Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/103

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Battle of Gettysburg.
91

Kernan, of the Forty-third regiment, severely wounded on the 3d July while leading his men against the enemy's works. These officers, with the exception of Captain Hammond, are in the hands of the enemy.

I desire also to mention specially Colonel E. C. Brabble, Thirty-second; Lieutenant-Colonel W. G. Lewis, Forty-third regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel D. J. Conand, Thirty-second regiment; Captain A. Galloway, commanding Forty-fifth regiment on the 3d July after Major Winston had been disabled; Captain Hopkins, of the same regiment; Captain London, of the Thirty-second, commanding skirmishers; Captain Whitaker, senior captain of the Forty-third, and Lieutenant Still, Forty-third regiment, acting Aide-de-Camp after Lieutenant Bond was wounded.

These officers all acted with bravery and coolness, as did all of my officers and men whose conduct came under my observation, but the above were more conspicuous than the rest.

I entered the engagement of July 1st with twenty-one hundred (2,100) men; the total loss up to the time my command reached Hagerstown amounted to nine hundred and ninety-six (996) men, of which number nine were lost in the skirmish at Fairfield.

About night on Saturday the 4th, I received orders to hold myself in readiness to move. Between twelve and one o'clock I received orders to commence the march, and moved off at the head of the division, taking the Fairfield road, which place we reached the middle of the afternoon the following day and encamped some one and a half miles beyond the town upon the top of the mountain.

The following morning I was notified that the division would constitute the rear guard of the army and that I would bring up the rear of the division, and was ordered to relieve the skirmishers of General Early, then coming up from the town, the enemy's skirmishers following them. I threw out skirmishers on both sides of the road and engaged those of the enemy, driving them back. The enemy's line having been ascertained to be a long one, extending nearly across the valley, General Doles was ordered by the Commanding-General to throw out skirmishers and relieve a portion of mine on the right of the road.

The Forty-fifth regiment, under command of Captain Hopkins, was ordered to occupy a hill some distance to the left and front, which, it was thought from the movements of the enemy they intended to occupy with artillery, and from which he could annoy us much in withdrawing. Upon reaching the hill Captain Hop-