The National tribune., 1908-09-17
noDrNsoN,s DIVISION.
Reception of the News OF Gen. Reynoids's
Death-Gashering Up Cartridges on.
the battlefield.

Editor National Tribune: have just
finished the perusal of your account OF
the first days fight, and on the whole
congratulate you on the simple 1ustlce
accorded our First Corps. Like all sol
dfers of a particular regiment. brigade,
division or corps, I feel somewhat dis
appointed at the few, in fact rare, ref
erences to the splendid work of our
second (Robinsons) Division, and to
our First Brigade (Paufs) on that gio-
rious day.
when mentioned as going into action,
was named Halls" Brigade, and that
practically ended the reference to our
splendid fighting. In today's Nauonal
Tribune an objectionable misstatement
appears in giving the number or killed.
wounded and missing Confederates.
The figures show only 81 rebels mss miss
ing. while the First Corps shows miss
ing 1,191 Only soldiers will notice this
discrepancy. Why, our brigade captured
more than that number of prisoners in
one of its dashes on the straight rebel
line" in our front. Well, there Is one
consolation to us survivors or the flrst
Corps, and that is no one who has read
its deeds on that July day viii believe
Gen. Sickels that "the battle of Gettys-
burg was fought on the I'd and I'd OF
July and, that the first days contest
was no part of the battle" etc.
Just two incidents and | will ask your
forgiveness for all this. / enjoyed your
| tribute to the 4th q. S. Battery most
fully, as it was fully deserved. Just as
the head of our division was about to
turn to the left to cross the fields from
the Emmitsburg road that famous bat
terry came galloping up to get to the
| front Just at that moment the ambu-
! lance containing the body of our below
ed Reynolds came to the point, the bat
| tery came to a halt, only for few mo-
4 ments, and an officer accompanying the
ambulance announced that 1t contained
| the dead body of our idol. Oh! the
| horror of that moment. We were all
stunned for the time. but in the next
/ instant / saw the boys of that battery.
/ 1t seemed to me all of them took OF
i all their garments except shirt, trousers
and shoes, and rolling up their shirt
/ sleeves TO their shoulders held up their
hands and in vehement terms vowed TO
ayenge the death of Gen. Reynolds.
i Yes, that is one of the incidents Of that
1 July day that will never leave me. How
l we'll the noble beardless boys fulfilled
4 that vow your National Tribune fully
yerifies. The action of those boys was
surely contagious. for every man of our
\ division who witnessed their action
I Joined in the resolve. How well we
played our part will appear in my Sec
ond incident.
We were almost out of ammunition
our so rounds gone and no hope oil
either relief of men or ammunition
Our pleas for cartridges were heard by
4 our splendid division commander. Gen
ii Robinson, who called to his staff and
Orderlies to help him supply us. and sc
Gen. Robinson. his staff and Orderlies
ransacked every cartridge box of the
dead and wounded and shared with us
all they found. and they We're many.
personally received three cartridges
from the hand of my division com.
mander Do you know of any little In
cident that more fully portrays the glo.
!. rious work of Reynoidss men? If there
is left a survivor of the 4th u. S. Bat.
: terry who was present when the death
! of Gen. Reynolds was announced ht
will corroborate what I have written
, and 1 know few of the boys of the
old 107th Pa will recall vividly the
{ superb conduct of Gen. John c. Robin
[ soD.-J C. Delaney, Harrisburg, Pa.