The Portland daily press., 1892-05-21

So: e. =; ;: &; !;
tuted several bri
gades in Hills corps, the vanguard Of the
invading host, and there was nothing to
distinguish the Twenty sixth from a dozen
other organizations in the command, ex-l
cepting it's long line of well clad, hearty
and high spirited men.
In 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 as a
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
plumber further than that the taking of it
might lead to scrimmage certain to be
funny and possibly exciting. I put it
down that the regiment marched in 800
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 at
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 thisregiment
had large list 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
trial 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, IN
like many political coionels, 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, Fredericksbu
and Charlottesville campaigns. To
long furlough was due the bursting
of stalwart yeomanry that marched che
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 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 McPhersons woods, where
Meredith's ''Iren 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
scathing fire from the men in the woods,
but they weathered it and pushed up the
slope on bayonet charge.
One Union brigade gave war q little, and
as Pettigrew followed up, the Twenty,
sixth alone struck the other brigade on its
faux. BY that time Union supports were
on hand, batteries were, in position, and
every clump of trees, every fence, ridge and
building bristIed with. bayonets and can
non. It looked as though Heth's men
would earn their shoes and sugar or 90
without. The Twenty -sixth pressed on to
within twenty PAGES of its antagonists, the
overlapping flank of thes.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
battery was posted, covering the interval
between Rowley's men and the Iron Bri-
gade." Whenever the ground was clear,
this battery showerpd the Carolinians with
grape. Eleven color bearers were shot
down one after another, during the death
tussle with Rowley and Meredith. Col.
H. K. Burgwin, boy of twenty-five, stuck
by the flag until he was bored through
both lungs, through the neck. and the
mouth. He fell at last and Lieut Col.
John r. Lane took his place by the colors.
and he was soon cut down with three
wounds
To say that the slaughter was enormous
on that field is to speak in PLAYED out
terms. Battle historians formerly thought
it worth while to go into enthusiasm when
ranks were decimated. On the field |
write about scores of Union regiments lost
60 to 20 per cent. killed and wounded. That
means or ont of every 10 shot down.
The Twenty-fourth Michigan, of the Iron
brigade, fought part of the time against
these Carolinians, and its loss that day
was the highest in the Union army.
The One Hundred and Fifty-first Penn.
sylvania. also opposed to the Carolinians.
lost nescly 70 per cent of its men killedand
sounded. Gen. Heth reported that at the