The Washington times., 1913-06-29
HANDFUL, BY RUSE,
HALTED GRAY. LINE
Col. Thomas S. Hopkins Tells
Tragic Story Of Fifty Years
Ago at Gettysburg.

When comrade greets comrade at
Gettysburg this week and the men
who marched against each other on
that July morning fifty years ago re-
view around the same camp fire the
deeds which made the whole world
stand in awe. will be told the story
OF the Sixteenth Maine, and side by
sloe the Few survivors of tlIat regiment
probably viii again climb the hill on
which was spilled the best blood of
oure-
Not many will be there, for not many
or the thousand who marched away
penlnd brave Col. Charles w. Tilden
lived to hear the news of the sur
render at Appomattox, but among the
number will be one from Washington,
COL Thomas S. Hopkins, past command
er OF the Department of the Potomac
9. A. R., and the District member of
the commission in charge of the semi
centennial celebration. But he was
only Private Hopkins then, for wnen
ne left the little town of Mt. Vernon,
Me-. to fight under the nations flag,
ne was only seventeen years old
Morning of Eventful Day.
When the sun rose over Gettysburg
the morning of July /, 1863. the Six
teenth Maine was encamped on the
Emmitsburg road ten miles northwest
of the village. There was nothing to
Indicate one of the decisive battles of
the world was about to begin. The
fields were greenland the Pennsylvania
valley serene. But the order to march
came early and the second division of
the first corps started toward Gettys-
burg. Five miles had been covered
before the first artillery was heard and
little later an orderly came dashing
up with orders to hurry ard nearly
every foot of the remaining five miles
was covered at doub.e-quick-
As the division approached Gettys-
burg the men could hear the muSketry
between the deeper booms of the artil-
lery and mile or so from the village
they swung to- the left and reached Int
line of battle on Seminary Ridge, where
the first division of the corps was al
ready in action The first news they
learned as they fell into place was that
their commander, General Reynolds.
had been killed.
cit was probably between and 10
O'Clock in the morning when we got in
to action" said Colonel Hopkins, as he
retold the story last night, and the
third division followed us into the line
of battle. We had seen fignung before
/ got my baptism at Fredericksburg.
but never such q battle as this. All day
long the Confederates hurled them
selves at US, charging again and again,
and the field ran red.
Began To Give Way.
General Howard, in command of the
Eleventh corps, attempted to form on
our right but 1t was impossible. He was
presssd back and our right and left
TANKS began to give way. In front of
us was a force that outnumbered us
~ IN, ha
with the rest of the army. We had been
marching and fighting since daylight
and under such stress men lose their
sense of time but / should say 1t was
about mid-afternoon that we began to
give way."A
1t was at this point that the Sixteenth,
Maine came face to face with the crisis
dead On Virginia battlefields. some were
wounded, and others were lying still
warm on Seminary Ridge. So there
were barely go fighting men under the
command of Colonel Tilden when Cen
eral Robinson rode up and saluted MIN.
Pointing to a low hill almost directly
In their rear the general said:
Take that hill and hold it as long as
you have man left
Then he wheeled his horse and gal
Hoped away.
Two hundred and fifty men, men with
blood-shot eyes and predetermined
faces, men with bloody bandages about
their heads and men who limped as
they walked. turned to the colonel they
loved.
ward, double quick, march!
And thus the Sixteenth Maine reached
the top Of the hill.
There, indeed, was sight for gods
and men. II seemed as far as eye could
reach was rank on rank and column
of fa enldierv all
advancing in double quick time. with
bayonets and sabres glinting in the aft
ernoon SUN Behind the hill the Union
army was sullenly drawing back to a
stronger position on Cemetery ridge, but
the tattered regiment did not look back.
Instead, without so much as one piece
of artillery to support them. they
stretched prone on their faces and
opened fire on the nearest of the ad-
vancing foe.
Naturally the Confederates feared a
trap Of some sort, probably a masked
battery on the hill So they stopped and
opened fire. The entire movement was
checked and the Southern forces hind
cred long enough to allow the Northern
troops TO get into position at a favor
able point.
But such a ruse could not go long un-
discovered While the center of the
Confederate front halted the fianks
side and the Sixteenth Maine was soon
in the hollow of gray crescent Col
onel Tilden saw that all possible good
had been accomplished and he ordered
every man to save himself.
Trapped In Gap.
To their rear was a deep railroad cut
through which they had come in the
morning and they made for this. They
were half way through the gap when a
regiment of Confederate soldiers ap-
peared at the far end and opened fire
on them. They were trapped, for es-
cape over the sides of the cut was i'm
possible.
There was but one thing to do. The
color sergeants ripped the banners from
their staffs The men crowded around
them and the silken folds were torn into
little SQUARES. Each man took a frag-
ment and hid ii beneath his shirt or
slipped IL under his waistband and in
the long days and weeks of imprison-
ment that followed in Libby, Sails
bury, Andersonville and other prisons
the secret possession of these tokens
did much to mack their lot easier.
There were a thousand men on the
roll when the Sixteenth left Maine early
in the war. There were but eighteen
who answered to their names when the
roll was called at Gettysburg the night
of July ]. 1863.
Nor was their cup OF tragedy yet full.
A few escaped during the night and one
or two had missed the battle on the hill
because they were with the wounded.
so on the morning Of July there were
thirty-two men who were able TO go
Ind NH