The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-26

0AlH&1H M1 A 61 lhz zall HILL MlM MlNXlM you plant that flag these boys are in the habit of storming breastworks wherever they see that flag fiying!. Gettysburg.
 We were not In the fight on the first day of July. at Gettysburg. Our division--Anderson's-- for about two hours that afternon halted some two miles away, looking at the smoke and listening to the sounds of the battle. The query was in our minds Why are we not put in? and we an- swered ourselves by saying, if we were needed Mars Bob" would have us there
 On the morning of the ?nd of July about a. m, the brigade was moving sy the right flank below the crest of ridge that was to our left and be- tween us and the enemy--this to avoid being seen as we were taking our po- sition in the intended line of battle The 10th Alabama was in front. the 11th next, and the 9th next. The 10th was sharply attacked by Berdan's bat talion of sharpshooters. and the 2nd Maine regiment from behind a rock fence When the attack was made on the 10th the 11th was moving diagon- ally across field to take it's intended position on the left of the 10th. As
  right flank, which was pointing to- wards the stone wall, came sudden fire from behind the rock wall This sudden attack upon its flank caused the 11th to fall back. At this time the sth was behind the 1ith andswas nov Ing by the right flank to point sti1i further on the left where we were to take position. When the firing began we halted, facing by the rear rank to- wards and parallel to the rock fence. The 10th Alabama in the mean time had stood its ground on the right and was gallantly driving the enemy back. As soon as unmasked by the 1ith the sth advanced upon the enemy and drove them from the wall. This rock wall or fence was at right angles with the enemy's main line of battle on the heights and now the 8th faced by the rear rank along the rock fence. our left flank pointing to the line occu- pied by the enemy's main body along Cemetery Ridge, we laid. awaiting or ders until late in the afternoon. The refnainder of the brigade was stretch ed out on our right, and our line was here lying, as General Wilcox says in his report, o. R. Series 1, Vol xvii, Part II, "at right angles to the line which McLaws Division took up near us about p. m. Wilcox in his report, says:
 'My instructions were to advance when the troops on my right should advance, and to report this to the Di- vision Commander in order that the other brigades should advance In prop CT time. Tn order that should ad- vance on my rightiit became necessary for me to move of by the left flank, so as to uncover the ground over which tftky had to advance"
 Owing to the unexpected delay of Longstreet's corps to attack the order was not given to us to advance until late in the afternoon. I now quote from the "Short History of the Sth Alabama regiment, written in camp, and sanctioned by the officers who were present at Gettysburg. Speaking at first of the position we occupied at the rock fence, after the fight in the morning. this account says:
 Our line now formed right angle with that of Barksdaie's Brigade. which was on the left of Longstreets Corps when that corps came up. We threw out skirmishers who kept up q brisk fire with the enemy during the day. About 5:30 ?. m.. Barksdale's Brigade moved forward and drove the enemy before them. Wilcox ordered his Brigade to move by the left flank. We being on the left of our brigade were therefore In front. Moving about three hundred yards in this manner, we, the Sth, were greeted on the as- cent of some rising ground, with a shower of musket balls and grape shot from line of infantry about 200 yards off and a battery of artillery on their right. Owing to the skirmish l in the morning the regiment had been in line faced by the rear rank We now. under this heavy fire changed front forward at a double-quick. each company commencing to fire as 1t took its position in line. The regiments to our rear were obliged to make a de- ] tour to our left, and then come for ward into line which occupied 'onsid- 1 erable time during which our regiment 1 was exposed to the concentrated fire | of all the enemy in our front. We l were suffering terribly, and the men l were impatient to charge. With @ | cheer we rushed onward, and the ene- l my's artillery and infantry fell back | before us"
 The sth now became in this charge | separated by nearly 200 yards from l the remainder of the brigade, which l was on our left. This fact, strange l to say, so completely escaped our at- | tention at the time in the excitement l of battle. that 1t was not known to | the writer until 1t came to his atten- 1 ton some thirty years afterwards. | when the Commissioners of the Bat l flefield of Gettysburg, with the aid of | General Forney who in the battle was | Colonel of the 10th. Colonel Caldwell, l in the battle Lieutenant-CoIone1o of the | 10th, and the wrtler. were locating | the lines along which our regiments | fought This win be explained later