;
9Th, the Sixth Wis. ! am thus particu-
ticular in giving the positions of the
regiments as we marched upon the field
first, in order to disabuse the pre-
vailing opinion that Pennsylvania troops
were the first into the fight. In Penn
sylvania | am told that it is the boast
of pulpit orators and others of their
distinguished citizens to lay claim to
the honor of being first upon the field
in that memorable battle. Nothing is
further from the truth. The Iron
Brigade and the Second Regiment of
Wisconsin Volunteers leading chat
Brigade was the first of the infantry
forces to strike blow in the battle of
Gettysburg Hon. G.. M. Woodward,
of La Crosse, who was adjutant of the
I'd regiment, writes as follows: "On
the morning of July LIST, 1868, our brig
ade was at the head of the corps in
marching column, and it was the turn
of the I'd to lead the march of the
brigade on that day. l rode at the
head of the regiment and brigade with
Gen. Meredith. / am now prepared to
swear that unless / am now insane and
have forgotten everything L ever knew,
that there were no troops ahead of us.
We threw down the fence on the left,
and the I'd followed by the rest of the
brigade went on the double quick to-
wards the Seminary cross lots. When
we came up to the Seminary, we met
the battery (Buford's light Artillery
being crowded back. The I'd went for
ward into line on double quick, the
right swinging round in front of the
battery and then straight forward over
little rise to the left and front of the
Seminary. The other regiments of the
brigade came Immediately after by the
same movement-double quick, forward
into line taking position on the left of
the End, except the 9th Wis, which was
in the rear of the brigade, and was by
Doubleday or Wadsworth, turned to the
right past our rear and went with Cut
ler's brigade over to our right, where
the fight took place in railroad cut.
The infantry fighting at Gettysburg
commenced, and commenced only
when the End Wis, swung in on the
double quick between the battery and
Heath's division of the rebels. v ould
like to know how the ID any Of the
other troops-those of Cutters brigade
for instance-could have become en-
gagged before we did, when they were
behind us all the way, and had to 90
than we did, off to our right to reach
their battle field. am entirely satisfied
that no infantry was engaged on that
day sooner than, or as soon as the End
Wis" Hon. Geo ID. McDill, who was a
member of the 9th Wis, and was at that
time an orderly ON the staff of Gen.
Wadsworth, our division commander,
and all other members of the brigade
who have been interviewed ON the sub
ject, each corroborate the statements of
Col. Otis and Adj. Woodward
Until better proof is furnished than
any yet brought to light, we claim that
the End Wis. infantry began the infantry
fighting at Gettysburg, July LIST, 1868.
and that it should be made matter
of history. One of the Raggies.
Knowing that Lancaster contains a
few old veterans, who participated in
that great pivotal struggle. HERALD
representative, with the above article
slowed away within easy reach, started
out to gather opinions corroborative or
otherwise, of the assertions there set
forth. The first person subjected to
the torture of an interview, was Gen.
John b. Calls, who went into the fight
at the head of his regiment, the fighting
Seventh, and came out covered with
glory and with an ounce of rebel lead in
his lung, which he still carries as re-
membrance of the forty-three hours dur
ing which he lay in the clover field back
of the Seminary.
General, have you seen that article?r
asked the scribe, producing the cutting.
Yes, I've read it,
How does your opinion coincide with
those expressed there?"
Il believe that is correct Wait n