The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-09-10
GETTYSBURG.
What the 1ith Ind. Did in the Fight.

To THE EDITOR: was deeply interested in
reading the letter written by comrade of the
glorious Sth Ohio, signed Z" F." in your issue OF
Aug. 20, having long desired to know just what
part the regiments of our old brigade-bap-
tiZed " the Gibraltar Brigade" by Gen. French
{" Old Blinkey') at Antietam-took in the bat
tie of Gettysburg. Comrade +. has explained
fully the brigade's movements up to the time
of their being ordered to clean out the cut. We
remained in our position, the right resting in
Zeiglcr's Grove and supporting Woodrutis bat
terry, which was hotly engaged during the after
noon of the 2d. The whistling of solid shot and
shell about us was simply terrific, entiladed from
all points, and the wonder was that our loss
was so small One of the boys said: If had
not kept jumping from one side of my dead
horse ARTILLERY horse to the other as lively as
/ did, l would have been hit dozen times. u
The crash of battle on the left was desperate as
it rolled from the Peach Orchard to the left in
the Wheatfed, around the DEVILS Den, and up
through the Valley of Death and on Little
Round Top Suddenly, late in the evening, it
broke out at Culp's Hill and beyond on the
right; then, with din and roar it struck the
line around East Cemetery Hill. Now, will tell
what the 14th did, and hope the 4th Ohio and
the 9TH w. Va. will do the same: We were or
dered to fall in and to Forward, double-quick.'
The line of the Eleventh Corps had been driven
from the line extending from the Baltimore
plkc W tHS gap DctNecu III anu Htu. w
worth's Division of the First Corps on Culp's
Hill. Never as long as memory lasts will this
frightful movement be erased from my memory.
Moving at a dOuble-guick through the Gene
terry, among the tOmbS and gravestoneS,-th
| mimic balls striking them with loud spat-
nothing could be seen but the flash Of guns in
the darkness and the uproar of the victorious
charging column,-we filed to the right When
nearing the gateway to the Cemetery, the din
made stout hearts tremble. Weidrichs battery
was in the hands Of the enemy two of Rick
etts's guns were spiked deadly combat was
being waged over the remaining four guns, and
to its right Reynolds battery was engaged in
fierce hand to hand contest with ramrod,
spike and boulder. 1t was at this opportune
time that Col CoOns gave the command By
the left flank, march; charge bayonets!" The
batteries were not IS yards away. We went in
on full run and with our usual cheer. The
shock was stunning. One of the officers of
Reynolds battery asked what regiment it was.
Several shouted, Hath Ind.," when he waved
his sword and cried aloud, "Glory to God, we
are saved!" With this Endorsement we were
made almost demons. Sharp, short and de-
Cisive in the gloom of ight was this struggle,
when the enemy broke and ran, we following,
stumbling in the dark over their dead and
wounded. We were fired at from both TANKS
and front by the few who were sullenly giving
| way, seeing nothing but the flash of their guns.
On our left, not so yards distant, from behind
stone wall little to our rear, we received the
most determined fire. Col. Coons rushed up to
the wall and asked, "Who are your" The
answer was, Union" Immediately firing sew
eral shots. They then ran, the Colonel speed
ing his revolver bullets after them. We ad-
vanced to the stone wall at the base of the
ridge, where we remained during the Sd and
4th. On the morning of the Sd, while Slocum
was re-establishing his line, we lay unmolested,
but dreadfully interested in the struggle. The
cheering of the Twelfth Corps boys when the
breastworks were retaken was more soothing
than any dose of Mrs Winslow's syrup we ever
took, and during that hell in which our
corps 1.-THE Sccond) was engaged in the after
noon we were expectant listeners but not
active participants, except that we kept our
eyes skinned and showed our agility in getting
out of the way of the bounding cannon balls as
they skipped down the hill. The batteries on
Benner's gave us little trouble.-M., Co. E, 18th
Ind.