The National tribune., 1906-11-22

Jeffords tore the flag from the staff and
attempted to get away, and Col.
Stephenson said. Il turned to go to the
assistance of Col. Jeffords, and / saw
rebel soldier run his bayonet thru
the brave Colonel. killing him." and
then Col. Stephenson was wounded. a
ball passing thru his face just below
the eyes, beneath the nose. The order
was then given to fall back. and "Grif-
fms Old Brigade" retreated to Little
Round Top. In the meantime Co. II
was moved forward past battery
which was "limbering up and getting
to the rear as rapidly as possible, as
the rebels were close upon them.
Two days later 1 saw one of the guns
still in position, but the caisson was
gone.
Running ior Little Round Top.
A few minutes later we received the
order. Left face. and every man get
out of this the best way he can" When
we executed the first clause of the or
der we saw our brigade flag on the
crest of Little Round Top and large
body of men in gray just at our left
and between us and the flag. I. being
the tall Corporal was at the ex-
treme right of the company, and the
last man in line, had the honor of be-
ing the last man in blue who could
stand to leave the battlefield. I did
not do any lettering by the way, for
there was line of battle in gray fol-
lowing close upon my heels. and their
bullets were singing a "double-quick
march all around me. I passed over
the ridge, down near the Devils Den,
across the Valley of Death, and, going
up the slope between the two Round
Tops, I met the pennsylvania Re-
serves coming down in line of battle
on a charge. They opened a place in
their line and put themselves between
me and the rebel line ] had the honor
of leading on their charge. and they
took their turn in retreating before
those Pennsylvania dead shots, altho
some of them came back as prisoners.
And "a years later, at the q. V. u.
Convention at Springfield. O., 1 met
one of the comrades of that charging
battle line, and he. remembering the
tall Corporal in blue, unwllingly lead
ing the solid columns in gray. made
himself known to me as one of that
line of Bucktails who opened their
ranks and let me pass. And both of
us remembering the charging yell we
used on occasion to indulge in, then
and there gave voice to 1t vigorously,
proving to any one who might be near
us that "a years had not seriously i'm
paired our yelling qualities.
Calling the Roll.
After passing to the rear of that
friendly protection / found what there
was left of my regiment, and soon the
roll was called and less than One-half
of the number who had answered to
their names in the morning were there
to answer then, and we knew that
many of the missing ones were Sleep
ing their last long sleep out upon the
battlefield we had just left. About this
time Col. Quincy, followed by the 9th
Mass. rode up from the back of Little
Round Top to the crest and halted.
Sitting on his horse, he made few
words" because the brigade had been
in the battle and he with his regiment
had been absent. and declared he would
charge his regiment down the hill in
front, but he didn't do anything of the
kind. The gallant Bucktails Of the
Third Division, Fifth Corps, had al
ready gone over that route, and the
Johnnies had preceded them.
HnzIen's Battery.
Col. Quincy marched his regiment
we'll up on the side of Big Round Top
and camped in the shade of the trees,
and remained there until we marched
away several days later. The rest Of
Griffin's Brigade were marched down
toward the Valley of Death, flied right"
across the front of Little Round Top
below and in front of Hazlett's Battery
and in support of it, and during the
remainder of the fighting at Gettys-
burg that battery was throwing shot
and shell over our heads. The three
regiments present with the brigade lost
in the battle of July 81 killed, 23s
wounded, many of them mortally, and
121 missing. The fourth regiment OF
the brigade did not lose a man, and it
has always been a puzzle to me why
that regiment should have been kept
in reserve while the rest of the brigade,
who had passed thru that terrible fight
ing, was kept on the fighting line to the
end of the Gettysburg series of battles.
I find in letter I wrote home few
days after, concerning the battle in
which the Second Brigade was actively
engaged, this record: I'VE went into
the fight at about o'clock, and it was
near sunset when we left
Looking for the Wounded.
At about 10 o'clock / got three men
to go with me out to the wheat fieil to
see II we could find any of our wound
ed. We were halted at the picket line,
but I convinced the officer in charge
what our errand was and we were per-