The National tribune., 1901-10-17

ne 1OuONlDS eAlIatl Is lihCn lioLl al
description of the assault by Col. Taylor,
of Gen. Lees staff:
1T is needless to say a word here of
The heroic conduct of Pickett's Division;
that charge has already passed into his
tory as 'one of the worlds greatest deeds
of arms While doubtless many brave
men of other commands reached the crest
of the nights this was the only organized
body which entered the works of the en-
envy"
Pickett's left and Pettigrew's and Trim
ble's right entered the works. Men from
six brigades were there. Which command
had most representatives there is a dis
puted point. As to the superior organiza-
ton of Pickett's men, what did that
amount to? In the nature of things, not
a brigade ON the field was in a condition
to repel determined attack.
Just before the final rush two bodies of
Federals moved out on the field and
opened fire, the one upon our right, the
other upon the left. The loss inflicted
upon our people by these Vermonters and
New Workers was very great, and, not be-
ing able to defend themselves, there was
on the part of the survivors a natural
crowding TO the center. The commander
of = Federal brigade in his report says:
Twenty battle-fags were captured in
space of 100 yards square" This means
that crowded within a space extending
only 100 yards there were the remnants
of more than 20 regiments. But Col. Tay-
lor says that Pitckett's Division was the
only organized body which entered the en-
emyS works.
The late Gen. Trimble said: at will
10 ayiI, hot I'm
was overlapped by the Federal lines on his
right, and Pettigrew's and Trimble's front
by the Federal lines on their left each of
these commands had a distinct and sep
arate discharge of artillery and musketry
to encounter, the one as incessant as the
other although Pickett's men felt its in
tensity sooner than the others, and were
the first to be crushed under a fire before
which no troops could live. While Petit
grew and Trimble suffered as much or
more before the close because longer under
fire. in consequence of marching farther"
And again: Both Northern and
Southern descriptions of the battle of Get
tysburg, in the third days contest, have,
without perhaps a single exception, down
to the present time, given not only most
conspicuous prominence to Gen. Pickett's
Division, but generally, by the language
lsed, have created the impression among
hose rot personally acquainted with the
events of the day that Pickett's men did
all the hard fighting, suffered the most Sc
Ferely edd failed in their charge, because
not duly and vigorously supported by the
Troops on their right and left.
1t might with as much truth be said
that Pettigrew and Trimble failed in their
charge because unsupported by Pickett
who had been driven back in the crisis
of their charge and was no aid to them"
'i3 NORTH CARoLINIANs FORGOTTEN.
$ Some time ago Gen Fitz Lee wrote a
life of his uncle, Gen. Robert L. Lee, and
in a notice of this book leading Rich
mond newspaper gives a fine description
of the part borne by Pickett's Division in
Longstreet's assault on the third day, but
has little or nothing to say about the other
troops engaged whereupOn a citizen of
North Carolina wrote and wished to know
if there were any North CarOlinians upon
the field when Pickett's men so greatly
distinguished themselves.
In answer the editor admits that he had
forgotten all about the other troops en-
gagged, and says: I'VE frankly confess
that our mind has been from the war I'M
til now SO fully possessed of the idea that
the glory of the charge belonged exclu-
sively to Pickett's Division that we over
looked entirely the just measure of credit
that Gen. F'itz Lee has awarded other
commands"
A distinguished writer, in a recent dis
cussion of this assault, says: History is
going forever to ask Gen. Longstreet why
he did not obey Gen. Lees orders and
have Hoods and McLaw's Divisions at
Pickett's back to make good the work
his heroic men had done" Not so. His
tory is not going to ask childish questions
THE PRoDIGIoUs THING.
A Virginian writer in closing his de-
seription of this assault has recently said:
Now, this remark must occur to everyone
in this connection. Picketts break
through the enemy's line, led by Armi-
stead, was the notable and prodigious
thing about the whole battle Of Gettys-
burg" II so, why so?
The commanders of Wright's Georgia
and WilcOx's Alabama Brigades report
that when fighting on Longstreet's left on
the afternoon of the second day, they car
ried the crest of Cemetery Ridge and cap
tured % cannon. The truth of this re
port is confirmed by Gen. Doubleday, who
says: Wright attained the crest and
Wilcox was almost in line with him. vii
cox claims to have captured 20 guns and
Wright eight"
In another place he says, in speaking of
a certain officer: ION his return late in
the day he saw Sickles's whole line driven
in and found Wright's rebel brigade es-
taDliSnsu vi inc crest DdIfluS MS way
back"
Late in the same afternoon over on our
left in Johnson's assault upon Culp's Hill.
Stewards Brigade carried the position in
their front and held it all night Also.
late the same afternoon two of Early's
Brigades, Hoke's North Carolina and
Hays Louisiana, carried East Cemetery
flights, took many prisoners and sent them
to the rear. several colors, and captured
or silenced 20 guns (spiking some of them
before they fell back.) And a part of
them maintained their position for over an
hour, some of them having advanced as
far as the Baltimore Pike.
1t is an undoubted fact that even after
their brigades had fallen back parts of the
9th and 9th n. c., under Maj. Tate, held
their position at the wall on the side of
the hill (repelling several attacks for an
hour, thus holding open the gate to Gene
terry Ridge, and it does seem that under
cover of night this gate might have been
used and the ridge occupied by a strong
force of our troops with slight loss.
On the afternoon of the third day the
men who. were in front of the narrow
space abandoned by the enemy, and some
who were on their right and left, in a
disorganized mass of about 1000, crowded
into this space for safety
Less than 80 followed Armistead TO the
abandoned gun.
When, after about 10 minutes they
were attacked, they either surrendered or
he'd. No one knows what State had most
representatives in this crowd" as the