The National tribune., 1902-10-09
Lees total loss at Gettysburg. 2O,44s

These figures, if true, show that Lee re-
treated from Gettysburg with undue haste,
for his army must have been, as COM
pared with Meade's, better able to re-
main in Pennsylvania than when he in
vaded it; or numerically stronger than
Meade's by 5000.
In this connection wish to review some
of these official Confederate reports of
losses, in comparison with certain known
facts.
First The loss of Picketts Division is
reported at 2,S63, or less than so per cent,
and yet that division went through the
very whirlpool of battle. Was it possible
that HancOck's men were shooting for fun,
and accidentally hit few of Pickett's
men? The First Corps of the Union
army went into the battle of July $500
strong, and lost $500, or nearly 65 per
cent Armistead's Brigade is reported to
have lost in the charge 1,191, or about
60 per cent, while my old brigade Ghe
Iron Brigade) on July / went into battle
with 1883 men, losing 1,212, or about 20
per cent
Second The loss of Hays's Brigade (the
, Louisiana Tigers of Early's Division, that
Jed the charge on the evening of July 2
against the northeast front of Cemetery
Hill, is reported, in this aforesaid Confed-
crate report of losses, at only 313, while
Hoke's Brigade, which supported Hays,
Is reported to have lost rather more, or
S45, making a total loss to the two bri-
gades in the battle of 65S Hays's Louisi-
ana Tigers were never heard of after their
repulse that night, and yet the whole bri-
grade lost only 313 men; absolutely absurd
on the face of it. In repelling the charge
Won Gilsa's and Ames's Brigades lost more
than their opponents are reported to have
lost, and Carroll's Brigade of the Second
Corps, that arrived after the artillery had
Taked Hays's Brigade and repulsed the
charge, lost 211 men, or nearly as many
rs Hays is reported to have lost. Surely
these reports are to be taken with more
than one grain of allowance.
Third. Heth's Division, which opened
the battle on the part of the Confederates
and fought from 8 O'Clock a. m. ustil 4
worth's. Division of Reynolds's First
Corps, is reported herein to have lost q
627 men; yet Gen. Heth, In his official
report of the battle, says: 'In less than
% minutes my division lost over 2,7OO in
killed and wounded" This is but 127
have lost in the whole battle, and no pris-
oners included in Heth's official report
Now, happen to know of my own knowI-
edge that we took many prisoners from
Heth that day. Archer's Brigade of
Heth's Division met the Iron Brigade in
our first onset. We drove them across
WIlioughby Run and there captured Ar
cher and 300 of his men in one haul, while
our Second Brigade (Cutler's) q little lat
er captured the ID Miss, Of Davis's Bri-
gade, same division, commanded by Mai.
John A. Blair, the whole regiment, Major
and all, surTendering to Col Dawes, of
the 9TH Wis, which regiment was tempo
rarlIy attached to Cutters Brigade. One
Of Heth's regiments, the 26th n. c.. of
Pettigrew's Brigade, which later in the
day met the Iron Brigade, replacing Ar
cher In Heths line, went into the action
with 500 men, losing 70S coming out of
the fight with only 90 men. The 24th
Mich, which was to the left of my reg-
ment tthe I'd Wis., in our brigade line, met
this 26th \. c., with 496 men, losing in
the same battle 397, coming out with
force Of 80 men. Pettigrew's Brigade is
reported to have lost Jos men, which is.
after deducting the loss CT the 26th ". c..
q loss of 397 men for the remaining six
regiments OF Pettigrew's Brigade, or &C 1-2
men TO the regiment. These reports are
cut Of harmony with the known facts. Ii
Heth's original official report is true and
] see no reason why it should not be. then
his division must have lost fully 1000
men. Heth's Division went into the bat
lie more than 1900 strong, and if its loss
vas equal IN percentage with the First
Corps, with which it fought, or 65 per
cent, instead of losing 2,S27, as reported
tn these guesswork reports, its loss must
have been 1850.
Fourth. Stuart's Cavalry Corps is re-
ported to have lost 240 men. That being
true, his battle on the Hanover road with
Gregg and Custer must have been a small
affair, and Stuart retreated Immediately
on finding fighting force in his front. II
he had reached the rear of our infantry
and charged in conjunction with Pickett.
he could not have hurt US much.
Fifth. When l visited the old battle
held in 1900 I walked along Confederate
avenue from the Chambersburg pike south
ward on Seminary Ridge, across the EN-
n1tsburg road and eastward to the foot
Of Round Top, where said avenue merees
Into Sykes avenue. This was the Confed-
crate artillery line during the battles of
July and 3, and wherever a Confederate
battery stood during the cannonade or nj
any other time there stand two guns and
Q metallic tablet to commemorate the snot
and the heroism Of the men who stood ia.
hind these Confederate guns. was
greatly interested in reading those tablets
for they revealed the fact that the sur,
vfvors Of these Confederate artillery com
Ranies have forgotten a great deal about
the details of the battle, if they ever
knew. In the vicinity of the steel obser-
vatory that stands on this avenue about
ens-half mile north of the point where II
crosses the Emmitsburg road there are a
number of these tablets, from which I
copied the reports of losses thereon CON
sained, verbatim ct literatim, as follows: