Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-07-14
FOOD FOR POWDER
HOW THE TwFNrY-srxrn NORTH CAIRO
LIMA CAUGHT HOT BULLETS.

LIMA CAUGHT HOT BULLETS.
Among the butternut battalions that
shouldered their way along the dusty
pike BET ween CashtOwn and Gettysburge
on July l, 1863, was band of $50 tall.
lank North CarolinIsns, one OF the,
freshest and jolliest musters in Lees
entire army. North Carolina regiments
constituted several brigades in Hills
corps. the vanguard of the invading
host, and there was nothing TO distin-
guish the Twenty-sixth from dozen
other organizations in the command,
excepting its long line Of well clad.
hearty and higL spirited men.
In a certain sense it had been a pet
regiment to that time; that is. with
friend at court it had enjoyed its privi-
leges and skipped hard lines now and
then. and marched to Pennsylvania
fresh from green pastures and the native
heath. So while the mass of war worn
troops in Hills leading division looked
upon their early morning trip to the
country market town as foraging raid
TO gobble stores of shoes and sugar
before the eyes of raw home guards and
militia, the soldiers of the Twenty sixth
cared not a rap for the prospective
plumber further than that the taking OF
it might lead to scrimmage certain to
be funny and possibly exciting. put
It down that the regiment marched in
$40 strong and have yet to tell how it
hobbled back numbering only eighty
for duty. And how was the making of
that great gap worthy page in
history?
The regiment stopped more bullets at
Gettsburg than did any other infantry
organization in either army in a single
battle during the whole war. The re
cords of Uuion and Confederate regi-
ments seem to show few cases where
the loss in killed and wounded was
greater in proportion 10 numbers en-
gagged than that IN the Twenty-sixth at
Gettsy burg, but this regiment had
large list Of missing, and if all the facts
were known it would doubtless stand at
the head Of all, both in actual numbers
lost and in proportion of loss to fighting
strength.
The Twenty sixth North Carolina was
organized In 1861 from companies
recruited in eight counties. Four com
panies hailed from the mountain dis
tricts along the Blue Ridge, three were
from the central counties and three
from the southern border The organi-
ger was Zebulon b Vance, a bitter
opponent of secession up to the moment
the die was cast. Vance, unlike many
political colonies, led his boys into
several fights, particularly at New Berne
nd in b.a IN, l.,
was elected governor in August of that
year and took his regiment home, and
there it remained in garrison throughout
the Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg
and Charlottesville campaigns. TO
this long furlough was due the bursting
files of stalwart yeomanry that marched
cheerily on to Gettysburg, good food
for powder
1t is a we'll known story how Heth's
brigades ran into Buford's cavalry and
Reynolds infantry along Wilbughlv
creek in the early morning of July l
The brigades OF Archer and DAVIS
plunged across the stream, dropped
Reynolds with chance shot and then
were surrounded and all but destroyed
Then Heth's reserve brigades. under
Pettigrew and Brockenbrough, took it
up, rushed TO the rescue 81 their luck less
comrades and the three days struggle
was begun The tweuty-siXth was on
the left of Pettigrew's brigade and
crossed the creek abreast of McFherson's
woods. where Meredth's Iron Byi-
gaden and Rowley's Pennsylvania ;,
replacing the brigades that had wrestled
with Archer and Davis, were awaiting
the next victims When crossing the
creek the Carolinians met scathing
fire from the men in the woods, but
they weathered il and pushed up the
slope on bayonet charge.
One Union brigade gave way little.
and as Pettigrew followed up. the
Twenty sixth alone struck the Other
brigade on its flank. BY that time I'M
ion supports were on hand, batteries
were in position, and every clump of
trees, every fence. ridge aud building
bristled with hayonetS and cannon. 1t
lookek rs though Heth's men would
earn their shoes and sugar or 20 with
out. The Twenty sixth pressed on to
within twenty PAGES of its antagonists,
the overlapping flank of the Iron
lDi iAhut. EtAAlI2 AlAttA dLllliuhltipi
low, the men went among the dead
picking up cartridges. aud were busy at
this wnen Pettigrew recalled his brigade
to make new alignment.
The Twenty sixth didn't retire The
constant shifting of Union regiments
from position to position led the Con-
federates to expect an easy victory, but
every step In advance revealed q new
foe-to the right, to the left, or in front
I'm the pathway Of the Twenty sixth,
Cooper's Pennsylvania battery was
posted, covering the interval between
Rowley's men and the .,lron Brigade
Whenever the ground was clear. this
battery showered the Carolinians with
grape Eleven colored bearers were
shot down one after another. during
the death tusse with Rowley and Mere
dith Col H. X Burgwin, boy of
twenty-five, stuck by flag until he
was bored through both lungs, through
the neck, and the neck and the mouth
He fell at last and Lieut. Col. John Il.
Lane took his place by the colors. and
he was soon cut down with three
i.