The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-16
CLAIM IS PROVEN
Gettysburg Commission
Grants All North Caro-
lima COntended For.
Major Robbins Writes. Tablets Es.
tabIishing Our Claims Have Been
Authorized by the United
States Government.

Survivors of the North CarOliniaGS
who fought at Gettysburg and to all
who are interested in maintaining tie
heritage of fame acquired for the
State ON that historic field. 1t will be
seen that the inscriptions upon the
tablets to Hokes and PettigreW' $
brigades are all that we could ask or
have contended for. They estabiish
our claim. the United States govern
ment having authorized these inscrip-
lions on the tablets after full investi-
cation.
The letters show i'm response to in
quiries from Chief Justice Clark,
Chairman of the Committee of the
State Literary and Historical Society
as TO marking the positions of n. c..
troops. 1t seems that this has beel,
satisfactorily done at Gettysburg
(save that the State should substitute
bronze for iron tablets) but at lne
other battles-Parks. Sharpsburg ANA
Chicamauga, also at Bethel and Apo
mattox, the State should put up these
tablets At Chicamauga, every state
on both sides has tablets EXCEPT
North Carolina. and possibly Va. yet
the farthest advance was there made
by North Carolina troops. and the
spot is marked only by pine board
nailed to a telegraph pole.
gettysburg, Pa. Sept. p. 1904.
Judge waiter clark.
My Dear Friend---Your letter of
10th inst. is received. In response /
send You a chart of the battlefield on
which the various commands. both of
infantry and artillery, are located at
the respective positions where ti;ey
formed line. or unlimbered their guns.
10 begin the fight: and / have marked
those from North Carolina. of the
infantry; only the brigadas are
marked.
Our commission have markell each
brigade and each battery with IRON
tablets Al "a inches in horizontal
measure and 80 1-2 inches wide. Sc
curcly mounted on solid iron pillars
about four feet high and deeply and
securely fastened i'm the earth: ana
the tablets are so adjusted to the top
of the pillars as to have slight IN
clination backward and thus; present
the inscription plainly to the eve Of
the person passing by along the
avenue whether on foot or mounted.
These tablets are all placed alongside
Of the avenues: and the avenues Run
along the lines of battle. or where
the troops formed line and advanced
10 the fight. The inScrintiOES give
the numbers of the several regiments
Of the brigade for which the tables
stands. and q brief rehearsal Of the
achievements in the battle. its losses.
etc. and if either regiment specially
The North Carolina brigades ana
the regiments composing them are as
follows. viz:
Daniel brigade-32nd, 4Srd. 45th.
53rd. regiments. and End North Caro-
lima battalion.
VERSIONS brigade-5th, 18th, 201h,
and 23rd regiments.
Ramseur'S brigade-2nd, 4th, ! 4th,
and goth regiments.
Hoke's brigade-6th. 21st. and 9th
regiments.
Pettigrews brigaie-11th. 2Gih.
47th. and 57th regiments.
Lanes brigade-7th. 18th. eS,h.
33rd and 37th regiments.
Scales brigade-13th. 18th, 22nd.
cath. and 3Sth regiments.
RobertsOn's cavalry brigade-4th
and 9Th n. c. cavalry regiments.
Stewards infantry brigade-1st and
Bird n. c. regiments, with lib Va. al j
] Md. regiments
Davis infantry brigade-55th n. C.
regiment, with3 Miss. regiments.
Hampton's cavalry brigade-1st n.
&. regiment with five from other
states.
Chambliss' cavalry brigade-2nd n.
G.. regiment with three from Va.
The North Carolina artillery was
as follows, viz:
Grahams battery-"The Charlotte
Artillery''-two Napoleons. two IL
Manly's battery-"First N c.. Ar
tiilery"-Two Napoleons and two 3
inch rifles.
Latham's battery-"The Branch
Artillery''-One Napoleon. two 10
uounder PARROTS and two Howitzers.
Reilly's battery-''The Rowan Ar
tillery''-Two Napoleons. two 10
FOUNDER PARROTS and two 3 inch rifles.
Section OF Reilly's battery. the two
PARROTS were moved off to them
selves ON the extreme right to resist
Marion cavalry, and they are mounted
now on the spot which they then &C.
cupied in the battle.
You ask me for a list of the spots
which should be marked. l can only
answer this by saying our commission
have placed the present tablets where
the respective brigades formed line
and started into the fight and where
the batteries were located Wneh en-
gagged i'm the conflict
We found it impracticable to under
take to mark with tablet eacn ana
every pcint where the infantry com
mands fought and distinguished them
selves by their gallantry and acmeVe-
ments. and therefore adopted the
plan of placing the tablets for each
command at the point where they
formed line and moved into the fght'
and the inscriptions-which are cas'
i'm raised letters on the tablets-de-
scribe IN DfleI the movements anu
performances of the respective COM
mands. all of which can be followed
by the eve from the point where the
tablet stands We thought this the
best plan. as the attempt to mark
AL the points occupied and made no.
table by our brigades and regiments
would have caused great confusion.
AS the tablets now on the field are
all of iron it would be quite an i'm
provement to have bronze tablets
erected i'm their stead. Our commits
sion have not erected bronze tablets
because they cost much more than
iron ones: and the approximation
made by Congress were not sufficient
To enable us to use the bronze II
would be quite a nice thing for North
Carolina to substitute bronze for the
present iron monumental tablets
which mark the positions and record
the services of her gallant sons or
this field where she lost more stair
then my other state except New York
and PENNSYLVANIA.
a map Of this field blue print
showing the positions of all the com.