The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-08-26
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have 70 Say About
Their Old Campaigns
GETTYSBURG.
How PlcLetts Great Assault ON Cemetery hin
Was RenulScd.

Was Repulscd.
To THF EDITOR: ] was much interested ~
nm editorial ia the issue OF July - ehiLel
"S0tnc Reflections i'm regard 10 tho hatArhela
of Gettysburg the number OF ConlcdefHlea IA
announcement, and especially the remarks coh-
corning thc ground charged over 10y me reD'ls
under the lead of Pickett iu the final assault NE
ilira day. To my mind your remarks arc not
only lust but exceedingly timely One matter
ONLY YOU omitted speaking o!-the utter lack
81 any fortified ions rmilitary dccnsos worthy
OF any mention al the point OF the assault.
Ia the Southern B.rgaac for February Gen.
Swallow. of the Confederate army, IA d very
graphic account ofthe assault speaks repeatedly
oftheencmys works, aeienscs and ordinations
as though they were OF the strongest charac-
ter This is very m.sl leading and doubtless IN
tended to be So There were no iortihcatlOns IN
front OF the second Corps position. The only
protection for a part Of the line was stone
wall about q inches high, which was the ioun-
datioD for fence Chat ran along The rlage on
which the troops were posted Ia some cases
the rails had been laid on top Of The stone wall,
ana little dirt may have ia many places been
Thrown against the stones from the defenders
side. This afforded whcn the troops were lying
down some slight protection from the terrible
caEu0nadc Ofthc enemy; but when the infantry
charged and the Union troops stood up 10 their
work, they were fully exposed TO the enemy $
the hin to the crest that is spoken o. oiteii' as
YOU well say. there was no obstacle; the ground
might as well have been level except Tor the
am DgItant fact that the slight bat wcll-deine4
ridge ID afford measure OF protection 10 ourre-
serves. Asa member oil the Sub ONO Inc writer
with hsregiment, charged down the slope TO The
gmmittsburg road during the battle was car
ricd back on strctcher and last Sunmer spent
two DAYS in looking ever the field, and ii IS his
Judgment that there is not more than 20
foot rise ia the stance from the road 10 the
Federal position, distance OF perhaps coo leet
As much rs the writer admires Gen. SickloS
and reioices that he has had 50 good an oppor-
tunity nc the late Reunion Of the Third Corps
To set himself aud his gallant men measurabiy
right before the world, yet i must take excep-
ton TO some of his uttersnccs. Ia endeaYorng
20 show that the second days battle Was the
decisive day and that the fighting done then
really decided the battle, he takes occasion TO
belittle the Confederate assault on the last day,
speaking of il as q desperate, hopeless assault
boy single division.
Gen. Swallow, in the article referred 10 above,
names 3 hrigades that took part in this attack
the three brigadcS OF Iickctts leading and sc
called Pickett's assault This certainly was
fully as large force as was used by the enemy
81 driving back 0urlett Wiugon the second day.
According 10 Swallow there We're nlne Conied-
crate brigadcs-licketts Division, hcths ~
vision aud Peuder's Division commanded By
Gen Trimhel-tlGt formed the direct column
Of attack aud crossed the Eumittsburg road IN
q direct attack on the position OF the Second
CarBs il must be borne ia mind that the Con-
fcdcIate brga3rs were much larger-ncarly
double i'm size than the Union, Is instead OF
forming new gimel S, rs was the way with
tho feGgra.s thCv Stud mp the old ones. In
the - bri~adCs spoken Of the Oonicdelates had
Is regiments. Gen. hancock received this as
10 nf hmm and lfaNs
alone of his corps aud the gallant brigade Of
NermoDtcrs under Gen. SlSupud, OF the First
Cops
Gen. CalGwcis Division OF the Second Corps
bad been sent with It's Ene brigade the cay
before 10 the relief OF the Third Corps. Gen.
Hancock had also detached the gallant aad
daspinH Gen Carroll with three regiments oil
his brigade 20 drive the Conieacratcs from
Hast Cemetery Hill, where they had nea3ly
obtained 4 loGgmcnt The evening before. This
icg Hancock with bat Eve small bri AIDES and
the s.li Ohio OBJ picket IN his froat, Of CAROLS
Brigade. aud the two Icg ina eats OF Ncrn0nters
and two other regiments OF the First Corps, Ia
al six brgades, on an open field in a hand-to-
hand fight with double their numbers
] insist Gen. Sicldes does not DO well in be
lifting this attack or ia speaking rs though II
were IA easy thing 10 hold The inc against it,
The enemy tailed 10 60 through only bccansC
tie ola Second Corps would not give way
Many Of the regiments were nearly annihilatad
but no man Of an the thousands that lcll wai
slot IN the back. My own regiment lost 40.
Out Of 20s, aud some OF the batteries on ;hit
part OF the line had no officer TO command
History has il recorded, and il will stand, thai
this was the grandesg assault and the most san
culinary repulsc that the world has ever wit
messed.
no article IN regard 10 this repulse can b
complete without giving large share Of tn
credit 10 our artillery. In this we had grca
and decided advantage over tho enemy. Ate
the assault the ConfeGeTatCs could net use thci
guns 10 advantage on our line, and our Owl
swept their infantry columns through an'
through. II is folly to think that our 7,0a
infantry could have stopped $1,000 of the enc
my except Tor the magnificent services on
artillery, whose gunncrs served the piece
under az heavy an infantry fire as was know
during the war. No, il was not d mad, hope
less assault, except that the men in the wa
could die, bat would not yieid.-F. B. MCKEE
son, Sergeant, Co X, Sth Ohio, Greenwich, U.