The National tribune., 1885-12-24
THE 11Sth PENNSYLVANIA.
Member Of the Organization Replies to Comrade
Hendricks.


To THE EDITOR: In the interesting nara
tive of the experience of Comrade Arthur Hen
bricks as recruit in the 5th n. Y. duryea's
Zouaves) at Antietam and Shepherdstown, Sept
Il to 20, 1862, As per THE TRIBUNE Dec. 3, ref
ercnce is made to the Corn Exchange" regi-
ment as the Hath Pa. This is an error. The
regiment known as the "Philadelphia Corn
Exchange " regiment was the 11Sth Pa.
The regiment was recruited at Philadelphia
and left that city for the war Sept. !, 1862, un-
| der the command of Col Chas. M. Provost. The
1lSth was as Comrade Hendricks says, a mag
| nifCent body of men, fully 1000 strong" and
| was in the First Brigade, First Division, Fifth
Corps Comrade Hendricks is no doubt correct
in his narration of events at Shepherdstown
Ford, Sept 90, '62, SO far they relate to his
regiment 18th N. "; but when he essays de-
scription of the movements or conduct OF the
11Sth Pa. at that disastrous engagement he is
| sadly in error, and displays lack of knowledge
| concerning the latter regiment that is lament
| able. In his narrative, after describing the
| retreat of his regiment 18th n. " ACROSS the
| river to the Maryland shore the comrade says:
They (the Corn Exchange regiment) did not
| fare as well. When attacked they apparently
lost their heads, and instead of filing to the
| left, thereby taking the road upon which they
came, they faced about and started for the
river"
Now, Mr.. Editor, nothing could be more un-
J fair or undeserved than the reflection upon the
| 11Sth Pa. evident in the above extract from
the comrades narrative, and simple justice to
| the dead if not to the survivors of that regi-
ment demands that such misstatement shall
| not stand unchallenged.
| On the morning of Sept 20, 1862, the First
| Brigade, First Division, Fifth Corps, forded the
Potomac River about half mile below Shep-
herdstown, q regiment presumably the 18th
| n. " in the advance, followed by the 11Sth
po orriH r;,1ia acI,n thn
column moved by the river road short dis
tance mp fine river shore, and then filed to the
| left and began the ascent of the steep hills or
! bluffs which line the river shore at that point
As the 1lSth neared the top of the hill the scat
| terng shots from the skirmishers already de
| plOyed was the first intimation they received
of the presence of an enemy.
| Arriving on top of the bluff the regiment on
receiving the order "On right by file into
line" Immediately proceeded to form line of
| battle. This movement had not been entirely
| completed before the right wing of the reg-
ment became hotly engaged with the enemy.
| Until the moment they opened fire upon the
I enemy at ShepherdstOwn the minds of the boys
/ of the 11Sth had been filled with anxiety lest
the balance Of the army would end the war
| before the 1lSth could get whack at the rebs.
| Hence it was with genuine delight they saw
the enemy advancing upon them They did
not =" lose their heads" or " face about, neither
| did they start for the river" but they went
| for the JOhnnies
To the oft repeated query, {" Who was response
bic for the disaster to the 11Sth Corn Exchange
regiment at Shepherd5town? there has never
| been satisfactory answer. Only this much IS
known, and it is beyond controversy: the en-
| tire division was withdrawn across the river
| into Maryland, from whence it started, and the
| 11Sth was left on the Virginia side of the river
| to battle alone against overwhelming odds.
| Gall Stn heir LOT
| the long roll of their dead mutely witness.
| Veteran troops could not have withstood the
| murderous volleys of the enemy better than
| did these raw soldiers with an army experience
| of just 20 days After the division had been
withdrawn the enemy concentrated their fire
| upon the 11Sth.
The position of the regiment was at this
| time extremely critical-the enemy in front
and crowding down on both fianks; in the rear
was the bluffs, 40 to 90 feet above the river
Shore while the river itself lay between the
regiment and the army, which was powerless
to help them. The finale can be easily i'm
agined The regiment, after stubbornly fight
| ing for every foot of ground yielded, was forced
Off and down the sides of the bluffs onto the
river shore. The line of retreat was through a
| millrace and then over the dam which is
| thrown across the river here. The entire re-
| treat was made under pitiless storm of mus
kerry from the enemy, whose fire completely
| commanded the Odn some OF the 1lSth sought
shelter under the overhanging rocks along the
Shore others in several arches built under the
river road. 1t was in one of these arches that
a shell fired at the enemy from q Union bat
! terry on the Maryland shore exploded and
killed or wounded every man in the arch. The
loss of the regiment in this engagement was
over 200 killed and wounded and about 100
captured by the enemy. The regiment was
armed with what rumor said were condemned
English rifles True or otherwise, it is a fact
that after firing few rounds from them many
of the pieces could not again be discharged
Subsequently these arms were exchanged for
| Springfield rifles.
Throughout all the subsequent campaigns of
the Fifth Corps, from Shepherdstown to Apo
mattOx, the 1lSth Pa. was present for duty.
The dead of the regiment was upon every field
| whereon the corps was engaged, but Shepherds
town, disastrous though it was, has nearer
| place in the hearts and memories of the sur
| vivors of the regiment than any of the more
| important battles in which they shared and
now, in these piping times of peace when the
| remnant of that once magnificent body of men
| meet together as the 11Sth Corn Exchange)
| Regimental Association, the date of the meet
| ing is Sept. 20, in commemoration of the battle
| of Observation-Disclosures. GILPIN, Co. A,
11Sth Pa, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Army OF the Potomac at Malvern HILL
T