The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-17


Heath's division, Hills corps. and
swinging up the Chambersburg road
this force, on the morning of July l,
had taken up a commanding position
just below Seminary Ridge. In Nc
Pherson's woods and about an old
farmhouse which stood just beyond
them lay the Twenty-sixth North
Carolina Infantry, each man a sharp
shooter, trained by long practice 10
pick a squirrel from the top of tall
tree.
And a hundred or more of these
sharpshooters lay snugly hidden in the
tops of the trees under orders to single
out Union Officers as their quarry. Fac
ing them and holding a commanding
position on the crest of Seminary
Ridge were the Union artillery and
cavalry under Buford.
Thus matters stood at 8 o'clock on
the morning of July l, when Gen. Rey-
nolds. then commanding the First
Army Corps and holding the left Of
the Union line, came gaI1oping along
the Emmetsburg road from his head
quarters in advance of Wadsworths
division, in which were included the
Fifty-siXth Pennsylvania Regiment
and the Second Wisconsin, the famed
Iron Bugade;" quickly he formed his
plan of battle, and as soon as the
Second Wisconsin arrived upon the
field west of the Seminary he ordered
them TO charge the northern end of
McPhersOn's woods, where Archer's
Confederate brigade lay hidden, and
capture the position.
They obeyed and carried out the
order given, but some idea of the
cost may be gained from the fact that
the Second Wisconsin left 233 dead in
the woods. The death roll of the
FTNN-a11 VII ~
same bloody -affray was 5SS
AS the gallant charge was made Gen.
Reynolds sat upon his horse on a small
eminence near the northern end of
the woods issuing orders to his aides
for the movements of other troops. He
had just turned his head to look for
his supporting columns and hasten them
on when a rife ball struck him in the
back of the head. Freed from the firm
hand upon the rein, his horse plunged
a few rods forward before its stricken
rider fell to the ground dead.
And, 900 yards away, the Confederate
officer seeing the fall, lowered the
glasses he had held to his eye and
grimly said: Ben, it did it's work"
Ben Thorpe had been one of the hun
dred sharpshooters selected from the
Twenty-siXth North Carolina, despite
the fact that he was but 16 years Old
in the top of cherry tree which COM
manded the low ground or swale over
which the Union troops must make
their way to reach McPherson's woods
What followed is best told in his own
words:
Il had been in the treetop perhaps
half an hour when the Wisconsin regi-
ment came charging across the low
ground toward the woods, and had
made couple of shots, when the party
of officers rode up on the little knoll
and halted.
81 was trying to make up my mind
which one l should try for when my
lieutenant appeared under the tree and
began observing the party through his
field glasses. moment later he
glanced up and said:
Ben, do you see the tall, straight
man in the center of that group? He
is evidently an officer of some high
rank and is directing operations which
threaten our line. Sight your gun at
200 yards and see if you can reach him.
Il did as he told me, but saw that
the bullet struck far short of the mark
That was little short, Ben, said
my lieutenant, and after another long
and careful glance through his field
glasses, he said
Sight her at 900 yards this time
and hold steady, for we must have
him.
Carefully I sighted my long-bar-
relied right at the range given, and,
steadying it on a big limb, took good
aim and fired. 1 knew before the re-
port died away, before I saw Gen. Rev
nolds fall, that the shot had been a
good one and would reach its mark.
Il saw the horse plunge forward, saw
the rider sway and fall from his saddle
and then heard the voice of my lieu
tenant saying:
Ben, it did its work. You NAV
come down now, it's time for us to be
moving.
Not until long afterward did learn
who it was my bullet had brought
down, and when 1 did learn, when I
heard and read of what a great and
good man and splendid soldier I had
brought to death, l was genuinely sor-
ry. 1 have been sorry ever since and
when the war was over l took oc-
casion to write to his relatives inform
ing them of the facts and expressing
my sorrow and regret.
i have letters from them, splendid
letters, in which they tell me not to
worry over it, that was the fortune
of war and that they could hold no
animosity or hatred against a soldier
boy who had fought as he believed
and simply obeyed his superior off,
my most treasured possessions and no
money could buy them.
IL was of course, the fortune Of
war, but l cannot help feeling even at
this late day that it was a cruel for
tune which selected me, a mere boy.
to bring to his death this gallant gen
eral who had won fame and ESCAPED
the enemies bullets on so MANY fields
Il have read his history since. He
was a grand man on his record and
from all l have otherwise heard. and T
only wish l could undo my work now"
The letters from the relatives of
Gen. Reynolds spoken of were shown
and the above facts were given. some
weeks ago, to a cunning party which
made the Thorpe plantation near Sat
terWhite, n. c., their headquarters
In this party We're John SchaU. a
nephew of Brig. Gen. SchaIl; Charles
/. Snyder and Harry Fox, of this city.
William ]. Moore of Ogontz and Mr..
Trout of Spring Lake, n. ].
The farmer boy sharpshooter was
much interested in description of the
burial ground at Lancaster Pa, where
Gen. Reynolds ands his brother. Ad-
miral William Reynolds, are buried
side by side, and of the manner in
which John F. Reynolds Post, G. A.
r., whose headquarters are at 1926
South Eighth street, this city, an
nually decorated Gen. Reynolds grave
with flowers. He declared his inten-
ton of himself sending a floral tribute
next Memorial Day if he lived to see it.
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