The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-09-13

While seated by rock near the top of
Little Round Top firing at battery north
of the DEVILS Den, which was distant about
q quarter of a mile, a man of the 10th Mich.
close to me was wounded in the wrist by
minie-ball. / took a bandage and did up
his wrist. We were soon ordered north of
the summit to support Battery d. 9th u. S.
Art. We were placed in front of their guns,
only leaving narrow spaces for them to fire
through Jour regiment not firing. The
conclusion injured the hearing of quite
numb Der of our regiment. After the battery
fired while we were ordered to the south
west slope of Little Round Top again.
About night and after dark we picked up
our dead and buried them; theAwe built
stone walls in the dark to protect us from
the sharpshooters the next day. So ended
July 9, 1863. ga
The morning of July 8 the sharpshooters
in DEVILS Den were busy whenever we gave
them chance to see us. Some time after
the middle of the day some Pennsylvania
Bucktails came along armed with Sharpes
rifles. They bad an eye to business and
had a quoting influence over the Johnnies
in the Devils Den. About noon l was de-
tailed to 90 after water. Joe Lyons and /
took lot OF canteens and went back of
Little Round Top to a road leading south.
We went along that road TO a small brook
there was a spring-house on the south side.
Just then the cannonading just before
Pickett's charge began. One shell burst
some 200 feet up the hill and pieces hit the
spring-house and wildcherry tree close to
it, and another struck some 400 feet short
and tore down quite piece in stone wall.
After that had the spring TO myself, filed
up the canteens, and went back to the
regiment on Little Round Top. Then
Pickett's charge was thing Of the past;
/ could hear scattering shots and see the
smoke.
Just before shutdown Pennsylvania regi-
ment charged down from the Wheatfield and
drove the Johnnies from Houcks Ridge and
out of the Devils Den, and then the sharp
shooters troubled us no more at Gettysburg.
On the Fourth of July | was detailed for
fatigue duty. Quite a large detail of us
went out on the ridge little north of the
Devils Den TO pick up muskets, which we
took down to the wagon-train back of Little
Round Top. 1t rained very hard part of
that day, and at night / was detailed for
picket. After dark we went north, then
west, across the fat directly in front of
Little Round Top. was one of the last
in line, SO did not have to stand post that
night / wrapped my rubber blanket around
me, pulled my hat down over my ears to
keep out the rain, and laid my head under
shelving rock and went to sleep.
On the morning Of the 9Th we were up be-
fore daylight, but it was very quiet. After
while we advanced in skirm ish-line about
two miles, passed through one piece of oak
woods which l think Battery ID had paid
especial attention to. / there counted II
dead horses on about an acre of ground
and lots of shells, where the Johnnies'
caissons were blown up and white-oak trees
at least 90 inches in diameter cut off very
smooth, which / know took rif1ed shells to
DO
Our skirmish-linc went on through that
woods, across some fields and much-used
road, and then stopped. was keeping a
sharp lookout to the front, and saw large
squad of mounted men coming.
/ called the attention of Capt. Spies of
| Co. B. to it, and we fell back over half a
mile and through the oak woods. At the sug-
| gestion of one of our officers for some one to
| go down in the woods far enough to seewhat
| the enemy was doing, myself and William
| Shears, of Co. A, went back until we saw two
| mounted men watching us. We opened fire
on them, driving them away, l firing the
| last shot. These mounted men were North
Carolinians, and one of their number, who
lives here, told me who they both were.
We then went back to Little Round Top
and the troops were gone, Lee retreatiug,
| and after a number of hours we overlook
| our regiment.
The 140th N. Y. fought on the south and
southwest slope Of Little Round Top, and
26 Of its men were killed on that slope of
which Co. A had seven, Co. &, next to them,
six. We had no Zouave uniform at that
1 do Va yaH
our Zouave uniform in January, 1864, at
Warrenton junction. The fighting on Lit
tie Round Top was done July 2, 1868, by
Vincents Brigade and by the 140th n Y,
Weeds Brigade The rest of the regiments
of the Third Brigade had not got back in
time, and no fighting WAS done on Little
Round Top on July g. except what Battery ID,
9th u. S. Art, did at too long range for the
infantry.-SAMUEL r. HAzEN, Co. g, 140th
N. Y, Elizabeth City, n. G.