The Portland daily press., 1889-10-04

upon MS right by DIVISION VI . wi ~ Voc
forced back, there was no continuous Union
line In position to relieve the broken line
falling back and receive its oncomlng pur-
suers. The situation was critlcal one.
Meade and Hancock were making tne lhust
strenuous efforts to bring troops iIoni Tue
right to complete new line. III tlis J"et 81
gency the artillery is energetically ana Ell
fectvely at work to disconcert the attack.
McGilvery has placed the remnants OF i ms
batteries brought off from the vicinity u tne
Peach Orchard in an advantageous position,
and, in the words of Gen. Hunt, win tnese
and Dow's Sixth Maine Battery, fresn from
the reserve, the pursuit was checked
The Sixth Battery was not the only maine
organization that took part in the repulse OF
this dangerous attack. The Nineteenth
Maine, Col. Heath, had teen placed by
Hancock in advance of his main line as soon
as he perceived that Sickles line was begin
ming to give way. The rearward movement
of Humphreys division carried portion OF
his line over the men of the Nineteenth VINO
were lying down until their turn should come
As soon as these hard pressed men had
passed, the Nineteenth was on its feet bar
ring with solid and undaunted front the way
to the rebel line. Scarce fifty PAGES from
them is it when the Nineteenth, with fire
by battalion, brings it TO halt A deadly
interchange of firing ensues In the midst OF
which Heath's attention is called to rebel
regiment on his left, and only q, score OF
yards from it, deploylng from double column.
A part of Capt. Starbrd's left company is
thrown back and opens an enilading fire be-
fore which the surprised column melts away.
The Nineteenth falls back short distance
upon the false report that its right is being
turned; learning its mistake 1t goes forward
beyond its former position, captures many
prisoners, RECEIVERS several guns, and occu-
pies an advanced position through the night.
Change now the scene to the right. Inc
Fifth Maine Batteryis posted at the head OF
the ravine separating Cemetery Hill from
Culps Hill. Ewell's attack on these positions
was intended to be simultaneous with that ON
our left and centre, but that on Cemetery
Hill falls later, when but little daylight Is
left Col. Alexander, Longstreet's Chief of
Artillery, writing of the charge of his bat
teries after the crushing Of our line, at the
Peach Orchard. says, San Artillerist's
heaven is, after tough resistance, to follow
the routed enemy and throw shells and CAMS
ter into their disorganized and fleeing
masses" i fancy Stevens could rejoin that
there is sterner joy in rakihg with canister,
at short range, hostile battalions exposing
their Hanks as they make their slow way up
steep activity, climbing to the attack; for
then the artillerist feels that the insulting
enemy is delivered into his hands, and that.
as the ranks go down under his fire, he is not
merely destroying the foe but defending his
menaced comrades. Such an opportunity
had the Fifth Battery when the brigades of
Hoke and Avery assaulted Cemetery Hill,
and we'll was it improved.
AS the evening gloom crept over the field
and the fragments of the baf1ed regiments
OF assault. having done all that brave men
could do. had fallen back from their attempts
against our right, left, and centre, the rebel
commanders scanned the ridge they had
valnly sought to gain, to find encouragement
for a renewed attack. The sight was not
inviting to them. From Round Top to Culp's
Hill dark lines and masses of men and rows
Of grim batteries betokened composure and
readiness they did not deem it advisable to
disturb or challenge. The full significance
was there. and the Greek cross was aligned
with the disk, the trefoil, the diamond, the
cross of Malta, the crescent and the STAR
The Sixth Corps, summoned at midnight,
had marched through the night and steadily
on through the long, hot summer day and
formed upon the field, thirty miles from their
bivonac, just in time to aid in repelling the
attack had there been need. Its presence
gave cheer and renewed courage to the whole
army. The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Maine
regiments were proud to own the badge of
that corps.
the battle the struggle is renewed by Slocum
and his Twelfth Corps. The enemy had
taken advantage of the opportunity to estab.
fish themselves in that portion of the position
which the Twelfth had left to go to the sup
port of the centre. After four hours of
the Twelfth reoccupied its works. In the
meantime Slocum requested Neill, whose
brigade of the Sixth Corps was on Powers
Hill. to send troops to protect his right and
the Baltimore Pike east of Rock Greek, from
the enemy moving in that direction. Neill
entrusted that service to the Forty-third New
York and the Seventh Maine under COM
handing officer of the Seventh. Those regi-
ments met with some loss from the brisk fire
Of skirmishers as they advance at run over
the crest and down the slope of an open field
to stone wall which affords an advantageous
positions. and here, forming the extreme
right of the infantry line of the army, they
remain throughout the day, under orders to
hold the position but not to bring on fighting,
their skirmishers exchanging an occasional
shot with those of the enemy.
The Nineteenth was the only Maine regi-
ment which had an opportunity to participate
in the magnificent repulse given Pickett's
magnificent charge. As his imposing array
came on IN such numbers and with such
boldest to hold his breath, it struck the
Second Corps at an angle which enabled the
Nineteenth to pour an almost thanking fire
upon it. The weight of the charge falls upon
Webb's brigade with crushing force. With
one accord the regiments on Webb's, left, the
Nineteenth among them, rush, regardless of
order, to his assistance-a mob, but fighting
its fury in vain. Col. Hall who commanded
an adjoining brigade, in his report names
the 10Th among those regiments that assisted
in therepulse.
The FirstMaine Cavalry was in the splendid
cavalry action on the right in which Custer
bore so brilliant part. Though not actively
engaged 1t aided by its presence in thwarting
the doubly futile purpose of the rebel cavalry
to reach the Baltimore. Pike, and there work
their will on the mob of broken troops that
were to crowd that avenue of retreat, fleeing
before Pickett's. irresistible charge. In the
M ynn aIrrrl nrnl Innf 70 fhn hiatt fkO
First Cavalry rendered distinguished service;
notably in the great cavalry battle at Brandy
Station which won for our horseman lasting
prestige, and in the fight at Aldie,-a name
suggestive Of glory, and sorrow,-of the
chiva!rous charge that rescued comrades
from imminent peril, and of the fall of the
valiant Douty. The Fifth and Sixth, as
trusty and war-tried regiments as any that
fought that field, rendered a like service at
MISUNDERSTANDING in readiness to leap to
any call, however. desperate the duty.
under Burnham. that grim old warrior, be-
loved by his men, and honored by all who
knew his soldierly worth; his death in the
last campaign of the war, following close
upon his well-earned promotion, added
shining name to Names list of patriot
martyrs, and his memory remains dear and
nndimmed In the hearts of his men and
brother-solders. The Tenth Maine was rep
resented by detachment at the headquar-
tiers OF the Twelfth Corps.
Such, in meagre outline, was the part of
Maine in the greatest battle of the war. In
proportion to the number of her troops in
the action no one of the eighteen states
whose regiments flew the stars and stripes
on this hard-fought field, contributed more
than Maine to the victory. 1t is somewhat
remarkable that seven of her nine infantry
regiments in the army, and all three batter
les, were in the front line and that the SER
vice of SO many of them was of unique
character having an important bearing upon
the grand result. At whatever point the
battle ragged, sons of the Pine Tree State
were in the melee. The sad measure of
their services is the loss they suffered. In
military parlance the word conventionally
used to express severity of loss is "de-
cimated." When one-tenth of a battalion
is struck down it implies bloody work. Col
Fox, in bis valuable work on Regmental
Losses, gives the percentage of loss In killed
and mortally wounded at Gettysburg Of the
Sixteenth and Twentieth Maine as ten per
cent, each: Of the Fourth. thirteen per cent
of the Third, fourteen per cent, and of the
Nineteenth, fifteen per cent. The cores
ponding percentage of loss of the Seven
tenth, derived from other sources, was
twelve per cent. The entire loss to Maine
was one thousand and twenty-three.
OF this number three hundred and two were
reported captured or missing and of these
all but nineteen were reported by the Third,
Fourth and Sixteenth; and their loss under
this head testifieS to the good conduct of
those regiments and proves how tenaciously
they chung to their difficult and exposed
nOStS. the Sixteen tn. as W0 have seen was