The National tribune., 1885-03-05
LITTLE ROUND TOP.
The Services Of the Goth Maine on that Histori,
mn

The Services Of the Goth Maine on that Historic
NH.
To THE EDITOR: have been much inter
ested in Gen. Towards story of the battle of
Gettysburg and particularly his account of the
battle on Little Round Top" where my regi-
ment fought on that nemurabe2d Of July. In
| this account, quoting, rs he says, from our
best descriptive historian "for half an hour
! this conflict went on, when a charge from the
goth Me. under Col. Chamberlain hurled the
Texans from the hiI.' Now, as the both Me-
did not charge the Texans, and in jnstice to
the regiments of our brigade that so galantly
repuscd the assault of the Texas Brigade it
| seems proper this statement should be cor
! rected, and | will state the facts as briefly as
possible.
The Confederate force designated to take
possession of Little Round Top appears to have
been ROhcrtSons Brigade, consisting of the
! LIST, 4th and 9th Tex. and Sd Ark, and Laws
Brigade, consisting of the 18th, 18th. 4Sth, Nth
and 10Th Ala.-both of Hoods Division. Tho
former was to assault in front, while Laws Bri-
! gade was to attack in the rear of the hill; but
| Robertson finding he could not cover the entire
| front with his brigade, tho 4lth, 18th and 18th
Ala. were detached from Laws Brigade about
the time they arrived at the foot of Round Top
! in their advance and connected with Robert
| sons line, then we'll IN front of Little Round
| Top, leaving the 47th and 18th Ala to carry ont
| the thanking movement alone which they did.
! passing up the southern side of Round Top,
| haltrng some ten minutes OH the crest for rest.
! This halt proved fatal to the success of their
undertaking, as it enabled our brigade to reach
! Little Round Top in time to resist their adj
vance.
| Resuming their march, these two regiments
| passed down the northeasteriy side of Round
! Top, and advanced across the wooded deprcs-
| sion between the hills, to charge up the rear of
| Ia mad aud off PR
! gade, then fercely engaged with RObertsOns
| Texans and the three regiments Of Laws Br.
| g!de that had been assigned to his command,
| who We're trying to get possession from the
! front. But just here these two Alabama regi-
| ments met the goth Me, which was the left
| regiment of Vncent's Fri gadc, and also the left
| OF the whole Army OF the Potomac, and to CON
! form to the crest of the hill were bent back at
! about right angles with the line of the rest of
| the brigade, fortunately; for in their advance
| the 47th Ala commanded by Lieut. Col Bull
! ger, struck our regiment Squarely in front and
| opened murlerous fire on our unprotected
! line, as we had just got into position, and had
no time to throw up breastworks. At the same
! time the 18th Ala, commanded by Col. William
! &. Oates, numbering 6Ii men and AZ officers,
| moved around to attack Us in flank and rear.
| Col. Chamberlain met this movement by put
| ting the right wing of the regiment into single
rank to resist the 47th, aud bent back the five
| ltiJ plnleS OF the regiment aU rlgnb angles
/ with the right wing, the colors ut the angle.
Our regiment numbered 3oS men, but as Co.
| B, numbering 80 men, had been sent out to
protect our flank" we had 30S men in line to
resist the furious assault of these two strong
regiments, outnumbering us more than three
to one. The conflict was fierce, but necessarily
| briet,-as 1t was a question of only short time
when every man must fall before the superior
| fire of our enemy, so greatly outnumbering us.
| When 136 of our brave officers and men had
been shot down where they stood and only 172
remained-hardly more than strong skirinish-
| line-and the 60 rounds of cartridges each
man carried INTO the fight had been fired and
| the survivors were using from the cartridge
| boxes of their fallen comrades. the time had
come when it must be decided whether we
should fall back and give up this key to the
whole field of Gettysburg, or charge and try
and throw oil this foe that Were rapidly
drawing the life blood of our regiment by their
deadly fire. 1t must not BE- the former
can it be the latter? Col. Chamberlain decides
it can be only the latter and gives the order to
"fX bayOnets," and almost before he can say
Charge! the regiment, with shout of des-
peratiOn, leaps down the hill and close in with
the foe. which we find behind every rock and
tree Surprised and overwhelmed by this sud
den and unexpected movement, the most of
taem throw down their arms and surrender
Some fight till they are slain; the others run
y
! self expresses it. In their fight they were met
by Capt. MOrrils company b, which we sup
posed had been captarod, but which, cut of
from the regiment before they could deploy, so
soon was the advance made on US when we
went into position, had taken refuge behind
stone wall till the time arrived when they
could render assistance which they now did
by such well-directei volleys that it compelled
over 100 of the lugitives to surrender TO them.
Lieut.-Col. Burger, commanding the 47th,
was wounded, and fell into our hands, with
over 300 prisoners aud all the wounded. We
buried 80 of their dead left ON the field. Col.
Oates in his official report says: after all had
got up, | ordered the rolls of the companies to
be called. When the battle commenced, four
hours previously, had the strongest and finest
regiment i'll Hoods Division. Its electives
numbered nearly 700 officers and men now
225 answered at rol-calI, and more than one
half of my officers had been left on the field"
The charging of one regiment of brigade
alone, and without orders from the brigade
commander, was exceptional in the usual tao
tics OF a battle; but it was the only way Col.
Chamberlain could carry out the orders he |
receivcd-to "hold the position" for there
would have been none remaining for that duty
in very short time had the enemy not been
routed by the charge.
The final formation of the regiment was |
such, that when the charge was made it was in |
direction directly to the rear from the way |
the rest OF the regiments of the brigade were |
facing and fighting; and the enemy, or tho |
most OF them, were driven in their flight, at |
first, directly to the rear of the line of battle |
of our army, and accounts in part for 80 few of |
them escaping.
After pursuing as far as seemed proper the |
goth Me. returned, with its prisoners, to occupy |
our original position and stayed there until |
ordered forward, in the early evening, to !
occupy Round Top, which we did, sup
ported by the 9Th and 18th Pa Re- |
serves, of Fishers Brigade, which reported to
Col. Chamberlain for that duty. We were re-
lieved from this advanced position on Round
Top Oh the morning of July 3, and assigned to
the second line Of the left center whore we |
were on duty till the close of the batte.-H. S.
MELCHER, President Goth Maine Regimental |
Association, Portland, Ne.
"Aboye the Clouds"
To THE EDITOR: was somewhat amused |
rs well as entertained while reading the article
in your paper Of Jan. |, 1885, entitled above
the Clouds" written by Col. VIM. Richards,
29tb Pa. The Colonel must have thOnyht that