1863. June 29. June 30. July 1. A FTER a march of twenty-three miles, the regiment camped at night a little north of Emmettsburg, Md. Moved two miles farther north, and rested for the day. Struck tents at four A.M., and, after a march of a few miles, reached Gettysburg, Penn., where the regiment halted in front of the Theological Seminary, about one and a half miles west of Gettysburg. It then moved by the flank to the north, keeping behind the ridge, and formed line along the Mummasburg Road, facing to the north-west. "At this time no enemy was visible in our immediate front, except a line of skirmishers, whose position behind a stone wall gave them an opportunity to annoy us considerably. They were handsomely dislodged by Company K, Capt. Hazel, who, deploying his company, moved forward at a double-quick, and drove them at the point of the bayonet." 1 "The enemy making a demonstration on our left flank, the brigade rapidly changed front forward on its left, occupied the crest of the hill; and, each regiment opening fire as soon as in position, the whole line was soon engaged." 2 In our front, coming through the wheatfields, we counted three lines of battle; and away off in the distance we could plainly see heavy re-enforcements approaching. The waroffice maps locate the regiment between the Eighty-eighth and Ninetieth Pennsylvania. The colonel of the Twelfth reports his regiment as between the Ninetieth Pennsylvania and Eighty-third New York. 3 "A second change of front by the regiment enabled it to deliver a destructive enfilading fire into the advancing lines of the 1 Adjutant-Gen. Rep. Mass., 1863, p. 603. 2 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 1863. enemy at short range, while the troops on its left received them July 1. with a steady and rapid fire in front. This soon brought the enemy to show the white flag," 1. and resulted in the capture of what was left of Iverson's North-Carolina brigade. "The enemy was now observed bringing up heavy re-enforcements against our front, and advancing a brigade against our right, making another change of front necessary. . . . This was quickly and handsomely done by the two right regiments (Ninetieth Pennsylvania and Twelfth Massachusetts), and we were thus enabled to hold our ground against a vastly superior force for more than an hour." 2 Ammunition being "nearly all expended," Baxter's brigade was withdrawn, Paul's brigade relieving it; but the need of troops on the line was so great, that, after a short rest, Baxter's brigade "was once more marched to the crest of the hill, a little to the left of its former position, and, being entirely out of ammunition, was ordered to fix bayonets, and hold the hill against assault. It remained in this position, exposed to the enemy's fire of artillery and infantry without the power to return a shot, until, the right of the line giving way and exposing its right flank, it was ordered to fall back to Cemetery Hill.” 8 Gen. Robinson claims that his division "held the ground after all other troops had retired, and fell back fighting with the enemy, not only in front, but on both flanks." The claim has never been disputed. When the division reached Cemetery Hill, Robinson found that of 2,500 men taken into the action, he could muster but 833. Doubleday says the corps entered the fight with 8,200 men, and came out with 2,450.4 Our brigade carried 1,100 men into the action. (The authority is the brigade adjutant-general.) The regimental loss was, 1863. July 2. July 3. We began the battle with about two hundred men. Gen. Robinson, in his official report, says, "No soldiers ever fought better, or inflicted severer blows upon the enemy. Col. Coulter (who commanded the first brigade after Gen. Paul was wounded) reports, "Not a single case of faltering came to my notice." The Eleventh Pennsylvania, in their History, in speaking of the retreat to Cemetery Hill, say, "But that retreat was not all confusion. The same noble corps that had so successfully maintained its ground on the left, when resistance was no longer possible, fell back in solid phalanx. And though – "Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Volleyed and thundered,' shoulder to shoulder they marched, rank after rank halting to fire upon the advancing foe, and then closing up again with daring coolness." 1 The regiment was in various parts of the line, acting as support. During Lee's famous cannonade the Twelfth was on Cemetery Hill, and, with the Ninetieth Pennsylvania, was ordered to assist in repulsing Pickett's historic charge. The regimental loss, during July 2 and 3, was three wounded, making the total casualties for the three days at Gettysburg, Killed 9 44 61 114 July 6. July 7. The regiment remained on the field till July 6, when, at five A.M., it marched with the First and Third Corps to Emmettsburg, eight miles. At six A.M. marched via Mechanicsville, Katoctin Furnace, and Hamburg to Belleville, twenty-two miles. 1 The Story of the Regiment, p. 232. 1863. Company H being absent guarding a wagon-train, the regimental strength was seventy men. July 8. July 9. July 10. July 11. July 13. July 14. July 15. July 16. Company H rejoined early in the morning; and the regiment marched by the Middleton Road to South Mountain Pass, eleven miles, where it intrenched. Marched at three P.M.; went six miles and camped. Marched at six A.M. through Boonsborough, five miles, and intrenched. First Maryland joined the corps. Marched to Funkstown, five miles, skirmishing slightly with the enemy's pickets. Captured four prisoners. At daylight Lee's batteries opened on Gen. Robinson's headquarters, doing no damage, and being silenced by our guns. In the afternoon the Fifty-first, Forty-sixth, Thirtyninth, and Eighth Massachusetts joined our division. One hundred and fifty prisoners passed on their way to Frederick. Marched to Williamsport, eight miles. Rainy. Marched through Keedysville to Rhoversville, twentytwo miles. Violent thunder-storm. Marched through Crampton Pass to near Berlin, eight miles. Capt. Hastings rejoined the regiment. The battle of Gettysburg has probably provoked more controversial discussion than any other event of the war. All manner of claims have been made, and each claimant insists on his gospel being the true one. Such being the case, it is not designed to enter into any elaborate discussion of the battle, but simply to glance at a few of the salient points of the controversy. 1. Longstreet is authority for the statement, that it was not until night of June 28 that Lee knew the Union army had crossed the Potomac. The information then was, that Hooker was marching north-westerly on Lee's communications. No further news seems to have reached Lee until the forenoon of July 1, when the battle opened. So Lee was in a measure surprised, and was certainly caught in the midst of a movement of concentration; for Early's division did not reach Gettysburg till about three P.M., when it drove in the Eleventh Corps, and compelled the retreat of the First Corps. Johnson's division reached 1863. the field at dark, Anderson's division late in the afternoon, July 16. and Longstreet's Corps on the morning of July 2. So, out of nine divisions composing the Confederate army, Lee fought the battle of July 1 with four (Heth, Pender, Rodes, Early), the latter only arriving at the close of the fray. 2. Meade was not unprepared, though his much-talkedof Pipe-Creek order was misconstrued, and has been elevated to the position of a great bugbear. It was simply a warning to the corps commanders, indicating their action in the event of certain contingencies arising. Meade had no specific intention of fighting a battle at Gettysburg, a place of which he declares he knew absolutely nothing;" but his orders manifestly show he fully intended to fight Lee at the very earliest opportunity. 3. Reynolds, who commanded the left wing, knew not only that he was close to the enemy, but also had a fair guess at Lee's positions. At 10.30 P.M. of June 30, he received this message from Buford (who was picketing the roads north and west of Gettysburg) : "I am satisfied that A. P. Hill's corps is massed just back of Cashtown. . . . The enemy's pickets, infantry and artillery, are within four miles of this place [Gettysburg]. . . . Ewell's corps is crossing the mountain from Carlisle. Longstreet is behind Hill.” ... Which actually was the position of Lee's army at that time. To clinch this still more, Buford was that night at Reynolds's headquarters, and came back to Gettysburg with one of Reynolds's staff, who returned to Reynolds with the latest news from the front early in the morning of July 1. Gen. James A. Hall avers that he saw Buford and Reynolds conversing at Marsh Run “quite early" in the morning of July 1, "before the batteries hitched up for marching." 66 4. Heth's statement is, that his division was camped at night of June 30 near Cashtown, about six miles west of Gettysburg." A. P. Hill's official report says Heth marched “at five o'clock" in the morning of July 1. At what time did the battle begin that morning? |