The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-02

SNos s~s sAS~ s~s~s WY
 Before the enemy had time to load their guns . decasion wAsl made. Leap ing over the prost.ats nns csfors re me; me-. ,
 ed for the rocks. The response was .
 bound. . yell and . rush. and In ten sec
 onds my men were pouring lnto The Den. and the enemy were scps1s ssccp,ns irom Tere
 taken. Two soldiers of the lth Maine
 Resament surrendered to me in person
 at the edge of the rocks as my line over
 took and passed me.
 iment struck the hill on which the ar:
 tillery was stationed. and the center ana right swept into the rocks east or .tt.
 Major George W. Carey led the left wing on It's crest. landed among the artillery men ahead of the line, and received their
 surrender. One of the onicers of the bat
 terry. whom l met soon after. comph-
 In the highest terms. The Major: . few
 moments later. found me near the loot
 of the hill. completely prostrated by heat
 and excessive exertion. He exhibited
 artilelry had surrendered and complained
 that guns from both sides were playing
 upon the position. This I knew to be
 true a to the Federal side. At the
 cal case shot from Round Top had ex-
 ploded very near my head, and thrown
 its deadly contents against rock al-
 most within my reach. He was ordered
 from the crest. 50 that they could find
 shelter on the sides of the hill.
 In a very short time. he came back in
 great haste, and informed me that @
 force of the enemy large enough to , en,
 us I sprang to my feet with the inten-
 ton of climbing the hill to see the situ-
 alton and determine what to do; but
 found myself unable to stand ,1. without s,
 cussing the situation, . line of battle.
 moving in splendid style. swept in from
 Seminary Ridge upon our left. ana met
 the threatening force. One of us re,
 right now" Benning's march was so di
 rected that his right Tapped upon my
 left. and poured over the hill upon which
 were the abandoned guns.
 entire line. as well as my own. which had
 pressed through to the north aide of the
 rocks. Other troops. also. are spoken
 of by the Gettysburg Park Commission
 possession s of '.The Devirs Den" In 2
 most interesting work recently published
 by them. entitled "New York at Gettys-
 burR." . copy of which was kindly sent
 me. I find 1t stated that four brigades
 of southern troops were engaged in its
 capture. If by that name 1t meant the
 peculiar formation above described, a
 very good picture of which is given an
 their work. know that single regiment
 than two minutes after the nrst gun was fired, Their reference must nave been to the number engaged In repeinng the counter attack which the capture pro voked.
 It has always been to me a source of sincere regret that my disability, which continued until after nightfall. prevented
 me from seeing anything that occurred uHA h.. n RAnnlnRG Buried in the recesses of the rocks. l could only hear. It is seldom that q sol dier in the midst of great battle, Tn
 comparative security and perfect com
 ing. The incsssant roar of small arms, the deadly hiss of minnie ballss the shouts of the combatants. the booming Of cam
 non.. the explosion of shells, ana the the rocks, all blended in one dread chorus whose sublmity and terror no power or expression could compass. The connct ragged with unabated fury until darkness closed the carnival of death.
 l. My loss was comparatively light. con sidering the desperate character Of the fighting. This was due to three causes: The happy dodge given the first volley of the enemy, the rush made upon them before they had time to reload. and the protection afterward afforded by the rocks. The killed and wounded numbered ninety-two. 8 little over one-fourtn or InQEe Soon after dark the enemy extended their line southward, so as to cover BE Round Top. Laws Brigade made q cor responding movement to confront them. and the 4lth was withdrawn from The Devils Den' and rejoined the command. The captured guns were removed dur ing the night by, Benning's Brigade: or by the lth Texas, which was engaged at ]. the came point .-. -' I would not be understood as express. ing or entertaining the shadow of sus- picion that any false claim to the cap ture of the position was Intentionally made. It was perfectly natural that. coming upon the abandoned guns. and no other troops in sight. they should regard themselves as the first captors. ! heard soon after the battle that the claim was the matter any attention. Stunned and | dazed by a result which cast ominous | conjecture on the whole Southern cause, 1 I could not realize that the next genera | ton would feel the keeneet desire to know, even down to minute particulars, | everything that occurred in that epoch | making conflict. Though not strictly within the scope of
 speak briefly of the other regiments of Laws Brigade, the 4th the 18th. the 41th and 4Sth Alabama. After the filth parted company and headed northward to the Devils Den. they pressed on into the woods, clambered over a rugged spur be- tween the two Round Top hills. furiously assailed Little Round Top. sealed its
 steeps and fought more than twice their
 number on its rocky terraces, until night
 ended the struggle. All this. after a forced march of twenty-six miles. made
 with a single halt, and in the heat or a
 sultry July day! It would be hard to md in the annals of war a parallel to that days work of Laws Brigade"
 The next battle was Chickamauga. In
 Brewers book Alabama" 1t is said of Colonel Perry that he commanded Laws
 Brigade which Is not entirely true. Law
 was in command of Hoods Division; On Saturday, September 19, when the Brig ade went into the battle, Col. James l..
 Sheffield of the 18th Alabama. who was the ranking Colonel. commanded the Brig ade Colonel Perry. who was next in rank, had his regiment on the right or our line and the writer with his reRi- ment-the 18th Alabama-was on the ex-
 treme left of the Brigade. In the ad-
 vance the 44th became separated from the other regiments of the Brigade by bearing too far to the right. Soon after this Sheffield's horse threw and injured hmi so that he retired from the field, and the writer being next in rank present as- | surned command of the other four regi- | ments and commanded the same through | the fighting of that afternoon. did not | know that I was in command until the | Brigade stan officers reported to me and | informed me of the fact. The filth hav- | ing borne to the right to keep in line with Gen John c. Browns Tennessee Brigade. | became hotly engaged with superior num- | bers and without any support on its left | began nasty retreat A battery of our | artillery was likewise hastily retreating | up the long slope and as it came by at
 a ranId pace Colonel Perry, who was not l mounted. jumped on the Timber of one | oF fine 1iins and was thus getting ahead