THE brass field piece, which stands on the granite pedestal at the south side of the State House Parade has a history unequaled perhaps by any other gun that did service in the war for the Union. An honorable history it is, for it was the prize for which, in that terrible battle of Gettysburg, brave men on both sides contended in a deadly hand to hand encounter. The battery boys, backed by the brave Sixty-Ninth Pennsylvania, finally won the prize, but a dearly bought one it was, for it was paid for by the sacrifice of the lives of many gallant men.
The Gettysburg gun was one of the park of six brass field light twelve-pounder Napoleons of Battery B First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery, which the battery received at Harrison Landing, Va., in exchange for the ten-pounder Parrots with which the battery was equipped during the Peninsular Campaign.
The battery was mustered into the United States service at Providence, R. I., Aug. 13, 1861, for three years, proceeded to Washington, D. C., under the command of First Lieut. Raymond H. Perry. Thomas F. Vaughan, its first captain, was commissioned Aug. 12, 1861, followed by Walter 0. Bartlett, John G. Hazard, and T. Fred Brown. The battery was mustered out of service, June 12, 1865, at Providence, R. I., First Lieut. James E. Chace commanding.
The battery at the time the Army of the Potomac was following General Lee to Pennsylvania, was under the command of First Lieut. T. Fred Brown, our captain, John G. Hazard, having been assigned to duty as Chief of Artillery of the Second Corps to which the battery was attached, and our Senior Second Lieut. Joseph S. Milne was detached and assigned to duty with Battery A, Fourth United States Artillery, under First Lieutenant Cushing, so the battery had at that time only three commissioned officers present for duty, viz.: First Lieut. T. Fred Brown, William L. Perrin, and Second Lieut. Charles A. Brown.
The van of the main army having reached Gettysburg, had struck the Confederate forces in good position and large numbers one mile west of the town on the first day of July, 1863. Battery B at this time was at Uniontown, Md., where they had arrived on the night of June 29th, at nine o'clock, after a hard and long day's march of thirty-three miles. We left Uniontown on the morning of July 1st, at eight o'clock, passing through Taneytown at noon, halted, and stopped two hours to make coffee; then on we marched again until seven o'clock; then went into camp for the night within three miles of the town of Gettysburg. At two o'clock on the morning of July 2d, the battery was ordered to hitch up and prepare for a move. The sleepy men tumbled out of their blankets wondering if there was to be an attack by the enemy. Soon everything was in readiness, all packed and waiting to move, but at sunrise we were still waiting.
While waiting many improved the time, and small fires were soon built, a pot of coffee made to refresh the inner man for the work that was in prospect before them. At five a. m. orders were received to move to the front, and the battery was soon in motion on the Taneytown road to Gettysburg, where we arrived about ten a. m., and were assigned position in battery on the left of the Second Corps line with General Harrow's First Brigade of Second Division on Cemetery Ridge, our left being joined by the Third Corps. General Sickles advanced the Third Corps to the front about two p. m., thus creating a gap, and leaving the Second Corps exposed on its extreme left with only Battery B to fill the interval.
While the Third Corps was engaged at the Devil's Den and Peach Orchard in the struggle of the rebels for possession of Little Round Top, Battery B was advanced to the right and front a few hundred rods, about four p. m., upon higher ground in front of the main line, at the edge of a small wooded ridge, at General Gibbon's (Second Division of the Second Corps) left front, known as the "Codori's field", and went into battery at once, and opened fire upon a rebel battery that had obtained a good range upon General Meade's headquarters. After a well directed fire of about twenty minutes, the rebel battery could stand our fire no longer and withdrew. At this time the rebels showed themselves in force at our left front moving towards the battery, which the boys thought to be our men of the Third Corps falling back; but after we had received their fire and heard that well known "rebel yell" as they charged for our battery, we were in doubt no longer, but sprang to the posts at the guns ready to receive them. This force of the enemy proved to be General Wright's Brigade of General Anderson's Division, making for the gap between the Second and Third Corps. The enemy were in solid front of two lines of battle. And as our artillery fire cut down their men they would waver for a second, then close up and continue to advance, their battle flags fluttering in the breeze, and the sun reflecting its dazzling rays from the barrels of their muskets.
The violent forcing back of General Humphrey's division of the Third Corps, brought destruction upon the force under Col. George H. Ward, consisting of his own regiment the Fifteenth Massachusetts, the Eighty-Second New York, Lieutenant-Colonel Huston, and Battery B, which had by General Gibbin's orders been thrown forward to the Codori House on the Emmitsburg Road, to partially cover the gap caused by the abrupt advancing of the Third Corps. As the enemy (Wright's Brigade), advanced a desperate resistance was made by this little band, which was far overlapped on their flank, and at last compelled to retreat.
As the enemy were forcing General Humphrey's left back towards the line they first occupied, and the position where the battery was first placed on coming up to the front, General Hancock came galloping up the line towards his right (going north), and saw a portion of the enemy, (Wilcox's brigade) coming out into the opening, from the cover of a clump of bushes. He looked right and left for troops. Turning round he saw a regiment coming up from the rear. Dashing up to the colonel, and pointing to the enemy's column he exclaimed: "Do you see those colors? Take them". And the gallant First Minnesota (Colonel Colville), sprang forward, and precipitated themselves upon the advancing foe, and three-fourths of the regiment were destroyed in the impetuous onset. Thus was the gap partially closed, but on came the advancing foe. Battery B began firing four second spherical case shell, that is, shell filled with small lead or iron bullets and powder enough to burst them. (Ours contained about seventy in number). Battery B being in an exposed position, it received the concentrated fire of the enemy, who were advancing so rapidly that the fuses were cut at three, two, and one second, and then canister, and at last double charges were used to a gun. Then came the order, "Limber to the rear"; and shouts from the infantry; "Get out, you will all be killed". From the battery boys, it was, "Don't give up the guns !"
During this time the foe were advancing and firing by volleys. Having failed in the attempt to secure the gap, their objective point now seemed to be the capture of the battery, but the battery was well supported by the Sixty-Ninth and One Hundred and Sixth Pennsylvania boys, and so succeeded in retiring with four pieces leaving two on the field, the horses having been killed. In retiring the battery came under a heavy enfilading fire from the wing of the flanking foe which had overlapped us, and before we could retire to the rear of the line of our support, for we had to go through a narrow gap in the stone wall which made breastworks for the infantry, and only one piece at a time,—we had many of our men and horses wounded.
As the sixth piece was approaching the gap it was forced to halt, as the gap was partially blocked by two pieces trying to go through at the same time. Before it was cleared, one of the horses on the sixth piece was killed and another wounded, so the drivers were forced to abandon the horses and gun, the enemy being right upon them, some lying down, some making for the gap, each side of which a vivid flame streamed, sending forth the messengers of death to the foe. |
When the order was given "Limber to the rear", the fourth piece was loaded, the sergeant (Albert A. Straight) waited until it was fired before he repeated the order to limber up, and when he did, two of his horses were shot and fell so the order could not be executed; but he gave orders for the men to look out for themselves, the gun being left in position on the field, and this one is the so called ‘Gettysburg Gun’, and not the sixth piece which was abandoned near the gap in the wall.* The other pieces, which reached the rear of our battle line got in battery at once, and opened fire again upon the advancing foe, but soon stopped firing to enable our infantry to charge. Then came a struggle for the possession of those guns. |
*In the diary of the sergeant of that piece under date of July 2, 1863, is written : "We were ordered to limber to the rear when they (the rebs) had got very near to two of my horses got shot just as the order was given, and I could not get my piece off, and the boys had to look out for themselves as the Johnnies were all around us, and the bullets flew very lively, with some shot and shell, all my horses were killed, David B. King was hit and lived but a few minutes, and one man was taken prisoner. I got my piece again after the charge was over. |
The gallant Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania held their ground, and advanced with the brigade on the charge, drove the foe back and held the guns. When finally the rebs were driven back across the Emmittsburg road, the two pieces of Battery B were withdrawn from the field to the third position occupied by the battery. After the charge the brigade fell back to its old position on the ridge, at the wall.
The casualties of July 2d were three men killed, one taken prisoner, and fifteen wounded. Thirteen horses were killed and a number wounded. First Lieut. T. Fred. Brown was wounded as the battery was withdrawing from the field, and the command was assumed by First Lieut. William S. Perrin.* During this engagement our caissons, with full complement of men and horses were parked in the rear of the second line of infantry of the corps, and remained undisturbed. It was therefore wholly upon this account that the battery was enabled to take part in the battle of the 3d of July with four guns fully equipped. Night closed the scene. White robed peace flung her mantle, for a brief interval, o'er the victor and vanquished, the dying and the dead. Hushed was the fearful strife, and sleep closed the eyelids of men weary and worn with battle. |
* [The horses as they lay on the field were not despoiled of their harnesses, nor was the ammunition remaining in the limber chests taken by the rebels, as has been stated, but all property was recovered intact.] |
How many were sleeping the last sleep of the living upon this earth, and what myriads of heavenly beings were wafting the thoughts of those sleeping soldiers back to the live ones, to the homes of their childhood days, and perhaps to the last sad parting. Morning came all too soon, for ere the golden orb of day had tinted the east with his splendor the call was to arms, to again look death calmly in the face and patiently wait the summons to battle. Stern duty lay before them, an enemy to conquer, and a government to honor and uphold.
The dawn of July 3d broke in splendor, but before the beauty of that magnificent landscape was revealed by the first rays of the sun, the clamor of human strife broke forth, and rose and swelled to fury along the rocky slopes of Culp's Hill on our right. The cause for this was, the Twelfth Corps returning from the left found their old position occupied by the enemy (Johnson's Division), and only waited for daylight to advance and drive the intruders out. The contest was sharp but the nature of the position did not permit of rapid and decisive work. Little by little the enemy was forced back until compelled to give up the ground and to abandon the position to the Twelfth Corps. In Battery B on the morning of July 3d, the four pieces were so posted that the center pieces were a little in advance of the right and left pieces, so as to bear upon and command a given point. First Lieut. W. S. Pen-in commanded battery and right section, Second Lieut. C. A. Brown commanded left section. The Seventy-second Pennsylvania Regiment, Colonel Baxter, lay to the left and rear of the battery in support. Lieutenant Cushing's Battery A, Fourth United States, held position several rods to our right and a little in advance. Several rods to our left on the same line was Battery B, First New York in position.
During the morning a desultory fire of artillery was kept up, during which the rebels fire succeeded in exploding several ammunition chests of the gun limbers, and in return we retaliated and performed the same service for them, this being acknowledged by both parties with continued shouts and cheers.
As the forenoon wore on, there came a lull, a stillness even of death. A feeling of oppression weighed upon all hearts, the silence was ominous and portentous of coming evil. It was the calm, which precedes the storm. At one o'clock in the afternoon a cannon shot from the enemy's line, from the Washington Artillery, was fired on our right followed by another at an interval of a minute, breaking the silence brooding over the scorched battlefield. It was a signal well understood, and the smoke of those guns had not dispersed before the whole rebel line was ablaze, and over one hundred cannon sent forth a concerted roar, that rivaled the angriest thunder. Our cannoneers jumped to their places at the pieces, the drivers to their horses, waiting the order to commence firing. It was ten or fifteen minutes before we received orders to fire. Then at the command, the shrieking shot and shell were let loose upon their work of destruction, proving to be one of the most terrible artillery duels ever witnessed. Then came Pickett's grand charge to break the Union center, sweep the Second Corps from their path and then on to Washington. How Lee succeeded history tells.
It was during this fierce cannonade that one of the pieces of Battery B was struck by a rebel shell, which exploded and killed two cannoneers. The men were in the act of loading it. No. 1, William Jones, had stepped to his place between the muzzle of the piece and wheel, right side, and had swabbed the gun and reversed sponge staff, which is also the rammer, and was waiting for the charge to be inserted by No. 2. Alfred G. Gardner, No. 2, had stepped to his place between the muzzle of the piece and wheel, left side, facing inward to the rear, taking the ammunition from No. 5 over the wheel. He turned slightly to the left, and was in the act of inserting the charge into the piece when a shell from one of the enemy's guns, struck the face of the muzzle, left side of the bore and exploded. William Jones was killed instantly by being struck on the left side of his bead by a fragment of the shell, which cut the top completely off. He fell with his head toward the enemy, and the sponge staff was thrown forward beyond him two or three yards. Alfred G. Gardner was struck in the left shoulder, almost tearing his arm from his body. He lived a few minutes and died shouting, "Glory to God ! I am happy ! Hallelujah !" his sergeant and friend bending over him to receive his dying request. |
The sergeant of the piece, Albert A. Straight, and the remaining cannoneers tried to load the piece, placing a charge in the muzzle of the gun. They found it impossible to ram it home. Again and again they tried to drive home the charge, which proved so obstinate, but their efforts were futile. The depression on the muzzle was so great that the charge could not be forced in, and the attempt was abandoned, and as the piece cooled off the shot became firmly fixed in the bore of the gun. |
This piece is the so called Gettysburg gun of Battery B, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery.* |
By this letter it proves that the piece and carriage were struck three times, and that there was an explosion, for the sergeant says that his piece was struck three times by shot or shell before they exploded. Now they must have been shell, which struck to have exploded. The writer distinctly remembers seeing the explosion at the piece when the two men were killed, but at the time thought that the piece had been fired, until told that it was struck by a rebel shell. And again if they had been solid shot, which had struck it, the piece would have been dismounted.
The letter, also with other statements of several of the cannoneers, proves that it was the fourth piece of the battery, and that the gun was disabled by being struck by a rebel shell that exploded and killed two men that were in the act of loading it; that the sergeant and other cannoneers, after it was struck, tried to load it but failed, and the charge was placed in the bore by the sergeant and stuck there. (There is no proof to show whether it was the same charge, which Gardner had taken to put in or another one; but there was no ammunition found on the ground after the piece was withdrawn from the field). And so the shot of that charge which was placed in the gun by the sergeant remains firmly fixed in the muzzle, and not a rebel shot, as some have claimed it to be, and shot in there by one of the enemy's guns during the cannonading of July 3, 1863, at the battle of Gettysburg. Sergeant Straight finding that the piece could not be loaded reported it disabled, and was ordered by Lieutenant Perrin to have it withdrawn from the field to the rear, where the battery wagon and forge were stationed. |
Your brother, {Signed,} ALBERT STRAIGHT] |
About half past two o'clock p. m. Battery B's fire began to slacken for want of men, and ammunition being about exhausted, and at quarter of three P. M. a battery (Cowen's First New York Artillery) came up to the ridge on the trot, wheeled into battery on the left of Battery B's position, and opened fire with spherical case shell on the enemy's line of infantry moving from the woods towards the Emmitsburg road in their front. Battery B at this time was relieved and ordered to the rear to where the battery wagon and forge were parked. As the battery was limbering up and retiring, the enemy's line of battle could be seen advancing from the woods on Seminary Ridge, three-fourths of a mile away. A line of skirmishers sprang forward lively, and with intervals well kept moved rapidly into the open fields, closely followed by a line of battle, then by another, and then by a third line.
General Gibbon's Division, which was to stand the brunt of this assault, looked with eager gaze upon their foe marching forward with easy swinging step; and along the Union line the men were heard to exclaim: "Here they come ! Here they come !" Soon little puns of smoke issued from the skirmish line as it came dashing forward firing in reply to our own skirmishers, never hesitating for an instant but driving our men before it or knocking them over by a biting fire. As they rose up to run in, the rebel skirmishers reached the fence along the Emmittsburg road. This was Pickett's advance, which carried a front of five hundred yards or more on that memorable charge of the Confederates against the Union center. The repulse was one of the turning points against the confederates, and helped to break the backbone of the Rebellion.
As Battery B was leaving the line of battle, the field in rear of its position was being swept by the enemy's shot and bursting shell. The gun detachments and drivers to avoid this field took three pieces to the right, as they were facing to the rear, diagonally across towards the Taneytown Road. The other piece, of which the writer was lead driver at that time, instead of following the others went to the left down a cart path towards the same road.
We had not proceeded far when a shell exploded at our right, and a piece of it struck the wheel driver Charles G. Sprague on the forehead, cutting a gash from which the blood flowed down his face partly blinding him, so that he could not manage his horses. I asked the swing driver, Clarke L. Woodmansee, to take the wheel horses and let the swing horses go alone. He did so, relieving Sprague. Then we started on our way down the path again. The flash of bursting shell, and the screeching of shot, which were flying thick and fast around us, caused the swing horses now that they had no one to manage them to plunge first to one side then to the other, then backwards which greatly interfered with further progress. Looking to my left I saw one of our cannoneers, a detached man from the One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania, Joseph Brackell, lying beside a large boulder rock. I called to him to come and drive them. He came and cleared the horses of the traces and mounted. This calmed the horses somewhat and we started on for the road again. When within a few rods of the road where the path descended, a shell at our right exploded, and a piece cut through the bowels of the off wheel horse, another striking the nigh swing horse, which Brackell was" riding, on the gambrel joint, breaking the off leg. Still another piece swept across my off saddle cutting the nose-bags there from, whereby I lost my cooking utensils and extra rations I had in them. Whipping up my horses I shouted to the other drivers, saying, "Let's get into the road !" for they wanted to stop. We continued on, the wheel horse trampling on his bowels all the time, at every step, as we swung around down into the road, which was three feet lower than the field. Here the wheel horse dropped dead, and we could go no further. We had cleared the horses from the piece, and were about changing the harnesses from dead and wounded horses, so as to put the swing horse that was not wounded in the place of the dead wheel horse, when a shot came and struck the gun wheel taking out a spoke and went screeching into the woods. This was followed by a shell, which exploded in the woods in rear of us. This startled the horses and Woodmansee's horse went down the road, he after him. Brackell, who had changed saddles, from his crippled horse to the sound one, now mounted and followed Woodmansee. The crippled horse seeing his mate going hobbled on after, trying hard to keep up. Being thus left alone I could do nothing there without help, so I mounted and went down the road to find the battery, leaving the piece at the side of the road. I found the road was anything but pleasant to travel, for shot and shell were flying about quite lively. |
On reaching a barn on the west side of the road used as headquarters of artillery brigade of the Second Corps, also a hospital, behind which were several staff officers, aids, and some cavalry, I asked for Battery B. They pointed down the road. Here I met Woodmansee, and together we kept on. We had not gone far before we heard a crash and report. On looking back saw the men and horses, which had been back of the barn going in all directions. A shell had struck a corner of that barn and exploded, causing the stampede. A short distance from the barn in an opening among the woods on the east side of the Taneytown road and about a mile from our position in line of battle we found Battery B parked, and the men in bivouac, as some had shelter tents up. I reported that one of the pieces was left up in the road near General Meade's headquarters.
Late in the afternoon after the firing had subsided and all was quiet along the lines, Lieutenant Perrin with a detail of men, the writer being one of them, went back to the field of battle. Our troops had advanced from the position they had occupied when the battery left. The ground was strewn with torn haversacks, battered canteens, broken wheels of gun carriages, and piles of knapsacks and blankets, which silently told of the destruction, which had visited the place.
The men gathered what accoutrements belonged to the battery, which had been left on the field when the battery withdrew. Returning to camp by way of the cart-path to the road where the third piece had been left it was not there. The dead horse lay beside the road, but the piece and harness were gone and we could get no information from men about there as to who carried it off, or in what direction it went. As it could not have fallen into the hands of the enemy being within our own lines, it was evident that some battery, ordnance or supply wagon drew it to the rear where other condemned ordnance was parked. As the number of the piece was not known to the officers of the battery, it was not returned to the battery, or any information obtained concerning it so far as the writer can learn. |
Battery B's causalities in the two days' engagements on the field were: |
The names of those killed were:
Wounded and sent to the hospital:
Detached men: Dyer Cady, Fifteenth Massachusetts; Lewis Moulton, Nineteenth Maine.
On the 3d of July: Daniel N. Felt, John Green (died), George R. Matteson, wounded. Joseph Cassen was taken prisoner, and William H. Galiup was missing. There were sixty-five horses killed and wounded, and all the pieces were rendered unserviceable, condemned, and turned in to the ordnance department. |
Lieut. William S. Perrin (temporarily took over Battery B when T. Fred Brown was wounded) The Gettysburg Gun and Capt. T. Frederic Brown (Battery B Commander, stricken with a head wound) Massachusetts MOLLUS Commandery I.D.# 01143.
Mjr. Gen. Henry J. Hunt Chief of Artillery, Army of the Potomac, Washington D.C. MOLLUS Commandery I.D.# 04327; The Gettysburg Gun at the R.I. State House Today; and Col. John G. Hazard, 2nd Corps Artillery Brigade Commander, Army of the Potomac, Massachusetts MOLLUS Commandery I.D.# 01054.
THE RHODE ISLAND SOLDIERS AND SAILORS HISTORICAL SOCIETY EIGHTEEN NINTY TWO
Were At The Point Of Focus Of The Famed, “Picket’s Charge” and helped assure it to be the “High Watermark” Of The Confederacy”. Gideon Spencer assured the people and his comrades "The Gettysburg Gun" would be a Rhode Island treasure on display in the State House for all time. Officers Left to right are: Lieut. Joseph S. Milne; Lieut. Gideon Spencer, Massachusetts MOLLUS Commandery I.D. # 11209; and Lieut. Horace S. Bloodgood.
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