149th Pennsylvania Regiment, Company C
John B. Bachelder
Govt. Historian of the Battle of Gettysburg
My Dear Col.
Enclosed herewith please find the statement of Comrade Spayd, one in whom I have entire confidence. He came from the farm into the ranks, and endeared himself to the whole Regt. by his fearless bearing in battle. He pushed, since the close of the rebellion, into the front rank as a teacher, and is at present principal of the Minersville Schools.
We would infer from Spayds statement, 1st: That Stone�s ruse to draw the fire from the regt. was effective. 2nd: That the Confederates, dreading the unseen foe that was supposed to be posted on a line with the colors, crept up the wheat covered slope of McPherson�s Ridge slowly and cautiously, hoping that the movement of their troops from the north, by taking us in flank and rear, would presently dislodge us.
In the meantime our regt. had been ordered by Stone to advance to the old cut, where we found ourselves in a bad position; and after opening on the enemy that had now approached to the fence beyond, we were ordered back by Dwight, reformed on the pike, charged and drove the rebels back across & on beyond the cut, and again returned to the pike.
By this time my regt. and the 150th P.V. were both decimated and pressed back; and it was not till then, when every chance of escape was cut off, that the more advanced of the rebels creeping up through the wheat field & discovering that we had no line of battle there, dashed upon the colors.
My own oberservation supports this inference. I was severely wounded in the above mentioned charge, and when the regt. fell back was carried along to the pike, and again picked up and laid in the S.E. cornoer of McPherson�s barn-yard. Very soon, amid the din of battle, I heard the enemy in front of the barn challenging our men to surrender. Presently Sergt. Brehm, all alone, with long strides, and the colors at a right shoulder shift, emerged on my very limited field of vision. This was some forty to fifty yards off in the direction of the pike and in the edge of the meadow. He was quickly out of sight, My heart beat heavily as I thought of the tremendous odds against the gallant Sergt. A few moments later, a red-haired rebel approached on his way to the rear bearing aloft our beloved colors.
When I proposed in July last to get you Spayd�s statement I supposed that he would have something to say about the struggle over the national colors. But it fell to his lot to fighting for the State colors, and in such a life and death struggle, there is no time to see what your comrades are doing.
I received a minute and graphic account from Color Corpl. John Friddell on the field of battle, but I was so far gone at the time that I do not trust my memory. Friddell disappeared mysteriously from the U.S. Hospital at Germantown in 1864 and has not been heard of since.
I have some more information for you but before forwarding it I wish to hear from two more surviving color guards. I would say now however that the guards were all wounded without exception. Orderly Sergt. Mengel told you at Gettysburg that Fred Hoffman left the colors just in time to save himself and was unhurt. Hoffman claims that he was wounded thought slightly by a piece of shell & that his clothes were badly rent, and I find that he was reported wounded on the Company roll.
Plese accept my most heartfelt thanks and the thanks of my men for the effort you are making to shift the truth in regard to our colors at Gettysburg and the desperate struggle of the color guards.
I am Col.,
Very Respectfully yours,
J. H. Bassler
Ex Capt, Co. �C� 149th P.V.
The Bachelder Papers
Volume II, Pages 759-761
Complied by Daivd and Audrey Ladd