The National tribune., 1909-09-02
Battery A. 4th U. SITS Savage Work
on Pickeft's Column

Editor National Tribune: 1 see in the
issue of Jan. 2S of your valuable paper
an article by VIM. H. Morgan, in which
he makes public a letter alleged to have
been written by Serg't Frederick Fuger,
of the 4th U. S. Art. do not think
Fuger ever made that statement, be-
lcause there was no Lieut.. Nelson in the
battery. Lieut.. Candy commanded the
left section. Also. he made statement
that the battery, the whole six guns,
was run by hand to the front to the
stone wall There was only the one
gun-the fourth gun. The rea-
son for doing so was to check
Pickett's advance. that was COM
ing by the stone wall, which was at
right angles with the one where the
fourth piece was. 1 gave the orders Tor
| that piece to be taken by hand to the
front. Serg't Murphy. of that piece,
was killed, and Lieut.. Gushing was
killed at that time. When we first no
lticed Pickett advancing We also noticed
brigade of ours going out to meet
him. They were coming to close quar-
ters. I noticed an Aid going out When
he got to our brigade the brigade fell
back to the c1ump of trees to our left.
Then Pickett made left oblique which
brought him on the fourth piece. l
called to the battery: Left oblique!
Boys, give them canister as quick az
reach thin" Cushing and my Sergeant
were killed at the first two shots.
I saw no one to give command, and
that was why / did so, and was
obeyed. I fired a double canister out
of the fourth piece. l jumped to the
left and looked to see what effect 1t
had, and saw Pickett, on a white horse,
stagger and four or five officers around
him took him off. 1 then saw his line
break in punches and come around the
hill in front of us, coming up by the
wall that ran at right angles with the
wall we were in front of. then ordered
the fourth piece by hand to the front
TO meet them there. We gave them
about six rounds of canister when they
came up there. All they got in the
tone wall in front of us was three.
Those three killed Nos. 1 and 2 of the
piece, and I received two wounds. That
left me alone with the gun. l then
went to the General, who was close by,
and asked him for men to man the
piece. He said: mo; you are wounded.
Go behind the line" L saluted and said:
General, I belong to the battery. L go
back there" He said nothing, and /
took it for granted and went back. l
was driven away then by the enemy.
AS I went back I ran into Gen. Meade's
headquarters. 1 told the General what
heard him say behind the stone wall.
After 1 talked a few minutes with the
General he said, you are wounded.
Go to the hospital" pointing out, to me
where it was / claim to be the lone
batteryman of Gettysburg. I consider
the fourth piece lucky piece. / worked
it with the Captain and General at
White Oak Swamp on the seven days
retreat. The Captain was wounded
lCapt. Hazard, of the Battery, and Gen.
Meagher. of the Irish Brigade The
fourth piece at Antietam was the piece
that blew up the rebel limber-chest of
the rebel section of artillery that was
in position near the school house. and
we were at the edge of the woods. fac
ing the cemetery near a cornfleld.-
Rody Landrigan, Battery A, 4th L. S.
Art, Greenwood, Cal