The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-10-12
THE THIRD MAINE.
Reunion of Old Comrades In the
Famous Peach Orchard.
Correspondence of the Press.l
c.,rrvsRTTRG. Octnhar Q

TCorrespondence of the Press.l
GETTYSBURG, October 8. 1889.
There are on this battlefield few more in
teresting spots than the Peach Orchard
where the Third Maine fought. Col. Moses
B. Lakeman. who commanded the regiment
here, told to the Maine visitors the story of
his part of the fight. His story. supple
mented by that of other survivors, is a story
of some Of the hardest fighting Of the war;
The Third Maine belonged to Sickles's
Third Corps, and was in the Second Brigade
of Kearny's old First Division. At Gettys-
burg, Birney commanded the division, and
General J. Ii. Hobart Ward the brigade.
Col. Moses B. Lakeman, now Of Maiden,
Mass, commanded the regiment. The regi-
ment. which had suffered at Charlottesville
marched up to Gettysburg by way OF Bealton,
Catletts Station, Centreyille, Manassas
Junction, Gum Springs, Aldee Mouth OF the
Monocacy, Point of Rocks, Middleburg,
marching onto the battlefield by the Emmetts
burg Pike, at about p. m. of July 1st. The
march of July 1st was forced march, the
roar of the battle Reynolds and Buford were
fighting surging in their ears all the way
from Emmettsburg The Third Maine first
went into position early on the morning of
July End with 100 sharpshooters in woods to
the left and front of the Emmettsburg road
and three-quarters of mile in front Of the
Peach Orchard. There they we're the
farthest advanced and most exposed of any
body of troops that took part in the second
days battle. That morning the regiment
numbered for duty 1877 rifles and fourteen
officers. Two years before the Third Maine
had left the Kennebec Valley with a thous-
and men and a full complement OF officers,
Colonel, afterwards General, U. U. Howard,
being 10 command. Moreover during those
two years, nearly 200 fresh recruits had been
sent from home to the regiment. The 1877
rifles at Gettysburg were the cream of the
regiment, every man veteran, and as good
soldiers as ever stood In rank.
Up to ten or IL o'clock in the forenoon, the
Third Maine and Berdan's 100 sharpshooters
were not molested. No signs of the foe were
apparent though it was known that they
must be in thick wood which stretched in
front of the regiment about three-fourths OF
mile from the position then occupied. About
ten or eleven o'clock Gen. Sickles ordered
them to go forward and find out who were
in those thick coverts of oak and chestnut.
An open field had to be crossed for three
quarters of mile, and the task was ap-
palling enough to make less brave men finch
But they we're not molested as they crossed
the field, and entered the wood. The Third
and the Sharpshooters then went about fiji
teen rods, when they espied men in butter
nut gray lodging among the trees. These
men were from Alabama and belonged to
Wilcox's brigade of five Alabama regiments
and were under General r. III. Anderson,
who commanded division of A. T. Hills
corps. The Third Maine had met those men
before, and knew what was coming when
the bullets began to fall around. Lieuten-
ant Hannibal A. johnson, of WOrct SteT,
Mass, who was an orderly sergeant in the
little band that day, and was captured in the
wood, is the authority for the account Of
what happened in this wood. He had ex-
cellent opportunities for seeing what went
on on both sides, and for getting indisputable
facts.
The fire of the Albamans was returned as
the Maine men advanced on the double quick
driving the opposing skirmishers. But the
small band soon saw ahead of them three
distinct lines of battle, zone behind another
in close column, and stretching 150 yards.
This line the Maine men and Berdan's men
at once attacked, most audscious perform
ance. 'We never were in such a mood for
fighting as we were that morning." says
Lieut.. johnson. 1--WE were on Pennsylvania
soil. and every man felt that the rebels must
be driven back. 1t did not matter that they
outnumber us five to one. The life of the
nation was at stake.
The Alabamans at once returned the at
tack. The combatants were in plain sight,
probably not over five hundred yards, and
for twenty-five minutes, the rebels say
twenty minutes, this unequal contest was
maintained. At the end of the twenty-five
killed or wounded. The bugle then sounded
the retreat. The men then retired, loading
and firing as they went. The enemy pur-
sued vigorously, and raised the rebel yell.
But they did not carry their pursuit further
than the edge of the woods, and the Third
hon a
and rejoined the rest of the Third Corps in
the Peach Orchard. 1t was about noon. In
the hour and half they had lost a quarter
of their men and found out what was in the
woods-the extreme right Of Lees army
Lieutenant johnson was captured in the
woods; and for the rest of the fight Colonel
Moses B. Lakeman will be the authority.
The Third went into line of battle at once,
after the men had taken lttlelunch from
their haversacks. The men of the Third
were posted behind the fence that parts of
the orchard from the road. That fence still
STANDS, an old Virginia fence. A little house
stood opposite the regiment on the other
side of the road.
There the men waited for the enemy until
about half past four o'clock. ''At that time"
says Col. Lakeman, we saw long columns,
compact and continuous, passing towards
our left towards Round Top. They were A.
P. Hill's men. ] detected them in the dis
tant woods by the glistening of their bayo-
nets. dt ONCE SeuI WOTQ 10 captain NAN
dolph, chief of Artillery of the Third Corps.
He at once sent battery of artillery to a
position beside us, and from that position a
shot was fired into the column passing. This
was the first shot of the battle of the second
day. The columns of rebels kept on moving.
The battery then continued an incessant
cannonade, which so annoyed the rebels
that two brigadeS were soon seen leaving
the column and approaching one against the
left of the Peach Orchard, and the other
against the front where the Third Maine
was. Kershaw commanded the brigade that
approached in front and Barksdale those
that came up on the left. The Third Maine
being the only infantry regiment in the
orchard and having only about 100 men were
disloged with the loss of "a men killed and
wounded. The remnant, retiring about a
quarter of a mile, made a stand with
Graham's brigade. That position, however,
they were unable to hold long, and then re-
tired to Rocky Run where they staid that
night
The next morning the Third Maine regis
tered SO men and seven officers. This was
the third day of the battle. At noon they
moved from Rocky Run and took position on
the left of the brigade, just under and to the
right of Little Round Top. When Long
street advanced and Pickett's attack began on
the Second Corps, the Third wentto the sup
port of the Second division OF the Second
Corps, In the centre of the Union line of bat
tie arriving just in season to see the enemy
repulsed. No men were lost on the third