"Gettysburg is ours...".

Wednesday, July 1, 1863, Gettysburg

It was a very good day today. We have suffered for it but the Yankees have suffered much more. Gettysburg is ours, and fairly won. The price we paid was high.

Yesterday, Pettigrew's brigade of North Carolinians from Heth's division marched to Gettysburg, down the Chambersburg Pike and found some but thought them militia or perhaps cavalry and of therefore of little consequence. Pettigrew then returned to Cashtown. We had thought that there were no Yankees near here but Pettigrew proved otherwise.

We arose this morning not very early and had our meager breakfast without haste. After checking our muskets and cartridge boxes and filling our canteens, we fell in. Our entire division was to follow Heth's entire division down the pike and push away these Yankees. Then we were to forage in Gettysburg as we have in other places. 

As we marched, we heard musketry and artillery fire coming from our front. We could tell that Heth's division was catching it. We saw that the division maneuvered itself into a line of battle to engage the Yankees. We fell out along whatever shade there was along the road while this exchange was happening. After a period of this exchange, we saw the Yankees retreat. We were then ordered forward.

We marched through the North Carolinians who shouted encouragements as we marched. "Go after them, South Carolina", I heard one yell. Our brigade went to the south of the pike, adjusted ourselves and went forward with Scales' brigade of North Carolinians to the left of us. Our brigade was the far right of the line. We entered this fight one regiment short, Orr's Rifles being detailed to guard the wagons the same as we did during the Chancellorsville battle. Facing us and the object of our intentions was a ridge which we were ordered to make Confederate.

The Yankees had other thoughts and voiced their objections with their cannon and muskets. We knew at this point that these were seasoned troops, not militia that faced us. Orders were orders and forward we marched. Vincent was on my right and I did not know that he was hit until I heard Corporal Flynn order that the gap in the ranks be closed. Nesbit advanced forward from the rear rank and went down, dead. Crenshaw was on my left and he went down, too, wounded. A ball pierced the crown of my slouch and another went through my jacket. On we went.

Plyer went down, wounded. Caskey went down, dead. We advanced, bayonets at the ready. The most horrible thing happened when Bill Barton, Senior fell straight down, dead. Bill, Junior saw this and paused only long enough to tell that there was no helping Bill, Senior. 
Many of us fell but more of them fell. Dismounted cavalry was on our right and infantry was on our left. We were told not to fire until ordered and that order was difficult to obey.

We pushed the Yankees away from the top of the ridge and found ourselves with Yankees on our right, open and unsupported. Montgomery tapped me and said, "We have them now!". Then, we went down, shot in the leg. He handed my his cartridge box and told me to avenge him. It was a burden to carry two boxes but to my mind, too much ammunition is good. I did not keep his box long as a piece of shrapnel severed the strap and it fell from me. I was unwounded and very thankful. Denton, being rattled, fired his ramrod at the Yankees. His musket now useless, he fetched Montgomery's and was shot down.

We were ordered to turn right oblique, load and fire by volley. We caught the Yankees in the flank and threw them into a panic. During the last few moments of exchange before they withdrew,  Fleming was hit and he spun around like a wheel. He tried to say something as he lay upon the ground but nothing but his last breath passed his lips. 

The Yankees had the advantage of us as they occupied the high ground behind breastworks and were armed with breech-loaders. No matter as we shot them up and they withrew. That left their artillery unsupported and it then withdrew.We then took over the breastworks. Slowly, the Yankees were collapsing all along their line. The left of our brigade, the First and Fourteenth took Gettysburg and the race was on.

We were entering Gettysburg as fast as the enemy was leaving it. Our regiment, plus the Thirteenth skirted the city to the south in pursuit of the enemy. They would stop, rally and give us a volley or two but our dander was up and we would not let them check our advance. After some six hours of fighting, they took up positions on another range of hills and we stopped shy of them. Both sides were all in and no more could be expected of the flesh.

It is now night and an occasional weak fusilade can still be heard. We have eaten but have not enjoyed it. There were some spoils to be taken from the retreating Yankees but I have not profited. It has been very hot today and it is difficult to refill empty canteens. I found mine to have a hole in it and I am now dependent on the generosity of others.

We have taken stock of our losses and our victory is expensive. The Dandy Eights mess has lost one of its' own and numbers seven. William Barton, Senior was killed on the field of battle advancing the rights of a people who would be free. Peace to his ashes. Junior is in shock and the rest of us are doing our best to console him.

Tomorrow, we will attack the Yankees and finish the job. 


I Send You These Few Lines

This diary entry is the 100th in this blog. It coincides with the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. It was not planned that way; that's just the way it turned out.

Well, the dance has started and the Confederates are leading. The Union troops put up a good fight but it was no more than a delaying action to allow more of Meade's army to come up. The momentum was with the Confederates and they never let it go.

Several historians have contended that the battle of Gettysburg started as a quest for shoes. Gettysburg had actually been captured and raided for shoes several days earlier. On the 30th, after Pettigrew's encounter with Union troops, General Heth is said to have asked General Hill if he had any objection to taking his division to Gettysburg the next day in a search for shoes. Hill is supposed to have given his blessings and sent General Pender's division to support Heth. This was a rather large raiding party and it led to a general engagement.

Heth's division had thrown the Union troops off of their position along McPherson's Ridge. Pender's division then resumed the attack by passing through Heth to attack the Union's second line at Seminary Ridge. The brigade of Colonel Perrin broke the Union line in that area by hitting the cavalry in the flank. The Union forces end the day at Cemetery Hill.

All the casualties mentioned by Tooms were there and were killed or wounded. Tooms could only see so much so in addition to the senior William Barton,  Issac Nesbit and James Caskey and J,B. Fleming being killed, P.B. Lindsey was aso killed were killed.

The wounded that Tooms saw were Isaac Vincent, Ellis Plyer, Wilson Crenshaw, James W. Denton and John J. Montgomery. The ones he did not see were William Porter, David L. Adams, John B. Langly, Wesley Blackmon, Simon H. Huey, Robert Hagins and E.M.L. Williams. All were from just one company, I Company, the Lancaster Horne

And this is just the first day.