The National tribune., 1903-11-12
North Carolina troops advanced the far
thest and remained the longest says at
page 152:

North Carolina troops advanced the far
thest and remained the longest says at
page 152:
HERoISM IN VAIN.
Some of Pettigrew's North Carolin-
ianS advanced to the wall itself, DONG all
that splendid valor and heroic endurance
could do to dislodge the enemy, but their
heroism was in vain.
And only a very few of the many post
bellum witnesses quoted from by him
claim any more than the official reports
show As to the value of these post-bel-
lum statements, as compared with the ofli-
cial reports prepared Mt the time, we can
not do better than to quote from what
Gen. Lane said in the article in the
Southern Historical Society Papers, be-
fore referred to. He says, speaking of
his own report of the battle of Gettys-
burg:
IL am sure the public will consider
this official paper, written about a month
after the battle, more valuable histori-
| cal document than the many recent
articles written from memory, which is
at all times treacherous, and. as every
Confederate soldier knows, particularly so
as regards the incidents, etc, of our heroic
struggle for independence And then goes
on to give instances of the unrelability of
| these writings from memory.
I'VE have heretofore said we could find
| no official repor. of this battle rom Gen.
Pickett. The following letter explains
why this report was not published. and,
found in Series /, Vol. XXvII, Part III,
Page 1915, Reb. Rec, and is as follows:
"'Gen. Geo. E. Pickett, Commanding,
"'General: You and your men have
crowned yourselves with glory; but We
| have the enemy to fight, and must care
fully, at this critical moment, guard
against discussions which the reflections
in your report would create. l will. there
fore, suggest that you destroy both copy
and original, substituting one confined to
casualties merely. l hope all will yet be
well.
81 am, with respect, your ob't servant,
"'R. Z. LEE, General
1--WE make no comments on this letter,
and surely it is not necessary to suggest
why it was written by Gen. Lee.
NO REFLECTION INTENDED.
eve do not intend to be misunderstood.
| We have not done so, and do not intend
| TO reflect in any way on any of the North
| Carolina troops. On the contrary, we
think considering the fact that they were
engaged and sustained heavy losses in the
| first days battle. and ewre thus deprived
of many of their brigade, regimental and
company officers. they behaved with sig
nal gallantry; but our contention and our
only point is that the present claim set
up by North Carolina, that her troops
were farthest to the front at Gettysburg
is not sustained by the record.
"We have recently learned that whilst
! our friends from North Carolina do not
now claim that their men entered the
enemy's works, as some of Picketts did,
| yet they say that at the point where
| Pickett's men struck these works they
were further advanced to the front than
where Pettigrew's men struck them. and
as Capt. Satterfield and other North
Carolinians of the 55th n. c. fell within
nine yards of the wall, this settles it that
| the men from this State North Carolna)
fairly earned the title, '.Farthest at Get
| tysburg' Note by the Editor North Car
olina Regiments, '61-65, Vol. 5, p. 101.
IN DAvIs's BRIGADE.
eve remark in the first place that the
55th n. G. was in Davis's Brigade, the
furthest brigade to the left (save one) in
the charging column and being without
any support, as explained by Gen. Lane,
we thought it was conceded that this bri-
gade and Brockenbrough' were the first
| troops to give way.
"But surely our friends are not basing
| their claim on any such narrow and tech
nical ground as is here indicated, and as
surely this is not the meaning they intend
ed to convey by this claim. We might as
| we'll claim that the picket on the flank of
| Meade's army or captured in his lines,
| was 'farthest to the 'front.' Every sol
der knows that the front of an army is
wherever its line of battle is (whether that
line is zigzag or straight), and the oppos-
ing troops, which penetrate that line are
| farther to the front than those which do
| not.
I'VE have shown. we think, conclusive
| ly, that the Virginians under Pickett did
penetrate the enemy's line on the Sd of
| July, '63. in the famous charge at Gettys-
burg. and that the North Carolinians, un-
der Pettigrew and Trimble, did not.
REASON FOR LOSSES.
"Another ground on which, we under
stand, North Carolina bases this claim, is
that the losses in Pettigrew's and Trim
ble's Divisions in this battle were greater
than those of Pickett. All the statistics
Of losses we have seen of the battle of
Gettysburg include those in the different
commands in all three days combined.
Since, therefore, Pettigrew's and Trim
ble's men were engaged in the battles of
the first day, as well as those of the third,
and as Pickett's were only engaged on the
| third day, of course. the losses of the first
two divisions in the two days battles Were
greater than those of the last named in
the one days battle.
"If our friends from North Carolina
would adopt the language OF her gallant
| son, Capt. Ashe, from whom we have al
ready quoted, and say of Gettysburg:
1t was indeed field of honor as well
as field of blood, and the sister States
of Virginia and North Carolina have equal
cause to weave chapletS of laurel and
cypress then, no one in Virginia would
have Just cause of complaint, and certain
Iy none would ever have come from this
committee on this point. But when her
claim is set forth in the inyidious land, We
think, unjust form it is. we think it not
only our right. but our duty to appeal to
that record, and this is all we have tried
to do.
| CHICKAMACGA AND APPOMATTOX.
"As to Chickamauga: We have already
prOtracted this report too far to warrant
us in investigating the ground on which
this claim is based by North Carolina. Vir-
ginia was at Chickamauga, too, along
with North Carolina, and represented by
q much larger number of troops. We have
always understood that these troops did
their duty on this field, as well as those
from any other State. This is all we
claim for Virginia, and all that was
claimed for North Carolina, until very re-
Gently. We only remark, as to this be-
! lated claim, that we have read the full
and detailed report of this great battle,
written by the Commanding General, a
native of North Carolina, and in it he no.
where refers to any specially meritoriOus
| services rendered by the few North caro-
lima regiments there.
| Ao TO The 10