The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-07
TENNESSEANS IN
THE GETTYSBURG CHARGE

| nan; OF these glorious Confcderatcs
/ Kept going forward. until they silcnc-
e. the guns and stood in the works of
/ thc enemy. Thos. OF the enemy who
remained in the works were Frustrated
Int our feet practically prisoners.
! Win their arms upon the ground not
/, firing 81 shot
For Ave. perhaps ten, minutes we
/ held our ground and looked back for
and praycd for support II came not.
and we knew that the hattie OF Get
| tyshurg was ended. Many OF this brave
remnant chose TO surrender rather
IMAM run the gauntlet OF the ensnty's
| IRE. Among Others. refused u Yield
and made break 70. my liberty In the
I race OF their guns. For about one hun
! urcd yards broke the lightning specd
record. Suddenly I realized that was
u good target for those yelling YAM
KEGS. and, having horror OF being
! SHOT in the back. l faced about and
! bnckcd out OF range. AMI all without
/ so much as a scratch ! stopped ut our
rihc pits that had sen dug in advance
I OF our original limo on Seminary Ridge.
! our men could occupy each OF these
/ pits and found about four men in
/ each. but Joined them. Anticipatfne
I mat the enemy would follow UP our
discontinue ] made inquiry ;or IN
! oiiioer. Not one could be found.
| then suggested that We constitute ou.-
1
Joy every man readily responded. and
all agreed to stand together
| About II o'clock that night staff
oflcer rode up TO wh,re we were and
| asked what command 1t was. lie was
I 'oia that II was no particular COM
| mand. and that no officer was prescnt.
| He then told us TO stay there and
General Anderson would relicv, us
! Perhaps an hour later o picket relief
came. and each Of us went back in
search of his command.
Il soon found The remnant OF tn,
! Fourteenth Tennessee Regiment re-
/ orEani2cd and in command OF Captain
( a. NJ, Dale. OF Company C. and Lieu
tenant Charles Mitch Eli. OF Company
II There were abou; one hundred men
out Of the three hundred and nifty
, that engaged In that battle.
There was but little sleep and poor
rest for the weary, battered veterans
81 Lees arny that night, The morn
: ing OF the fourth duwnetl brightly:
+! hut II was plainly to be seen that on
! 'he face Of every Confederate as they
stood behind AleNandcr's grim guns
was look Of determine ton and do
nance that at once renewed faith In
The morale and discipline o. those
grand old veterans and Il blind con-
idence in our Godlike leader, Robert
T.. Lee. and HAT all would be we'll with
US In The end.
Whippcdt-Not Much.
whipped? No! There ware no COW
ards there: hut the Old Guard was
there In part, and Ice. I.ongstrcet. a.
r. nm. Ewell and Stuart were Their,
70 guide aud 10 lead. why. yes, boys.
let EN- come on; We'll show en- tina,
we amt all dead yet Such light
gatherings escaped from smiling lips ali
through that long, tense. swcltering
| fourth day, patiently awaiting the an
tictpatcd attack which never came.
The most unassum.ns private wonder
cd what was thA matter with the
fanks thu: they did not come on. They
knew their power OF Resistance and
that their Unborn Southern courage,
which so often snatchcd victory out
OF the vzry jaws OF defeat, would stay
with them.
On the nigh, OF the fourth Lee be-
gan his retreat TO Hagcrstown. Md.
without haste or confusion, although
the night was dark and stormy.
Lonsstrect and Eweli followed the line
OF retreat upon the right and a. P. |
: I'M on the left. In their disposition
1t fell 10 tho lot OF Heth's division.
under Pettigrew, to cover the rear of
] HillS corps. The r>trcat WAS slow,
owing 10 rain and mud. rough noun
sainS and difficult roads.
About the Sth OF July Hagcrstown
was reached. Here Lee concentrated
his retiring columns and calmly await I:
cd the approach of Meade. Lee offer ID /;
battle. which Meade declined. am
sure that il Meade had attacked /
bloody repuise awaited him. because !
Lees army was again In its usual |
hghtins trim and ready in spirit TO !!
measure lances with ;he foe. On the /
I'm or 18th l,oe again quietly with |
drew from the cncmy's front.
Thu morning OF July II found us in |
line with the remnant of Heths di- |
vision. still commanded By the gallant |
Peitigrew. rs the rear guard of Lees |
army and covering the road TO the |
pontoon bridge at Failing Waters, on |
the Potomac.
PcttiSrew Killed.
General Pcttigrew was standing in |
the road observing the front. General
Heth, with his head still bound up in |
white cloth from Ills wound OF July l. |
rode up to Pcttigrew and the two ware |
evidently discussing tho situation |
Billy Daniel and were sitting on u
little mound constructed for the use
Of the artillery on the left of The road !
some tan feet from Generals Heth and |
Pettlgrew, and the boys OF Archer's /
brigade were lounging OH the ground |
twenty or thirty feet from us. many Of
them asleep. Suddenly body OF
horsemen eutsred into the road at the
foot OF the incline In n sweeping trot !
About halfway UP they unfurled their /
pennants, drew sabrcs, and spraug into !
rushing gallop. Daniel and leapetl
from thu little mound and both ex-
claiming: Look out Logs; the Yanks
arc on us" Instantly there was a
springing to feet and to guns. General
Heth whirled his horse to the rear;
General Gettigrew. alone and on foot.
backed to the head of Company A and
spoke cheerfnlly. stand your ground.
boys The sharp crack of pistols rang
out from the head of tho cnemy's |
plunslnE column. and the brave, noble |
Pettigrew fell with a mortal wound ut |
the feet OF thoss who had gathered |
around him, the first victim. Smultan-
eouslF quick volley from the aroused |
veterans emptied the saddles of the |
loader and his nearest hnrs ,nAn TIL, |