Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-04-02

TIE FIGHT RACED AT ARMS LENGTH.
lors' House. 1t WAS not ;ts plain sailing as
was expected for Sicklcs' Third Union
corps was moving in the same direction
just ahead o: .he "Johnnies" and wouldn't
he hurried even to suit Lees "Invincibles"
The First regiment passed in splendid ljCs
over IL bare knoll, ut the base of which
Sickles' men lay under cover. The Caro-
linans stood it so long ls men could and
then ran back, with the enemy at their
heels to II line of breastworks i'll the rear.
They made stilntl at the breastworks and
the pursuerS took II turn at punishment
and then at running away. The First lost
L. killed ana IS wounded, 100 i'll all, with
Z officers among the fallen.
The Carolina brigade marched to the field
ofGvttysburg in July with well filled ranks.
Gen. y. p Hill was their corps leader
in place of the dead "Stonewall." With
him they assaulted Reynolds corps in Nc.
Phcrson's woods on July l. AS at Gaines
Mill, a battery confronted their advance
and raned shell and canister into the ranks,
chiefly upon the First regiment. That bat
terry was doomed. One piece was the prize of
the First, and they dashed forward without
n halt until their banner was floating in the
town. the first Confederate flag in Gettys.
burg One day later, almost to an hour,
at the other flank of the same field the
Eighty-third Pennsylvania fought gallant
ly to defend Round Top with success equal
to that of the Carolinians in their charge.
The First lost officer and 10 men killed; G
officers and % men wounded-l20 in all.
which was more than half it's membership.
In the Wilderness bnttle OH May s. 1864.
the First led its brigade and division in an
attack OH the Union left on the Orange
plank road, and at the same hour its
double, the Eighty-third Pennsylvania.
had the place of honor in IL Union attack
on the Confederate left along the Orange
turnpike, Il couple Of miles distant. Both
regiments suffered in the ensuing three
days, the First with loss of IL killed and
Ia wounded, besides u officers killed.
At Spottsylvania week later the First,
reduced to a handful, entered the "Bloody
Angle" with it's brigade in the forlOrn at
tempt to hold its tsassalants ut arms length.
Its commander and 5 other officers were
wounded the second in command killed,
and the ranks lost 10 killed and 81 wounded.
At the end of another week, after almost
two years of this eccentric dueling, the two
regiments met fairly ut Jericho Ford, North
| Anna river, ON the road to Richmond. Thn
| First charged at the head of McGowan's
brigade and ran into battery supported
by the Pennsylvanians. The regiments
grapplcd for an instant, the commander Of
the Carolina brigade was captured by one
of the Eighty-third and the leader of the
First was killed in the melee The first
lost % prisoners, the highest in any battle
of it's career.
Bloody Cold Harbor next following,
both escaped, and through the siege Of
Petersburg their lines ran separate again,
though with proportionate losses. Almost
at the close the brigades to which each be-
longed were supports to companion bri-
gades that fought at White Oak Road
March 81, 1865, one week before Appomat-
tox. The affair ended abruptly, and neither
regiment was severely engaged, but the
colonel of the First was shot dead by a
stray bullet. This was the last death in
the regiment, and the score stood Isl. The
record of woanded closed April 2, when
the major commanding and one captain
were shot down, making $50 in all.
On March 81, also, the Eighty-third
scored 2Sl deaths, and ON April ! added /,
making 2S2, closing its record of wounded
at the same time. So the duelists stood, at
AppomuttoX, $50 against 0Il casualties on
the battlefield, almost the maximum war
strength Of u regiment.
J. GEoIasg l.. KIIMER.