The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-09-10

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! s. Forney's dwelling, which was half a
mile away The gully out of which lverson's
! Brigade was taken was at least 300 yards south
| OF the Mummasburg road. 1t is evident lver-
! son did not approach orr line from this road.
| Had he conc from that direction he would not
| have passed over the Confederate skirmish line
| and left it in his rear. Such an occurrence is
not in accordance with military movements. L
was not in position to see the Confederates till
| / heard their yell, aud then | was obliged to
! step forward-up the slope-to do so. They
were then approaching from the west-to LETT
oblique of our front-at right wheel, to strike
the left of our brigade (stil fronting north). IL
Wchrum was then with his regiment he was
! farther down the eastern slope of the ridge, and
( consequently farther out of sight of the advanc-
| ing line. To illustrate Col. Batess attack in
connection with that of the 9th and that regi-
ment to the left of it, l here quote again from
my former letter:
! The Confederate attack upon Bakers Brigade
| had now assumed the Indian mode OF warfare rs
far as the firing concerned. Under cover OF the
grass and OF the bushes skrting the woods on the
right of the 9th, desultory and CALLING IRE was
| kept up This regiment and that part OF the other
that fronted TO the left exposed to an eniad-
ing fire, which they could not well return.
But little before attention at last was ui-
! reced TO a visible foe. VERSIONS Brigade, by some
means unobserved, appeared suddenly IN our
front. From the left loft the left, II should nave
been of Baxter's line they came sweeping up, with
| yell, obliquely upon his left. They were met by
!
seemed about to ingulf his left flank when their
flank was struck by the fire of our regiment and 10y
that on our immediate left The determined spirit
| of these regiments, wrought up TO the highest
| pitch smartlng as they were under the
FIRE OF A CONCEALED FOE,
was with difficulty held in check till the opportune
| moment should arrive. But when it did arrive, a
| fame of fire, in which every shot seemed to tell
| burst upon the flank of the Confederate line. 1t
staggered halted, and was swept back as by an lr-
resistible current into gully running diagonally
TO our front, and, perhaps 800 yards from our line
| Under cover of this natural intrenchment these
troops first began to open fire upon us, but some
displayed white flags and Lieut.Col. Spofford, OF
our regiment, gallant and intrepid officer, who
remained mounted on our left, taking in the situa
ton and the high spirit of the regiment, without
waiting for orders said: Boys of the 9Th let us go
| for them, and capture them" The first intinaton
had of his intent a cheer from the left, and,
looking in that direction found the coors already
| over the wall, and the color company following
with ringing cheers fastened my company for
| ward, and on bound between the lines were
upon them. We took about 400 prsoners-ofcers
! and men-and two rcglmental flags of North Caro-
lima troops. One flag, the 10Th N c., was captured
by Sergt sylvester Riley, of Co. G; the other was
| taken by a man of the other regiment our left
Some of the Confederates escaped but most of them
| surrendered without leaving the ditch. Our ranks
upon this charge were fearfully thinned. Capt
| Downlng's leg was broken al the ditch.
| / now quote from the balance of Wehrum's
letter; and to mark more plainly in his mind
| its inconsistency, desire the reader to refer
| back to my last quotation of the same:
| lverson's Brigade marched upon the Mummas-
burg road, massed under cover of big red barn in
| our front and right and was then depoyed in full
| view of our regiment to their right and our lett
| during which we kept a constant and most de-
structlve fire upon them. Our fire at so short
range must have made sad havoc i'll their ranks
! for they soon lay down and put up their guns.
| Some had white handkerchief scarce articlel on
their bayonets
The reader will readily discover by review
ing the quotation from the 18th Mass Regi-
mental Letter that this regiment faced
west, where it opened upon Iverson's Brigade,
and the troops that were on the left" which
received them with a steady and rapid fire
| in 'front.'" still occupied positio north of the
woods, west of Il. Sheadss dwelling. There
was large, red barn more than mile west Of
our front
Seeing the condition Of the enemy, bounded
across the stone wall and cried q Forward, I2th!"
and they advanced. Simultaneously with this
saw troops on our left advance, and large number
of the enemy rushed through the ranks of our regi
ment and brigade. Not 200 of brigade
ever reached the enemys lines.
In all ancient and modern historyI have
never found an account of so remarkable an
occurrence in battle as this description of Web
runs. In the more than 20 hard-fought bat
! ties in which i have partici pated / have never
seen anything like it. That a brigade shot
down to mot over 200 men when the Confeder-
ate line was reached, with Large number of
the enemy rushing through it, could capture
|
upon the battlefield, while it was engaged in
| other movements, is beyond my comprehension,
| and comment is unnecessary. The following
are his words:
Col. Bates would not leave the field nor
allow an escort from the ranks for the prisoners,
claiming that every man was needed to hold the
line.
THE PRISONERS,
| however, who were causing some annoyance and
interfering with our movements were finally taken
In oh nv X dnino
| Provost duty, and turned over to the
Provost Marshal of the Eleventh Corps, in rear of
Gettysburg.
| 1t is little singular that this Adjutant, who
ran away with the regiment of SO gallant an
! officer as Col. Bates-leaving him, like fifth
| calf, to look on-and captured VERSIONS Bril-
gade, does not tell us what became Of the Large
number Of the enemy" that rushed through
| his regiment and brigade then of 200 men
but it is presumed we are left to infer not wish
| ing to cause this remnant of the brigade or the
| proportionate number thereof belonging to the
12th-of 40 men perhaps-any annoyance, or to
| interfere with its movements, they went to the
rear without an escort and surrendered them
| selves prisoners of war to the Provost Marshal,
| stacking their arms for his convenience.
1t is easy, from his own language, to determine
| that Wehrum never participated in the capture
of Iverson's Brigade. Had he gone forward to
| that ditch and helped to bring Off those Con-
| federate regiments, he would have known, as
| every one that did 60 knows, that we were not
| attacked in front during that charge; that no
| line advanced upon US and crushed through"
our ranks, and that we suffered only from the
| Confederate fire in an ad Joining field upon our
! right flank in advancing and upon our left in
retiring, the prisoners suffering equally with
| ourselves in retiring to our former position.
| Adjutant Wehrum seems TO have obtained from
some source a superficial knowledge of the cap
| ture of the aforenamed troops, and Of the sub
| sequent movement and attack farther to the
right; two separate and distinct attacks of Bax-
ters Brigade, the latter equally as meritOrious as
| the former. He has endeayored TO mix them,
| but they are as unlike as oil and water. He
can attribute his failure TO form his much
coveted article, soap, to the weakness of his lie.
/ claim no more for the 9th and the regi-
| ment on its left-the 18th Pa. or SD n. Y
| than would have been accomplished, perhaps,
| by the 18th had the same opportunity been at
| forded it, But, by circumstances already men
| toned, the 10Th Mass was shut out. That
regiment did all that it could do under the cir
cumstances. 1t poured volley into the flank
of the enemy, and l think it quite probable
that some of its men broke away and fell into
the ranks of the 9th and participated in tax
| ing those prisoners.
1t would be well for Wehrum, before he shall
| dive farther into the mists-which have so be-
| logged him-of the first days fight at Gettys-
| burg, to ascertain where his dead were buried.
The dead Of the 9th N. Y, as well as those of
| the Confederate forces Ivcrson's Brigade in
| oh dnHl hat hlp ol,n