The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-10-03


participated in Pickett's charge on the
third day of the battle, in which it |
attacked the position held by Smyth's
Brigade, Hays Division, Second
Corps. On the following day it mus
tered only 80 men for duty, the miss
ing ones having fallen in the final and
unsuccessful charge. In the battle ofl
the first day, Capt. Tuttle's company
went into action with three officers
and "a men all of the officers and 50
of the men were killed or wounded.
On the same day and in the same
brigade (Pettigrew's), Company c., of
Of the nth N. c., lost two officers
killed and "a out of 38 men killed or
wounded. Capt. Bird, of this COM
pany, with the four remaining men,
participated in the charge on the sd
of July, and of these, the flag bearer
was shot and the Captain brought out
the flag himself This loss of the 10th
N. c. at Gettysburg, was the severest
regimental loss during the war;
The next instance in point of nu-
merical loss is that of the Second N.
C. Battalion, Daniels Brigade, Rodes'
Division, sustained also at Gettysburg.
General Ewell' says Col. Fox in a
foot-note to page $50, in his official
reports, states that this Battalion lost
200 killed and wounded out of 24o
present" The next instance is that
of the 9th Alabama, Col. John B.
Gordon, at Fair Oaks, May 81, June
I, 1862, Rodes' Brigade, D. H. Hills
Division, which lost 81 killed, 277
wounded and 5 missing, out of 632
engaged. The next is that of the 4th
N. c., G.. B. Anderson's Brigade of
the same division and in the same bat
tie; it sustained a loss of IT killed,
286 wounded and missing out of 678
engaged.
1t will doubtless surprise many to
learn that the two commands that
head this "remarkable" list are North
Carolina troops, and that the record
was made on the1eld of Gettysburg.
In this connectiosfsH will do no harm
to state that one North Carolina reg
iment, the 26th, had more men killed
and more wounded at Gettysburg than
were killed or wounded in any one of
the three brigades, of five regiments
each, that constituted Pickett's divls-
ion at Gettysburg. Also, that lacking
ten killed, the four North Carolina
regiments of Pettigrew's brigade lost
as many killed as were killed in Pick
.ett's fifteen regiments and that the
two North Carolina brigades of Daniel
and Iverson lost more men killed than
!, Pickett's entire division of three bri-
gades of five regiments each, and that
when the battles were over, and the
retreat had to be made, General Lee
selected two brigades Of the much
slandered Heth's Division to act as
!: the rear guard of his army, viz
Archer's Tennessee and Pett1grew'
North Carolina. Two brigades thai
had covered themselves with glory lr
: the three days fighting, and were lef
but a mere handful of men to stanc
between the retreating army, and it
I pursuing foe; and as if the Nemesis O
; battle was not satisfied with the BLOOD
} already shed. the General of this Nortl
Carolina Brigade, was called upon tt
! sacrifice his life in resisting the attacl
upon this rear guard. Marshal Ney
5 firing the last shot as he retreatec
) across the Niemen, "the solitary rea
I guard of the Grand Army,' is no sub
s liner figure than Pettigrew, after hi
9 magnificent three days fighting at Get
e tysburg, yielding up his life in defend
r ing the rear guard of the Army G
e Northern Virginia. on this, its last re
i treat across the Potomac.
d 1t is also established by Col. Fox
S tables that the North Carolina Troop
r not only head the list of command
n that sustained the greatest regiments
If loss in any one battle, but also the
: head the other list, that of the create:
6 percentage of loss sustained in any on
l. hott1a.