Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 37.djvu/281

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The Color Episode.
273

back and Sergeant Brehm on top of him; I saw a Confederate in the act of striking him with the but of his gun and another picking up the flag. I saw that I was not yet a prisoner and started to go to the regiment for help; that when I got near the pike I saw that the Confederates occupied the ground where recently we had seen our regiment; that I changed my course and got by the left flank of the enemy, but before getting far was disabled by a gun shot wound through my leg.

(Signed) Franklin W. Lehman.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 4th day of March, A. D., 1907; and I hereby certify that the contents of the above declaration were fully made known to him before swearing, and that I have no interest, direct or indirect, in the prosecution of this claim.

Luther G. Witt, Notary Public.


Minersville, Schuykill Co., Pa., May 3rd, 1907.

Capt. J. H. Bassler, Myerstown, Pa.,

Dear Sir and Comrade:—I hereby respectfully refer Capt. Gamble to my statement in your "Reminiscences of the First Day's Fight at Gettysburg a copy of which you told me you had sent to the Captain. I now reiterate under oath, that excepting the first advance of our regiment to the railroad cut, and later on the dash at us of a squad of Confederates out of the wheat field, after, as subsequent events proved, our regiment had been flanked out of its position near the McPherson buildings, there was no movement of troops, of either our own or of the enemy, so near to us as to attract our attention. Of course, we were crouching behind the pile of rails to shield ourselves from the aim of the rebel sharpshooters and it was only at intervals that one of our number would rise to take a hurried survey of the long semi-circle of Confederates to the north, northwest and west. I further reiterate that after I had rescued the State flag from the foeman who had wrenched it from the grasp of Corporal Franklin W. Lehman, and made a dash for our regiment, I noticed before reaching the pike that the Bucktails, had left, and that the ground was occupied