The National tribune., 1910-06-02
THE SANGUINARY STRUGGLE AT
GETTYSBTRG.
Incidents of the Grcct Battle Told in
Huunrr to Arouse Intcrcst-Other
Writers Como in for Criticism.

! incidents of the Grcrt Battle Told in a
/ s'nnnrr to Arouse Intcrcst-0ther
! Writers Como in for Criticism.
Here follows an addition to-Gettys-
/ burg history Comrade Elbert Corbin.
! Pcttit's Pnttery. IS called to account for
sorle statements made in his sketch.
/ published in The National Tribune of
| Feb. 3. and other writer's in other is
sues are corrected as to details in their
! accounts of different phases of the cam
| paign:
| No Truce for Meade.
EIbert Corbin, Pettit's Battery Il. list
/ y. Y. l.. a. Grand Island. Neb., writes:
'PicIett's charge at Gettysburg was
over. The terrible struggle at the Bloody
| Angle had resulted in victory for the
Union. The 1900 prisoners had passed
| to the rear.
| I'VE battery BOYS of Cushing, Brown,
Cowan and Petit near the "high-wafer
mark were caring for our dead and
wounded 1t was about o'clock of
that Summer evening, and all was still
save an occasional shot from the W hit
worth guns near the Seminary. They
were firing at long range over to the
| left of Little Round Top. IN the inter-
walls we could hear the groans on the
! field over which the brave Confederates
| had charged.
1.-The guns of Battery E. with the help
of the infantry had been pulled by
hand back to the high ground Gas all
our horses were killed) to a point lit
tie to the left of the clump of trees I'D
three or four rods to the left of where
now stands Gen. Meade's equestrian
statue.
81 had been ordered with a few COM
rades to remain with the guns by Lieut..
Rodgers the only officer of the battery
not killed or wounded. While there
Gen. Meade. with his staff and cavalry
escort, rode up. He was riding Old
Baldy' and stopped within few feet
of me to look with his glasses over the
field. Something near the CodOra House
attracted his attention. With my field
glasses / looked in the same direction
to see what attracted him, and / saw a
white flag waving over on the Emmits-
burg road.
"'There is a white flag over there,
said Gen. Meade, turning to one of his
Aids. He indicated two Of his staff
officers, and said: Go over and see
what is wanted
"They rode over as directed, and met
the Confederate officer with the flag OF
truce about half way. They blindfold-
ed him and brought him to Gen. Meade.
I was sitting about 10 or 10 feet from
the General and heard what was said:
"'Well, what do you want?' asked
Gen. Meade, when the Confederate had
been introduced.
"T present the compliments of the
commanding General of the Confeder-
ate forces to the commanding General
of the Union forces, asking an armistice
Of three hours to bury our dead said
the Confederate.
"Meade's face showed intense anger
and he answered sharply: You go and
tell the man who sent you here to go
to -. When 1 bury my dead / will
bury his. You can't come Antietam
over me-
with that Meade and his staff rode
away, and the rebel was led back tC
the Emmitsburg road, and there was
no truce that day."
As to Pettits Eattery.
Rody Landugan, Battery A, 4th U. s
Art, Greenwood, Cal, writes:
Il would like to correct a statement
made by Comrade E. Corbin, Battery
B, 1st n. Y, Grand Island, Neb., in The
National Tribune of Feb. 3. 1910, un-
der the heading 'Pettit's Battery al
Gettysburg He would make 1t appear
that an incident happened in Pettit's
Battery, whereby Sergt Darveugh was
riddled with bullets protecting his guns
from the rebel forces. Nothing of the
kind happened in Cushing's Battery
When we brought the fourth piece by
hand to the front at the stone wall No
and No. were killed fighting the
enemy with a sponge staff and hand
spike. VIM. Patten was No. / and An
drew Messmer was No. 2. I was acting
as Nos. and 4, and also had charge
of the piece after Serg't Murphy wa:
killed. / was wounded twice during the
incident.
ole
his statement when he says 800 Of
Picketts men were taken prisoners
Armistead did not have more than 900 ol
1000 men in all of his fighting forces
II was within 800 feet of Pickett wher
he was killed while charging the fourtf
piece. The last shot we fired from II
killed him. / did not know Pickett's
forces ever went near Pettit's Battery
as>I was firing on the charging rebels
from the time they left the woods un.
til Pickett was killed and his force.
lretreated."
The Armies at Taneytown.
1 w. H. Hays, Co. z. 4th Iowa Cav.
Grfnnell, Iowa, writes:
"In a recent issue of The Nationa
Tribune. under the head of Recital.
and "Reminiscences l notice a contro
versy between Comrades B. H. TripI
and George e. Jepson in regard to the
troops which passed thru Taneytowr
on the march to Gettysburg.
Il went to school in Taneytown wher
a boy, and in visiting there in 1S9:
found the following inscription on 6
tablet in front of the old school house
June 80. 1863. Headquarters of the
Army OF the Potomac, moved from
Middleburg to Taneytown. First Corp.
marched from Emmitsburg to Marst
Run. Third Corps from Taneytown tc
Bridgeport. Fifth Corps from Liberty
via Johnsonville, Union Bridge and
Union to Union Mills. Sixth Corps from
New Windsor to Manchester Twelfth
Corps from Taneytown to Bruceville and
Littlestown. First and Second Brigade.
Of First Cavalry Division from neal
Fairfield, via Emmitsburg, to Gettys-
burg. Second Cavalry Division from
New Windsor to Westminster anG
thence to Manchester. Third Cavalry
Division from Littlestown to Hanover
The Artillery Reserve from Brucevillt
to Taneytown. Fight at Hanover, Pa.
and skirmishes at Westminster, Md.
Fairfield and Sporting Hill, near Har-
risburg, Pa
Grand Old Second Corps.
A. F. Sweetland, Co. I, 55th Ohio
Soldiers Home, Erie County, O., writes:
'I think there are other mfsunder.
standings than those that occurred In
the conversation between Gen. Meade
and Gen. Cutler Comrade Hubbard
says in The National Tribune, Sept 8
TrYt1 10.