The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-24
tains at Emmetsburg, Sickles with his
four brigades arrived upon the
FIELD AT GETTYSBURG


f'lokles ordered Trobriand's and Bur
ling's brigades to move forward at day
light on The morning of the End to Get
tysburg, where they arrived early in the
fornoon just as Longstreet's forces were
going into position on the left of the
Union lines, dc TIobriand's brigade,
having to pass between the lines of the
U MON ana under the fire of the Confed-
erat6 skirmish lines, to reach tbs position
assigned to them III rear of thegpeach or
chard. No word can portray The suffer
lngs OF the mon 6 OF Meade's army during
Its march from Falmouth, Va, to GeI-
tysburg Pa, during those hot summer
days. Whom Tie men arrived at Gettys-
burg they were tired out and fo0t-sore
and il nearly every corps of the army
could be seen men marching along over
the rough roads without shoes and with
| their
FEET BADLY clustered.
At p. m, on the end, the corps was
formed in line Of battle on the extreme
left of the Union lines to the right of
and in front of little Round Top, in the
rocky field known as the Devils DEM
On q portion of this field tho 4th Me.
was posted in the woods to the righG 81
the "Devils DEM In the wheat field
where the nth Me. was posted, in the
wooded lot to the right OF the wheattield.
In the peach orchard, on the EnImets-
burg road, where the Bird Me- was puste(l
Along the road and in the field to the
right of the Emnretsburg road which was
held by the 2nd or Humphreys division
of the Sgd corps. AT 8 p. H., on the
2nd Gen. Longstreet commenced his
attack dpon Siokles' corps with his ar
tillory consisting of eighteen batteries,
lo,l at2 xxTit h uT d.,
Hoods Infantry divisions. MoLaw's
division was composed of Kershaw's
brigade of six South Carolina regim ents;
Benning's brigade of four Georgia regi-
ments; Barksiale's brigade Of four Mis-
sissippl regiments and Woffard's brigade
OF five Georgia regiments. Hoods d.
vision was composed Of Robertson's bri-
gade of three Texas aud one Arkansas
regiments; Law S brigade of five Ia
bama regiments; Andcrsons brigade of
five Georgia regiments, and Jenkins's
brigade of five South Carolina regiments
in which were included the famous
Hampton's legion. LungsTreot's bate
rea, consisting Of seyenty-fuur guns
opened on his entire front upon Sickles's
thin lines extending from the base of
Little Round Top to the Emmetsburg
road. Maj. MoGilvery commanding the
third corps artillery returned at once the
fire of Lonsgtreet's EatteIies with every
available gun belonging tn his com maDd
and number of batteries belonging to
the reserve artillery. The cannonading
soon became furious, filling the air with
rifle balls. round shot and shell. HOODS
division opened the infantry fighting by
a desperate assault upon Ward's and de
Trobriand's brigades of Birneys di-
vision. Hood was closely followed by
McLaw's division, who attacked Gen.
Grahan's brigade, and, o little later in
the afternoon, four brigades from Lieut..
General A. P.SHills Confederate third
corps, which was assigned to and took
part with Longstreet's own corps, made
a desperate ASSAULT upun the second or
Humphreys division. Sickness corps
consisting of six small brigsdes, was
| forced back to the road in rear of the
wheat field about 5 80 p. M, after hav-
ing held in check for over two hours
| twelve OF
THE STRONGEST BRIGADES
in the Confederate army. At $50 the
second corps under Hancock, and the
ftth corps under Gen. Sykes came to
Sickles's relief and were sent forward
into the wheatfield and upon the Ground
Tops and continued the battle until Z
p. M, forcing the Confederates under
lLongstreet and Hill from the Round
Tops ana holding t., IN in check along
the line pear the road in rear Of the
wheat field The fighting along Sickies'
line with tbs men of the 3rd corps con-
tlnued for about two hours, and was of
the most desperate character. From the
DEVILS Dem to the peach orchard
there we've soIue Of the most hotly con-
, tested and most deadly OF all the series
of contests fought around Gettysburg
and this portion Of the fed has been very
aptly termed the "WhiIlpool of the
battle'' by Col. Batchelder, the govern
, Inent historian At noon on tins third
day, during Longstreet's assault or Pick
ett's charge upon the second corps. tile
third cnrpssheldFa position to the left OF
the second corps n front of Cemetsry
Ridge, and were under severe artillery
. fire during the assault upon the centre
of the Union lines.
The losses in the corps during the bat
tie of Gettysburg We're 1850 killed and
died of wounds; 1854 wounded and COS
missing q tot Il of 1910 or over 43 per
cent. OF its effective force upon the field
Among the wounded was the gallant
Sickles, who lost leg during the second
days battle. while leading his men in
action. The ratio of killed and died OF
wounds to tho number wounded in the
corps at Gettysburg, being one killed to
two and d half wounded, shows the des-
perate character of the fighting between
the men of Sickles' and the men of
Longstreet's corps. At the close of the
Gettysburg campaign French's division
from Harpor's Ferry was assigned to the
corps rs the third division. Gen. French
assuming command of the corps, be be-
ing senior in rank to Gen. Birney.
Frenchs division remained with the
corps until March 24tb, 1864, when it was
transferred to the sixth corps. Frenoh'5
division, during It's connection with thu
Sd corps. met with no serious losses. and
was under fire only for a few moments
at Locust Grove. The first and second
divisions of the corps were engaged at the
battle of Mapping Heights Va, on July
23rd, where
SERGT. FRED BosWORTH, OF
PORTLAND,
lost his life. On the 18th Of November,
1868, the 90 rps took part in the battle of
Kelly's Ford, Va. On November 9th,
just at the close of the day, while the Sd
CORPS with the rest Of the army were
moving towards Mine Run, the Sd corps
fouaht the battle of LOCUST Grove on