The Oskaloosa herald., 1892-05-19

RadeS In 1lll'S corps, the vanguard of the
invading host, and there was nothing to
distinguish the Twenty from "a dozen
other organizations in the command, ex-
cepting its long line of well clad, hearty
and high spirited men.
In a certain sense it had been a pet regi-
ment to that time; that is, with friend at
court it had enjoyed it's 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 Hill's lead
ing division looked upon their early morn.
ing trip to the country market town as q
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 rap for the prospective
plunder further than that the taking of it
might lead to IA 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 a page in history
The regiment stopped more bullets as
Gettysburg than did any other infantry
organization in either army in a single bat
tie during the whole war The records of
Union and Confederate regiments seem to
show a few cases where the loss in killed
and wounded was greater in proportion to
numbers engaged than that in the Twen-
ty-siXth at Gettysburg, 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 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 Xebulon B.
Vance, bitter opponent of secession up to
the moment the die was cast. Vance, un-
like many political colOnels, led his 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 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 cheeri-
ly on to Gettysburg, good food for pow
der"
1t is 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 l. 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 BrUckenbrough, 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 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 a
scathing fire from the men in the woods,
but they weathered it and pushed up the
slope on a bayOnet charge.
One Union brigade gave way a little, and
as Pettigrew followed up, the Twenty
sixth alone struck the other brigade Oh its
flank. By that time Union supports were
on hand batteries were in position, and
every clump of trees every fence, ridge and
building bristled with bayOnets and can
non. 1t looked as though Heth's men
would earn their shoes and sugar or go
without. The Twenty sixth pressed on to
within twenty PAGES of it's 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 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 i'll
advance revealed new foe-to the right,
to the left, or in front. In the pathway OF
the Twenty-siXth, Ceoper's Pennsylvania