The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1903-07-03
pesth Of Malor.oen. ReynoId..

Death Of Maior.oen. Reynolds.
Ben, II did ia work; you may come
down now"
Nearly forty years ago on the morn.
Ing OF the frst day OF July. 1868. these
words were spoken by a Confederate
officer. and lanky. beardless youth
clamberod down from his perch In the
top branches Of cherry tree with a
rife sim smoking In his hands.
simultaneously, and only 800 yards
away, gallant Union general. an
army corps leader. ON whose shoulders
cleaned tho stars betokcnlng his rank,
fell from his horse with bullet hole
in his head, ana he died before his
aids could reach his side.
This is the story OF the death Of
Maior-Gen. Reynolds. Pennsylvania
beloved soldier son, at the opening OF
the first days battle at Gettysburg.
told by the aharpshooter who had laid
him low, and now published for the
nrst time. The incident has been hlth.
erto almost unvoiced. for the man who
when only boy of 10 years fired the
fatal shot has bitterly rcpontcd OF Il.
His name Is benjamin Thorpe. and
he is now. at the age OF &c. what he
was In the war the crack shot Of
North Carolina and he still lives on
his ancestral acres Just outside the
village OF SattorWhite.
ben Thorpe Is not proud Of hls
achievement and only to his more In.
innate friords viii he talk of the shot
fred from the trcetup that july morn.
ing years ago. when he does speak
OF II there Is polnnant regret In his
tone lie regretted II the day he
learned who the DISTINGUISHED target
which his bullet struck was. and he
has never ceased to regret Il.
Lonely he lives upon his big planta.
ton. his only companions. except FOR
Northern visitors being half score
OF negro hands and twenty gauni and
feroclous looking doerhounda. lie has
never married.
All day on the auth At June. 1868
the loglons OF lee. iougstrea, and H.u
had been sweeping up from The South.
ern plains In the direction of Getty.
burg intent upon dcstro' nr the Union
army OF Hooker and Meade and open.
ing up the ialrost and dChp.t valleys
and most populous cities oft lho N0r,h
90 pillagc.
Ia the van were the Confederate
brgands OF pottigrcw ggl A.rhcr or
Heath's division. Hllls rnp AVID
swinging NJ the Chamberslugg road
this force. on the morning o! July l.
had taken up cummundirr pultlan
Just below Seminary Ridge. DO Me-
Pherson's woods aud abOut cu O.d
farm house which stood Just beyond
them lay the TWcnty.siyth North Car
olina infantry. each man q ararp h0of
or. trained by long practice 90 nic'l q
squirrel from the top of tail trer.
And a hundred or more OF those
sharpshooters lay snugly hiddon IN the
tops Of the trees undcr orders to sin.
gle out Union officers as their quarry
Facing them and holiilg "a command.
ing position on the crest ~ Seminary
Ridge were the Union artillery aud
cavalry under Ruiord
Thus matters stood al o o'cllr' ON
Che morning OF July !. waon Gen.
Reynolds. then commander the First
Army Corps and huldInr lha lr.t of
the Union line came Wl'opes ulorr
Tho Emmctsburr road frn his head
quarters IN advance of Wedswnrth's
division. IN which wc.o included the
Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania fcr ucat ana
the Second Wisconsin thc famed
'Iron" brigade: quickly bee termed mis-
plan OF battle and as saon ns The Scr,
ond Wisconsin, arrived upon the Hcll
west Of the Seminary he ordered thom
20 charge the northern end % Mcphcr
sons woods. where Archer clufed.
crate brigade lay hidden ana capture
the position.
They oheyed and carried ont the
order given hut some idea Of the cost
may be gained frcm the fact that the
Second Wisconsin lefi 933 dead la the
woods. The death roll Of the Twenty
sixth North Carolina In that same
bloody ARRAY was SIS.
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 10 his
aides for the movements of other
troops He had iust turned hls head
10 look for his supporting columns and
hasten them ON when a rife BAH
struck him In the back Of the head
Freed from the firm hand upon the
rein. his horse PLUNGED a few rods
forward before rs stricken rider fell
TO the ground dead.
And. 800 yards away the Confoder
ate officer seeing him fan lowered the
glasses ne had held to his eye ana
grimly said Ben. q ana its work"
Ben Thorpe had heen one Of the
hundred aharpshooters selected from
The Twenty-siNth North Carolina de.