The National tribune., 1900-06-21

umn Of infantry retreating at double-quick
from the face Of the enemy, who were al
ready crowding their rear. On the other
was a dense mass of beings who had lost
their reasoning faculties and were flying
from a thousand fancied dangers, while
the enemy kept pouring into us a perfect
rain of bullets, shot and shell, but the old
Curtin Light Guard with the rest of the
White Star boys, never fought better.
Meeting the enemy with a solid front they
repelled all attempts to break the line"
HOOKER GOES BACK.
On May the regiment marched to
position near headquarters OF Gen. Slo-
cum, where they erected and occupied
earthworks all day the 9th. On the morn
ing of the 9th commenced the retrograde
movement to the Rappahannock River,
which they crossed at the United States
Ford.
This campaign has always been looked
upon as one of the most brilliantly con-
ceived of the war, and executed to a GER
tain point with conSummate Skill and yet
had Il most impotent conclusion.
The regiment returned to its old quar-
ters near Aqua Creek, where we lived in
| the best style until June 13. when com
| menced the pursuit of Lee. On Thursday,
June 1S, after passing through Dranesville
| and crossing Goose Creek, the regiment
| biyouacked for the night within 4 mile of
Leesburg.
The next day the whole corps were as
sembled and formed in hollow square to
witness the execution of three men SEN
fenced to be shot for desertion. Elliott
again says:
Il shall never forget the sight as long
as live. Prayer was offered for them by
| the Chaplain of one of the regiments, and
after they had given a last message for
their friends at home they were each
placed upon his coffin. A squad Of sol
| dicrS detailed for the purpose took posi-
ton a few yards in front of them, and at
the words Ready! Aim. FIRE. two of the
men fell back on their coffins dead; the
| third, although wounded, still retained his
seat until some of the men reloaded their
guns and put an end to his misery"
Remaining at Leesburg until the 26th,
| the regiment again crossed the Potomac
River into Maryland; the next day crossed
the MOnocacy Aqueduct, passed through
! and halted for the night outside of Peters
vile.
Although the next day was Sunday,
there was no rest for the regiment. 1t re-
traced its steps through Petersville, thence
| to jefferson. and halted in the afternoon
near Frederick City, passing through that
town on the 29th. There they heard that
| Meade had superseded Gen. Hooker in
command Of the army.
On the 30th the boys arrived at Littles-
town, Pa, just i'll time to check the rapid
advance of the enemy, and after Il sharp
fight defeated them and captured few
| prisoners.
| July 1st the regiment marched to the
| Two Taverns and halted. Between and
, o'clock they again took up the line of
march toward Gettysburg. arriving within
two miles of that town, on the Baltimore
| Turnpike. Hating. they first heard the
| sound of artillery, then saw men belong
| inc 10 thn Iirct nd I1aun,,{I
ing back wounded.
| This was their the 109th Pas initia-
tion into that great pivotal battle of the
| war. AS the regiment lay supporting one
| of the batteries Cen Reynolds was car
ricd to the rear, mortally wounded. Gen.
| Geary had been ordered by Gen. Hancock
to take position on Little Round Top, and
as quickly as the division came up they
were turned from the turnpike and dou-
| bled-quicked into line. Some OF the enc
| my were already on the opposite side of
Little Round Top when the 147th Pa. and
9th Ohio gained the position. Other regi-
ments Of the First and Third Brigades
left of Eleventh Corps. Between and 6
| O'Clock Gen. Sickles' Third Corps ad-
vanced by the Emmitsburg Road, and
when nearly capOsite the 147th Pa. and
9th Ohio went INTO bivouac
This speedy formation of the left of the
line to Little Round Top frustrated the
enemy's design, which, if successful, would
have proven disastrous to the entire posi-
ton.
The 109th took position in a wood to
the right of Little Round Top. Sickles
with the Third Corps relieved Geary from
this position about I a. m on the morn
ing of the ID, and the division was moved
to the right of tho First Corps, forming a
line at nearly right angle with the above
corps and on a rocky mount which was a
continuation Of Cemetery Hill. Breast
works were thrown up and skirmishers
were put out to Rock Creek, where the
enemy's pickets We're encountered.
Little fighting was done until p. M,
when the Confederatcs made dash on
the left and center of the line, but were
repulsed. Between 6 and o'clock the
1O9th was ordered to the right across
Rock Creek to reinforce the left and CEN
ter, but were marched n long distance
away from the point needing our assist
ance.
This blunder cost us many brave lives
Gen. Green had been ordered to alternate
his line so as to cover the entire Twelfth
Corps front and hold the works just va
Gated by us, but the enemy discovered the
withdrawal OF the First Division from the
extreme right, and our brigade (the See
ond) on the left, and made vigorous and
furious attempt 70 annihiate Green's lit
ti' ~ i1'iht- 'itl'ithilS IL III IIoIL ana
flank. This little band of veterans resist
ed for two and half hours tho desperate
onslaughts of the enemy, who were at last
driven back, but they had gained posses
sion of our works while we were on a wild
goose chase.
About O'Clock at night we were or
dered to return to our works vacated ear
ly in the evening. Filing along the outer
edge of the woods the order Halt,
'FRONT.' was given by our officers We
had hardly obeycd the order when several
voices rang out
What regiment is that?"
"109th Pa" was the answer.
AS we stepped Il few PAGES to enter the
woods we received point blank voley OF
musketry that completely astonished US;
in fact, many of the men were rooted to
the spot. But the rallying commands of
the officers, headed by Gen. Kane soon
brought them around the Color-Sergeant
(McNally), and the regiment advanced in
to the wood and remained there during
the night. The Ccnfederates kept up u
continuous firing during the night, and as
we would return it they would respond
| with that plaintive cry:
Cease firing; you're firing on your own
men But we knew better than that.
Not much sleep did QUE regiment get
that night, and at the first dawn of day
July the real work commenced in earn
est. 49,
hout tLA