The National tribune., 1892-06-23

Nntil ! on the LIST day o! jury, 1910. NSV0A!
As ouickly told. but constitutes an eloquent
Co. AssaultY. in omen field by more than
fwn NEARLY threv) 10 one with, as one writer
trnthfuIly SAYS no other protection than the
flannel biouses titat covered their stout hearts,
the men Of thzi corps stood with ahbfohen
front for three hours, yielding not loot OF
ground. inficf!ng more INJURY TO the enemy
than was received, capturing parts oil three ori-
syades and only forced to retire when EWeli
earns returning frem the Susquesanna. came
in pnon the rigkt. Tie figures tell with more
eIonuenee than human lips can inter o. the
stubbornness of rIse eight. With less than 9,uoO
in action. the less IN killed were 593, wounded
3. 2O9, missing , 2122, manyof whom were after
wards found 10 have been killed or woubdea;
total loss GOA II Was this awful cost OF men,
under the skilIed leadership of the heroic
REYNOLDS untii his death, and then Of the GAL
liant Doubl,tisv, that enabled Howard with un-
errins Judgment 10 seize and hold Cemetery
Hill as the raI!yiag point for the Army ei the
Potomac.
With VARYING language all historians express
the same fact uiIicii was concisely stated ny
one when be wrote: AT Gettysburg III tine
battle of the first day, this corps did some OF
the best fighting OF the war" l give you the
recent marvellous statement OF a most careful
satberer of military statistics. He SAID the
Union army lost more men Killed ID action
during the wa7 Of the rebellion than England
lost killed in action Of her own subjects during
the last 500 yeas; and the First Corps lost
more men killed and wounded III proportion
to the numbers OF zaged in the battle of the LIST
day of July than sny other corps IN all our
armies during Ire war ia q single fight. men
fiou these facts because, although the hehtlng
of the First Corts in this battle has been well
APPRECIATED in military circles, yet in popular
estimation il has in large measure been lost
sight Of This hss doubtless happened FROM the
= hiatt fa fsefag
while the battles Of the subsequent days were
mainly victories Tor the Union army, and per-
haps from the further fact that early In 1854
the corps was Dissolved as an organization, ana
Cts br;ga6es merged into the Fifth Corps This
was regarded act Of in Justice, aud natnr-
Hlly tended, in connection with the formation
of new associations. to lessen the pride OF OH
GERS and men in this old corps. Therefore,
aimee the war the corps has not had the vigor OF
corps organization that other corps have main
tanned.
The services of tie corps did not end with
fhe battle of the first day. On the second DAY
enc of its divisions successfully repuised des-
perate assault Oh Cemetery Hill, and on the
third day another division participated in the
final grand rePulse, which made this spot the
bigh-water mark OF rebellion. 1t was a brigade
OF that corps which performed what has been
termed one of the most brilliant ieats of the
whole battle, when il responded to the call of
the immortal iizuceck and the matches stan
nard, ard assaulted the right flank Of Pickett
IN the r2vine before rs, where the railroad Is
now located, al tic very moment when the
brave Armstead, leaiing the hosts which COW
cred the meadow be- seen where We stand and
the Ewmitsbnry like, jumped yoader wall
and supposed he bad indeed broken the left
center al the Uuion army. 1t was regiment
of the same brigade which, after reaching a
point in lis assault upon Pickett's Hank, near
the Codori buildings, changed front to rear,
and charging back caught the belated brigades
of Wilcox and Perry ia flank and rear, and
swept them airi5cst i'Jdiiy into the Union lines,
which was practically the closing scene Of the
battle OF Gettysharg.
As ] can hardly claim to be First Corps
mar, because us services in that corps began
aud ended in the Gettysburg Campaign. / have
not felt the embarrassment that i otherwise
might il seizing the opportunity OF this occa-
sion TO suggest Ia the five minutes allotted me
she splendid services which that organization
rendered the country on this field, with unpre-
cedented sacrifice Of life
sorrowfui feature Of that awful sacrifice
was the death Of the pure, gentle, refined. mod
est, idolized commander Of the corps Though
young il years Reynolds had lived long enough
70 be recognized as an ideal soldier, ave, more
than that. military genius His loss to Meade
at Gettysburg like that Of Mcpherson to
eherman at Atlanta. But, fortunately, as
Sherman bad Lo-an, so Meade had Double
day, abundaatly cal'aile OF the grandest Ieader-
ship. To the great honor Of the First Corps.
although the fab Of their beloved and trusted
cOmman9er at tie beginning of the battle was
more than the loss OF leader-it was per-
Eonai bereavement to every man-yct they
were undisDayed and mistaken in their lofty
purpose, aud only grasped their rifles with
Grmer hands aud ievelea them with surer aim.
To every corps of the Potomac Army Gettys-
burg may well BE- proud Renaissance, but to
none more than 10 the First Corps.