The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1894-09-27
eRoF SAM MICKEY WRITES.
"reminiscences of Gettysburg-PeIti
grew was Surely There.

grew was Surely There.
Prof. Sam. T. Mickey, OF Salem, wh'
was musical director of the Goth Nortf
Carolina Regiment Band during The
late war, wrote the following to the
Charlotte Observer, which appeared
in that paper Sunday:
Seeing piece in the Observer about
Pettigrew and Pickett and the Gettys-
burg fight, gives me an opportunity OF
letting you know whether PettigreW's
| brigade was in the third days fight. L
| will say no, only small part OF IL was,
or what was left from the first days
fight, | should say l, as musical dlrec-
! tor of the Salem Cornet Band, joined
| the old Twenty sixth Regiment at
| Newbern. under our old beloved Col.
| Var ce, who soon let US know where
our place was every day and during
| the battles, which many of our wound
ed can testify, and as for Gettysburg,
l must begin at Cashtown. Our
| brigade was thrown out into sklrmlSn
| line and marched on the last day OF
June, and the next day the musicians
knew by the wounded coming back to
the hospital that day and night that
they were in the hottest of the nght,
and the band was about used up work
ing all day and night.
The first day of July, our good Col
Fl. X. Burgwynn, the best drill master
of any regiment, was killed, He
had his regiment under good control,
as was admitted by General PettigreW.
The old TwentysiXth had men IN 1T
who knew how to shoot and really did
not know the danger they were In
These remarks were made before he
died at Falling Waters.
As for the third day, L know Petit
crews brigade was in the fight by the
number of wounded on the third gay
Some New York papers, after the Get
tysburg fight, speaking of the North
Carolina troops, said they had three
bands also in the fight. AS | have the
opportunity, / will say that on the
second day OF July, the TWenty-sixth
andEleyenth bands were ordered to the
front to play for our brigade, as they
formed to go into action. Both bands
consolidated and played until we were
ordered to stop and to return to the
hospital.
H. A. Siddall, of our band, took out
Col. Marshall's horse and [ took out
Col. Hughes, Pettigrew's adjutant's
horse. Hughes was buried by our
band, as he was mortally wounded and
died after being brought back.
The first day Maj. John Jones.of the
l.
brigade out of the fight.
If you could have seen the arms and
legs cut off at our amputatlon table
you would have seen a sight that
would show even on the third day that
Pettigrew's Brigade was in the fight.
General Pettigrew should have been
corps general at Gettysburg.
Our brigade was placed on the roll
of honor on the retreat, as we were
the rear guard of Lees army. At
Falling Waters Hill and Heth should
have been under Pettigrew, as they
were all there together, and Petit
grew said, as he saw in the distance
cavalry coming. that it must be the
enemy coming at a full gallop, aud the
other generals said it was some of our
cavalry; and when they came almost
in shooting distance they unfurled
their flag and began firing, and our
men hardly had time to get their posi-
tiOnS. Pettigrew was mOrtally wound
ed and Gen. Heth was very nearly
captured, but our men killed the
cavalryman that was running Gen.
Heth around a barn.
l have a record of our band and regi-
ment during the war, and think l
shall have it published.
Excuse me for writing so much. We
all loved our dear old regiment and Of
ffcers, who all seemed to be as one
family, and our dear old colonel, Il. B.
Vance, always after the war would
call our band "Vance's Band" and we
were proud of the name.
After the Gettysburg fight, and on
arriving at Bunker Hill, with the
most of our army there, General Lee
sent for band to come to his quart
ers to play, and as we were the only
band near, we had the pleasure CT
playing there, after which his adiu-
tant general made a short address, and
said that we should play more and
cheer up our men, as bands were the
life of an armY