The National tribune., 1911-02-02

mandery of the Loyal Legion some
years ago, the following sentence will
be found:
THE 9th Ind. Col Colgrove's regi-
ment, in broader stretch of the mead
ow (not in line with the I'd Mass, but
in broader stretch of the meadow
was stopped midway in its course"
The report of Lieut.-Coi Fesler, in
volume 81, series l, Reb. Rec, page
SIS, contains the following passage:
"On arriving there the enemy's sharp
shooters opened fire on the regiment
from the breastworks built by the Third
Brigade on the I'd. 1 was ordered to
charge their works. Gle does not men
ton the I'd: he is, moving independ-
ently) l. Immediately moved the regi-
ment forward, but on arriving within
100 yards of the position their fire
was so deadly that / was compelled to
fall back TO the works, which was done
in good order"
In Lieut-Col. Morse's report, volume
81, series /, Reb. Rec. page S14, he
says:
.At daylight, July 3. our s<irmish-
ers. Co f. capt Robinson, became en-
gagged. Firing was kept up until $40
O'Clock. when the regiment was ordered
70 charge the works in front of us"
| ("The regiment was ordered to charge.
This Shows il was moving independent
| " of any other regiment, Col Nudge
| gave the order Forward The men
| jumped over the breastworks with a
cheer and went forward on the double
quick"
| Capt Quint, in his book, says:
Lieut. -Col. Nudge questioned the
messenger: Are you sure that is the
order| Yes"
If the I'd Mass. was ordered to move
simultaneously and in line with other
/ troops this would have been a queer
proceeding a staff officer
as 20 the accuracy of an order to ad-
vance
Thus the evidence is cumulative in
First. That the regiments were not
in line together.
Second. That the I'd started previous
to the advance of the 9th
Third. That they had different points
of attack; and
Fourth. That they fought under to-
tally different conditions, the 27th adj
ow and the I'd crossing at the narrow
part.
The I'd Mass. gained the woods. That
! is true but the woods" and the en-
emy's works are not convertible terms
| The edge of the woods, which the %
I reached, was only dDOut Hall way u
/ the enemy's works.
The 9th was given an impossible
! task and attempted to perform it, but
| failed, just as the I'd or any other body
of equal number that ever trod the
earth would have failed. If the 27tf
had gone forward every man would
have been shot down before reachinl
the enemy's breast works.
Corpl Stephen F. Reyes, of the q
Mass, in his circular concerning hi!
lecture on the battle of Gettysburg, say
that the I'd lost 134 men in Is minutes
and the 9th lost 10 men in six min
utes. Could the situation have beer
the same in each regiment when thu
eth was losing about three men whil'
the second was losing only one?
The 27th's experience in the meadow
has been thus described: Moving for
ward, guided by the colors, the Colo
Sergeant, the eight Corporals of thu
color-guard, Private Christopher Mel
ker, of Co. G; young private in Co
, K. whom 1 only knew by his nickname
{ and another whose name / cannot re
cail-f2 in all-feiI within a few fee
. Of each other pierced with the enemy
: bullets in their efforts to bear the fla,
. forward. If the 27th had persisted
every man in the regiment would hav
shared the fate of that heroic IL ant
, the others who fell with them, and still
} the COiUfS NOhiu lot lich nave IcdSli
. ed the enemy's works
, The following is the combination
. map. The entire Confederate lines a
: J should be enveloped in woods, blu
! this is an unimportant inaccuracy:
Comments on the Map.
: This map is absolutely authoritativ
with the exception OF the explanator
letters and the positions of the 27th Inc
e and I'd Mass. in the charge.
81 The southern border of the meade,
or swale (F) and all south of it
: from Gen. Ruger's map "a .roug
1t SKETCH" as he calls it. of the positio
of the Third Brigade on the mornin
n of July 3, as given in volume 81, serie
e l, page 779, Reb. Rec. He does nc
= give in this map the position of tn
n enemy north of the meadow, but thi
. is supplied by Col. Cope, engineer c
:, the Gettysburg National Park Commits
: sion A is the left of the I'd Mass. an
: B the right of the 27th Ind. befor
the charge The 18th N. j. is betwee
{ these two regiments. is the Sd Wi!
r However, the Sd was at least 100 yard
;, farther back and considerably to tn
r left when the advance was made. tn
u 10th n. Y, the other regiment of tn
I brigade, is on duty elsewhere. e is al
: proximately the point at which the 2
!. Mass advanced into the edge of woods
:, f is the south line of the meadow c
swale. G is the position of the 27t