The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1911-01-26
ste,nwehrs Division a. Gettysburg.

A. F. Sweetland,r 55th Ohio, State SOL
diess' Homo. o. Eoriticises severely the
statements in an expensive set of books
consisting Of six ivolumes of about 500
Biosrap hical Cyclopedia of the State of
Ohio" This book is in Ahe Home Ii
brary. Comrade sSweetland whose reg
iment belonged to Stsinwehr's Division,
points out the errors in regard to his
command at Gettysburg. At no time
did the division fight its away south by
the Taneytown road. mt no time did it
face or fight division oc Hills Corps
and at no time, was it. on Cemetery
Ridge. 1t was really on, the brow of
Cemetery Hill, which Is the northerly
end of Cemetery Ridge and north of
the Baltimore pike and cemetery.
Cemetery Ridge is between the Taney-
town and Emmitsburg roads and south
westerly from Cemetery Hill. No di-
vision Of Hills Corps advanced east OF
Seminary Ridge, which is a mile or
more west of Gettysburg until fter the
retreat of the First Corps from it. about
D. m July l. Had q division of Hills
Corps been in the position given by this
writer it would have been in the rear of
the First Corps and the First and Third
Divisions of the Eleventh Corps and in
front of Steinwehr's Reserve Division.
and a part of the Second Corps being
not far away 1t would have been simply
llioPpcu up "tPtu tut III d very lew
minutes. Ewell's Corps did not reach.
the northerly front OF Cemetery Hill
until after the retreat of the First and
Eleventh Corps to Cemetery Hill. The
First Corps reached the town first
Their further retreat was leisurely and
hating few minutes ON the Baltimore
pike street and the Taneytown road
street of the town, they blocked the
free retreat of the Eleventh Corps.
thereby causing the capture of nearly
1,5OO of them in the north part of Get
tysburg. Doubleday's and Robinsous
Divisions OF the First Corps passed
across the immediate srout of Stein
wehr's Division TO its position on their
left. Wadsworth's Division of the First
Corps passed the right of Steinwehr's
up the Baltimore pike and turned off
to their position on Cups Fill, a half
mile to Steinwehr's right and rear.
Some of the First Corps came back !
southwest and south of the town. Some |
IF the Eleventh Corps and others came /
to Cemetery Hill by keeping close TO
the east side of the town. their retreat |
being screened by the same brush. To- /
Gust and other trees that later hid the |
Tigers from view on their charge on |
the evening of the I'd until they were |
close up to a part of Barlow's line of |
battle. The incident that this writer /
ascribes to Steinwehr's Division did not :
occur to any division of the army. /
either Union or Confederate, during
the battle of Gettysburg. He did not ]
have his hat" of truth on straight
Steinwehr's Division arrived by the Bal
'imore pike from the south at about / |
p. m. on the first day, and took position
in the cemetery Oh Cemetery Hill. and
later took position on its west front ,
along the Taneytown road, facing west,
without firing a shot, no division of I
Hills or other corps being within a |
mile of it. The SD Mass. was detached !
on arrival and fought on another part /
of the field. Coster's First Brigade was +
ordered to reinforce ParloW's Division !
about the time the retreat began, and /
suffered severe loss 1t was in reserve
at Cemetery Hill most of the time and /
later a part of it. especially the 27th
Pa, assisted other troops in repelling |
the charge of the Tigers from the
batteries of Weiarich and Ricketts, n !
few minutes before CAROLS Brigade /
arrived HrE