THE 146 TH NEIV YORK AT LITTLE ROUND TOP.
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to reach Little Bound Top in time to resist theiradvance. \
Resuming their march, these two regimentsPassed down the north-easterly side of Bound Topand advanced across the wooded depression be-tween the hills to charge up the rear of LittleRound Top and sweep off Vincent’s brigade, thenfiercely engaged with Robertson’s Texans and thethree regiments of Law’s brigade that had beenassigned to his command, who were trying to getPossession from the front. But just here thesetwo Alabama regiments met the 20th Maine ,which was the left regiment of Vincent’s brigade,and also the left of the whole Army of the Potomac,and, to conform to the crest of the hill, was benthack at about right angles with the line of the rest°f the brigade. This was fortunate, for in their ad-vance the 47th Alabama , commanded by Lieuten-ant-Colonel Bulger, struck our regiment squarely111 front and opened a murderous lire on our un-protected line, as we had just got into position,and had no time to throw up breastworks. Atthe same time the 15th Alabama , commanded byColonel 'William C. Oates , numbering 644 men and42 officers, moved around to attack us in flank andrear. Our colonel, Chamberlain, met this movementny putting the right wing of the regiment intosingle rank to resist the 47tli, and bent back thenve left companies of the regiment at a right angle.
Our regiment numbered 358 men, but as Com-pany B, numbering 50 men, had been sent out toprotect our flank,” we had 308 men in line toresist the furious assault of these two strong regi-
\ Vincent’s brigade appears to have been sent byGeneral Sykes to occupy the position to tbe left, or'mt iuvani, of Little Round Top, between it and Round°1'. about the same time that Colonel O’Rorke with the
ments, outnumbering us more than 3 to 1. Theconflict was fierce, but necessarily brief, as it wasa question of only a short time when every manmust fall before the superior fire of our enemy.
When 130 of our brave officers and men hadbeen shot down where they stood, and only 178remained,—hardly more than a strong skirmishline,— and each man had fired the GO rounds ofcartridges he carried into the fight, and the sur-vivors were using from the cartridge-boxes of theirfallen comrades, the time had come when it mustbe decided whether we should fall back and give upthis key to the whole field of Gettysburg , or chargeand try and throw off this foe. Colonel Chamber-lain gave the order to “fix bayonets,” and almostbefore he could say “ charge! ” the regiment leapeddown the hill and closed in with the foe, whom wefound behind every rock and tree. Surprised andoverwhelmed, most of them threw down their armsand surrendered.
Some fought till they were slain ; the others ran“like a herd of wild cattle,” as Colonel Oates him-self expressed it. In their flight they were met byCompany B, Captain Morrill, which we supposedhad been captured, but now attacked so vigorouslythat over one hundred of the fugitives were com-pelled to surrender.
Lieutenant-Colonel Bulger, commanding the47th, was wounded, and fell into our hands, withover three hundred prisoners and all the wounded.
The 20th Maine returned with its prisoners tothe original position, and staid there until orderedforward in the early evening to Bound Top.
140th New York and Hazlett’s battery, the advance ofWeed’s brigade, at the call of Warren was hasteningup the northern slope of Little Round Top to seize thecrest.— Editors.
/ THE 146th NEW YORK AT LITTLE BOUND TOP.
BY .TAMES G. GR1NDLAY, BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL, II. S. V.
I N “The Century’’for Decem-ber, 1886 [see p. 298 of thisvolume], in the illustration,“View from the position ofHazlett’s battery on LittleBound Top,” it is stated, “ themonument marks the positionof the 91st Pennsylvania ofWeed’s brigade.” I beg tosay that the location of themonument is exactly whereN the headquarters of the 146thNew York Volunteers wereestablished and maintainedduring the battle of Gettys-, burg. Weed’s brigade com-
mixed the 140th and 146th New York and theth ai "^ 4 55th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and^ e y formed the line of battle 011 Little Round°P in the order as named from left to right,the Big Rock stands upon the summit of Little0 und Top, and was the headquarters of the 146tlib]R W Yoi ' k > Colonel Kenner Garrard , and also’gade headquarters, when Colonel Garrard suc-e ded General Weed iu command when the latter
was killed. The 146tli New York occupied theground immediately in front of the Big Rock,and the center and colors of our regiment wereopposite the rock — the 91st being on our right, asbefore stated; and the extreme left of the 91stPennsylvania was at least one hundred yards to theright of the rock. I am confirmed in this state-ment by correspondence with brother officers,among others Major C. K. Dutton, of New YorkCity , who writes me : “ Your statement of the posi-tion of 146th is correct. One thing I do know,viz., that my company (II) was to the right of therock, and several companies of the regiment on theright of my company before the 91st Pennsylvania came in line. Jenkins, Armstrong, and myself hadour position a hundred feet to the right of the rock.”The writer commanded the color company, andhis memory is refreshed from the fact that at thereunion of the regiment at Borne, N. Y. , August6th last, the subject was fully discussed and stepstaken to erect a monument to mark the position,also by a recent examination of the maps andphotographs of the field of battle at the residenceof General Sickles by a committee of our regiment.