The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-08-12
BERDAN sHARPsHooTERs.
Two Interesting letters Describing the Important
Service They Rendered at Gettysburg.

/ nectcd with 0ur corps that may be OF interest"
| i will give ny experience on that famous re-
cOnnoissance tr!cco-nonsense the boys called it,
made by you ON the morning Of July 8, 1853.
| Possibly my version Of it may aid your MEM
/ DRY. You will remember that this movement,
/ which cost your command severe losses in the
short actions which took place, served to de-
! velop the advance Of the enemy against what
was afterward the key OF our Hnes-Little
/ Round Top. When we advanced under your
orders that morning there was no Federal force
| tsayc an occasional cavalry videt) on or near
| Little Round Top, or on the ground where our
| lines were established later that day, after your
| reconnaissance had Unmasked tine design OF the
| enemy and delayed his advance about two
| hours L confess that then | saw no recon-
| peuse in results for the brave men who fell in
carrying out yOar orders that morning, but
| since study OF maps showing the positions of
both armies, decides me that in discovering
and delaying his early advance upon our then
unguarded line, you rendered inestimable serv-
ice TO our countrys cause.
Soon after reYeille July 2, you called on our
regiment Lieut. Col. Treppe. commanding LIST
| Berdan Sharpshooters) for 100 men. Our ranks
were thin and it required three companies TO
make the detail. The one to which / belonged
| (F) was one. We followed you past the Sd and
4th Me-, who sent 100 men after Us as support.
| remember well the bright morning whose
eve many of US were never to see. The birds
fitted and sang before and around Us, as with
open ranks and route-step" we climbed
ridge. From the top we saw dimly through
the morning mists arising from all the
earth mass of gray, beyond what seemed a
broad, shallow valley cuTtained BY woods. 1t
was the Confederate army ready to advance
upon that portion of our line least prepared for
resistance. At our right on the ridge was q
| long, low tenement, occupied by two families
an Irish and q cOlored family, as i afterwards
learned l felt as we descended to the woods
that the enemy could easily note our sparse
force and arrange to capture or destroy US at
his leisure. As we entered the wood we drop
ped of in sEirmish groups, and deplOying left
In front" moved at right angles to our line OF
march across the onemy's front. | remember
Con. Berdans order to me TO Guide the right
OF the line!" and that / mentally Rugged N.Y.
self, thinking that for once had soft" job.
Those boys on the left viii find the rebel
pickets and have o racket. / am all right"
Alas, this did not prove true. We had moved
about third of a mile through the woods (the
ground was rolliug,) when as l reached an
elevation and looked toward our lines, was
astOnished to see a line of rebel skirmishers
swinging around Us; they were nearly even
with our line, going in the opposite direction.
i sent word TO Gen. Berdan 10 come to the
right, and as he rode up asked: How do you
like thaCt" He gave orders 10 Assemble on
the right, doable-quiek!" aud the next order
was Give them -, bOys!' think they
got it.
did not see a man of this sl.irmish-line es-
cape. Close behind il rode their Colonel (Of the
10th Ala, l believed, sitting siGesaddle fashion
on his horse He and his horse went Down at
the first yOlley. Behind him were supports in
echelon. They too melted away. Behind them
were columns OF companies, and 100 Sharp's
rifles poured their elixir of death into the
solid columns, which soon reeled and broke,
going back to the shelter Of the woods in dire
confusion. Our men were mad with slaugh-
ter" and rushed across the corner of cleared
ground after the shattered column cf the enemy
| as if an ARMY were at their backs. We followed
them into the thicket perhaps 30 to 40 rods,
where one crashing volIey struck 20 men out OF
our 100 A Sergeant from our lett was trying
to tell me OF something which had occurred
near him. As watched his eyes and lips, try
ing TO understand him, huge explosive bullet
passed through his head, scattering his brains
over me and into my beard and he lay dead at
my feet / saw Capt. hcLeaT, OF Co. u, ial!
with q shattered thigh. his men carried him
q little way back aud returned to duty, save
Peter kIpp, vino remained with the Captain
and was captured with him when We were
forced back later Our supports, the men from
Maine, came up even with our line. It was a
rare thing in the history of our regiment that
any troops supporting Us were able To do this.
Four OF them fell So close TO my cover, II tree,
that / could touch all four without leaving its
shelter. The hammer was shot from my rite,
and / exchanged it with wounded man who
was using his for erutch. The enemy must
have been in great force, as their firing was in
formal. felt our FIRE slaekeu, and looking,
saw only few men of my own company. who
were regarding me with anxious looks. The
nearest one managed, in answer to my ques-
tions, 10 tell me that the General had ordered
q retreat little before.
why in - didn't you retreat, them" was
"Oh, we thought we could stand it as long as
you" he said.
" / would gladly have left here an hour ago
If had known | could. Now gitw
And We ran from tree to tree, loading as we .
ran and stopping behind trees to FIRE. l shook
hands with Capt. MeLear as we passed hin-a
last good-by for he died in the enemy's hands
We reached the edge of the woods below the
house on the hill hereinbeiOre described. The
enemys skirmiSh hers followed close. called on
the boys TO take trees, fire halfdoZen SLOTS
apiece, and shoot TO kill" Soon there were
none in sight. We then ran to the fence, pushed
the top rails OF, and over went.
i saw some close work during the nearly 10
months service had in that regiment but
never III my life have l made more earnest eff
forts to make good time on q retreat and failed
SO miseraby rs did on this occasion. Much
OF the distance was plowed ground. When
ran sharp pain caught me III the side, owing
10 extreme ana lOng-cOntlnued eXertlOu COu-
pied with the blow the heel Of my rifle dealt me
when the hammer was shot Off and it stopped
my breath and speed to g slow walk. Then
came several shots-I thought hundred, prob
ably three or four-past my head into the steep
bank before me. scattering the gravel into my
face and encouraging me to further efforts. 1t
was condensed misery. / fully expected to DO
shot in the back, and reflected Oh the charge
my good old father gave me when i enlisted,
ito be very careful and not ges shot in the
back" Ii seemed hours but was probably bat
few moments, before dashed through the little
gate at the corner of the house and, gasping for
breath, dropped on the sod. The two women
of the house came out. The Irish lady, seeing
my conyulsiYc clasp at my side and struggle for
BREATH calculated, Lord Jasus he's shot,
and then ran into the house, crying, "Whar's
the butcher knife?" To my horror she brought
q huge .Sni.c like q sevnan's cutlass, and cut
OFT my belt, haversaek and eanteen before
could gasp out, " Don't cut any more; I'm not
shot" She iercely turned with "Ye blather-
ing divil, ye-yere making all that diyil's fuss,
an ye're not shot" j looked up to see u squad
| of rebs coming through the gate as / had done,
and making u nasty grab for my traps, which
| the old lady had strewn around me, passed
out the front gate flying, with a hail of shots
rafting about me. Turning to the left, / ran
| down the road toward Little Round Top, near
which l could see our Third Corps headquarters
| flag and Gen. Daniel Z. Sickles and staff The
rest of our regiment were there near the Gen