The National tribune., 1908-10-15
CHANCELINRSVILLE.
CONTINUED from page two.) }

tfr
Union line a little 10 thesrear and left
Of the 69th Pa. Pickett,S Division as
sautled the three hRigads1 Of Gibbons
Division. and Gen! ArMistead. after
Picketes men hadI reached the wall,
with 100 or mor8nViremians, broke
thru'and over the we'll inifront Of Webb
and reached po;hti 33 yards beyond,
where he fell mortally wounded, and
his followers killed Sor driven out. Gen.
Webb in his official report stated that
only part of the N1st Ph. was driven
from the wall, and that 1.-THE 69th Pa.
and part of the list Pa. held their DO
sitions at the wall. Gen. Gibbon said
that the whole front line Of Webb was
driven back. Numerous North Caro-
linians of Pettigrew's and Scales's and
Lanes Brigades and some of Archer's s
Tennesseeans have since the battle
claimed that they entered the salient
also. But this writer has found no such
statement embodied in any of the Off
cial reports. The right of Heth's Divi-
sion was at and little to the south of
the vertex of the ANGLE The three
North Carolina brigades, Pettigrew's,
commanded by Col. Marshall until he
was killed, and then BY Maj. Jones,
Lanes and Scales's, assaulted Smyth's
Brigade along its entire front and a
part of Willard's. posted behind the re-
ceding wall 80 yards to the east of the
wall, behind which Webb with his bril-
gade and the other brigades Of Gibbons
Division We're posted. For the purpose
of this article it makes no difference
whether Pettigrew's Brigade of the first
line or Scales's or Lanes of the second
line, in succession or commingled in
our line, made the assault on Smyth's
Brigade; and, to digress slightly, it may
be as well to add that there was a con-
fusion and commingling of the various
commands at and around the vertex in
front of Webb. Capt. Owen, of Gar
netts Brigade, in an article in the Phil
adelphia Weekly Times (1SS1), wrote:
"A hundred yards from the stone wall
the fianking party on the right coming
down on a heavy run halted suddenly
within 80 yards, and poured deadly
storm of musket balls into Pickett's 8
men, double-quicking across their front,
and under this terrible cross-fire the
men reeled and staggered between fall
ing comrades and the right came press
ing down upon the center, crowding
the companies into confusion. We all
knew the purpose was to carry the
nights in front, and the mingled mass,
from 15 TO 80 deep, rushed toward the
stone WALL"
On Webb's Flank.
The same condition prevailed within
the Angle amongst the Federal troops
Gen. Hancock in his official report,
after relating that reinforcements had
been brought to Webb, said, 'sThe situa-
ton now was very peculiar. The men
of all the brigades had in some meas
ure lost their regimental organization,
but individually they were firm. In
regular formation our line would have
stood four ranks deep" But to return
to the main subject: 1t is insisted that
troops of the brigadeg OF Pettigrew
Lane and Scales, whether In successive
lines of battle or colnmingled in one is
immaterial, did advance upon Smyth's
Brigade, behind the receding wall be-
yond the line held by Webb and before
Webb gave way. If they did SO ad-
vance, then the presence on the right
flank and rear of Wse5o's first line must
have had as great an effect in breaking
Webb'sDl line and forcing 1t back as the
attack in front; and If the North Caro-
linfanS continued the advance upon
Smyth behind the receding wall further
to the east than the point where Gen.
Armistead fell, then, not technically,