The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1892-11-23

AlNMV8lA which of Wnds.
ElGYSt7 . worth's Brigadcs
I&uV -thcIronI'rigadc
- &#M,MVS-o or Cu,lers-got
IN Nv$ in action first at
WE NgxJ Gettysburg the
MWH - W morning of July
ftM' VHII .. |, 1853
'lgsssf- (VNIkt@s, Perhaps the
rh ~ bny4 of both
-: kER 49, brigndcs would
&taks accept me or the
- old mtn Capt.
100 stewart ~ ar
bitter on this point. The battery did
not get on the ground until hoth brig
AIDES were lighting iOr NIL they were
worth. but we certainly had opportun.
ity "a see all there was To be seen
about the position, aud from 1850
m. until 2o'clock p. III. We Witnessed
their battle almost like one would
look NJ a grand panorama. After ?;BO
IN the afternoon we had 50 much busi
ness of our own to attend to that we
could not follow their movements. but
we were fully conversant with them
duting the forenoon. The fact that
mu6t oi our men were from the Iron
Brigade did not prevent us from APP
prcciating IN the highest degree the
grandeur of Cutters brigade: and |
venture 10 say that, though we had
hut two ur three men in our ranks
from tina; brigade, as against 90 or 30
from the lronl)rigndc, Cutters men took
rs much interest in our "Old brass
Thrnshing Machine" 3 they used to
call usl ns any one did. and wc always
felt quite as welt fixed when Cutters
brigade was backing us IN battle ms
we did when the Iron brigade itself
was behind us.
So, there can he no par,iality on ON
part
Now. to get back to the main point,
II "a matter nf history, easily aces.
sihlr in the uiicinl records. that Cut
lcr's Brigade, the 10Th y. Y. in front.
had the head Of column of fWndsworths
Division, and thereby of the First
Corps. when we started for Gettysburg
from our bivouac at Marsh Creek that
July morning.
The distance wns about five and
half miles, and the infantry of Cutters
and the Iron Brigndcs covered il in
about 30 or 30 minutes certainly
within an hour. They marcnei very
rapidly; iaster, In fact, than the guns
did, because when WI got there. about
10 o'clock. both brigndes were fighting
like HI, and were To all intent.
and purposes standing off lIeth's whole
division. about 5000 strong.
AS to the moment of going into nc
tion, or firing the first muskct think
that the 10Th N. Y. is entitled to claim
the credit of 4, though the 30 Pa. was
close at hand and the late Capt. Ira
n. Burritt, for many years editor of
the "Sunday Herald" of Washington,
has often endeavorrd To demonstrate
to me that his regiment (56th Pa) fired
the first gun there.
II you will visit the field you win
see that Cutters Brigade kept on up
the Emmitsburg road till they came
to the lane leading west from that road
past the north side of the Lutheran
Seminary, when they left obllqued out
ted in the narrow pasture Just south Of
the Cashtown road aud east of vii.
lOughby's Creek they struck the lead.
ing men of lIcths Division; the result
of which was, doubtless, the most DIES.
pcrate and bloody collision ever expe
ricnccd by two formations of troops
anywhere on earth.
Even after we got there. which was
at least two hours after the first onset,
we could see those troops over on the
other ridge In our front firing into
each others bosoms at ranges of not
more than 30 or 40 yarus.
But the Iron Brigade left the En-.
mitsburg road at point considerably
south of the end of this lane which
have spoken of, and they also left ob.
liqued and got into action south and
west of the Seminary about tho same
time that Cutters Brigade struck the
enemy in the pasture. It must be
borne in mind, when speaking of the
action of the Iron Brigade there, that
the end and 7th Wis, 10Th Ind, and
gath Mich. went into action together
in regular brigade formation of regi-
mental front extended, while the 9th
Wis. obliqued to its right until it be.
came entirely detached from the rest
of the brigade and went clear up to
tho railroad cut, where it struck the
advance of Archer's rebel brigade,
which, with the help of the t4th
Brooklyn, 1T captured or destroyed.
After that the 9th Wis. came down the
railroad to our position about o'clock
p. m, and with the aid of Big Dick
Coulter's 11th Pa, of Robinson's Di.
vision, supported us to the end of the
first day, and were the last of :our in.
fantry tn leave the field.
l have taken some pains to locate
these positions, because my mothers
cousin, Capt. Ambrose Baldwin, com.
manding consolidated Co. TX of the
Goth N. Y, was killed there about II