The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1911-03-23
THE GETTYSBURG sTRueGLK.s
Short Sketches Pertaining TO That san.
culinary Battle in the Pennsylvania
rr.,vrn u ~

Town. - 81
member gives a graphic account
OF the part taken by Cushing 81 Battery
at the stone wall, including comments
on the action of Webs Brigade. Tile
Haskell letter is discussed bylJanother
comrade. stsl
Lieut.. Haskell at Gcttysburg.5,r
Earl NJ. Rogers, Captain, r 9Th, MIS-,
writes: - -orS7
II have read the criticisms of Lieut..
Haskell's Gettysburg letter TO broth
er, which DIR. Eliot has placed in his
five-foot library. 1t was written by an
officer directing the troops to resist a
most daring 'forlorn hope Haskell
was the highest type of fearless SOL
der
AS an Added Camp to Gen. Gibbon,
who was carried from the field wound
ed. Haskell was in the most dangerous
part of the light, and did command the
division. Gen. Hancock was carried
from the lire of battle wounded; dead
and wounded lay thickly on the
ground: smoke obscured the heavens;
a seemingly Irresistible line plunged to
the very muZzles of the guns of the
Massachusetts, New York and PennsyI-
vania troops, and Gen. Armistead
passed thru to Cushngs guns to fall
mortally wounded Then Webb's Bri-
gade yielded, and Haskell, aided by the
commissioned and non-con missioned
officers, got the regiments back to the
line of defense, which the rebels held
Haskell wrote: Great Heavens
were my senses mad The larger por-
ton of Webb's Brigade, it was true,
there by the group of trees ana the
angle of the wall, was breakin, from
the cover o. the works, and without
order or rCas IN, with no hand upliftcd
to check them, was falling back, a
fear-stricker flock of confusion-the
fate of Gettysburg hung upon spider
single thread. The red flags of the
rebellion began to thicken and faunt
along the line they had just deserted
and one was waving over the guns of
the dead Gushing. / ordered these men
to halt and face about ard fire. and
they heard my voice and gathered my
meaning and obeyed my command.
They looked at me as if j was the de-
-stroying angel-they again faced the
enemy
Critics have disputed the truth of
the statement that--troops left the
breastworks and belittled Haskelrs he
roic acts. Hancock says: When the
enemY's line had nearly reached the
stone wall, led by Armistead, most of
that part of Webb's Brigade. Pennsyl-
vania regiments, abandoned their posi-
ton; but fortunately did not retreat
entirely. Emboldened by this indica-
ton of weakness, the enemy pushed
forward more pertinacfously. Numbers
of them crossed over the breastworks
abandoned by the troops. / desire par
ticularly to refer to the service of 4
gallant young officer, Lieut.. Haskell,
Aid to Gen. Gibbon, who at critical
period of the battle. when contending
forces were but so yards apart, and
believing that an example was neees-
sary and ready to sacrifice his life. rode
between the contending lines witll1 the
view of giving encouragement to,iour
line and leading it forward,i he being
the only mounted officer in a similar
position Esi-. 81
Gems Gibbon and Getty, Coils. Hall
and Devereaux and other fofiicerS re-
port similarly Haskell and Gushing,
two Wisconsin Lieutenan1s, stood close
together. ~ ~
1T was my pleasure to meet Haskell
in his tent at the time he wrote to his
brother, about two weeks after theobat-
tie. j had been an eyewitness to Pick
ettS charge from near the cemetery.
He took special pride in speaking of
Gibbons soldiers, the gallantry of the
men in such a terrifying position, beat
ing back soldiers who seemed INSANE.
'rHaskell was commissioned Lieuten-,
ant, Co. i, 9Th Wis, in July. 1861:
afterward Adjutant; was an Aid to
Gen. King for a few months: then Aid
TO Gen. Gibbon till January, 1864. He
was Colonel of the 36th Wis, which
was assigned to Cen. Gibbons Division
in the Second Corps. Two weeks later
while leading a brigade at the battle
of Cold Harbor he fell mortally wound
ed"