The National tribune., 1901-11-07

ago I noticed particularly the position de-
scribed as n good point of view Of Pick
ctt's charge, and the whole west front OF
our line of battle. Ii Pettigrew's Brigade
made the st1Fcndous effort described by
CaptS. Bond and Ashc, The Cannoneer
ought to have seen some part of If. Now
mark what he says on page 112 as an eye
witness of the charge:
'Pickett'S Division is stated by the
Confederate returns of June 20 to have
had gill present for duty equipped.
= What its supports and iankers
were it is not necessary to inquire, be
cause they did nothing TO help it while
advancing and little to suecor it while re-
coling. So far MS an active attack is
concerned, it is perfectly fair to say that
Pickctt'S Division charged the Army OF
the Potomac. Other rebel commands
made simultaneous threats and demon
strutions, but this was the only column of
any weight that struck our line
Again, on page 80, he describes the ad-
vance as follows: "As they came out of
the woods they appeared in line of battle
about one brigade front extended. The
first line had gotten, say, 30 rods from
the woods when second line emerged
of about the same strength as the first,
and this was, in turn, followed by third
at a similar distance" If anyone wants
a full and fair description of the charge,
by an eyewitness, let him read THE Can
noneer.'
Now, few words relative to figures,
and their logic. Our Confederate friends
claim a loss of 1882 killed in the battle
As they had 1874 regiments engaged, that
would give an average of 13 to the regi-
ment. Capt. Bond tells us that North
Carolina had 696 killed. while Virginia
lost only 315. That bel true, as Vir-
ginia furnished As regimcDts, her loss per
regiment killed was s 1-3. North Caro-
lima furnished Il regiments, with an aver
age loss killed of II per regiment. If we
consolidate these two States we find they
furnished Sc regiments, with an average
loss per regiment killed OF 121a. The
other 10 States represented in Lees army
at this battle furnished 9S regiments
which did, comparatively speaking, only
common Southern fighting, not worth
quarreling over, and yet they lost an aver
age killed of 15l2 per regiment. There
is something entertaining and yet mystify-
ing about all Southern figures of battle
losses. For instance, the total loss of
Heth's Division in the battle of Gettys-
burg is claimed and reported to have been
2,S21. In his official report of the first
days battle Gen. Heth says: I'm less
than % minutes my division lost in killed
and wounded over 2,700 men," On the
third day, according to Capt. Ashes fig
ures, 'Archer's men suffered heavily and
700 which went into the celebrated
charge. Now, if we add Pettigrew's loss
on the third TO Heth's officially reported
loss on the first it would swell Heth's en-
tire loss from 1927 to $500.
But the figures relative to Fettigrew's
Brigade caps the climax. Pettigrew is
presumed to have lost, all told, in the en-
tire battle l, los men. / have always as
sumed that the Iron Brigade was respOn-
sble for nearly all that loss, and am free
to admit that Pettigrew's men paid us
back in like coin. 1t is great surprise
to me, after all these years, to learn by
Capt. Ashes report that Pettigrew's Bri-
gade lost LOO of that Jos men in Pet
ligrew's charge on the Sd of July. So l
learn at last that our old brigade suffered
loss of 1,153 Oh the 1st Of July and
aside from the 20minutes fight, in which
we knocked out Archer, we really inflicted
a loss on Pettigrew's Brigade of FIVE men,
Thank God? There were five North
Carolinians less to contend with in later
fields.-CAPT. r. X. BEECHAM, I'd Wis,
No. 1924 Rucker Ave-, Everett, Wash.