The National tribune., 1894-08-02

say,
"YANKS, WE WILL HAVE THAT Hill. YET
Our BOYS are at the base of the hill,
this side of the ditch, behind the rocks,
waiting for them. Fishers Brigade is
ordered to the left to support Wards and
Vincent's Brigades, while McCandless's
Brigade was formed in two lines-of-bat-
tie along the northern slope Of the hill.
As soon as their front was uncovered by
our retreating forces McCandless's men
gave them a terrible volley of musketry,
and with loud cheer charged down the
hill and fell upon the enemy with the
bayonet. We could hear the hoarse
cry of the rebels and the wild yells of
the Pennsylvania Reserves. AT this
time the Sixth Corps commenced filing
in from the east, having marched from
Manchester, SO miles distant, and took
up the cheering, and soon it went along
the whole line. Nevins's, Bartletts's,
and Eustiss Brigades formed on the
left of the Pennsylvania Reserves and
charged with them. Our line now
advances from right to left, driving
everything before them. Russell's and
Grants Brigades, of the Sixth Corps,
extend the line to the Big Round Top
This ends the fighting for the night.
soRRowFUL LOSSES.
Col. Vincent, commanding Third Bri-
gade, First Division, Fifth Corps, was
killed on our left; Col. O'Rourke, of the
140th n. Y, was killed in the Devils
Den, being shot through the neck, and
his body was brought up to our guns.
Gen. Weed was instantly killed, and
Lieut. Hazlett was mortally wounded.
He was one of the bravest and best off
GERS | ever served under. He always
called us his boys, and, in fact, we were
boys then-eight of every 10 being
under 20 years old; the writer was only
II at that time. We came up the north
face Of the mountain. 1t runs north and
south, and is about 80 yards in length
on top, and some 20 yards in width.
Houck's Ridge is about the same length,
and runs the same way. Our battery
covered the top from right to left, and
We had good shelter for our limbers in
our rear, and the first thing the COM
mander did was to order the swing and
wheel drivers to the front to take our
place as fast as we were killed or
wounded. He also ordered up the
caissons, and ordered the battery wagon
and forge drivers to get the camp kettles
filled with water and brought to the
guns, so we could have water to drink
and to sponge our pieces with. The
first of our men killed here was Young
Tibbitts, boy Is years old, and WHO
was No. 1 of the first gun The first
man wounded was Serg't Broderick.
Here we did the most rapid and con-
tinued firing we ever did during the war,
from 4 p. IN. until p. m., without ceas-
ing. That night, after the battle, We lay
by our guns, but could not Sleep We
could hear the cries of our wounded.
Some were praying, some were swearing,
and one was preaching and exhorting
the men to forgive their enemies. The
infantry boys must have heard him also,
as they were in our front at the base of
the bill. The rebel sharpshooters were
posted in the valley west OF Houck's
Ridge, and between the bridge and the
Emmitsburg road. On our front every
thing was quiet but the cries of the
wounded, which were awful. On the
morning of the Sd we are up before day
light and have our breakfast.
THE BERDAN sHARPsHooTERs.
Lieut. Rittenhouse took command of
the battery. About o'clock two com
panies of Berdan's Sharpshooters came
up the hill in rear of our battery and
said: Boys, do the reb sharpshooters
trouble you any this morning?" We told
them they had wounded one of our men al
ready. The Berdans deployed from their
center to the right and left, and every sec
ond and fourth man dropped on his hands
and knees, and crawled between our
guns and to the very brow of the bill,
and found good shelter behind the rocks.
They now lay flat on their stomachs and
kept good watch, while numbers one
and three did the same thing, except that
when they got to the brow of the hill
they worked down the west face of the
mountain. When they got down into
the Devils Den they crawIed from one
rock to another until they got across the
Den and took possession of Houck's
Ridge, when they covered the ground for
numbers two and four, who did the same
thing. That was the last we saw of them,
though We could hear the sharp crack Of
their guns now and then. We could
now walk around on top Of the hill or
sit on guns, as the rebel sharpshooters
bothered Us no more.
About 8 o'clock the morning of the Sd,
the l55th Pa. came to our support, and
took position in front of our guns. This
was the first support the battery had here.
About 2 o'clock there was a man started
on a white or gray horse from the right
Of the Confederate lines and went north
in front Of their lines on Seminary Ridge.
DO any Of the boys remember the white
horse and rider? In about 20 minutes
there was gun fired from the enemys
line off TO our right, and then their