The National tribune., 1909-06-10
CARRoLL'S BRIGADE AT GETTXS-
BURG.
Tho Fierce Battle on Cemetery Hill to
49, Recover Our Guns

Editor National Tribune: In your issue
of Dec. 10 you published short sketch
'(by the writer) under the title of Gen
CarroI1's Brigade at Gettysburg" This
was my first letter to your paper, and
was written at Toledo, O., during the
Encampment of the G. A. r. in that
city. Capt Naylor, Sth Ohio. and 9TH
ers requested me to write short sketch
of the part taken in that battle by the
7th ". Va, 14th Ind. and eight COM
-panies of the 4th Ohio. L declined
the honor when first approached to
write the sketch, but after urgent re-
quests by number of comrades re-
luctantly consented to do so. / have
been very actively engaged in manu-
featuring lines since June, 1865, when
I left the service, and have had very
little time for imaginationS connected
with my four years and three months
service during the war of the rebellion,
so that / was considerably surprised at
the criticisms of Mr.. Dineen and S. r.
Averill. Mr. Dineen imagined that in
order to make the charge by Carrolls
Brigade ats Cemetery Hill we would
have been obliged to charge right thru
his regiment, evidently carrying the
Idea that his regiment covered the en-
tire length of the Hill. L had thought
of replying to his statement sooner, but
was quite busy all thru the Winter and
Spring, so when Mr.. A II. Huber's
WESTMINSTER, Md letter appeared in
your issue of March IL L concluded that
MIR. Dineen's statement had been fully
answered, and let it go at that For
his information, however, / will say
that had his regiment been in front of
US when we were ordered to make that
charge we would have made it all the
same, as we always obeyed orders.
Comrade Huber gave a detailed state
n1ent of the different troops position,
and gives very good authority, it being
official. He shows that Comrade Dr.
mems regiment was about one-half
mile to the right of where CarrolTs
: Brigade charged on Cemetery Knoll, SO
that showed conclusively that Dineen
was wrong in his statement, having evil
: IDENTITY imagined the Knoll was the Hill.
I have desire to thank Comrade A II.
Huber for the correction. he made in
behalf of Carroll's Brigade. He evt-
dently likes the truth.
Now comes Mr.. S. R. Averill to reg
lister his kick. In your issue of May 13
he starts out with: I'VE do not wish to
be mean with j. l. Dickelman, of the
4th Ohio, but he most certainly must
be off his base when he would have us
believe that his regiment charged from
the Peach Orchard to the base of Gene
terry HILL etc. If Mr. AveriIl will read
my sketch with proper care, he will un-
questonably find that / made no such
statement. What I did say was as fol-
lows: About p. m. Gen. Carroll was
directed to move his command towards
the Peach Orchard to support Gen.
Sickles, who was being hard pressed by
- Longstreet at that time. We imme-
diateIy formed in line and double
quicked to Gen. Sickles's support, re-
naming in this position until about
sundown, when we were ordered TO re-
1rIr n ly7a @a-x- 70 M
lines. which had been broken by the
charge of the famous Louisiana
Tigers
Now. if Mr.. Averill had read my letter
with ordinary care he would not have
made the above statement; but he let
his Imagination loose, and goes to
charging me with sta Elements that are
not true. One thing is certain, he mis-
quoted my words. Again Mr. Averill
imagines that ! claimed we drove the
Tigers from Batteries B and f, 1st u.
5. Art. / did not state what batteries
- we recaptured in my letter. but will
state here that they were Wiedrick's g
and Ricketts's Batteries, and they ap-
preciated our assistance, / assure you.
Had ] known that Mr.. Ayerill had such
d lively imagination I would perhaps
have been more concise and given more
"details as TO whose batteries we recap
tared.' fii that case, however, Mr. Di-
neen and Mr.. Averill would not have
had the pleasure of exercising their
wonderful imaginations, and the world
would have suffered great loss there
py.
I will quote from Rev. VIM. Kepler
Ph. D., Commander. Berea Post, G. A
R., Acting President Baldwin Universe
ly. Secretary of North Ohio Conference
M. z. Church; also Historian of the 4th
Ohio:
'tAs night was lowering its sable cur
tafns over the bloody scene word was
received that part of the Eleventh
Corps being taken in front and flank
was compelled to fall back from their
support of two batteries on Cemetery
Hill 'Attention-Right face-Double
quick Marchr was instantly obeyed
q with Carroll at the head of the 4th Ind.
- In the lead. the 7th W. Va. next, the 4tf
Ohio in the rear. A squad of anXiou!
general officers was soon passed. While
we hurried by gravestones, struck by
the spiteful mimic balls, towards tbs
cannon's vivid flash and laundering
roar Baltimore turnpike was crossed
and the position Of the rebels deter
mined only by their fire. Fastening
toward them now by the left flank
the 4th Ohio, on the right flank of tn,
brigade, thru tanglements of retreatint
Amen, caissons and horses, up and aloni
the slope, where maddeEed gunners o
captured batteries rayed and swore o.
cried in very madness, facing dealt
rather than give up their guns, strikin,
the rebels with fists, rammers, ammuni
tion and stones. Greetings echoed ant
re-echOed. Cheer upon cheer. saying
It's Carrolls Brigade. There'll be n,
more running. Give 'em -, boys!
Bayonets and butts of guns at ono
Joined the efforts of the heroic gunners
and then infantry and gunners in
general melee, with fianks of regiment
overlapping and every man in a go-as
you-can sort of way, drove the enem
from unhitching horses and spikin
guns down over the hill under the cross
fire of Ste~ens's Battery, on our rigf
and a short distance from the gun
toward our right, capturing a numbe
- of prisoners. Weidrick's and Ricketts,
Batteries We're recaptured. We too
position by a stone wall, a short dis
tance from the guns, to our right an
front. The terrible racket of musketr
continued until near IL o'clock, b
which time the enemy seemed to hav
Withdrawn from our front 1t is worth
of notice here that the tremendou
cheering OF the sunners and the boy
had the unintentional effect of keepin
Hays Brigade from Joining Hoke's Lor
fsiana Tigers, composed of the 5th, 6tl
9TH, Sth and 9Th La, which our thre
small regiments had just routed
l give the above in confirmation
my claim 1 could give further evidenc
II 1t were necessary, but as this lette