The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-28
PICKETT OR PErTTGREW.
4 Rhode Island ComraAe Says the North
CarollAians Reached NigRjWater MARI
st Gsttysbur4, asd Gives Other Details
81 That Great Battle.

u EAOoe AsfaA0 COmraae Says the North |
Csreli.ia.s Reached Eishiwater a1ark
81 That Great Battle.
Thomas NJ. Aldrioh. Battary A. LIST
r. I. L. A.. IS Battery street. Proyi-
dence, r. J.. returns thanks to Col.
Andrew Cowan for This manly reply
to Comrade Aldrich's letter, and "espe-
cially for his glowing tribute to the
kh0de Island batterieA and more espe-
1T IL quite an eagy matter" saws
Comrade Aldrich, 'by reading the Col
oneIs short letter, to nee. how the 1st
N. 7. Independent Battery gained it's
famous name. AS goad pfficers make
good soldiers, did not mention Cow
ans Battery in my letter. only the bat
teries and regiments Of the Second
Corps. for the purpose Of helping me
to show how North Carolina came far
Their on the Union line than Virginia.
But in my history Of Battery A I
gave 1t the credit OF having relieved
Battery B. and spoke Of it having been
in the front line, while Battery b was
placed back across Hancock Avenue;
which to my mind was wrong, as the
marker OF Battery B and the monu-
ment of Cowan's LIST N. Y. should have
been on the front line, where they both
fought. This is only one of the MANY
things which John b. Batcheider. SUI
perintendent Of Tablets and Legends,
did on that field, and the same thing
ne attempted to do to the 72d Pa in
placing their monument. east of Han
cock Avenue. But the 72d Pa. went
to law about it and gained their point.
1 spoke to Col Brown about it last
Summer. and while he did not think it
was right, he did not say anything. for
the reason that he had his monument
paced out near the Peach Orchard,
where his battery received it's heaviest
dow on the second day, and where he
pleased with Cowans description of
what happened in his immediate front,
al 1t was the first time 1 ever heard of
the enemy breaking the line in any
part of Halls Brigade. A hundred
yards of that part Of the line was hid
at the instant the Colonel speaks Of
Hairs Brigade was rushing to the res
cue of Webb's Brigade in the angle
ABOUT the statement alleging that
STANDARDS Brigade put Wilcox astray.
do not claim it to be a fact It was
what | learned from men since, who
were in Wilcox's Brigade, OF the deadly
lire they received shortly after passing
the Codor1 house, and the fact that
they did go astray, and as Gen. Han
COCK had thrown Stannard to the front
right wheel and the manner in which
n,
quite enough to make anything go
astray. which to me seems a very good
reason.
II do not wish TO dispute or argue
the point with Col. Cowan as to who
came farthest on the Union lines at
letters is to get the facts. if possible,
as In some future time some historian
may be able to get something from
them which will be of service to him,
as | think 1T will be some time yet be-
fore the true history of the civil war is
written. And while Col. Cowan was on
much lower ground than I was, and at
least $50 yards south of my position,
he being mixed up With artillery and
infantry in the general melee, where
men were shooting. stabbing and club
bling each other: with a solid cloud of
smoke around him, he Gould not see up
In front of our battery or Smyth's Bril-
gade as we'll as / could, standing upon
the hill above our guns. And when we
draw the true line OF battle north and
south, with the exception of Webb's
Brigade and part Of Halls (Which ito
my mind was bad break in the line),
and that the enemy broke short space
in that sharp corner of the wall and
came not over 20 Yards inside of It
While from so to 200 yards north of
that position the enemy had clear
field until they got to the wall 100
yards east of the low wall at the west
end of the angle And that number
Of them did come to that wall and
were there killed or captured, 1 cannot
see 1t in any other light than that that
portion of the enemy's line came
farthcst on to the Union line, and those
troops were Pettigrew's North Caro-
linans.
II am not alone in this belief, as
many or our company are living who
viii tell the same story, including our
original First Sergeant, afterwards our
FIRST Lieutenant. Henry w. Newton
who lectured 10 years with the great
pictures of Gettysburg. He informed
me that in his lecture he always claimed
that North Carolina came farthest and
he was never disputed. In my letter
OF Oct. 20 / was made to say that
'Weir's Battery relieved Arnold's, and
came in and shelled the fleeing troops
OF Pickett and Pettigrew. The latter
General and his men, l understand.
never got credit for their deeds at Get
tysburg, although Pettigrew tried hard
to have justice done them without
avail: and it is said he died heart
broken In consequence I don't know
how this got into my letter, but am
sure | never wrote it. as it would make
me look rather ignorant concerning
that General, he being killed or NOR
tally wounded just after he crossed the
itmmitsburg road. What / did say was
that one section of Weir's Battery
came In. passing through the barway
near my timber, and took the place OF
Cushing's section, that had been so
roughly handled in the angle. 1t was
reported since the war that Weir tried
hard to get credit for going in there,
but could not and that he died Of
broken heart in consequence. It was
with Weir among the historians, as
with Lieut.. Milne. of Battery B, LIST r.
l. L. A., who was killed at about the
same time Lieut.. Cushing was on the
same section. Cushing, being short of
officers. borrowed Milne from Lieut..
Brown for that battle, and while I have
read great deal about what Cushing
said and did just before he was killed,
| have never read word about Milne
having been killed at the same time
and place.
I'm reply to Serg't or Capt. Van Et-
tens letter, / will say I am afraid he
was mistaken in his reading of my let
ter, as l never spoke about his battery
having monument on our ground, as
we did not occupy the same ground or
make any claim Of having done SO. My
desire was only to give credit where
credit was due. / do not claim to have
seen 1t all, thing that was impossible,
and, as l have always said, no two men
can see matter alike, even If they
stand shoulder to shoulder. 1 saw