The Portland daily press., 1889-10-09

permanent advance, ana tne plospcoso ~
had, moreover. for some time experienced
the effect of a ftful and mysterious nrs
which came apparently from his rear
This fire was from Captain Morrill,. OF the
Twentieth with Company b., who bad pee 1,
detailed as skirmishers to extend the lett
Just before the Confederate advance, and
being cut off from the regiment with few
sharpshooters who Joined his command, he
took position behind wall which was in rear
| of the Fifteenth Alabama during the hottest
part OF the fight. General Grant has said
| that In every battle there Is time when,
| both sides being nearly exhausted, the com
| Blatant who can make final effort or hold
his own moment longer, by sheer force Of
| will, Is to be winner. That moment was
| rapidly approaching to these two wresters.
| foemen worthy of each other, but so unequal
| ly matched in numbers for which the slight
| advantage of position made little amends,
| that the issue seemed almost certain against
| the weaker party. The pressure Is growing
harder and hardsr.. Every advance seems
more difficult to resist. How long can flesh
back from the determined rushes Of the
enemy and from the fire which scOrches
| their very faces, the officers on the left.
| Spear, Lane and others are holning the flats
maintaining its place. Ammunition Is rap.
| idly exhausting. Death Ia easy but
defeat is worse, and there Is but one last
expedient, the cold steel, truly forlofn
s sSps when the Is,s. force tSo % o. o sss
The die is thrown, and the one word Bay
/ Onets' rings from Chamberlain's lips like the
clash of steel, and down the worn and
| weary line the word and the action go like
flash of lightning through the powder
| smoke. The lines were In motion
before the word Of command was completed.
| and Col. Chamberlain does not know wheth-
| er he ever finished that order. In an instant,
| less time than has been required to tell II,
i MQlChQr n
/ colors are advancing, and, with one wild
| rush, the devoted regiment hurls itself down
the ledge into the midst Of the gray foes not
striving for the lead. Spear and Land leap
| down from broad rock into the midst Of a
knot Of Confederates huddled behind 1t for
safety. Some have greater opportunities for
individual deeds than others. but everyone
does his duty. For one instant the battle
wayers In the balance. Pistols are leyeled,
/ swords flash In the air, and bayonets clash.
/ An officer fires In Col. Chamberlain's face,
and then, seeing the line upon him, surrend-
/ ers his sword with the others. Who wins
the day? Union or rebel? VIII our little
/ line be swallowed up in the gray ranks? Mol
They turn; they fiy And from yonder wall.
as II by magic, rises blue line, and pours
| deadly volley into the discomforted foe.
Thank God! The victory Is ours!
/ Four hundred pursuers, mostly from the
| Fifteenth and Forty-seventh Alabama, were
/ sent to the rear. These included the would
L
aud several line officers. Fifty dead Of the
/ Fifteenth were buried in our front, and
/ about one hundred OF their badly wounded
were also left behind to become prisoners.
/ Col. Oates went into the action with one Of
the strongest and finest regiments In Hoods
| division, its electives and this, In the Con-
| federate army, meant the men on the battle
| line, numbered $50 officers and men. When
i the roll was called that night in the bivouac
| at the Emmettsburg road, but 225 answered.
| Our own loss, as now reported In the Rebel
| lion records, was % men killed on the held,
/ six officers and So men wounded, and Eve
/ men missing. The latter were captured on
Round Top in the night, and three officers
and six men died Of their wounds, making
IS whose names are borne on the tablets OF
the monument"
| After Mr.. Prince had finished his paper.
Gen. Chamberlain spoke briefly Of the posi-
/ ton and work Of the regiment on that spot;
and the company adjourned to Round TOP
/ proper.
On Round Top proper, the Twentieth has
| another monument erected by the State.
| This is heavy rough granite.shaft. standing
| against the breastworks of stones erected on
| the night Of the I'd Of July, 1868, by the
| Twentieth Maine. There. as on Little Round
| Top, those stone works are still standing
where they were piled so hastily with the
| Confederates moving upon them. The in
scription on this monument Is:
The 10th Maine Regt;,
80 Brigade. LIST Division, 9th Corps,
| Col. Joshua l.. Chamberlain,
Captured and held this position,
ON the evening of July 2, 1858.
Pursuing the enemy from It's front,
The Regiment lost in the.bat.le
| $50 Killed and wounded,
out Of 35s engaged.
| Thi monument
| marks the extreme left
| Of the Union line
during the battle Of the Sd day.
| At this monument Comrade Samuel l..
Miller delivered an address, which follows;
LIEUT.. snLLER's ADDRESS.
| Mr.. President We read upon the monu-
ment erected by our State to commemorate
| the valor of her sons upon the field Of battle,
the following inscription:
| The goth Maine Regiment Sd Brigade, 9th
Corps Col. Joshua l.. Chamberlain. captured and
held this position on the evening Of july q 1868,
b, is It's e@e@y ro@ on tns
monument marks the extreme left Of the Union
line during the battle of the third day."
This modest legend will not fully convey
| to the minds OF the thousands who in COM
| ing years visit this historic ground, the dan
| gerous character of the movement it Is de-
\ signed to make memorable. The magnif-
cent defence Of the extreme left Of Little
| Round Top by the 10th Maine on the after
moon Of July 2. 1868, graphically described
| by Capt. Prince, so overshadowed all SUBJ
| sequent movements Of the regiment at Get
| tysburg, that the Importance of the occupa
| ton of Round Top proper has not been fully
| estimated, even by the officers and men who
| climbed its precipitous and rocky sides dur
| ing the early part Of the night following that
| eventful day. The dearly-bonght victory OF
| the afternoonwas indecisive while the enemy
| was permitted to occupy Round Top, which
reared its wooded crest 664 feet above the
| plain but few rods from the position held
| by the Sd Brigade.
| IL was some time after the Goth returned
| from the bayonet charge aud pursuit of the
| enemy, and the shades of night were falling,
when the I'd Brigade. Sd Division,
9TH Corps. commanded by Col Joseph
Little Round Top. Col Rice. who had as
| sumed command of our brigade when Col
| Vincent was wounded, then asked Col.
| Chamberlain If he would advance and seize
the heights, Of Round Top. and our com
take them" Col. Fisher then agreed to
| support the 10th in this movement
| The casualties Of battle, together with the
| details to bury the dead aud bring up ammu-
| milton, had reduced the ranks of the 20th tO
200 muskets. The men had just then passed
through such an ordeal as only those who
| have experienced the horrors of war can
comprehend; one man in every three had
| been shot down; they were exhausted,
hungry and thirsty; but they received the
| command with enthusiasm. Leaving their
| dead comrades, who lay so thlekly about
them, to be buried by the detail, the regi-
ment advanced in line Of battle across the
| vale, and were soon struggling over the
boulders which INSTRUCTED the ascent of the
| steep sides of Round Top. This advance
| was made just to the left of the present path
| up the mountain. When the summit was
reached 1t was intensely dark In the woods,
| although the open ground was flooded with
| the light OF the full moon.
The Goth was now occupying an extremely
dangerous position, entirely isolated from
the main line aud exposed to attack from the
enemy or to be cut off altogether from the
brigade on Little Round T0p. This was a
period of much anxiety. While strengthen
ing his position Col. Chamberlain heard
troops advancing on his right. Being chal-
lenged, they replied that they were sent TO
supper the Goth Maine, which they were try
ing to find. These were the 9Th and 18th
Observation-Disclosures. They were conducted
to the proper position, but as they were march
ing by the fright flank" In fronting, OF
| course, they faced to the rear. The cOnfus-
ion and noise attending the efforts to have
them face by the rear rank" drew the at
tenti0n OF the enemy. VINO fired sharp vol
ley in our direction. The Reserves had been
laundering around in the darkness for some
time, and 1t is not strange that they began
to think they had marched
Into the jaws of DEATH
Into the mouth of hell.
Instead Of facing by their rear rank, our
supports moved off In direction opposite to
| the enemy and disaDDpared