The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-07-28

invading host, and there WAS nothing to
distinguish the Twenty sixth from dozen
other organizations In the command, ex-
eepting Its long line Of well clad, hearty
and high spirited men.
In a certain sense It had been pet regi-
ment TO that time; that Is, with friend at
court It had enjoyed its privileges 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 lead
ing division looked upon their early morn
ing trip to the country market town a. a
foraging raid to gobl,le stores Of shoes and
sugar before the eyes Of raw home guards
and militia, the soldiers Of the Twenty
sixth cared not rap for the prospective
plumber further than that the taking Of It
might lead to a scrimmage certain to he
funny and possibly exciting. put 1t
down that the regiment marched in SO
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 historya
The regiment stopped more bullets at
Gettysburg than did any other infantry
organization in either army in a single bat
tie during the whole war. The records Of
show a few cases where Z. loss In killed
and wounded was greater in proportion to
numbers engaged than that In the TWEEN
ty-sixth at Gettysburg, but this regiment
had large list Of missing, and II 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 1851 from companies recruit
ed In eight counties Four companies
hailed from the mountain districts along
the Blue Ridge, three were from the cen
trail counties and three from the southern
border. The organizer was Zebulon B.
Vance, bitter opponent Of secession up to
the moment the die was cast. Vance, I'M
like many political colonies, led bis boys
into several fights, particularly at New
Berne and In the "Seven Days" In 1862.
He was elected governor in August Of that
year and took his regiment home, and
there 1t remained in garrison throughout
the Manassas, Antietam, fredericksburg
and Charlottesville campaigns. To this
long furlough was due the bursting files
Of stalwars yeomRnry that marched cheeri-
ly on to Gettysburg, good food for pow
der"
It Is a well known story how Heth's bri-
gades ran into BufOrd's cavalry and Rey-
nolds' infantry along Willoughby creek in
the early morning Of July |. The brigades
Of Archer and Davis plunged across the
stream, dropped Reynolds with a 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 Of their luckless
comrades and the three days struggle was
begun. The Twenty-sixth was on the left
Of Pettigrew's brigade and crossed the
creek abreast Of McPherson's woods, where
Meredith's Iron Brigade" and Rowley's
Pennsylvanian's, replacing the brigAdes
that had wrestled with Archer and Davis,
were awaiting the next victims. While
crossing the creek the Carolinians met q
scathing fire from re men in the woods,
but they weathered It 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 Union supports were
on hand, batteries were In position, and
every clump Of trees, every fence, ridge and
building brisGlsd with bayonets and can.
non. It looked as though Heth's men
would earn their shoes and sugar or go
without. The Twenty sixth pressed on to
within twenty paees OF its antagonists, the
overlapping flank Of the Iron Brigade"
Finding their ammunition low, the men
went among the dead picking up cartridges,
and were busy at this when Pettigrew re
called his brigade to make a new align
ment.
The Twenty-sixth didn't retire The
constant shifting Of Union regiments from
position to position led the Confederates TO
expect an easy victory, but every step In
advance revealed new foe-to the right,
to the left. or In front. In the pathway Of
the Twenty sixth, Cooper's Pennsylvania