The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-02-27
ROUTE OF THE FIRST CORPS TIC
GETTYSBURG.
July 4, 1SG3-.Part of which i Was and
All of Which 1 Saw"

July I, 1SG3-sPart of Which Was and
All of which Saw"
Editor National Tribune: Your CORE
spondent, B. H. Trip, seems to be
badly twisted" in his rather dogmatic
insistence, in The National Tribune OF
Jan. 90, that the First Corps took the
Taneytown road in its march to inter-
cept Lees advance on Gettysburg. The
detail is really of no significance so far
as it has any bearing on the preliml-
nary impact of the hostile forces But
history has rights winch require asser-
ton. and the facts in this matter are
so uniformly established by the corps
itinerary, official reports as published
in the Government War Records and
the consensus of opinion, that they must
supersede the vagaries of an ipse dlxlt
to the contrary, even when exemplified
by diagram.
The individual experiences, opinions
and discussions of marches, movements
and battles OF the war of the rebellion
by those who participated in them, even
controversies regarding moot points, are
highly interesting in themselves, now
ever. Moreover, they are of distinct
value in experimenting formal history,
correcting its errors, and have mis-
sion, besides, in furnishing some future
Macaulay with material for some OF
those illuminating writings which pho-
tograph conditions and materiailze per-
sons, conduct and motives so VlVldiy as
to enable the reader of to-day or To-
morrow to realize, as if he were an ac-
tor in the times and the scenes por-
trayed. To old soldiers the campaign
histories, personal experiences, picker
Shots and the like are the bareback
and coffee of the menu with which The
National Tribune weekly regales them;
for none but soldier knows and can
sympathize with soldiers joys, MS
hardships, triumphs and disappoint-
ments And thru such means history
is being sifted and its truth brought to
light in way likely to remove the re-
proach of old Plutarch that sit is very
difficult to find out the truth OF any
thing by history"
Comrade Tripp errs egregiously, yet
innocently without doubt, in his con-
tention The facts are all against him.
unfortunately. The undersigned was a
member of the First Corps, and march
ed with his comrades on the morning
of July /, 1863, from Marsh Creek along
the Emmitsburg road, and no other,
to a point near the Codori House, where
the corps was halted, while Gen. Rey-
noIds and a staff officer or two rode on
to the town and thence to the Lutheran
Seminary TO confer with the cavalry
leader, Gen. Buford, whose men even
then were holly engaged with the enc
my. Within a few minutes Cen Double
day, commanding the corps, was Or
dered to advance the First Division,
Wadsworths at double-quick across the
fields to the left. The Second Brigade,
Cutters. was in the van The men,
after tearing down the rail fence on the
left or west side of the road, turned
into the Codori fields, crossing Seminary
Ridge and making for the Chambers
burg road, where Buford's desperate
struggle was occurring.
There is nothing in the comrades
communication to show what organiZa-
ton he belonged to; but as he says he
was with Gen Reynolds at the head
of the column from Marsh Creek to the
field it would seem that he must have
marched with Cutters Brigade or else
in some capacity with Reyonlds's head
quarters. Wadsworth's Second Brigade
(Cutler's) consisted of the 18th Ind
18th, 95th and 147th n. Y, 14th Brook
lyn and the Seth Pa. regiments. 1t was
this brigade that precipitated the gen
eral engagement, the 56th Pa. having
the honor, and very appropriately, Of
delivering the first infantry volley tina
opened the main battle.
1t seems hardly probable that an!
member Of the First Corps could have
found himself on the Taneytown road
on the morning of July 1, except on {
supposnicn that it would be contrary
to the spirit OF comradeship to insin'
uate; for the corps bivouac at Marsf
Creek was along the Emmitsburg road
Gen. Reynolds occupying house or
the left OF the road for his headquar
tiers on the night of June 80. Tit
? Taneytown road was mile or more
east of our position, running along il
the rear of Cemetery Ridge all the wa!
for a mile and half to the cemetery
where il crossed TO enter the town. y
Gen. Reynolds was given his route o
march day by day, distance and road
being indicated, and as the most direc
road to his objective, Gettysburg, ac
cording to his line of march-whici
for two days had been from Mechanics
town to Emmitsburg, thence to Marsl
Creek-was the Emmitsburg road, h
would hardly have diverted his troop:
in the absence of military oxigency
from his prescribed route TO a thoro
fare so distant from ii as the fancy
town road Besides, the Third Corp
was already at Taneytown; it had tn
right of way of that road, AND 1t neces
sarily would be required 20 keep IN
same clear for any contingency tha
might demand the hurried dispatch O
Sickles's command TO the front. TIL
event confirms this, for Sickles marche
into position by that road in the after
noon. As for Cen. Howard's asserte
confirmation of our comrades conten
ton. it ought to ne enough 10 say tina
the General was at Emmitsburg, !
miles away. on the morning of July
and cid nor get up to the front unit
about l O'Clock p. m. Under the eli
cumstances, on The score of his person;
knowledge he could hardly be az
cepted as an Authority regarding tn
route of the First Corps.
Comrade Trip. am sure, on refeC
tion will revise his opinion on the poir
in question. and allow, as we old so
= diers frequently have to do, that OF
memories of events that transpired 4
years ago, while accurate and tenacio;
i'm the main. occasionally will prove
little treacherous in minor particulars
George Z. Jepson, 18th Mass, Newto
Mass.
Capture OF Jcff Davis.