The Harrison times., 1914-09-26
HEROIC SPIRIT is DISPLAYED
Members Of tho Thirteenth Massachu-
setts Had to Be Forced Back In
Noted Fight at Gettysburg.

George H. Lehman, employed as an
electrician at the CharlestOwn navy
yard was sturdy young man OF
twentyone years, so years ago Al
though he had seen hard service an a
private In Company n, Thirteenth
Massachusetts infantry, Mr. Lehman
weighed $50 pounds when he went
into the battle OF Gettysburg Mr.,
Lehman had the advantage OF Nnowl.
edge OF how to take care OF himself,
aud, s ne says, he never failed TO
get enough to eat,
"0n tho night OF June 30 we were
a. Emmetsburg, Gamped NJ Marsh
creek, II miles from Gettysburg said
Mr. Lehman. About \ a. m, on July
| We got orders to start for Get'ys
burg at double quick We covered the
II miles at a dogtrot and II was tho
toughest road | ever travelled up and
down hlll, with dust up to our ankles
My recollection ls that We reached
tho line Of battle at Gottysburg about
uo0n Tho TYelfth Massac chusetts had
been ahead Of us and they had hecu
through some hard nShting before we
arrived They had lost many OF their
men aud when We lined up In the po
sItIon they had been holding the able
bodied meu OF the Twelfth staid with
us
1T was hot work from the first min
ute, The rebels were coming up the
roOd IN column OF tours just ~ fast as
they could come There seemed to
be swarm Of rebels stretching out
farther than we could see,
"rho boys all knew that there were
fully tlyo OF the lohnncs to every oR'
OF Us, but that only made our boys
fight harder We were nrlng Just rs
fast IN We could reload and aim, and
our men were falling fast
The rebels aimed at the men near
eat the colors, 30 tho men who were
about the colors were hit nrst Our
company was stationed to tho left OF
our colOB and as rapidly m the men
near the c0lors were hit W. moved up,
Our color bearer brave Charlie Nor
rls waa Killed our reglmenlal monu
ment NJ Gettysburg, by the way s
soldier In full uniform. and the ngur'
was modelled after Morris
80 many Of the color company had
been Killed and wounded that our
company, the next one to the colors,
had moved up 10 the position about
the regmcutal dag ! waB close to
the coors when a bullet struck my
loft leg II Was only heeh wound
aud kept on fighting
About 2'3O or y. m VAS wound
ed again. and this time the bail shat
tered hone In the right log That
put mo out Of action and WAS or
dcred TO the rear 10 the held hospital
! had been able TO bandage my right
Log with a towel and stop the flow Of
blood and ! could iust barely walk
Before ! VAS hit and was ordered
10 The rear knew that We would have
10 retreat INT the boys did not want
10 relreuL when II was impossible TO
hold the position longer and the ON.
GERS ordered them 10 retreat III" boys
had TO be- driven back before they
would stir, In all my experience |
never saw such heroic spirit a. the
men ~ the First corps showed that
frat dRy At Gettysburg
"As soon us StuArts cavalry rode
away told Kelly TO run up the roOd
and intercept lmtordt cWuly and
tell the general which wa, the rebels
had gone he dld no and pretty su0A
We heard the Union cavalry IN pursuit
attacking suafts rear"
MIR Lehman on returning 70 Massa.
chusettp applied for a commission In
the Fitynnth Massachusetts, lnian.
tfy, but the examining surgeon do
Clafed that bis wound made further
service impossible