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\7EB B
AND HIS BRIGADE
AT THE ANGLE
GETTYSBURG
.^v
PUP
\ ^"*
•VT. MAJOR-OENEIIAL ALEXANDER 8. WEBI U. & A. IN WAR TIME
f n Abemotiam
Blejran^er Stewart TKlebb
1835-lOtl
*
publtobed Int Butbofft!^ ot tbc State of flew VorKt TBnder tbe Super^fon of
Sflll^lew Votk Aonumente Commlgelon
♦
ALBANY
J. B. LYON COMPANY, PRINTERS
1916
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• • • •
■ • • •
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'• /••• A •••••••
-•• •
• •• • ■
• * • • •
I KS- t
1 t-N'-J.N "
.-(■,;: ndaTions
5>e&icatfon of /ftonument
Btcctcd bi2 tbe State ot lUw Vork
in aommemocatfon ot tbc
Serviced ot
JStevet /l>aiot«(3enetal
fileianber Stewart Mebb
XI. s* a*
TKObo Comman&e& tbe pbila^elpbia Brioabe
on tbe Sattlefielb of (Betti^bura
SuIiS 2b anb 3b
1863
New York Monuments Commission
fOK THB BATTLETIILDt OT
Gettysburg, Chattanooga and Antietam
New York, March 8, 1916,
To the Legislature:
I have the honor to transmit herewith report on the monument
erected on the battlefield of Gettysburg to Brevet Major-Greneral
Alexander Stewart Webb, U. S. A., and the dedication proceedings
thereof, October 12, 1915.
Respectfully submitted,
LEWIS R. STEGMAN,
Chairnian,
XTable of Contents
Page
Introductory — Report of Monuments Commission - - - - - 1 1
Order of Day — Military Parade - - - - - - - 27
Programme of Exercises - - - • • - - -35
Prayer — Rev. Wm. T. Pray SG
Introductory Remarks — Col. Lewis R. Stegman - - - - - 88
Oration — Governor Whitman ------- 47
Oration — Gen. James W. Latta --..---50
Poems — Gen. Horatio C. King - - - - - -- 60
Address — Col. Andrew Cowan --..---63
Address — Dr. G. J. R. Miller .-..--. 70
Address — Col. Joseph R. C.Ward - - • - - - -81
Remarks by Gen. Theo. S. Peck 85
Remarks by Captain John D. Rogers -.---- 88
Benediction — Rev. O. L. Severson ------ 90
General Webb in the Army ---.----93
General Webb in Civil Life 107
Supplement— Address Delivered by General Webb at Gettysburg, 1883 - 112
1Utt6ttatton9
Brevet Maj. Gen, Alexander S. Webb, U. S. A. (In War Times) - FrontUpUce
Brevet Maj. Gen. Alexander S. Webb, U. S. A. (At Maturity) - . - 1 1
New York Moniunentfl Commission - - • • • • vg
Speakers at the Dedication ----••-•85
The Philadelphia Brigade 92
The Webb Stetue ..89
Inscription Tablet ----•-... 41
His Excellency, Charles S. Whitman, Governor - - - • - 47
Official Dedication Party, at Wadsworth Monument • • • • 52
Official Dedication Party, at Webb Monument - - • • - 5T
Family of General Webb ---....• ^3
General Webb's Headquarters, Culpepper, Va - • • • • 70
Henry House, Bull Run -----.-. gi
Chancellorsville, May 8, 1868 •--••••* 85
Landrum House, Spotsylvania ..••.•. 98
McCool House, " Bloody Angle," Spotsylvania - • • » • 100
The Angle, Cvettysburg - - • • • • • • n^
The Crater, Fort Stedman, Fair Oaks, Va. • - • • • •117
1.
i '.
■VT. MAJOR-QENERAL ALEXANDER 8. WEBt, U. 8. A.
In Aemodam
HIexan6etr Stevoart Mebb
1ntro^uctorl?
WHEN Major-General Alexander Stewart Webb resigned
from the United States Army, in 1870» to become president
of the College of the City of New York, there was to his
credit in the War Department a record of fifteen years of continuous
military service; and that his career during that time was replete
with action and incident such as tend to make stirring history is
shown by the following synopsis of the account of his soldiership^
prepared by the War Department itself:
"He was a cadet at the United States Military Academy July 1^ 1851, to
July I, 1855 f when he was graduated and appointed brevet second lieutenant^
Fourth Artillery, July 1, 1855; second lieutenant, Second Artillery, October 20,
1855; first lieutenant, April 28, 1861; captain. Eleventh Infantry, May 14, 1861;
major. First Rhode Island Light Artillery, September 14, 1861; lieutenant colonel,
A. I. G. (by assignment), August 20, 1862; brigadier general of volunteers, June 28,
1868; honorably mustered out of volunteer service, January 15, 1866; lieutenant
oolonel. Forty-fourth Infantry, July 28, 1866; transferred to Fifth Infantry^
March 15, 1869; unassigned, March 24, 1869.
" He received the brevets of major, July 8, 1863, for gallant and meritorious
■ervioes at the battle of Gettysburg, Penn.; lieutenant colonel, October 11, 1868,
for gallant and meritorioiis services at the battle of Bristoe Station, Va.; colonel.
May 12, 1864, for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Spotsylvania,
Va.; brigadier general, March 18, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the
campaign terminating with the surrender of the insurgent army under Gen. R. E.
Lee; major general, March 18, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services during
the war, and major general volunteers, August 1, 1864, for gallant and distinguished
conduct at the battle of Gettysburg, Penn., Bristoe Station, the Wilderness and
Spotsylvania, Va.
" He was awarded a medal of honor ' for distinguished personal gallantry in
the battle of Gettysburg.* "
11
Blezan^er Stewart vneDD
SERVICE
" He was on dutj at the Military Academj, July 5 to August 28, 1855.
" He joined his regiment January 9, 1856^ and served with it in Florida, in
operations against hostile Seminole Indians, to November 19, 1856; at Fort
Independence, Mass., to July 8, 1857; absent side to September ftO, 1857; with
company at Fort Snelling, Minn., to October 81, 1857.
"On duty as assistant professor of mathematics at the United States Military
Academy, November 10, 1857, to January 7, 1861, and on duty with the West Point
Light Battery to April 5, 1861; with battery at Fort Pickens, Fla., to July 4,
1861; in the field in Virginia to August 12, 1861; assistant to chief of artillery,
Army of the Potomac, to August 20, 1862; inspector general and chief of staff
Fifth Army Corps to November, 1862; inspector of artillery, camp of instruction,
Camp Barry, D. C, to January 18, 1868; inspector general Fifth Army Corps to
June 26, 1868; commanding Second Brigade, Second Division, Second Corps
(temporarily commanding Second Division, Second Corps, August 16 to September
5, 1868), to October 7, 1863; commanding Second Division, Second Corps, to
April 5, 1864, and First Brigade, Second Division, Second Corps, until severely
wounded at the battle of Spotsylvania^ Va., May 12, 1864, absent sick on account
of wounds to June 21, 1864; superintendent of recruiting for Second Army Corps,
and on courtmartial duty in New York City to January, 1865; chief of staff to
General Meade, headquarters Army of the Potomac, January 11 to June 28, 1865;
acting inspector general. Division of the Atlantic, July 1, 1865, to February 21,
1866, and on leave of absence to June 18, 1866.
" Principal assistant professor of geography, history, and ethics at the MUitary
Academy, July 1, 1866, to October 21, 1868.
''He joined his regiment October 24, 1868, and commanded it at Washington,
D. C, to March 80, 1869.
"At Richmond, Va., commanding First MUitary District, April 2 to 20, 1869,
after which latter date he performed no duty, having been, at his own request,
left without assignment in the consolidation of infantry regiments.
** On November 25, 1870, he requested to be discharged from the military service
under the provisions of section 8, Act July 15, 1870, to take effect December 81,
1870, and was honorably discharged accordingly.
During his service he participated in the following battles, actions, etc. :
Siege of Yorktown, April and May, 1862; Mechanicsville, 1862; Hanover
C. H., May 27, 1862; Gaines Mill, June 27, 1862; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862;
Antietam, September 17, 1862; Sheperdstown, September 19, 1862; Snicker's Gap,
November 14, 1862; ChancellorsviUe, May 2 to 5, 1868; Gettysburg, July 1 to 8,
1868; Bristoe Station^ October 14, 1868; Mine Run campaign, November 26 to
December 2, 1868; Morton's Ford, February 6, 1864; Wilderness, May 5 to 6,
1864; Spotsylvania, May 8 to 12, 1864; siege of Petersburg, January to April,
1865; Hatcher's Run, February 5 and 6, 1865."
Numerous and noteworthy also are the individual tributes to his
worth that continued to come to Grcneral Webb, during the Civil
12
99
Blexan^cr Stewart WlcDb
War and afterwards, from field and corps commanders, as well as
division and brigade generals, under whom and with whom he served
in the strenuous and prolonged campaigns of the Army of the
Potomac. The few extracts quoted here by way of introduction are
but specimens of the many enccmiiums contained in Civil War
literature where mention is made of General Webb's part in the
engagements described or referred to.
On the occasion of a medal being presented to General Webb, in
1866, Creneral Meade, in a letter addressed to him, said:
"In selecting those to whom I should distribate these medals, I know of no
one general who has more claims than yourself, either for distinguished personal
gallantry on that erer memorable field (Gettysburg), or for the cordial, warm and
generous sympathy and support bo grateful for a commanding general to receive
from his subordinates. Accept therefore the accompanying medal, not only as
commemoratiTe of the conspicuous part you bore in the great battle, but as an
eridence on my part of reciprocation of the kindly feelings that hare always
characteriaed our intercourse both official and social/'
General Hancock, to whose Second Corps the brigade commanded
by General Webb at Grcttysburg belonged, referring to that battle
at a dinner given some years after the Civil War, stated in the course
of his remarks :
" In every battle there must be one point upon which the success of either side
must hinge. At such a position every earnest or brave general must hope to be
posted. It was General Webb's good fortune to be posted at that point at Gettys-
burg, and he held it.*'
In his book, *' Chancellorsville and Grcttysburg,'* telling of the
final struggle at Crcttysburg, the third day, in which he played an
important part himself, General Doubleday has devoted a few
pointed paragraphs to (rcneral Webb:
"AHhouf^ Webb's front was the focus of the concentrated artillery fire, and
he had already lost fifty men and some valuable officers, his line remained firm
and unshaken. It devolved upon him now to meet the great charge which was to
decide the fate of the day. It would have been difficult to find a man better
fitted for such an emergency. He was nerved to great deeds by the memory of
his ancestors, who in former days had rendered distinguished services to the Republic,
and felt that the results of the whole' war might depend upon his holding of the
position. His men were equally resolute. Cushing's Battery A, Fourth United
States Artillery, which had been posted on the crest, and Brown's Rhode Island
Battery on his left, were both practically destroyed by the cannonade. The horses
were prostrated, every officer but one was struck, and Gushing had but one serviceable
gun left
IS
HleIan^er Stewart VOebD
" As Pickett's advance came very close to the first line, young Gushing, mortally
wounded in both thighs, ran his last serviceable gun down to the fence, and said:
' Webb, I will give them one more shot ! ' At the moment of the last discharge he
called out, ' Good-by ! ' and fell dead at the post of duty.
"Webb sent for fresh batteries to replace the two that were disabled, and
Cowan's First New York Independent Battery came up just before the attack, and
took the place of Cushing's battery on the left.
"Armistead pressed forward, leaped the stone wall, waving his sword with his
hat on it, followed by about a hundred of his men, several of whom carried battle-
flags. He shouted, 'Give them the cold steel, boys!' and laid his hands upon a
gun. The battery for a few minutes was in his possession, and the rebel flag flew
triumphantly over our line. But Webb was at the front, very near Armistead,
animating and encouraging his men. He led the Seventy-second Pennsylvania
Regiment against the enemy, and posted a line of wounded men in rear to drive
back or shoot every man that deserted his duty. A portion of the Seventy-first
Pennsylvania, behind a stone wall on the right, threw in a deadly flanking fire,
while a great part of the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania and the remainder of the
Seventy-first made stem resistance from a copse of trees on the left, near where
the enemy had broken the line, and where our men were shot with the rebel
muskets touching their breasts.''
Greneral William F. Barry, under whom General Webb served
as an artillery officer in the early stages of the Civil War — in the
Peninsula campaign and subsequently — commended him frequently
in both despatch and private letter. In a letter written to General
Webb's father at this period General Barry said, among other things :
"In conclusion, I beg to assure you that in all soldierly attributes of sub*
ordination, intelligence, energy, physical endurance and the highest possible courage,
I consider your son to be without his superior among the young officers of the
army. I also consider that both aptitude and experience fit him to command —
and command well — anything from a regiment to a division/'
Greneral Webb died on the 12th of February, 1911. He had
reached the ripe old age of three score and sixteen years. His,
unmistakably, was a finely-rounded career. His lifetime was dis*
tinctively one of important and never-failing accomplishment, as
a soldier, scholar and citizen. By his brilliant record in the War
of the Rebellion he had grown, to a certain extent, to be a national
figure. In his own State, and more especially in the City of New
York, of which he was a native and resident, he was regarded as one
of its most prominent citizens for a long number of years. He left
the army to occupy an exalted position in civil life. For thirty-three
years he was president of the College of the City of New York»
14
IUexatti)er Stewart TUlebl)
and what he did for the cause of higher education in his maturer
years was no less marked and recognized than his success on the
battlefield as a comparatively young man. General Webb took part
in seventeen battles and engagements during the Civil War, includ-
ing such important conflicts as the siege of Yorktown (where he got
his first opportunity to signalize himself, as an artillery officer), the
battles fought at Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Chancel-
lorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania,
Five Forks and Appomattox.
Immediately after General Webb passed away, it was felt in
veteran circles far and near — those who knew him by reputation
as weU as those who were counted among his veteran friends — that
as a final tribute to his prowess and achievements on the battlefield
a statue should be erected to his memory.
Colonel Andrew Cowan, of Louisville, Ky., who, as commander
of the First New York Independent Battery, co-operated with
General Webb when Pickett's charge was repulsed at the Angle, in
the battlefield of Grcttysburg, addressed the following letter, dated
February 14, 1911, to the New York Monuments Commission:
*' I learn that General Alexander S. Webb is dead. He was a noble type of the
American soldier and gentleman. God rest his soul! His military career was
splendid^ and his civil life one of distinction, bnt so modest that it did not impress
the multitude. I am a living witness of the great service he performed on the
battlefield of Gettysburg July 8, 1868. His small brigade, posted behind a low
stone wall, two or two and a half feet high, in the Angle, at the clump of trees,
on Cemetery Ridge, repulsed the assault of Pickett's Confederate Division. I would
not detract in the least from the credit due to the forces on our line, at the left
of the Angle, but the statement I have made is the simple truth.
" It has been claimed by, or for, other officers engaged in that struggle, that
their services were very creditable, but to no man, nor to any score of men of rank,
was the credit of the victory due in the degree that belonged to General Webb.
" I trust that since he has gone from this world there may now be a fitting
recognition of the great service for our country which he rendered on that memorable
day. I know bow prompt the New York Monuments Commission has been to give
honor where honor was due ; and I feel that I am taking a liberty in even suggesting
that the New York Legislature be promptly asked to provide the means for placing
a fitting monument in honor of General Webb within that famous Angle at
Gettysburg*- not an equestrian statue, bnt one which the Commission shall deem
worthy and fitting.'*
From Burlington, Vt., came another letter to the Commission
on this subject, written by General Theodore S. Peck, under date
15
Bleianber Stewart TROebb
of March 8, 1011» in which he spoke of (Tcneral Wehb in fhe wannest
terms, and expressed the hope that the State of New York would
not fail to erect a statue to him on the battlefield of Gettysburg.
At a special meeting of the officers and council of the Military
Service Institution, held at Governor's Island, X. Y., February 18,
1911, the following resolution, among others then adopted, was put
on record:
"That in his intrepid and conspicuous gallantry as a commander on many a
hard-fought field of the Civil War, his unswerving loyalty and patriotism during the
darkest hours of the Republic, his steadfast and untiring devotion to duty in the
highest sense as a soldier and citizen, ceasing only with his death, and in the
never-failing dignity, broad charity and unsullied purity of a long life. General
Webb will stand as a shining example of all that is highest and best in American
manhood for the emulation of succeeding generations."
Grcneral Webb was a member of the New York Monuments
Commission for many years, and at a meeting of the Commissioners
convened February 19, 1911, to take appropriate action on his death
the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted:
'* Whereas, The members of this Board of Commissioners have learned with
profound sorrow of the decease of their colleague^ Brevet Major General Alexander
Stewart Webb, United States Volunteers, on Sunday, Februarj 12, 1911, at his
residence, Riverdale-on-Hudson, this city; and
" Whereas^ General Webb has been a member of the New York Monuments
Commission for the past sixteen years, having been appointed April S, 1895^ by his
Excellency Levi P. Morton, Governor, in the place made vacant by the death of
Brevet Major General Joseph B. Carr; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That we unite in this unanimous expression «f our sense of the
bereavement we have suffered; and that we, in true fraternal spirit, join our
comrades of the Union Army in the War of the Rebellion, and especially with the
surviving veterans of the State of New York, in placing on record:-
*'Our deep appreciation of his distinguished and meritorious military service,
and his unswerving loyalty, sturdy patriotism and earnest devotion as a soldier;
"His scholarly attainments and the high sense of honor and rectitude that
marked all his conduct in an active and most useful civil career, reflecting by a
dignified bearing and courtly manner what is best in our American manhood;
" His valuable and generous services rendered as a member of this Commission.
" Resolved, That the Secretary enter this action upon the minutes, and forward
a copy to the widow and family o{ the deceased."
At that meeting also it was regularly moved and adopted that
the Chairman, in behalf of the Board, be empowered to make appli-
cation to the Legislatm*e for an appropriation to erect a monument
to GSeneral Webb.
16
Blexan^er Stewart TIIBel>&
This resolution was transmitted to the Legislature on April 8,
1911, and pursuant thereto, by chapter 547 of the Laws of 1912,
the New York Monuments Commission was authorized and directed
to procure and erect on an appropriate site in the battlefield of
Gettysburg, in the State of Pennsylvania, a bronze statue to Brevet
Major-Greneral Alexander Stewart Webb, at an expense not to
exceed the sum of Eight thousand dollars. By the provisions of this
Act the sum of Three thousand dollars became available for immediate
use; and by chapter 581, Laws of 1914, the balance of Five thousand
dollars required to complete the work was allowed.
In view of the frequency that General Webb's distinguished and
gallant conduct at Grettysburg was eulogized, it was, of course, a
foregone conclusion that when the time came to honor his memory
with a statue that field was the most appropriate place for erecting
it, and of all other spots there, too, the far-famed Angle, on Cemetery
Ridge.
What Greneral Webb accomplished at the Angle is an oft told
story. This was the scene of his greatest exploit as a commander.
It was there that he found his great opportunity to show the heroic
stuff of which he was made, and he emerged from the ordeal with
such honor and glory as will echo along the corridors of time while
Gettysburg survives in story. This is the consensus of opinion among
historians, and it has been corroborated through official channels.
Senator Proctor, chairman of the committee on military affairs in
1895, when reporting a bill introduced that year to place General
Webb on the retired list of the United States Army submitted the
following statement among other data bearing on the matter:
'* General Webb's conduct at Gettysburg^ July 3, 1S6S, is particularly worthy
of mention. He was in command of the Second Brigade of the Second Division of
the Second Corps, and had been with the color*guard of the Seventy-second Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers, of whom every man was wounded or killed. General Webb left
the color-guard and went across the front of the companies, to the right of the
Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania, all the way between the lines in prder to direct the
lire of t&e latter regiment upon a company of rebels who had rushed across the low
stone wall, led by the rebel general Armistead. Thus, General Armistead and
General Webb were both between the lines of troops, and both were wounded; but
by this act of gallantry General Webb kept his men up to their work until more than
one-half were killed or wounded. In this action he was wounded by a bullet which
struck him near the groin. General Meade, in his letter presenting a medal to
General Webb, mentions this act as one not surpassed by any general on the field."
IT
Hlexanber Stewart TROebl)
The particular spot in the Angle where the statue should stand
was studied by the Commissioners early in their deliberations for
its construction and erection. At first, Webb Avenue — called after
General Webb — was thought to be the logical location for it. This
is a short side avenue in the Angle, west of Hancock Avenue. In
the enclosure within its bounds are the markers indicating where
Armistead and Gushing fell. Closer proximity to the stone wall
over which the Confederates leaped when they encountered General
Webb's men was another factor in favor of the spot on Webb Avenue
primarily in mind for the monument. At a subsequent meeting of
the Board, however, it came to light that General Webb while visiting
the Angle in company with the members of the Gettysburg National
Park Commission, not very long before he died, was consulted by
them, in a casual way, as to the exact location where he would like
his statue to stand in the event of its ever coming to pass that the
State of New York should decide to honor his memory in that manner.
Thereupon — though at first with some hesitation and reluctance,
it is related — General Webb examined carefully the positions
occupied by the regiments constituting his brigade when grappling
with their Southern assailants. It goes without saying that there
were several points worthy of consideration for the object in view,
because General Webb when he saw Armistead and his warriors
approaching and crossing the stone wall, fronting the groimd he held,
practically continued ubiquitous in his movements until the charge
was completely repulsed. There was, however, for reasons that he
explained then and there one central point which demanded more
effort and attention from him in the emergencies that arose than any
other part of the arena. That place, which is situated on the eastern
side of Hancock Avenue, facing the Angle, he pointed out, and
forthwith it was marked by Colonel John F. Nicholson, Chairman of
the Gettysburg National Park Conunission. Eventually, it was
formally approved by the Secretary of War as well as the Gettysburg
National Park Commissioners.
Piirsuant to letters and specifications addressed to various sculp-
tors of established reputation, inviting them to submit sketch models
for the proposed statue to General Webb, the following artists
favored the Commission with designs for it: R. Hinton Perry, J.
Massey Rhind, Robert G. Eberhardt, of New York, L. A. Gudebrod,
Meriden, Conn., and Solon Borglum, Norwalk, Conn.
18
NEW YORK MONUMENTS COMMISSION, 1915
THE NEW YORK
[*aBLIC LTBPARY
ASTOR, L^^.•ox
^^^^^ fOUf.OATIONS
Blexan^er Stewart Wuhb
Their proposals were examined at a meeting of the Commission
convened March 10, 1918, with the result that the design prepared
by J. Massey Rhind was selected. Dm'ing the month of Jmie, 19149
Mr. Rhind's full-size model was inspected by the Commissioners and
Mr. Alexander S. Webb, son of General Webb, and being found
satisfactory and conforming to specifications it was approved and
accepted.
In the memorandum furnished the sculptors who took part in
the competition for modeling this statue, attention was called to the
fact that General Webb was the recipient of a gold medal com-
memorating his distinguished personal gallantry on the scene at
Gettysburg where it was intended to erect the monument, and that,
therefore, a figure fittingly portraying the general in action at that
historic conflict was desired. In Mr. Rhind's creation the expecta-
tions of those responsible for the statue and interested in it were
fully realized. His work is regarded as a splendid artistic effort.
The head is finely poised on a sinewy frame, depicting in heroic lines
both strength and courage. Dressed in the full uniform of a major
general, U. S. A., the open collar gives the lungs a chance for air
without as well as within. In the stalwart stand and proud pose and
in the fire and resolve of the eyes there44^trepidity and alertness —
a commander ready for any emergency and resolved to conquer or die.
The sculptor's model and the inscription tablet were reproduced
in bronze by Jno. Williams, Inc., of New York. Worden-Crawford
Co., of Batavia, N. Y., were awarded the contract for the pedestal.
A. J. Zabriskie, deceased, who was engineer and secretary of this
Commission, prepared the design for the pedestal.
The statue is eight feet high. The pedestal is nine feet, nine and
a half inches in height, measuring twelve feet by eleven feet, three
and a half inches at the base. It is composed of dark Barre granite.
Of the $8,000 appropriated for the monument, the sum of
$6,678.85 was expended on it, leaving a balance in the State Treasury
of $1,821.65.
The construction of the monument was superintended throughout
bv Commissioner Clinton Beckwith.
By chapter 726 of the Laws of 1915, the sum of ten thousand
dollars was appropriated for dedicating, with appropriate ceremonies,
the statue to General Webb erected on the battlefield of (yettysburg.
Provision was thus made for transportation to and from Grettysburg,
19
Blexanber Stewart HOel^b
Pa., of two hundred and fifty survivors of the New York commands
engaged conjointly with the Philadelphia Brigade — General Webb's
Brigade — at the Angle, in the battlefield of Grettysburg, July 8,
1868, to be designated by the respective veteran associations, upon
an apportionment fixed by this Commission, to attend the dedication
of General Webb's statue; for transportation of the Governor and
Military Secretary, the Lieutenant Gk)vemor, the Comptroller, the
State Treasurer, the family of General Webb, the Speaker of the
Assembly, the President pro tem of the Senate, the members of the
Finance Committee of the Senate and the Ways and Means Com-
mittee of the Assembly, this Board of Commissioners and invited
guests; and for the preparation, printing, interspersed with photo*
graphic views, and binding of one thousand copies of the rei>ort and
proceedings of the dedication.
At a meeting held July 28, 1915, the Board authorized the Chair-
man to proceed with the necessary arrangements for carrying out
the provisions of this Act ; and a resolution was adopted at the same
time, whereby Tuesday, October 12, 1915, was designated as the
date for the ceremonies.
Under date of July 9, 1915, the Chairman addressed a letter to
His Excellency, the Grovemor, calling his attention to the Act
empowering the Commission to conduct this dedication and inviting
him as well to deliver an address to the veterans in attendance thereat.
The Grovemor in his reply advised that it would give him great
pleasure to go to Gettysburg to take part in those ceremonies, that
Mrs. Whitman would accompany him, and that, as suggested, he
would speak to the veterans and their friends assembled at the statue.
From the official records and other sources, as well as maps of
the battlefield, it was found that the following New York regiments
and batteries co-operated with General Webb's Brigade in the repulse
of Longstreet's assault at and in the vicinity of the Angle, and hence
by the Act their respective organizations were entitled to representa-
tion at the dedication :
Forty-second, Fifty-ninth, Eighty-second (Second N. Y. S. M.),
Tenth, Eightieth (Twentieth N. Y. S. M.), One hundred and eighth,
Thirty-ninth, One himdred and eleventh. One hundred and twenty-
fifth and One hundred and twenty-sixth regiments of infantry; the
First, Eleventh, Thirteenth and Fourteenth independent batteries,
and Batteries B and K, First New York Light Artillery.
so
Hlexan^er Stewart Mcbb
Accordingly, a circular that had been prepared was forwarded
to the officers of those veteran organizations, notifying them of the
date set for the dedication; the arrangements tlntt were to be made
with the railroads for furnishing their dri^gations with transporta-
tion to the battlefield, and other particulars regarding this event.
With the circulars were enclosed muster roll blanks for the officers
to enter thereon the names of the survivors whom they desired to
designate for going to Gettysburg. Many of the regiments and
batteries concerned not having veteran associations of their own their
survivors were communicated with direct from this office and the
mustet rolls for them made up by the Comimission.
Transportation for the official dedication party was furnished by
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, on a special train, which
started from New York at 9:40 Monday morning, October 11th.
At Gettysburg, the party was accommodated at the Eagle Hotel
and the (rettysbiurg Hotel.
General Webb's command at Grettysburg being composed of
Pennsylvania troops — the Sixty-ninth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second
and One hundred and sixth infantry regiments — known as the
Philadelphia Brigade — the Commission was anxious that the Key-
stone State should be offered every facility and encouragement for
co-operating with the Empire State in the ceremonies contemplated
for this function. Accordingly, correspondence was opened with
the Philadelphia Brigade Association, through their adjutant. Major
John D. Worman. With commendable enthusiasm and energy, they
at once commenced organizing a delegation to represent them and
participate in the dedication of the statue to their old commander.
In fact, as soon as announcement was made of the date set for it they
were ready to take the initiative in the matter themselves. On
August 24, 1915, Colonel Lewis R. Stegman went to Philadelphia
to confer with them at a special meeting called to effect arrangements
for the part which they were to take in this event. Admiration for
Greneral Webb and a desire to do everything in their power to honor
his memory were much in evidence at that conference. Consequent
on their deliberations then and afterwards, they were determined
that at least fifty of their members should go to the battlefield; while
Dr. G. J. R. Miller, Joseph R. C. Ward and Captain John D. Rogers
volunteered to deliver addresses there.
Hlexan^er Stewart TRZIel>l>
To supplement Pennsylvania's quota to the occasion, Greneral
James W. Latta, of Philadelphia, a Civil War veteran, responded
with alacrity to an invitation to be orator for his State.
Colonel Andrew Cowan, of Louisville, Ky., also promised to
contribute an address.
Colonel Zan L. Tidball, of Buffalo, a member of the Fifty-ninth
Regimental Association, and Department Conunander, 6. A. R., of
the State of New York, was appointed grand marshal, and Captain
James Ross, of the Eighty-second X. Y. Volunteers, who resides at
Westfield, X. J., adjutant general.
The statue was to be unveiled by Mrs. Bayard Cushing Hoppin,
of East Islip, X. Y., granddaughter of Greneral Webb, but illness
preventing Mrs. Hoppin from going to Grcttysburg that honor was
reserved for Miss Anne R. Alexandre, of Lenox, Mass., also a
granddaughter.
Pursuant to request made by the Commission, in behalf of the
State of Xew York, to the War Department, under date of July 26,
1915, there was present for duty at the exercises a company from
Battery E, Third U. S. Field Artillery, Captain Clarence X. Jones
commanding. Major-General Leonard Wood, U. S. A., command-
ing the Department of the East, who was intimately acquainted with
General Webb, and a great admirer of his, took a special interest in
this assignment of the battery.
There were 208 transportation orders furnished veterans of the
various regiments and batteries entitled to send delegations to the
dedication. Of these forty were returned unused. Some of the
organizations concerned had but very few in attendance. As the
years go by and as veterans become feebler, they seem less and less
inclined to revisit Gettysburg, much as they liked to go there formerly.
The Philadelphia Brigade contingent present numbered sixty-five.
It was sought in advance to have the dedication of General Webb's
statue conducted in a manner fully worthy of his memory, and the
occasion proved to be a battlefield event which put the town of
Gettysburg and the Angle in gala. As part of the printed itinerary,
the veterans and the official party devoted the early part of the day
to visiting salient points along the northern part of the field. The
first stop was made at the Wadsworth monument. Here Colonel
Lewis R. Stegman described leading incidents of the opening of the
battle. Before resuming the journey, a group photograph was taken
22
Hlexan&cr Stewart THOebl)
of the party. Another halt was made at Gulp's Hill, where it was
told how General Greene, with his small brigade of 1,850 men,
gallantly held his ground on the night of the second day against over-
whelming odds. Many other famous spots and beautiful memorials
in this territory were also passed and pointed out by the guides.
Socm after midday the processicm that was to go to the Angle began
to assemble ; and at the appointed time — half past one — the start
was made for the monument. The route of the parade was along
Baltimore Street to the Taneytown Road and then Hancock Avenue.
Captain Clarence X. Jones, with a detail from his battery, acted as
escort. The Governor and his party drove from the Eagle Hotel —
the headquarters of the Commission. The veteran organizations were
in charge of the grand marshal. Colonel Zan L. Tidball, Captain
James Ross, adjutant general, and a large number of aides appointed
from among the veteran associations. As the carriages passed along
the streets greetings in plenty were given their occupants. There
was no mistaking the fact that it was a holiday in Grcttysburg —
Columbus Day and General Webb day. At two o'clock, as the
exercises were about to commence, grandeur characterized the scene
around the statue, at the Angle. The '" High-water Mark '' or its
environments have seldom witnessed anything so impressive. Hun-
dreds of people from Gettysburg and adjacent towns joined the
procession, thus making quite a concourse present. As a dedicatory
preliminary, the ** boys " of the Philadelphia Brigade alighted from
the carriages within four hundred yards of the stand; then, escorted
by the band, they marched proudly to the statue, and on reaching it
the " boys " all the way from New York, who had arrived in advance,
welcomed them with cheers and gave their comrades a rousing
reception. The guests as they arrived were shown to their places by
men from the U. S. Battery. Colonel Lewis R. Stegman, Chairman
of the Xew York Monuments Commission, acted as master of
ceremonies. The Citizens Band of Grettysburg furnished the music.
The opening prayer was pronounced by the Rev. William T. Pray,
a veteran of the field. Miss Anne R. Alexandre, of Lenox, Mass.,
granddaughter of General Webb, unveiled the statue. Then
the U. S. Battery began thundering a major general's salute of
thirteen guns, which solemnly resounded over the slopes of Cemetery
and Seminary Ridges. The oration for New York State by
Grovernor Whitman was a special feature. When he was introduced
HIexander Stewart Tllllel>l>
as not only (rovemor of the Empire State, but also as the son of
one of the angels in human attire who hastened to Grettysburg
immediately after the combat was over, to give consolation to the
dying and help to the wounded, the veterans did not fail to show their
appreciation of this coincidence. The orator for Pennsylvania,
General James W. Latta, in his eloquent address took a compre-
hensive and philosophical view of war in general and the Civil War
in particular — giving prominence to (^ettysburg. He paid a glow-
ing tribute to Grcneral Webb and the Philadelphia Brigade that he
so ably commanded. General Horatio C. King recited two poems
of his own composition, which were listened to with interest. Colonel
Andrew Cowan's address was a vivid word picture, and to those who
had the privilege of hearing him it was an interesting and historical
object lesson. Colonel Cowan enjoys the distinction of being one
of the heroes of the Angle, and this imparted rare significance to his
narration of the melee which took place there. Soldiers and civilians
reverently watched him and heard him throughout — some of his
audience being members of his own battery. At the conclusion of his
remarks, when he came to bidding a last farewell at the Angle to his
comrades, they were overcome — many of them could not speak and
tears streamed down the cheeks of many miore. Dr. G. J. R. Miller
treated his audience to a very interesting address on the history of
the Philadelphia Brigade and the numerous engagements in which it
was actively engaged, including its never-to-be-forgotten resistance
to Pickett's charge, of the brunt of which it bore a heavy part.
The State of New York has organized many functions for Gettys-
burg similar to this, but never was a celebration conducted under its
auspices that evoked greater enthusiasm than the dedicaticm of
General Webb's statue.
On the afternoon of the dedication Governor Whitman held a
reception at the home of the president of the Pennsylvania College,
where he made a brief address to the students, for which he was
warmly thanked and applauded.
On October 18th the official dedication party visited the battlefield
of Antietam — about forty miles distant from Gettysburg. This trip
proved very enjoyable and interesting. The rendezvous at Antietam
was the celebrated Dunker Churdi. Here, after luncheon was served.
Colonel Stegman spoke on interesting incidents of the battle. From
S4
TI'E NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY f
ASTOR, LFZN'OX
TILDEN !'OUi\D.\TIONS
SPEAKERS AT THE GENERAL WE8B MONUMENT DEDICATION
Blexan^er Stewart Mebb
the Dunker Church the party went to the historic Bumside Bridge,
at which point the operations of the left wing of the army were
described.
The total of the expenditures incident to the dedication of General
Webb's statue was $7,710.10.
uncial VeMcation ^itf
His ExceUency, Governor Charles S. Whitmant and Mrs. Whit*
man, Brig.-Gren. Louis W. Stotesbury, The Adjutant General*
Major Francis L. V. Hoppin, Captain Lorillard Spencer, Captain
Alvan W. Perry.
Senator A. J. Gilchrist, Senator Charles J. Hewitt and Bfri.
Hewitt, Senator Samuel J. Ramsperger.
Hon. Thaddeus C. Sweet, Speaker of the Assembly, and Mrs.
Sweet, Col. S. C. Clobridge and Mrs. Clobridge, Assemblyman
Harold J. Hinman and Mrs. Hinman, Assemblyman John Kerrigan,
Assemblyman Peter P. McEUigott, Assranbljrman William J. Maier
and Mrs. Maier, and Assemblyman Heber E. Wheeler and Mrs.
Wheeler.
Brig.-Gen. W. W. Wotherspoim, U. S. A^ Superintendent of
Public Works, and Mrs. Wotherspoon, Hon. James L. Wells, State
Treasurer, J6tm C. Birdseye, Secretary, Civil Service Commission,
Hon. Willard D. McKinstry, Civil Service Commissioner, and
Mrs. McKinstry, Hon. Alexander Macdonald, of the Conservation
Commission, and Mrs. Macdonald, E. Walter Moses, First Assistant
to Clerk of Assembly, and Mrs. Moses, Hon. Lewis F. Pilcher,
State Architect, and Mrs. Pilcher, Hon. William G. Rice, Civil
Service Commissioner, Hon. Frank M. Williams, State Engineer,
and Mrs. Williams.
Gen. H. D. Hamilton, Grcn. H. S. Huidekoper, Gen. James W.
Latta, Grcn. Anson G. McCook, Crcn. Theo. S. Peck, Mrs. Peck and
Miss Peck, Col. Andrew D. Baird, Col. Peter S. Bomus, U. S. A.,
Col. E. B. Cope, Col. Andrew Cowan and Mrs. Cowan, Col. Chas. I.
DeBevoise and Mrs. DeBevoise, Col. Henry W. Knight and Miss
Knight, Col. John P. Nicholson and Mrs. Nicholson, Col. Frank
Sellers, Col. W. H. M. Sistare, Col. Zan L. Tidball, Col. John W.
Vrooman, Col. Frank West, U. S. A., Major W. H. M. Barker,
Major George Breck, Major Ira H. Evans, Captain Chas. E. Fiske,
25
HIeIan^cr Stewart Tiniel>b
Captain C. St. John and Mrs. St. John, Captain Wm. T. Ziegler,
Rev. Wm. T. Pray and Mrs. Pray, Hon. John F. Murtaugh.
Family of General Webb: Alexander S. Webb, son; Mrs. John
E. Alexandre, Mrs. George B. Parsons, Miss Anne R. Webb and
Miss Caroline LeRoy Webb, daughters; Miss M. C. Alexandre
and Miss Anne R. Alexandre, granddaughters; Major G. Creighton
Webb and J. Louis Webb, brothers; F. Egerton Webb, brother,
and Mrs. Webb; Mrs. Seward Webb, Louis B. Souter, Mrs. H. V.
R. Kennedy and Major Charles E. Lydecker.
John Quincy Adams, Hartwell B. Baird, J. E. Baker, Charles
S. Barker, William T. Briggs, Alexander L. Brodhead, Mrs. Brod-
head and Master Alexander L. Brodhead, E. C. Burgess and Mrs.
Burgess, R. G. Conover and Mrs. Conover, Ralph Devendorf, H. M.
Golden, T. M. Grogan, M. D. Hartford, J. V. Hemstreet, Harold J.
Hichman and Mrs. Hiehman, Frank Horn and Mrs. Horn, Stephen
E. Jaekman, Mrs. H. B. Knight, Charles W. Lake, Mrs. Clara K.
Litchfield, J. W. Lynch, C. A. McCreery, Frank Martlock,
H. G. Munger, F. E. Munson, John F. O'Connor, J. E. Rafter,
Charles E. Reid, J. Massey Rhind, Sculptor, Charles Schoeneck and
Mrs. Schoeneck, Charles A. Shaw, Daniel Smiley and Mrs. Smiley,
D. F. Strobel.
Col. Clinton Beckwith, Col. Lewis R. Stegman and Mfls. Steg-
man, Gkn. Horatio C. King and Mrs. King.
26
GommlMloiMn: Ez«cutlT« GommlttM
Col. CLINTON BECKWrm Col. CLINTON BEGKWITH Col. LOUIS R. STBGHAN
Col. L£WIS R STEGMAN ChalmiaB
G«i. HORATIO C. KING Brift.-Gcn LOUIS W. STOTBSBURY
Brig.-G«i. LOUIS W. STOTESBURY J. W. LYNCH
Tho Adjutant-Gonoral SocroCarjr
New York Monuments Commission
FOR THE BATTLEFIELDS OF
Gettysburg, Chattanooga and Antietam
ROOM M15, 116 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK
July 26, 1915.
SeMcation of flDonument to ®en« Blexan^er Stewart JKleJyJ^
Circular No. 1
By chapter 726 of the Laws of 1915, this Board of Commissioners
is authorized to dedicate, with appropriate ceremonies, the bronze
statue which is to be erected to the memory of Brig. Gen. Alexander
Stewart Webb, at The Angle in the battlefield of Gettysburg.
The dedicatory exercises will be held Tuesday, October 12, 1915.
As is well known, General Webb commanded the Philadelphia
Brigade, which took such a distinguished part in the repulse of
Pickett's charge at The Angle, July 8, 1868.
The New York regiments of infantry and batteries of artillery
which fought conjointly with the Philadelphia Brigade, at and in
the vicinity of The Angle during the critical period of Longstreet's
assault, will be asked to send delegations to this dedication ; and for
this purpose the State will furnish free transportation to Grettysburg
and return.
Muster roll blanks will be forwarded to the officers of the veteran
associations, for them to enter thereon the honorably discharged
survivors of their regiment or battery whom they desire to designate
for participation in this event.
Blexander Stewart Webb
Transportation orders, filled out by the undersigned from the
certified muster rolls furnished by the ofiicers of the different organi-
zations, will be forwarded to those ofiicers for distribution among
the veterans in whose favor they are drawn.
Those transportation orders will not be accepted for passage on
trains, but must be exchanged for railroad tickets; neither are the
orders transferable; if not used they should be returned to the New
York Monuments Commission.
The officers are requested to send in the muster rolls so that same
will be received at this office not later than September 20th, in order
that there may be ample time to transmit the certificates, and also
to notify the railroad companies of the stations for which transporta-
tion orders have been issued.
Application has been made to the railroad companies, through the
Trunk Line Association, to honor tickets for this occasion, from
points in New York State, on any day from October 6th to October
11th, inclusive.
It is requested that veterans attending this dedication will, as
far as practicable, appear in the uniform usually worn on Memorial
Day.
Badges specially gotten up for this function will be forwarded
for distribution to the officers in charge of the muster rolls, at the
same time that the transportation certificates are sent out.
Flags and streamers suitable for the occasion will be furnished
the organizations at Gettysburg.
On the day of the dedication carriages will be furnished by the
Commission for conveying the veterans from Gettysburg Square
to the site of the monument and return; and they will also be given
a free ride aroimd the battlefield.
It is expected that a good many Civil War veterans, other than
those entitled to free transportation, will travel to Gettysburg for
this event, and a cordial invitation is extended to them to be present
at the ceremonies.
Benches will be provided in front of the platform to seat the
veterans and those accompanying them during the dedicatory
exercises.
The War Department will be asked to furnish a squadron of
cavalry and a battery of artillery for duty at the ceremonies.
28
Blexait&er 9tewart VOebb
Governor Whitman and the Military Secretary, the Lieutenant
Governor, the State Comptroller, the State Treasurer, the family
of Greneral Webb, the Speaker of the Assembly, the President Pro
Tem of the Senate and members of the two Finance Committees of
the Legislature are among those who will constitute the official party
at the dedication of General Webb's statue.
Elaborate preparations are being made for this dedication, and
the Commission is endeavoring to secure for it worthy representa-
tion from the New York regiments and batteries engaged with the
Philadelphia Brigade, under General Webb, in the great Grcttysburg
struggle which culminated at The Angle.
The headquarters of the New York Monuments Commission
will be at the Eagle Hotel.
Fraternally,
LEWIS R. STEGMAN,
Chairman.
HEADQUARTERS OF GRAND MARSHAL
Eagle Hotel, Gettysburg, pa.
October 11, 1015.
Having been appointed Grand Marshal by the New York
Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg, Chat-
tanooga and Antietam, on the occasion of dedicating the statue to
Brevet Major-General Alexander Stewart Webb, at the Angle,
on the battlefield of Gettysburg, October 12, 1915, I hereby assume
command.
The following staff appointments are announced:
Captain James Ross, Adjutant General.
Aides:
Dennis McGowan 69th Penna Vols.
William M. Bukeows. . . 71st Penna Vols.
Charles P. Charlton . . . 72nd Penna Vols.
Joseph R. C. Ward 106th Penna. Vols.
Charles W. Cowtan. . . 10th N. Y. Vols.
Herman Kopp 89th N. Y. Vols.
James Elson 42nd N. Y. Vols.
2d
Bleian^er Stewart TlOlebb
James Dillon 59th N. Y, Vols.
William Vallette 80th N. Y. Vols.
David McMunigle 82nd N. Y. Vols.
Alfred Elwood 108th N. Y. Vols.
Howard Servis 111th N. Y. Vols.
Clinton E. Taylor 126th N. Y. Vols.
Harrison Smith First N. Y. Ind. Battery.
John M. Stiner Eleventh N. Y. Ind. Battery.
John White Thirteenth N. Y. Ind. Battery.
Theodore C. Taggart . . . Battery B, First N. Y. L. A.
Edward W. Harbison . . . Battery K, First N. Y. L. A.
They will be obeyed and respected accordingly.
The hour for assembly will be One and a half p. m.
The carriages and wagons conveying the official party and
veteran delegations to the site of the statue will form as follows :
1. Grand Marshal and Staff. Orator for the occasion*
2. Detail from Battery E, 8rd U. S. Field Artillery; Captain
Clarence N. Jones, Commanding.
8. Official Party, New York Monuments Commission, and
Invited Guests.
4. Citizens Band of Gettysburg.
5. Veteran Division, namely:
69th Penna. Vols Andrew W. McDermott, Conmiand-
ing.
71st Penna. Vols Isaac Tibbens, Commanding.
72nd Penna Vols John D. Worman, Commanding.
106th Penna. Vols G. J. R. Miller, Commanding.
10th N. Y. Vols William McKee, Commanding.
89th N. Y. Vols Adolph Hess, Commanding.
42nd N. Y. Vols George S. Walsh, Commanding.
59th N. Y. Vols Daniel A. O^Maba, Commanding.
80th N. Y. Vols Enoch J. Nichols, Commanding.
82nd N. Y. Vols Henry Mann, Commanding.
108th N. Y. Vols Franklin B. Hutchinson, Com-
manding.
111th N. Y. Vols Robert L. Drummond, Commanding.
126th N. Y. Vols Jordan Snook, Commanding.
First N. Y. Ind. Battery Andrew Cowan, Commanding.
so
H[eIan^er Stewart Mel>b
Eleventh N. Y. Ind, Battery . Jacob H. Folmsbee, Commanding.
Thirteenth N.Y.Ind. Battery, John P. McGurrin, Commanding.
Battery B, First N. Y. L. A. Chester Cooper, Commanding.
Battery K, First N. Y. L. A . Matthew Ellis, Commanding.
Veteran of G. A. R Thomas J. McConekey, Commanding.
The officers named will take charge of their respective organiza-
tions, to facilitate such movements as are required.
The U. S. Battery of Field Artillery will form on the south side
of Washington Street, with its right resting on Chambersburg Street.
The Official Party will form on the north side of Washington
Street, with its right resting on Chambersburg Street.
The Veterans will form on York Street, with right resting on
Gettysburg Square.
There will be no marching on foot, and it is expected that every
one participating will be prepared to start promptly on time
announced.
The line of movement from the public square to the site of the
monument will be through Baltimore Street to the Taneytown Road
and Hancock Avenue.
Regiments and batteries will follow each other from the place
of formation, as indicated, commencing with the regiments of the
Philadelphia Brigade.
Division and brigade flags and regimental and battery pennants
for each organization will be furnished, to distinguish the various
sections on embarkation.
At the monument during the exercises the Veterans are requested
to keep the flags well displayed.
A special guard from the U. S. Artillery will keep the speakers'
stand entirely free imtil the arrival of the official party.
Seats in front of the stand will be provided for the veterans and
their friends.
At the conclusion of the exercises, the Veterans and Official Party
will be brought back to Gettysburg in the same conveyances that
carried them to the Angle.
ZAN L. TIDBALL,
Official ' Grand Marshal.
James Ross,
Captain and Adjutant General.
SI
y
icn: Bx«aitl^ GommlttM:
CoL CLINTON BBGKWITH Col. CLINTON BBC K WITH CoL LBWI8 R. 8TBGMAN
Col. LEWIS R. STBGliAN Chalnuui
G«ii. HORATIO C. KING . Brig. G«n. LOUIS W. 8TOTBSBURY
Brig. Gm. LOUIS W STOTBSBURY Jl. W. LYNCH
TiM AdJttCaat-G«i«nl Smcftmtj
New York Monuments Commission
FOR THB BATTLBPIBLD8 OF
Gettysburg, Chattanooga and Antietam
ROOM If tSt 116 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK
ITINERARY OF OFFICIAL PARTY AT DEDICATION OF STATUE
OF GEN. ALEXANDER STEWART WEBB
Gettysbubo, Pa., October 11, 12, 18 and 14, 1915.
flDon&ai?t October ittb
The special train will leave the Pennsylvania Station, 82nd Street
and Seventh Avenue, at 9:40 a. m., Monday, October 11th; arriving
at Grettysburg 8 *A5 p. m. Depot only one block from Eagle Hotel.
Tags should be tied to grips and valises. Articles not desired to
be held in the parlor cars will be taken to the baggage car, and
transferred from there to the proper rooms at the hotel.
Lunch will be served on the train from 11 a. m. to 2 p. m. Dinner
at the hotel from 6 to 8 p. M. (With so large a party to make arrange-
ments for, a little patience on arrival is requested.)
ZCucdbai?, October t2tb
Bbeaefast at 7 o'clock
Wagons to convey the official party to salient points on the
battlefield will be in readiness at the hotel 8 a. m., and will start
promptly at 8:80; proceeding to the Fairfield Road, to the left of
82
THE PHILADELPHIA BRIGADE
A ^
U^
J3
Blexan&er Stewart Mc})b
the First Corps line (Doubleday's Division in the first day's contest),
and passing the spot where General Reynolds was killed, and where
Archer's Confederate Brigade was captured, in the initial engage-
ment. A brief halt will be made at the Wadsworth monument, near
the railroad cut, and a description given of the battle in which the
First and Eleventh Corps took a memorable part. From thence along
the lines of the cavalry formation and the right of the First and
Eleventh Corps lines — through the Mummasburg Road — reaching
the place where General Barlow was wounded.
From this point to Culp's Hill, by East Confederate Avenue —
the line of Confederate attack on Slocum's Twelfth Corps and the
right wing of the Union Army. Here another halt and description;
after which Cemetery Hill, where the " Louisiana Tigers '* charged,
will be reached. Through the National Cemetery, on to the Taney-
town Road, and then to the Eagle Hotel for dinner.
Wagons for conveying the official party to the dedicatory exercises,
at The Angle, will be prepared to. join the column of march — follow-
ing the U. S. Battery of Field Artillery — at 1 :80 sharp. There
will be no delay.
The ceremonies of dedication will commence promptly at 2 o'clock.
Immediately on reaching the Angle, the Official Party will take
their places on the main stand provided for the occasion.
After the ceremonies, the party will drive along Hancock Avenue,
to the Little Round Top — the left of the Union Army line the
second and third days. Brief halt and description of the battle.
From this point, a view can be had of the entire battlefield. Thence
through the Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, the Loop and Peach
Orchard — the lines of the Third and part of the Second, Fifth and
Sixth Corps — Sickles' defensive position the second day. Back to
the hotel for supper.
TIXIle^ne0^al?, October t3tb
Breakfast at 7 o'clock
Automobiles, for conveying the party to the battlefield of Antie-
tam, Md., will be ready at the hotel at 8 o'clock, and the start for
Antietam will be made at 8:80; setting out by way of the Fairfield
Road, and going over the Catoctin Mountains, a spur of the Blue
Ridge, passing through a beautiful country — over and into the
Blezjinder Stewart Wtm
Cumberland Valley. In going over the Fairfield Road, the line of
retreat of part of Greneral Lee's Army will be practically followed.
Through Waynesboro to Hagerstown, and from thence to Antietam
battlefield.
At Antietam, a halt will be made near the historic Dunker Churdi,
and the New York State Park. Here refreshments will be served
and a brief narrative given of the severe engagement which took place
September 17, 1862. Then to the village of Sharpsburg, over the
Hagerstown pike; reaching the left of the Uni<m line (Bumside's
command) , where the salient positions of both Union and Confederate
troops can be plainly seen. Antietam Creek and the famous Bum*
side Bridge next. Between the Dunker Church and Sharpsburg, the
centres of the Union and Confederate lines are indicated by tablets
and markers.
A brief stay at the National Cemetery, and then to the turnpike
by General McClellan*s headquarters; through Keedysville and
Boonsboro, and the scene of the battle of South Mountain, September
14, 1862; over the National Turnpike, through HagerstowUt to
Gettysborgy arriving at the hotel in time for supper.
tnmrtdaf t •ctetcr t4
Guests wishing to visit the scene of the cavalry engagement at
Bonatigfaville will be furnished with wagmis f cnr this purpose. Con-
veyances used October 12th will be at their disposal. Only the time
limit should be kept in mind. Dinner will be served at 12 o'clodc
The train will leave Gettysburg on the hcmieward journey at 2 o'clock.
Supper on the train after 5 o'clock. Train readies New York about
8 o'clock. Grood night then and there.
Throughout the railroad trip, Grcn. Louis W* Stotesbury will
be in charge of Cars A and B; Col. Lewis R. Stegman, Car C;
Cren. Horatio C. King, Car D, and Col. Clinton Beckwith, Car £.
NEW YORK MONUMENTS COMMISSION.
S4
9xbct of Bxetddcs
mt
6encral VOcDi) nDonument
Ube BndlCt Oett^dbnro
•ClObCt 12, 19t5» 2*00 p. A.
1. Music, Citizens Band of Gettysburg.
2. Prayer, by Rev. Wm. T. Pray, ia2nd New York Veteran
Volunteers.
8. Introductory Remarks by Chairman of Board of Commis-
sioners. Colonel Lewis R. Stegman.
4. Music, Citizens Band of Gettysburg.
5. Unveiling of the Monument, by Miss Anne R. Alexandre,
Granddaughter of General Webb.
6. Major General's Salute, by Battery £, Third Regiment, U. S.
Artillery; Captain Clarence N. Jones, Commanding.
7. Oration, Ckivemor Charles S. Whitman, of New York.
8. Music, Citizens Band of Gettysburg.
9. Poem, ** Grettysburg,'' General Horatio C. King, of Sheridan's
Cavalry.
10. Oration, Crcneral James W. Latta, of Pennsylvania.
11. Music, Citizens Band of Gettysburg.
12. Address, Colonel Andrew Cowan, Commander of First New
York Independent Battery of Artillery.
18. Address, Dr. G. J. R. Miller, of the Philadelphia Brigade.
14. Music, Citizens Band of Grcttysburg, " Star Spangled
Banner.*'
15. Remarks, by Comrades of the Philadelphia Brigade.
16. Remarks, by Gen. Theo. S. Peck, of Vermont.
17. Benediction, Rev. Oscar L. Severson, 187th New York
Volunteers.
$5
OUR Father who art in Heaven; Ahnighty and Everlasting
God: The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who hast
given us grace at this time and with one accord to make our
common supplication unto Thee, hear us now as we give thanks
for the protection and guidance which Thou hast thus far vouch-
safed us.
We praise Thee that while we assemble to give tangible, sub-
stantial and permanent expression of our love and veneration for the
memory of our departed Commander, we are assiired of the Divine
presence and blessing, in order that we may be guided in the exercises
of the hour and thus glorify Thee and enjoy a comradeship with one
another that shall be sacred and enduring.
We thank Thee for the opportunity and high privilege of gather-
ing to honor the name of one whose patriotism, character and use-
fulness have been recorded in the annals of our country. We thank
Thee that we are here to dedicate this monument to his memory.
We praise Thee that it has a place on these historic grounds where
names famous for valor and distinction are seen on every hand:
and, we would cherish his memory as a brave and loyal soldier, an
efficient educator, a useful citizen, and a friend whose far reaching
influence presents a career that is best known to those who love and
revere his name: and we would not forget the honorable citizenship
that commended him to the respect and love of vast numbers of his
fellow men in time of peace.
We implore Thy blessing upon the kindred of the valiant General,
who are honored by his name, and the sacred association of family ties.
Hear us for the rank and file, who fought by the side of their Com-
mander, who may yet linger on the shores of time — and the families
who, perhaps, rehearse the heroic deeds of the brave men who have
ended life's march and have gone to their reward.
Hear us, O God, for our nation, in all its exigencies and welfare.
Hear us in our supplication for those who are in authority, that wise
36
Blexan^er Stewart Wlebi)
counsels may prevail and our great country shine forth in all its
historic honor and glory.
Grant Thy blessing upon the chief magistrate of our land.
Remember him in all the intricate and trying problems of the hour.
Grant him wisdom, patience and courage.
Bless the commonwealths that have made this occasion possible,
and may their governments and all in authority and all our popula-
tion be crowned with Thy benediction. Let Thy blessing be with
those who are in charge of the exercises of this important event and
upon all who contribute in any way to make this day memorable in
our country's history: and thus may the pleasure of the Heavenly
Father rest upon us, and the brotherhood and comradeship of ineh
become stronger and more hallowed than ever.
Hear us O Lord for the coimtries engaged in war. Hasten the
day of peace, that the tread of the war god shall not be heard
throughout the world.
Fulfil, O Lord, the desires and petitions we bring to Thee, as may
be best expedient for us: Granting us in this world knowledge of
Thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting. All of which
we ask in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
•T
I
B^^re00 J^ Colonel Xcwis 1R. Stegman
t02nb m* V« VoU.
dbafmuifi, lUw SotH Aonttmait0 CommfMion
Ladies and Gentlemen, Comrades of the Army of the Potomac,
AND Comrades of all the Armies Present:
WELCOME to Gettysburg — welcome to the Angle — and
welcome to the dedication of the statue of Major General
Alexander Stewart Webb. Once more, it is pleasant to
remark, a brilliant concourse, astir with interest and enthusiasm, has
assembled at this picturesque and famous scene, to honor the memory
of one of its many heroes. It is a source of pride and gratification,
as well as thankfulness, to see this event so becomingly celebrated.
New York and Pennsylvania have reason to rejoice at this splendid
demonstration, — the Empire State, because the distinguished com-
mander to whose memory we are now paying our respects was one
of its foremost Gettysburg generals, and the Keystone State, because
of the brigade he led on this field having been composed of Pennsyl-
vania regiments; and never before, I venture to say, did that
brigade — the Philadelphia Brigade — feel prouder of their old
conmiander than they do to-day.
We meet on hallowed and historic ground. In the entire range of
American history — whether in Revolutionary or Civil War annals —
there is not another spot on this continent, identified with the story
of battle, more renowned than the Angle. It was here that the most
spectacular, and, for the time it lasted, the severest conflict of the
Civil War occurred. For the Army of the Potomac, their part in
the engagement that culminated in victory for them on Cemetery
Ridge is expressed in the words, " High-water Mark of the
Rebellion ;" while for the Army of Northern Virginia, though beaten,
it is attested that they evinced deeds of daring and determination
that have seldom been equalled anywhere, or in any time, not even
in the days of old when Greek met Greek. The battle waged here
will be talked of for ages to come, not alone for its intensity, but
88
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I
AbTOa, L-IN'JX "i
i « ■ *' — ti.ifc
THC OCNCRAL Wltl MONUMINT
Blezan^er Stewart VOeDb
for the great issues then at stake and the far-reaching results involved
in the outcome of it. For the historian, the scene enacted here remains
the most alluring topic of the War of the Rebellion : it has furnished
inspiration for classic painting, and it has been enshrined in song.
" They fell who lifted up a hand
And bade the sun in heaven to stand;
They smote and fell who set the bars
Against the progress of the stars.
And stayed the march of Motherland.
They stood who saw the future come
On through the fight's delirium;
They smote and stood who held the hope
Of nations on this slippery slope,
Amid the cheers of Christendom.'*
Nor have the States whose soldiers were destined to take part in
the mighty contest focussed here been unmindful of their claims to
remembrance. Numerous and beautiful memorials, shaped in endur*
ing bronze and granite, and conspicuously in evidence everywhere
on this field, demonstrate this.
And, Comrades of the Army of the Potomac, not a few of these
memorials deserve to be specially mentioned now, for you are your*
selves pleasant and interested reminders of them. There is not a
veteran organization represented here, I am glad to say, but has its
part in the drama staged on this ground and its environments recorded
in lasting inscription.
Right here, also Comrades, let me express a renewal of my thanks
to you, in behalf of the New York Monuments Commission, for
enhancing these ceremonies with your presence, and traveling so far.
as most of you have, notwithstanding the long years that now separate
you from your youthful days.
Gettysburg all over and its salients, where crucial conflicts were
centered during the three days that the battle raged, put heroes by
the score, both of the North and the South, into history. There are
heroes of Seminary Ridge, the Round Tops, the Peach Orchard, the
Wheatfield, the Devil's Den, Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill; but
because it was fortuitously reserved for those engaged at the Angle
to be in the fi^t at the finish they seem to abide more in memory
than the successful defenders of other prominent arenas. Conceding
that Grcneral Hancock is the hero of Cemetery Ridge, if the question
59
H[exan^er Stewart Wc})b
should be asked, " Who is the hero of the Angle? " for myself, I
think we have the answer in the statue we are dedicating to-day.
Even in an arena of heroism, General Webb was a hero of heroes.
It is not easy to point out in battle annals a situation fraught with
more peril, or presenting greater difficulty, than that which confronted
General Webb when Armistead and his gallant band forced their
way to the Angle. For the moment, it looked as though Longstreet's
assault was to materialize and cut the Union line in twain. The
Confederate charge at that juncture has even been credited with
achieving a semblance of success. The bravest troops, seeing that they
were to be outnumbered and overwhelmed, could not, at first, help
being temporarily dispirited, if not overawed, to some extent, when
their assailants came surging toward them, with a fury and despera-
tion verging on frenzy. A crisis then arose that needed a man of
mettle and rare resources to cope with it. Strategy, valor, vision, the
power to command and the genius to employ every means at his dis-
posal in prompt and effective resistance — these, exerted by General
Webb, were largely instrumental in keeping the onslaught in check
pending the arrival of reinforcements. History and the ofiicial records
have done full justice to General Wpbb for his noble work at the
Angle. But his fame is far from being confined to Gettysburg. He
shared the vicissitudes of the Army of the Potomac in all its campaigns
and rose to be a division commander. When the war ceased he was
only thirty years old, and for so young an officer his record was
decidedly brilliant. At that time he was a brevet major general,
U. S. A., and a brigadier general in the volunteers. He won six
brevets, and in all took part in seventeen battles and actions, in two
of which, Gettysburg and Spotsylvania, he was wounded. In the
second day's fight his brigade was also actively engaged on Cemetery
Ridge, and part of it at Gulp's Hill, but what they did then is some-
times overlooked in thinking of the herculean task set them the third
day. I was at Gettysburg myself, but in a different part of the field
from the Angle, and it did not take long for us boys at Gulp's Hill
to learn what the Philadelphia Brigade and its commander had accom-
plished. For a great many years it was my privilege to know
General Webb intimately as a comrade, a colleague and a friend.
As a member of the New York Monimients Commission, I had fre-
quent occasion to meet him in business. In his maturer years, there
was something beautiful and grand in the character of this remarkable
40
t::£ new ycrk |
PUBLIC LIBRARY
TILDHN l-C)UiNL)AT10:4S '
INSCRIPTION TABLET
Blexanber Stewart TKUbD
man. Time and again have I stood with him at this Angle, and it
is one of my pleasantest recollections of the field, listening to his
recital of the struggle that took place here. Throughout his life,
Greneral Webb's career as a soldier, scholar and citizen earned for
him frequent encomium, but, as a soldier, the Angle and what he
did there ha^e always been first in mind when his name was mentioned,
and so it will be also, beyond any doubt, for the generations to come.
As president of the College of the City of New York, General Webb's
name became as familiar in educational circles as among Civil War
veterans. I need not dwell on his splendid reputation as a leader
in the cause of higher education. Thousands of graduates from the
great institution over which he presided testify to that. When put
in charge of the College of the City of New York, in 1870, he found
it with only 768 students, and when he retired from his collegiate
duties three decades later the rolls of the college contained 1,969
names.
Happily for this occasion, and happfly above all else for them-
selves, the family of General Webb is here in ample attendance ; and
to them this statue and the dedicatory exercises for it signify more
than words can convey. They are to be congratulated on the felicity
which this event affords them and the pleasure that must be theirs
in recalling it during the years to come.
It was almost on the eve of the battle of Grettysburg that Greneral
Webb was made commander of a brigade. This was the Second
Brigade of the Second Division, Second Corps, or as it rejoiced in
calling itself, and does still, the Philadelphia Brigade, composed of
the Sixty-ninth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second and One hundred and
sixth Pennsylvania regiments of infantry. When it is stated that
this brigade bore the brunt of a heavy part of Pickett's charge, that
they emerged as victors from the turmoil and terrible trials they had
to undergo then, and that their commander on that occasion was
General Webb, enough is implied therein to cover anybody of 1,100
men with undying honors. In his report of the battle General Webb
said of his brigade : '" I feel that the general commanding has had
abundant proof that as a brigade the Second can be relied upon for
the performance of any duty which may be required of it." At
Gettysburg and after General Webb had good reason to feel proud
of the regiments he commanded there, and that they on their part
were ever ready to reciprocate his admiration for them we have glad
41
BleIan^cr Stewart Webb
testimony to-day. The most encom'aging and pleasantly reminiscent
feature of this dedication is the proud participation in it by such a
splendid contingent from the Philadelphia Brigade Association; and
not only that, but its success is largely due to their co-operation in
making preparation for it. Major John D. Worman, the adjutant
of the association, is deserving of special thanks by reason of his
eagerness and activity in rallying his comrades to take a prominent
part in these ceremonies. As announced in our programme. Dr. G. J.
R. Miller, of the One himdred and sixth Pennsylvania, is to speak
in behalf of the Philadelphia Brigade Association, and time per-
mitting other worthy members of the brigade will also contribute to
these exercises. I have no doubt that they will give a good account
of their brigade, and show that on other fields as well as Gettysburg
they maintained a high reputation for fearless and foremost fighting.
A good part of to-day's honors has fallen to Pennsylvania, and
it is apt and just that this is so. The orator for this occasion also
belongs to the Keystone State. He is General James W. Latta, of
Philadelphia. When first requested to prepare his oration he
responded cheerfully, and we are much obliged as well as very thankful
for his coming here. General Latta is a Civil War veteran. His
regiment was the One hundred and nineteenth Pennsylvania, and
he was assistant adjutant general of the Third Brigade of the First
Division, Sixth Corps, and later of the Fourth Division Cavalry
Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi. General Latta is no
novice in the oratorical line. He is a veteran speaker as well as a
veteran soldier. His effort at the dedication of the memorial to his
regiment, on this field, and also his address delivered here, in behalf
of the infantry, at the dedicatory exercises for the Pennsylvania State
monument, are fine examples of eloquence and analysis. This was a
good many years ago, and though his health and strength are not
what they used to be, all the same I do not doubt but he is still fully
capable of rising to the height of a battlefield dedication, and that,
in the words of another veteran among us, he will prove that " There
is vim in the old men yet."
Longstreet's assault was deliberately planned and as confidently
and defiantly begun. The desperate endeavor of 15,000 men — the
flower of the Army of Northern Virginia — and most of them fresh
troops — to gain their objective and seize Cemetery Ridge, was not
to be easily foiled, and it took more than one of the Northern States
42
Hlexan^er Stewart Webb
to defeat them. A word or two on each of the units of the Empure
State engaged in the repulse, inasmuch as they are represented here
to-day, is quite in order.
AVhen the Confederates were seen coming over the stone wall the
Forty-second New York (also called the Tammany Regiment),
conmianded by Colonel Joseph E. Mallon, rushed forward to meet
them and they took an active part in the melee. Their color sergeant,
Michael Cuddy, fell mortally wounded, and Private Michael
McDonough captured the flag of the Twenty-second North Carolina.
In the fight of the second day this regiment also sustained severe
losses.
" Boys, bury me on the field," was the last command issued by
Lieut.-Colonel M. A. Thoman to his regiment, the Fifty-ninth. When
he fell Captain William McFadden took his place. This regiment
contributed strenuously to the repulse of the charge and seized the
colors of the Eighteenth Virginia.
The Eighty-second Regiment (Second N. Y. S. M.) lost 158 men
in the battle of the second day and sixty-nine the third day. Its
commander, Lieut.-Colonel James Huston, was killed. Captain John
Darrow succeeded him. The Eighty-second was effectively in
evidence at the clump of trees. The second day they captured the
flags of the Forty-eighth Georgia and the third day those of the First
and Seventh Virginia.
Willard's Brigade, consisting of the Thirty-ninth, One hundred
and eleventh. One hundred and twenty-fifth and One hundred and
twenty-sixth regiments, directed a deadly flank fire on Pettigrew's
men, and in their counter attack captured prisoners by the score and
a large number of battle flags. Colonel G. L. Willard, of the One
hundred and twenty-fifth, was killed the second day, and the conunand
of the brigade devolved on Colonel Eliakim Sherrill, of the One
hundred and twenty-sixth, who was also killed. Then it was put in
charge of Lieut.-Colonel James M. Bull, also of the One hundred and
twenty-sixth. Lieut.-Colonel James G. Hughes was commander of
the Thirty-ninth. This regiment lost fifty per cent, of its men at
Gettysburg. With one exception, the One himdred and eleventh sus-
tained the greatest losses of any Union regiment at Gettysburg. It
was first led by Colonel Clinton D. McDougal, and after he was
wounded by Lieut.-Colonel Isaac M. Lusk and Captain A. P. Seeley.
Colonel Levi Crandall commanded the One hundred and twenty*fifth.
4S
lUexan^er Stewart WibJ)
The Tenth X. Y. Battalion, Major Greorge F. Hopper in com-
mand, had the honor of receiving directions from General Meade
personally. It was in service as provost guard, and after the failure
of the assault 1,800 prisoners were committed to its care.
The Eightieth Regiment (Twentieth N. Y. S. M.) divided its
attention and its firing between Kemper's and Gamett's brigades, and
the end of the assault found them at the clump of trees. General
Doubleday, to whose division this regiment belonged, complimented
them warmly for their valor and sacrifice during all three days of
the battle.
The One hundred and eighth Regiment, with Colonel Charles J.
Powers, in command, supported WoodrufiT's Battery I, U. S. Artil-
lery and Willard's Brigade, at Ziegler's Grove. Its casualties at
Gettysburg were 118 men out of 200.
The batteries that helped the Empire State to loom large in the
repulse are also well represented here. We have delegations from the
First, Eleventh and Thirteenth K. Y. Independent Batteries* and
Batteries B and K, First N. Y. Light ArtOlery.
Captain James M. Rorty, fated to fall, oHnmanded Battery B
and Captain Robert H. Fitzhugh Battery K, while Lieut. William
Wheeler commanded the Thirteenth Battery. The Eleventh Battery
was attached to Battery K and the Fourteenth, Captain Rorty's, to
Battery B.
Only one of the officers commanding the New York regiments and
batteries, engaged at the Angle and near it the third day, remain.
That surviving officer is Colonel Andrew Cowan, of the First X. Y.
Independent Battery, who, all the way from Louisville, Ky., is with
us here, and a hundred welcomes and many thanks to him for this
honor. Colonel Cowan is going to speak to you not only in behalf of
his own battery, but also on other batteries that wheeled to the front
when danger threatened Cemetery Ridge. As you will soon learn, he
is an authority on what took place here a little more than fifty-two
years ago. Unlike most of the regiments and batteries massed on this
ridge when Longstreet made it his objective Colonel Cowan's com-
mand did not belong to the Second Corps. His corps was the Sixth,
and that corps' reputation for forward and telling work was well
sustained by Colonel Cowan not only at Gettysburg but before and
after Grcttysburg.
44
BleMll^er Stewart TKUbb
Though the Angle when it resounded to the f urioui rush of com*
batants and their hand-to-hand conflict was immune from the charge
of squadrons, the cavahy was not far off then, nor, as is well knowut
idle either. That important arm of the service, I am glad to announce,
has a worthy representative at this dedication, and he is going to
recite some appropriate verses of his own composition. As secretary
of the Society of the Army of the Potomac for many decades past
and also a member of Sheridan's Cavalry, the name of General
Horatio C. King became well known to you long ago, and I believe
there is hardly a veteran present that has not seen him or heard him
at Grcttysburg ere this. I know you will appreciate his contribution
to these exercises.
While this dedication immediately concerns Pennsylvania and
New York, nevertheless, now, as always, there is glory enough in
Grettysburg — even in that part of it at which Longstreet*s assault
was directed -— to go all round; and a good share of that glory has
fallen to Vermont. Three of Stannard's Vermont regiments — the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth — with 6ates*s Demi-brigade
— the Eightieth New York and One hundred and fif ty*first Pennsyl-
vania (both brigades belonging to Doubleday's Division) — gave
battle to Kemper's regiments as they manoeuvred to tiie clump of
trees, and together did most effective work at the final encounter. I
mention this because a gentleman from Vermont, General Theodore
S. Peck, is going to address you in behalf of his State. Grcneral Peck
when the war commenced joined the First Vermont Cavalry, from
which he was promoted to a lieutenancy in the Ninth Vermont Infan-
try, and he served with such gallantly that he was awarded a gold
medal of honor by the United States government. Grcneral Peck was
a life long friend of General Webb and an ardent admirer of his.
How often on this battlefield have visitors not of veteran years
found pleasant reminiscence in the thought that they had a relative
or a father who contributed his share of good work here during those
memorable days of July, 1868. This I know to be a fact in the case
of a distinguished gentleman by whose presense we are especially
honored to-day. His father, however, though at Grettysburg was
not there as a soldier, but, as has been well said, ^ Peace hath her
victories no less renowned than war.** Though seldiHn talked of
nowadays, the after scenes at Gettysburg, just as the combat was
ofvcTf art not yet forgotten, and tliey never eould be by ukyont who
45
BlcIan^er Stewart TtOebb
witnessed them. All around lay the victims of the fray for whom
there was nothing more left in this world but a soldier's grave, and
soldier sacrifice to remember. All the men that could be spared were
aiding the doctors and bringing the helpless of both armies to the
hospitals improvised for the occasion; and, oh! it was piteous hear
those poor fellows groaning and to think of their agonies — a large
number of them beyond aid and dying by the score. It did not take
long for the news of the battle to be talked of far and near, and,
without losing a moment, from the North and East, and every direc-
tion, came angels in human form — angels clothed in male and female
attire — brethren and sisters of the Christian Mission and members
of the Sanitary Commission, all zealously and untiringly engaged in
the benevolent work of rendering what relief they could to the
wounded and consolation to the dying. And among those heroes and
heroines of peace and ministers of compassion who hastened to that
after scene, intent on corporal and spiritual works of mercy, was a
young clergyman from Boston, the Reverend John Seymour ^\Tiit-
man, the father of His Excellency, Charles Seymour Whitman,
Gk)vemor of New York.
Not all of you, probably, have heard Governor Whitman before,
but you have all often heard of him, as you often will again, too, I
have not the least doubt. New York, as to its attitude regarding
other States, is sometimes accused of being provincial, but in the past,
as I hope it will also be in the future, governors of New York have
frequently been identified with possibilities in national affairs by no
means provincial. I know that Governor Whitman is not going to
include in his remarks a short account of his stewardship as chief
magistrate of the Empire State. That is entirely unnecessary, for
his administration speaks for itself, and speaks laudably too. Prior
to assuming honors and responsibilities gubernatorial. Governor
Whitman was engaged, in the capacity of district attorney, in conduct-
ing a campaign against lawlessness and unearthing dangerous con-
spiracies, in New York City, and his great success in that work has
earned for him gratitude. He showed then that he was not the man
to be deterred by any consideration from carrying out his resolution,
that the law should take its course and that crime — heinous crime —
should not remain unpunished and shovdd be forcefully discouraged.
I now take great pleasure in introducing to you Governor Whit-
man of New York.
4C
1 ..E\V v\ -i
HIS CXCELUNCV CHARLU «. WHITMAN, QOVCRNOII
B^^re00 b^ Oovemor Cbarles $». TUnbftman
Ladies and Gentlemen :
THIS place of many monuments erected by the Federal govern-
ment, by States and by military organizations, represents,
as perhaps no other field in the world represents, the effort
of the living to glorify a Nation's heroes and forever to perpetuate
iheir memory.
Time was when the very word " Gettysburg " stood for all that
was terrible in war. The horrible combat here waged cast a shadow
over thousands of American households, which the long years have
slowly dispelled.
All the misunderstanding, the enmities created, the rancor and
bitterness engendered, indeed all that was evil and wrong during the
most imhappy years of our National life — all is forgotten now. The
splendid heroism, the firmness for the right, as God gave them to
see the right, the faithfulness unto death — these qualities character-
ized both armies — the Blue and the Gray. The record is the common
heritage of a united American people and never can be forgotten.
These wonderfvd hills and valleys, precious to the Nation, are
becoming of ever increasing interest and value to our people as the
years go by, as monument and tablet in bronze and in stone, telling
the story of heroic deeds and heroic lives, perpetuating memories, not
of a brutal conflict but of noble self sacrifice and devotion, fittingly
mark historic spots on this " The Nation's Holy Ground."
New York has erected many monuments here — over a himdred,
so I am told — and they testify to the prowess and the patriotism of
those whom she sent to battle and to death that the nation might live.
In no other battle of the war were so many of the troops engaged
drawn from the Empire State, and nowhere else in the North were
so many homes made desolate or so many called upon to mourn the
loss of the dearest and the best, as a result of the three days' conflict
here waged.
We come to-day to unveil a stately figure, cast in bronze, per-
petuating, so far as the skilful sculptor can, the form and features
of a great soldier and a great and good man.
47
HIezanber Stewart Wcbl)
Two states share in the glory of achievement with which General
Webb's name will be forever associated here. For although he was
a son of New York, the brigade which he commanded was composed
of Philadelphia regiments. The men who beat back the charging
hosts of the enemy at the Angle were sons of Pennsylvania, and the
survivors of those regiments, the Sixty-ninth, Seventy-first, Seventy-
second and One hundred and sixth, who are here to-day, honor us
and our State by their presence and by their devotion to the memory
of their old commander.
Great in war, his service to the State was no less real and no less
distinguished in time of peace.
Thousands of young men, even many in middle life, in New York,
will hardly recognize in the stem, set face and heroic figure, clad in
the miiform of Imajor general, his right hand firmly dashing the
sword-hilt, the dignified, kindly, scholarly instructor, who for so many
years was the president of the College of the City of New York, who,
with his splendid qualities of mind and heart, impressed his wonderful
personality upon a great number of our citizens, graduates of that
institution, in whose lives and in whose hearts he lives and ever will
live.
General Webb was the son of a soldier and the grandson of a
soldier. His grandfather was wounded in the battle of Bunker Hill.
Against a savage foe on our then Western frontier, his father defended
the Flag and the liberty, the civilization and the enlightenment which
the Flag embodies and represents.
He was true to his inheritance, loyal to the country's traditions
and institutions. He realized the value of all that the Nation and the
Flag stood for. He recognized the peril to both, and he came to their
defense without hesitation and without thought of personal danger,
as did the hosts who followed him.
The noble qualities which he possessed were in no sense unusual.
The capacity for the most heroic eflfort displayed by all in this terrible
conflict glorified the American name and is the common heritage of
the American people.
I am not one of those who believe that the qualities of patriotism
and heroism have departed from the youth of our land. The splendid
traits of the noble character, to which we here do honor, are possessed
to-day by the young men of the Nation, North and South and East
and West.
4S
Bleianber Stewart WcJ)Jj
We honor ourselves when we do honor to the heroes of the past.
Gettysburg has offered for the emulation of succeeding generations
many a shining example of all that is highest and best in American
manhood. Among them all there is no name more worthy of remem-
brance than that of the man whose loyalty and patriotism never
wavered during all the darkest hours of the Nation's life, whose
steadfast and imtiring devotion to duty as a soldier and a citizen
ceased only with his death, the man whom the State of New York is
proud to own as her son, in whose honor to-day she gives this statue
to Gettysburg and to the Nation.
49
Oration b^ General 3amed Wi. Xatta^ of pennai^lvania
n9tb pa. tt)ol0.; B^dtotant BMutanti^BencraU Cbir^ JStida5e, f fret 'BMBiotif Sinb
Cotpd, anD later ot fourtb Df vision Cava Iris Corps, AfUtans WviBUm
of tbe Aiddiesippi
COMMISSIONEBS, COMBADES, FkIENDS:
SOMEWHERE it has been said that there are two kinds of
public speakers — those who come with a long message, and
others who come with a long memory, I hope not to weary
you with the matter of the message, nor tire you with its length,
but the memory — my memory — will be long, ever long in its
cherished recollections of this place of undeserved prominence to which
your invitation has so generously assigned me in these proceedings.
" Wars are wars of creed or wars of greed." Under which does the
present war fall? was the postulate recently assumed by a magazine
writer of some repute. He did not attempt to sustain his postulate,
nor seem even satisfactorily to give answer to his interrogatory.
Possibly in the self-imposed limitation of his assumption he rendered
his interrogatory the less susceptible of categorical disposition. In
our military nomenclature there is no place fop the phrase.
Religious warfare disappeared in the long ago. By those out of
touch with the much alleged aggressor in this big world's war, it would
emphatically be declared to be a war of greed. Religion, however,
has its place everywhere throughout these war-ridden lands, and
though the participants are of discordant and different creeds, and
divers professions, all worship the same God, the God of revelation,
the God who some day must bring them all to judgment. " The
judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
But in the minds of those who have had some share in war's
actualities, this war can scarcely be recognized as an old acquaintance.
Decimation, destruction, annihilation, follow so closely in its path
that a new word must be found to give it distinctive definition.
General engagement, skirmish, affair at arms, the camp, the march,
the bivouac have but scant recognition. Siege, blockade, traverse,
50
aieianber Stewart Me&l)
salient, still serve a purpose, while the trench, said when properly
defended to be irreducible, is given a new and conspicuous recognition.
All names are now shadows, for the romance of great leaders, the
magic of personal combat, has long vanished out of this war, which
has resolved itself into " a slow grinding of anonymous masses against
each other." The battle, murder, and sudden death from which the
Litany prays deliverance, though still maintaining its full and intended
significance, should now be modernized to be of essential import and
peculiarly adaptable to present conditions, when an explosive from
a forty-two centimetre announces its unwelcome presence. The
monotonous detail in the East Indies in the whilom davs, with neither
promotion to encourage energy, nor duty to stimulate activity,
prompted the British officers to frequent repetitions of the impious
supplication, " Oh! for a bloody war or a sickly season." The long
delayed answer to the impious prayer of the ancestor has f oimd puni-
tive response to his progeny of a later generation.
The romance of the fight is out of it, the poetry of the charge has
lost its rhythm ; the clang of the sabre and ring of the molineaux is a
lesson of the past ; the rapid fire gun sounds an impending doom for
the hitherto indispensable infantry; the long range cannon and the
high explosives make the battlefield a holocaust and the trench a sepul-
chre; the shout, the cheer, the defiance are hushed in the avirful
slaughter in the moment of the deadly impact. All the blessed
memories of a storied past are suppressed for the time in the conduct
of this " bludgeon war ", with which the European nations impair the
promise, hinder the progress and still the activities that greeted the
opening years of this splendid twentieth century civilization.
But this war of ours, this w;ar of which some still remain, as living
exponents of what is was, how it was, and who fought it, was a war
of neither creed or greed, neither conquest nor subjugation, it was a
war to determine whether a free, liberty-loving representative
democracy shoiild be nationalized or denationalized, whether its free,
liberty-giving piu*pose and principle should be for all peoples — all
creeds, all faiths, regardless of color, condition, or servitude — or
whether the Caucasian alone should be the full participant of its bless-
ings and its benefits. Here, here on this field was the issue decisively
determined, and here with its Marathon on Roimd Top, and its Ther-
mopylae at the Angle, will Gettysburg — great Gettysburg — be
and remain forever immortal as the ages.
51
Blcxan^er Stewart MctJ)
The Empire State and the Keystone State united to save the
nation, in the forum and on the battlefield, both in the State of
Pennsylvania, on two occasions — critical periods in our country's
history. James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, a leader at the bar, eminent
on the bench, was a strenuous and potential factor in framing the
Constitution of the United States, adopted in September 1787 by the
Convention at Philadelphia. Alexander Hamilton, of New York,
deserted by his colleagues, who had returned to New York to defeat
its ratification, still remained a dominant force in the Convention.
Anxious moments, serious thoughts, followed the strenuously con-
ducted campaign against ratification. Hamilton with his ^* masterful
power of exposition and persuasion " in the end brought his campaign
to a successful issue and by a narrow margin New York cast her vote
for adoption.
And the other occasion was on this decisive battlefield, at three
o'clock on the afternoon of the third day of July, 1868. Here on this
spot, where was the ** stress and strain " of the conflict, here where the
enemy fought tenaciously to drive in his " fiery wedge." Here met
by Alexander Stewart Webb, of New York, with Owen's Philadelphia
Brigade — the Second Brigade — of the Second Division, of the
Second Corps — Pennsylvanians all — he was driven back routed,
defeated, discomfited, and American democracy, with all its vast and
comprehensive meaning, was re-assured of that perpetuity for which
the " founders " had given in preamble and text of their Constitution
their written guarantee.
The great Alexander sighed for more worlds to conquer. The
" two " Alexanders were content, each in his day and generation, and
in his sphere, with the opportunity that had been given them to con-
tribute so substantially to the making of the one great world power,
that no seceder from within can dissever, nor foe from without disturb.
Alexander Stewart Webb — soldier, scholar, sage I His standing
in his classes through his cadetship, his after achievements in the field,
his higher scholarly acquisitions, ultimately brought the promise of
his early years to a full fruition, in the military honors he secured and
the masterful leadership conceded him in the educational world.
Rarely has the presence of a general officer been ever so distinc-
tively marked in a common concensus of commendation, in book,
pamphlet, or official report, as an indispensable personality, as has
52
n
Si
o 1
I; 1 "
PU£' : JC
T Vx/
■T"
Blexan^er Stewart TRIlel>l>
been that of Greneral Alexander S. Webb on the battlefield of Gettys-
burg at the moment of the deadly impact.
Comte de Paris says : " Owen's Brigade, commanded by General
Webb, is on the right of the Angle. The shock is terrific; first it
falls upon the brigades of Hall and Harrow, then concentrates upon
that of Webb against which the assailants are oscillating right and
left. The latter general in the midst of his soldiers encourages them
by his example."
And this from a participant from what he saw: " Webb's men are
falling fast and he was among them to direct and encourage."
And from Banes' History of the Philadelphia Brigade: *^ Greneral
Webb won the esteem of his soldiers for his skilful management and
for the extraordinary coolness he displayed in the midst of danger."
Gibbon in his official report says : " The repulse of the assault
was most gallant, and I desire to call attention to the great gallantry
and conspicuous qualities displayed by General Webb and Colonel
Hall. Their services were invaluable, and it is safe to say that without
their presence the enemy would have succeeded in gaining a foothold
at that point."
And Hancock follows : " They were by the personal bravery of
General Webb and his officers immediately formed behind the crest.
♦ * ♦ Brig. Gen. Webb and Colonel R. Penn Smith performed
in like manner most distinguished services in leading their men
forward at a critical moment of the combat."
And then as if to strengthen and confirm with proper sequence
and with concurrence of the highest authority, the Congress awarded
to General Webb its medal of honor '' for distinguished personal
gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg."
Webb was graduated from the West Point Military Academy in
the dass of 1855. Who were his classmates? And what has history
to say of them? With his own, the names of many of his fellows were
at one time as familiar to the country as are those of men prominent
in the nation's life to-day.
Cyrus B. Comstock never lost first place in all his classes as he
passed through the Academy, as he never lost first place in the trust
and confidence of both Grant and Sherman in the delicate and
responsible duties he was called upon to perform in his services upon
their respective staffs.
5S
Bleianbcr Stewart TRIIebb
Greorge D. Ruggles and Samuel Breck rose to the head of their
department; each in turn was The Adjutant Greneral of the Army.
Alfred T. A. Torbert commanded the cavalry corps of the Army
of Potomac and won name and fame for himself and his corps.
Godfrey Weitzel, who was Xo. 2, commanded the Twenty-lSfth
Army Corps.
William W. Averill was a famous general officer of the cavalry
arm of the service.
William B. Hazen with his capture of Fort MacAllister made the
fall of Savannah inevitable, and thus permitted Sherman to conclude
his march to the sea with its occupancy, on December 25tht and send
it with his greeting as his Christmas gift to the nation.
And then these dedication services not only tend to give a true
historic value to a singular coincidence, but as well to bring into
distinctive prominence another significant battlefield toudi of the
Keystone and Empire States.
While Webb was sending the enemy back from the Angle, routed,
defeated, discomfited, David McMurtrie Gregg, of Pennsylvania, his
fellow classmate, with his cavalry command was making like summary
disposition of Stuart at Rummel's Farm. Gregg was a leader in his
profession of arms, a masterful spuit in the trade of war, the faithful
public servant, the exemplary citizen, the truly Christian man.
These troops of Webb were seasoned soldiers all of them. Not
only were they all from the same State, but they were all from the
same city. State brigade organizations were familiar — notably the
Vermont Brigade, the New Jersey Brigade, the Michigan Brigade;
but Philadelphia has alone carried its City designation. Sickles'
Excelsior Brigade, of New York, probably came nearest to it in this
respect. Made up of Owen*s Sixty-ninth, Baker's Seventy-first,
Baxter's Seventy-second and Morehead's One hundred and sixth
Pennsylvania, it was known successively and it never lost its City
identity through all its change of commanders — as Bums', Owen's,
Webb's — Philadelphia Brigade always, at all times, and on all
occasions — tested, tried and true.
The brigade was originally the conception of former residents of
the Pacific Coast, who, desirous that California should have its repre-
sentation with the Eastern troops, secured the authority of the War
Department to raise a brigade, which eventuated in the recruitment
and muster of the Seventy-first Pennsylvania — first known as the
54
Hleian^er Stewart Webb
California Regiment. Edward D. Baker^ the distinguished senator
from the State of Oregon, was made its colonel, and Isaac J. Wistar,
of Philadelphia, its lieutenant colonel; the three other Pennsylvania
regiments assigned to it completed its organization. Colonel Baker
was killed at Ball's Bluff, October 21, 1861. Colonel Wistar suc-
ceeded him, and Pennsylvania now claiming its own, as is so quaintly
said by Frank H. Taylor, author of the official history, '' Philadelphia
in the Civil War." " These four so called California regiments were
destined to win honor and glory as the Philadelphia Brigade."
The Second Corps was a famous corps for fight — for its fighting
qualities — its fighting generals. It could administer punishment and
receive punishment with equal aptitude. It gave it and took it with
like stolidity. What it gave was more than what it had to take.
Sumner, Couch, Hancock, Humphreys. No military association ever
grouped so forcefully, courage, capacity, valor, achievement. Not a
blemish to mar the splendor of its memories, nor cloud to darken the
brightness of its recollections.
Recalled after so many years, when this group had seemingly
passed out of mind, there comes a touch of self reproach that such
forgetfulness has been permitted. " But the greatest of these (is)
was " you cannot answer, you won't answer, the more you press for
an answer the more reluctance there is to give it. Sumner so intense
to every sense of responsibility and with all his years, so eager for
the field. His two sons have attained the same high rank as the
father — a most unusual happening — but true to manhood as they
are, they will never be their father; Couch, the intrepid, as he threw
brigade after brigade against the impossible at Fredericksburg.
Besides the reverence and respect in which his soldiers held him, his
home State, Massachusetts, honored him with responsible official pre-
ferment. " Hancock was superb ", as McClellan had styled him at
Williamsburg. He did not like the word, but he could not help it;
everybody else did and it was true in the highest conception of its
meaning. Walker in his " History of the Second Corps," says of
him when he left the corps finally, as if he were writing at the very
moment of the happening of the event and was still of his military
family — so impressively is it said — " Hancock left the Second Corps
* forever * ". He must pass to the realm of the reader and the student,
for the world will never know him as his soldiers did, and they are
nearly all gone. Humphreys, so profound as a scholar, so thorough
55
Bleian^er Stewart TKOebi)
a soldier. Humphreys at Fredericksburg, Humphreys at Gettys-
hbrg; Meade, of a scientific bent himself, when he found the scholar
ana the soldier assimilate so well as they did with Humphreys and
wit^Webb sought them out to do him special service. So when
Humjphreys went from chief of staff to command the Second Corps,
WebbVwas chosen to succeed him. " But the greatest of these was "
you carniot answer, you won't answer, you may know, you may think
or belieVe you know, but you have too much love for each and all
and everyone of them to disclose or reveal your conviction. Pardon
this appatent digression. The moment was too auspicious to be lost.
It was\of this distinctive gathering, this Second Corps combina-
tion, that the Philadelphia Brigade was a conspicuous unit. York-
town, Fair\Oaks, the Peninsula, The Seven Days' Fight, Pope's
Campaign, \ Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville — march,
bivouac, camp, fatigue, exposure, disease, wounds, death, disaster,
defeat, triumph and victory. It was through and after all this genuine
service that the brigade came to the fateful day — fortuitous is better
— in the early July days of '68, to its own home State, to find itself
again affront its old antagonist, the Army of Northern Virginia —
there to do battle once more — this time decisively, on what is now
the far-famed field of Gettysburg.
Eanglake, when his " Crimean War " was in course of preparation
is said to have interviewed such of its survivors as he could con-
veniently reach. Its thoroughness, especially in the two volumes of
Balaclava and " That Inkerman Sunday," quite conclusively show
that he did. The work is replete with expressions that could only
come from the living witness. A notable illustration is Cardigan's
'' damn that Nolan." So incensed was he that a staff officer should
with his " there is your enemy," pointing to a new direction, attempt
to thus confuse his movement, that he continued to repeat his denun-
ciation all the way down the valley. And another was Lord George
Percy's awful implication, as he first saw Cardigan when he rode
out of the fight, whom he had not happened to see in it. '^ My Grod,
Cardigan, where were you? " If Gettysburg's already voluminous
literature — valuable as it is — had received like treatment its pro-
portions would be scarce conceivable.
And yet with all this Gettysburg literature, complete as it is —
and there will always be more or less contribution yet to come — there
still seems something wanting. With all the well-deserved prominence
56
PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX
TILJXEN rOUNBUPIONS
■tW.r. ■
!
BleIan^er Stewart Wcb'b
given fhe valor of those who made the charge, a like prominence has
not been as freely accorded those who received it. The soldier is
coming to the fore again, in this season of purposeful preparedness ;
it is wise to preserve the past, as well with a rigorous accuracy as with
an appreciative recognition.
The designation, " Pickett*s Charge," seems to leave naught else
for appreciation but Pickett's men. To the distant observer, there
seems to be more of the pomp and pageantry and trump of war in
a column moving forward to strike a foe, appreciably sustained by
its own enthusiasm, than there is in the knitted brow, the hard-set
countenance, the hushed voice, the watchful eager eye of those whom
this steadily advancing foe is about to strike. Nerve, endurance,
determination alone sustain the one, while the quick movement, the
rapid stride, urgent appeal, stirring speech of officer, field and line,
so largely tend to help, encoiu*age and sustain the other. Casualties
left behind as a column passes on have not the depressing effect of the
casualty that remains while the engagement continues.
Discipline has been epitomized '' as the endiu^ance of loss under
fire." A few excerpts from the History of the Second Army Corps
by General Francis A. Walker, so eminent as a scholar, so reliable as
an authority, show, through an orderly sequence, the intensity of the
moment, with equal recognition of the efficiency and valor of friend
and foe alike. An attempt to break an enemy's centre was never
viewed with favor. The excerpts follow:
'*One Confederate division remained unbreathed. This was the division of
Pickett, comprising the brigades of Gamett, Kemper and Armistead — in all fifteen
Virginia regiments — the very flower of the Southern chivalry. This was justly
the most distinguished of that splendid armj for discipline and valor/'
" Upon the Sixtj-ninth and Seventy-first Pennsylvania of Webb's Brigade^ posted
on the low stone wall^ falls the full force of Longstreet's mighty blow."
"Like leaves in the autumn gale, the Philadelphians drop along the line."
*' And now the collision for which these thousands of Confederates have crossed
the bloody plain and for which those soldiers of the Union have watched through
all that anxious time comes with a crash and clamor that might well appall the
stoutest heart"
" It must be evident, even to one who knows nothing of war, that such a strain
as this could not long continue, something must give way under such a pressure.
If one side will not the other must, if not at one point then at another. The
time has come to advance the standards of the Second Corps. With loud cries
and a sudden forward surge, in which every semblance of formation is lost the
Union troops now move upon the faltering foe. One moment more and all is over."
57
Blezan^er Stewart Webb
Every battlefield has it gems and treasures that brighten with a
new lustre as time goes on, Gettysburg with its great treasure house
full to repletion tenders a contribution from its Second Corps jewel
case.
As the sun was within a couple of hours of its daylight limit on
that sweltering second day, off yonder near where the Third Corps
had fought so hard, the One hundred and sixth, Lieut.-Colonel Curry
in command, with other troops of the brigade, perceiving that volley
after volley had checked the enemy's advance and set his lines to
wavering, " fixed its bayonets in the presence of the fleeing foe " and
still so pressed the charge that the enemy retiring in much confusion,
to his original lines, a confusion that was indeed so far a rout that
the colonel, major, five captains, fifteen lieutenants and two hundred
of the men of the Forty-eighth Georgia were captured on the way.
And again the contribution runs of the Sixty-ninth, with O'Kane
and Tschudy gone and Duffy severely wounded, directing to the end
— a regiment " that always stayed where it was put." It is isolated
for the moment with the enemy in its rear, nothing but its "' shouts
and shots " indicates just where it is as the ** terrific shock " intensifies.
With its heavy casualty score of fifty-four per cent, it won its place
that day with its other days of fight, among the Three Hundred
Fighting regiments, three of the field, twelve of the line, one hundred
and twenty-four of the men, clubbed muskets, a crushed skull, personal
encounters.
And another relic from the treastire house tells of how the Seventy-
second — its place about the hottest, where the " fiery wedge " hit
hardest — fighting " steadily and persistently ", with Baxter sorely
wounded the day before — when with the One hundred and sixth it
had then pursued the enemy so vigorously that many of them throwing
down their arms cried out with oaths, "' Let us out of this, it is too
hot *' — and Hesser in command, Armistead mortally wounded, right
beside the colors. With casualties the heaviest numerically and per-
centage score of forty-four per cent., that with its other losses on
other fields won for it also a place with the three hundred fighting
regiments out of the two thousand that made up the aggregate of
the Union Army.
And with these jeweled treasures, the Seventy-first too had its
gem-like place, not alone for holding its position while the enemy was
still in its rear, and other eminently distinctive instances of valor,
^8
HleIan^er Stewart Webb
but also for the official recognition that came to Colonel Smith by
the corps commander '* for most distinguished services in leading his
men forward at a critical moment " and as well also from Grcneral
Webb for making, as he said, '" such important disposition of two of
his companies at a moment of imminent peril in the action as showed
him to be the possessor of true military intelligence on the field."
With casualties of twenty-four per cent, and many another heavier
loss on other fields, the noble three hundred fighting regiments
claimed the Seventy-first for their own and there it has its place
to-day.
Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Peters-
burg, were yet to follow, until July 20, 1864, when the Seventy-first
and Seventy-second, honorably mustered out by expiration of term,
the Sixty-ninth veteranized and the One hundred and sixth reduced
to a battalion, the Philadelphia Brigade, its perpetuity assured with
the distinction it had won, ceased to be forever.
50
Bt Oetti^sbttrg in 1913
Ms eenettl Moratfo C* Ictnd
MY mind reverts first to the wonderful reunion held in 1918,
where the men who confronted each other in battle met here
to celebrate a restored Union. One of the number and my
friend of many years, Capt. John H. Leathers, a Confederate, was
with them. He was in Johnson's Division, at Gulp's Hill, and was
wounded in this battle. On his return I was tempted to a bit of
rhythm, which I will present now before giving my poem on Gettys*
burg. I feel that it will touch the hearts of my old comrades*
WeVe tramped the famous battlefield
Where fifty jears ago
The Boys in Blue and Boys in Gray
Were met as deadly foe ;
The son was piping hot, dear John,
With some their steps were slow.
But fierce the beat and swift the feet
Some fifty years ago.
We climbed the Little Round Top, John,
And panted up Gulp's HiU,
Then back to War's High Water Mark
Where Cowan's guns are still.
That tore the columns thro and thro.
Ah, John, how well you know.
For you were in that awful fight.
Some fifty years ago.
Six hundred monuments to-day
Bedeck that sacred field.
And erery foot of that rich soil
Its tales of Talor yield;
Full fifty thousand valiant men
Poured out their blood, you know;
It was, dear John, a gruesome sight
Some fifty years ago.
60
aiexan^er Stewart WcJab
But now, dear John, throughout the land
The voice of peace is heard,
V^liile North and South in sweet accord
Repeat the joyful word;
The gulf is bridged, the hatchet lost,
But still through memories flow
The deeds that thrilled the world, dear John,
Some fifty years ago.
Gettysburg has been immortalized in song and story and my own contribution
is presented with becoming modesty.
GETTYSBURG
By General Horatio G* King
Fair was the sight that peaceful July day
And sweet the air with scent of new mown hay.
And Gettysburg's devoted plain serene
Resplendent shone with wares of emerald green.
The western heights, where close embowered stood
The sacred shrine, near hidden in the wood.
Recked not of war, but echoed with the tread
Of God's meek messengers of peace, who led
The thoughts from earthly things to things above.
And taught the wayward heart that God is love;
While far across wide fields of golden grain
Another ridge uprose from out the plain;
And in its bosom, freed from earthly woes.
The dead of ages lie in calm repose.
Two bloody days across the stricken field,
Two angry hordes in ghastly combat reeled;
And welcome night its dusky mantle threw
In pitying love to hide the scene from view.
Again the bu^e with its piercing call
Awoke the soldier from deep slumber's thrall;
With anxious waiting, nerved by conscious power,
All stood impatient through the morning hour.
Till from the throats of every shotted gun
The smoke of hell obscured the biasing sun;
Then silence deep, and every soldier knew
The charge was near, and tight his buckle drew:
01
i
Blexan^cr Stewart WeDD
Lo! from their midst a stem command; and then
The quick advance of twenty thousand men;
A solid line of veterans clad in gray.
With iron nerves and earnest for the fray.
In thought a new-bom nation rose to sights
With " stars and bars *' unfurled in glorious light.
On^ on they came, nor faltered in their tread.
Each man a hero — giants at their head.
We stood amazed at courage so sublime.
No braver record on the page of time.
With bristling bayonets glistening in the sun.
The stubborn ranks, inspired by victories won.
Pressed grimly on, unmindful of the storm
Of shot and shell that felled full many a form;
The maddened roar of angry cannon massed
Rocked the red field as if an earthquake passed.
Still on they come; the gaps they quickly close;
*' Now steady, men ! '* and from our ranks there rose
A mighty cry, -and thick the leaden hail
Fell on the wavering lines. " See ! now they quail ! ''
** Strike ! strike ! for freedom and your native land ! "
And bayonets clashed in conflicts hand to hand!
Oh, fierce the stmggle; but they break! they fly!
And God to freedom gives the victory.
Here on this consecrated spot
Where fiery courage filled the air.
When dead and dying ghastly lie
And brave men fought with grim despair;
Here gallant Webb led on his men
To meet the bold and reckless foe
And drove them back; and on his brow
The crown of victory bestow.
62
t:;;; izv-r york
PUB 'C FBRARY
A^TO'\ LCNOX
TTLDr;. : -i^DATIONS
H^^re00 b^ Colond Bn^rew Cowan
#of met daptain of tbe ytc^t mew Hotk f ndcpcndeut JSattetii at 0etti20btit0, an^
ComtnanDer ot tbe BrtiUetii JSrlaabe ot tbc Sixth ffori^
CoMBADES, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WE have heard an eloquent and inspiring oration from Governor
Whitman of the Empire State, and a beautiful tribute by
Colonel Stegman to the Governor's reverend father, who
ministered unto our sick and wounded in the hospitals and on battle*
fields, as an angel from the Christian Commission,
We have heard the fine oration of your beloved and distinguished
comrade. General James W. Latta, of Philadelphia, and the stirring
verses of General Horatio C. King, of Sheridan's Cavalry. So
having heard from two of the infantry and one of the cavalry, the
New York Monuments Commission expects me to speak for the
light artillery. The cheers you gave so heartily for the First New
York Battery, and again for its captain on that memorable day
more than fifty years ago, affected me deeply.
Colonel Stegman, Chairman of the New York Monuments Com-
mission, wrote me that I would be expected to say something to-day,
and that a chair would be provided for me to speak from, for he had
learned that I was crippled, as you see me, by reason of infection of
an old wound, which woke up again over a year ago. When asked
here: '* Colonel, what is the matter, rheumatism?" I answered:
"" No, kicked by a mule. I am from Kentucky."
I replied to Colonel Stegman that I should prefer to be used as
an exhibit only, but I could not decline an honor so kindly meant.
Until I received a copy of the printed programme of exercises
last Saturday, which has me down for an "" Address ", I had expected
to speak in an off-hand way about the fight here in the Angle, where
the Philadelphia Brigade, of four veteran regiments, numbering less
than fifteen hundred men, lay behind that low stone wall, which was
the only breastworks, here where the soil was too thin to build an
earth-work as high as our shoetops. You will remember that the
Philadelphia Brigade invited Pickett Camp, U. C. V., to meet them
Hleian^er Stewart TKOel)!)
here on the twenty-fourth anniversary of the battle, and that the
First New York Battery Association, being here for the dedication
of the Battery's monument — escorted by Capt. Will Kirby's hand«
some militia company and a splendid band, from Auburn, N. Y. —
joined with you in cordially greeting the Confederates in the town
square, when they arrived and in shaking hands ** across the wall "
here in the Angle the following day.
Colonel Bachelder and I, while standing in this Angle that day,
heard an officer telling a group of his comrades in gray about the
fight. He said : " After we had carried two strong lines of breast-
works, we came to a fort, about where we are standing. My horse
was killed and fell with me into the ditch of the fort, but in some
way, which I cannot recall, I scrambled up the slope and got inside,
where the Yankees took me prisoner.*' I told that officer, when I
was introduced to him later in the day, that there were no breastworks
nor any fort here. He rode out from town with me and became
convinced that the low wall, just about as you see it now, was the
only protection that the Philadelphia Brigade had. He knew, as
every soldier does, that breastworks and a fort could not be built
where there was so little earth.
Here, at the right of a large copse of small scrub oaks, of which
yonder umbreUa-shaped clump of trees is the remnant, was Cushing's
United States Battery and one gun of Cowan's First New York
Battery, and at the immediate left of the copse were the other five
guns of my battery, from the time the enemy, fifteen thousand strong,
began to advance from the trees that lined Seminary Ridge, about
a mile away, under the fire of more than a hundred cannon, from
the Cemetery at our right to the Little Round Top on the left.
The artillery front was about where Hancock Avenue is now.
Battery caissons were conveniently parked to the rear for safety.
The repulse of Pickett's Virginians was your part in the panoramic
battle of July 8rd, 1868, which defeated General Lee's hopes of
breaking the center of Meade's Army and forcing its retreat.
You may ask how a battery of the Sixth Corps had the good
fortune to be with your Second Corps at that critical time. Your
patience would be taxed if I began my story with our arrival at
Rock Creek on the Baltimore Pike, at one o'clock p. m. the second
day. I was ordered, very early on the morning of the 8rd, to report
with my battery to General John Xewton, near Little Round Top.
64
Hlcian^er Stewart WebJj
He then commanded the First Corps. We got our breakfast and
rested until a few minutes after the Confederates opened the can-
nonade, with about one himdred guns, and we replied with about
one hundred and fifty guns.
I was then directed to a position behind the extreme right of
Stannard's Second Vermont Brigade, First Corps, this side of where
the Pennsylvania monument now stands. The ride from the Taney-
town Road, at the junction of the granite school house road, under
that tempest of shot and shell, was thrilling, but the enemy's fire
was far too high. The position assigned us was farther away from
the breastworks than that of Pettit's Battery B, First New York
Light Artillery — conunanded that day by Captain J. McKay
Rorty — which was the first battery to my right. The battery on
Rorty's right was Brown's Battery B., First Rhode Island.
We fired, deliberately, to the left oblique at the enemy's batteries
along the Emmitsburg Road, until an ofiicer, riding at a run from
the right toward our left, shouted to me as he passed: ** Cease firing,
hold your fire for the infantry." We ceased firing, but I wondered
what he meant by "hold yoiur fire for the infantry." Before the
smoke which enveloped us was entirely blown away, another o£Scer,
riding in the same fashion, called to me as he passed : " Report to
General Webb at the right." I hesitated because I was under
General Doubleday's orders, directly behind the extreme right of his
division, with two of the guns overlapping the left of the Second
Corps. But I saw an ofiicer standing at the copse of trees, waving
his hat toward me, and I saw that the battery was withdrawing from
the position at the right of Rorty's guns and left of the trees. The
officer was General Webb and the battery was Brown's B, First
Rhode Island, which was out of ammunition. It had been engaged
in the great battle of the afternoon before, when Lieut. T. Fred.
Brown, in conmiand, was shot in the neck and fell from his horse
wounded, between here and the Emmitsburg Road. I instantly gave
the order : " Limber to the right, forward ! " We wheeled into
Brown's position at a gallop. Then, at a glance over yonder, I saw
the enemy's skirmish line advancing from the trees with colors flying.
I gave the distance and the time for fuses before I saw that one of
my six guns had passed to the right of the trees in our furious gallop.
I rode there and found my gun in position for firing, within a few
yards of the left gun of the battery posted there. An officer came
65
Bleian^er Stewart Webb
limping down to see what was the matter and I recognized him as
Lieut. Alonzo Gushing, who had been slightly wounded in the thig^,
probably by a small shrapnel ball. He heard my hurried explanation,
made some pleasant reply and gave the order to his left gun : ** By
hand to the front.'* As I saw his gun being pushed down toward
the wall, making room for mine to fire, I turned away, and saw him
no more alive. After the fight, when looking for my gun, which had
disappeared, I saw his dead body lying beside a gun down at the
wall. A rifle ball had hit him in the mouth, doubtless killing him
instantly.
The enemy seemed to be developing three lines — their skirmish
line with two strong lines following — and were keeping a splendid
alignment, guiding left. We fired rapidly from our five guns;
I left the gun at the right take care of itself under acting Sergeant
Mullaly, a brave soldier. Presently, I saw a body of Confederates
appear, topping the ridge where Alexander's artillery was in action.
It was Pickett's Division of Longstreet's Corps, five thousand strong,
which had only arrived during the previous night, and therefore had
not been engaged the first or second day. They dressed their lines
before advancing, and from there they came on steadUy in three lines
at brigade front.
I could see them perfectly, for there were no trees then along the
wall to obstruct the view. The trees on the little knoll over there
in the front have grown from stumps of small trees that were cut
down there the second day. As gaps opened in their lines, when men
fell under our cannon fire, they closed to their left and kept a splendid
front, as described in my official report. Their direction was oblique,
and it seemed that they were marching to this copse of trees, as
indeed they were. The Codori House and bam hid them from my
sight for a minute, and when I saw them again they were coming
at a run, without regard to alignment. There was a little elevation,
covered with bushes as it then seemed to me, just where yonder bunch
of trees beyond the wall has grown from suckers. A few hundred
of the Virginians fell down behind that brush-covered knoll and
opened fire on us. But the large body of them, to their left, rushed
forward in the direction of the Angle, to our right of the trees.
General Hunt was on horseback in my battery, and I was stand-
ing at the left side of his horse, when I opened with canister on the
crowd lying down. He soon began firing his pistol at those rushing
66
Blexan^et Stewart VSUcbb
oUf exclaiming: *' See *eml See 'em! "» when in a moment his horse
fell dead mider him. We extricated him and quickly momited him
on our Sergeant Van Etten's big bay, on which he rode away toward
the right of the trees, calling over his shoulder to me : " Look out or
you will kill our men ", meaning our infantry behind the low wall
in front of my five guns; but I had no thought of firing over their
heads at such close range.
Then, in a flash, our infantry behind the wall in front of my guns
arose and rushed to the right through the trees, for some cause I
could not see. Quite a number of them ran away through my guns.
One was a captain, with his sword tucked under his arm, running like a
turkey. I swore at him as he passed me. But it was a circus to
hear and see oiu* Corporal Flunkett, swearing like a pirate and
prancing like a mad buU, striking at the runaways with his fists, until
I saw L pick up something from the gromid and smash it over
the head of one of the frightened boys. It was a big tin coffeepot,
the loot from some Dutch Frau's kitchen. The blow broke in the
bottom. I can still see that fallow running with the tin pot well
down over his ears.
Then the enemy, that had found shelter behind that little rocky
knoll covered with brush, rushed forward toward our uncovered front.
I had given the order: ^'Load with double canister '\ just as my
Lieutenant Wright, standing at my side, fell, shot through the body.
Young Jake McElroy, No. 2 at the gun near the trees, called to me :
" Captain, this is our last round '\ and I replied : " I know it, Jake."
As he stepped outside the wheel he fell, and when we lifted his body,
after the fight, there were three bullet holes in his face. The five
guns, double loaded with canister, were ready, their muzzles run down
to the lowest point, when I saw a young officer, waving his sword, leap
the wall, followed by a number of men, and heard him shout : '^ Take
the gun ", meaning our gun closest to the trees. I shouted : "' Fire ! "
The bronze bas-relief on our battery monument here tells the story
of that gun.
Samuel Wilkeson, the great war correspondent with the Army
of the Potomac, whose son, Lieut. Bayard Wilkeson, was killed the
first day at Barlow's Knoll, commanding the United States Battery
there, wrote to the New York Times, describing the " awful " effect
of the canister from Cowan's guns, and bestowing exaggerated praise
on our battery. At his request, when he was walking along the line
67
Blcian^er Stewart Mcbb
the same evening before dusk» I escorted him across the wall and
left him there talking with woimded Confederates. On our left side
of the wall, Blue and Gray were lying; beyond it, " only the gray
clad Virginians, immortality their guerdon " ; as I said to my son when
we were here twenty-three years afterwards. I did not know about
Mr. Wilkeson's letter until that visit, when I found extracts from it
in Professor Werts' " Hand Book of Gettysburg Battlefield ", one
of the first guide books which was published. The entire letter was
re-published in the New York Times on the fiftieth anniversary of
it first appearance. We buried that young ofiicer in a separate
grave, and we buried Captain Rorty, Battery B, First New York
Light Artillery, in a grave beside him, marking both with cracker
box head boards. I returned that young officer's sword to a repre-
sentative of Pickett's Camp, U. C. V., at the dedication of the First
New York Battery's monument, on the twenty-fourth anniversary.
I had his belt also, but some one had stolen it before that time.
Pickett's Division, as I said, came on in three lines, brigade front,
(yeneral Gamett was killed. General Kemper wounded, and a few of
them indeed, except the rear brigade, commanded by General
Armisted, got as far as the wall here in the Angle. General
Armistead, followed by a hundred or two hundred of his bravest men,
crossed the wall in the Angle. He fell mortally wounded where the
granite slab stands. That break was the cause for the left companies
of the Philadelphia Brigade, in front of my guns, being ordered to
the right to repel the enemy. Most of our infantry must have retired
as far as this place, on which Cushing's guns stood when I first came
up, for I saw the colors of three regiments and an Irish flag, close
together, surrounded by our men, firing " at will ", as fast as they
could load. I did not see a panic such as Lieutenant Haskell, of
Gibbon's staff, described in a letter home, published years after his
heroic death when leading his regiment at Cold Harbor. Pickett's
five thousand brave men were repulsed with fearful loss and the
battle of Gettysburg ended.
Remember, Comrades of the Philadelphia Brigade, that I have
only told the story of what I saw while serving with your brigade,
commanded by that accomplished soldier and gentleman. General
Alexander S. Webb, whose memory and service this monument, just
unveiled, fitly commemorates. Others may tell about Hall's and
Harrow's Brigades, of your division, to the left, whose services on
6S
BleIan^er Stewart VIlel>I>
both days were just as heroic as yours here; also of the assault by
Stannard's Second Vermont Brigade on Pickett's right flank, south
and east of the Codori House, which I did not see.
Your Third Division, commanded by General Alexander Hays,
held the higher wall from the right of this Angle to Ziegler's Grove
and beyond. General Hays, in his official report — which I heard
Major C. A. Richardson read two years ago — describes the advance
of the enemy from the trees along Seminary Ridge in his front, until
they came in splendid order to within two or three hundred yards
of his wall, when, as he relates, his men could be restrained no longer.
They arose in four ranks and poured such a withering fire upon the
Confederates that their lines cnmibled, and in a moment they were
running for their lives. No hostile flags were planted anywhere on
Hays' wall; no Confederates ever crossed it except as prisoners.
Here, where General Armistead fell, was the "high-tide" of the
battle.
Do not imagine that the Second Corps fought and won the battle
of Gettysburg, magnificent as was its part and great its losses on
the two days. I heard General Sickles once say, at a meeting of his
corps, " the battle of Gettysburg was fought and won the second
day ", after which I mentioned to him the fierce fight at Culp's Hill,
all the forenoon of the 8rd, and the desperate and picturesque assault
of Longstreet's fifteen thousand veterans, to break the centre, on the
third afternoon. I may even state my opinion now that if the First
Corps had not fought so well all day on the 1st, and then effected
a masterly retreat to this ridge, there would have been no second day
at Grettysburg.
Walk along Seminary Ridge to its junction with the Mununasburg
Road, and stand with uncovered heads : yes, you may remove the shoes
from your feet, like Moses of old, for the place you stand on is holy
ground. There, in the late afternoon of that day, when the First
Corps, after fighting against overwhefaning and increasing numbers
in front and on its right flank, must retreat or be annihilated.
General Doubleday ordered four small veteran regiments to form
at right angles to his line and hold their ground at all hazards, until
the corps had crossed to this ridge. They did it; nothing in this
battle surpfu$ed their heroism.
Remember also, the Third Corps, on the second day, late in the
afternoon, attacked by Longstreet's great divisions, supported by
69
BIeIan^ct Stewart Mcl^t
Anderson's, of Hill's Corps, to smash the salient made by Sickles'
advance to the commanding gromid along the Emmitsburg Road,
and bending around to the vicinity of Big Roimd Top. In that
tremendous contest, lasting until darkness put an end to it, the Third
Corps fought with desperate valor and sustained fearful losses. Part
of your corps and part of the Fifth, Sixth and Twelfth went to their
assistance before the day ended. Over yonder, beyond United States
Avenue, Captain John Bigelow sacrificed his Ninth Massachusetts
Battery, to check Barksdale's Mississippians, until Major McGilvery
had placed more than twenty guns from the Artillery Reserve along
Trostle's Lane, as a rallying ground for a new line of infantry.
Bigelow was carried back, seriously wounded. Barksdale's riflemen
killed eighty of his battery's horses and many of its men.
Recall also. Little Round Top, which by some oversight was left
undefended, after Gkary's men marched from there to Culp's Hill.
General Warren, Meade's chief of engineers, discovered the imminent
peril and rushed troops and a battery (which fortunately were march-
ing out the Taneytown Road) up its steep and rocky eastern side to
the summit, just in time to save the key to the entire battle line.
The first to gain its top was the One hundred and fortieth New York
Regiment, led by its splendid West Point Colonel, Paddy O'Rorke,
who fell dead, almost at the feet of the colonel of the leading Alabama
regiment, which had nearly climbed to the summit up the rough
western side of the hill.
I must not omit mention of the assault upon East Cemetery
Hill that evening, by Early's Texans and Louisiana "' Tigers,"
driving our men from its foot and winning its summit and two of
our batteries; only to be repulsed, with slaughter, by our rallied
infantry aided by the First Division of the Second Corps. Greneral
Edward Johnson's Division had attacked and had been repulsed by
Greene's New York Brigade at Culp's Hill, and Johnson had entered
the breastworks of part of the Twelfth Corps which had been sent to
the aid of Sickles, and still held them at daylight on the third day.
It cost a fierce battle, lasting until noon that day, to regain them.
Hundreds of trees along Culp's Hill were girdled, and died, due to
the continuous rifle fire there.
Remember Slocum's Twelfth Corps, along Culp's Hill from the
right of Wadsworth's Division of the First Corps to McAllister's Hill
at Rock Creek, the extreme right of the battle line of the army.
70
THE r:EW YORK
PUBLIC LIB PAR Y
ASTOR. LENOX
Bleimbcr Mcwart VBkM
It was oompriaed of two small diviskmc^ oomiiiaiided by General
Cieary and General Williama, and was confronted by General Edward
Johnson's Confederate Division, ecxnnianded until after Chanoellors-
ville by General Stonewall Jackson and believed to be unsurpassed
by any otiier division of Lee's Army.
Johnson^s Division included fourteen regiments of Virginians, four
of Louisianians, two of North Carolinans and a battalion of Mary*
landers — veterans all — who had never yet known defeat, and all
fresh, having come up too late to take part in the great battle of the
first day.
I have already mentioned the assault upon East Cemetery Hill,
the evening of July 2d by Early's Texans and Louisiana '" Tigns **,
which was repulsed after gaining the crest and capturing our batteries ;
there Johnscm's Division simultaneously advanced against the line of
the small Twelfth Corps, but was not to meet it.
Late in the afternoon, Creneral Meade had ordered Slocum to
abandon his entire line and march to the relief of our left wing which
was in sore need of reinforcements. General Slocum secured permis-
sion to leave behind one brigade of (reary's Division to hold the breast-
works. He diose Greene's Brigade, of five Xew York regiments,
which extended from the right of Wadsworth.
Xow, that little brigade, numbering about 1,800 men, was left to
defend the entire line of the Twelfth Corps, and before as much as
a skirmish line could be extenHeS by Gl*eene along the breastworks
which had been abandoned, Johnson's Division was upon them.
Greene's Brigade, of five regiments, held its line» as extended, against
four direct assaults by at least seventeen regiments of Johnson's
Division. As the fierce assaults were repulsed, and repeated four
times, up to the very front of the breastworks, Wadsworth sent two
New York regiments and the Sixth Wisconsin to Greene's assistance.
The Eleventh Corps sent the Forty-fifth and One hundred and fifty*-
seventh New York, the Sixty-first Ohio and Eighty-second Illinois.
Therefore, eleven small regiments, of which eight were New York,
one Ohio, one Illinois and one Wisconsin, numbering all told less
than two thousand men, withstood seventeen regiments of Confed-
erates, of fully five thousand men, in a three-hour fight, as fiercely
waged as any of the tremendous contests of the three days.
Comrades, I have described in a simple manner the battle we
fought here on the third day, which has been accorded world-wide
71
Blcian^er Stewart HSIebl)
praise. The names of Pickett and Webb were written high on the
scroll of fame, for what they did here with their Virginians and
Pennsylvanians. But, let me say, that in my opinion, Greene's Bri-
gade saved our army from disaster on that night of Jiily 2d. It is
my firm opinion, as I have said, that if the First Corps had not fought
so bravely and then eflFected a masterly retreat to Cemetery Ridge
on the first day, there would have been no second day at Gettysburg,
and if Greene's Brigade had not repulsed Johnson's Division the
night of the second, there would have been no third day, because
Johnson would have gained our rear, and with reinforcements within
easy reach, our line along Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill and
on Cemetery Ridge, as far at least as Ziegler's Grove to the south,
would have been taken from us.
It is believed by some, that if Lee had taken Longstreet's advice
and turned our left flank on the second day without any fierce battle,
as was quite practicable, the Army of the Potomac would have been
forced to fall back to the Pipe Creek line near Westminster. But
we could then have fallen back with our army intact, weakened only
by the losses of the first day.
I ask what would have happened had we been forced to retreat
about midnight on that bloody second day? Honor then to Greene's
New York Brigade, as high as that bestowed on the Philadelphia
Brigade for its splendid work in repulsing Pickett's assault, to break
the centre here on the third day, thereby bringing the great battle to
its successful end.
The Twelfth Corps, which had been sent to reinforce oiu* left wing
late in the afternoon, returned about midnight to re-occupy its breast-
works along Culp's Hill. They found their works on the right,
extended from Greene's Brigade to McAllister's Hill, were in pos-
session of the Confederates, who had simply marched into them that
evening imopposed. Promptly at dawn, the Confederates were
fiercely attacked, but they were not driven out of our earthworks until
after some seven hours of desperate and bloody battle.
I have not time to tell you the story, but if you would care to
know it, read "Recollections of a Confederate Soldier," by the
Reverend Randolph H. McKim, of Washington, D. C, who took a
conspicuous part as a fighting ofiicer and has written a most brilliant
and thrilling description of that sanguinary struggle.
72
Blcxan^er Stewart Mcbb
** There was Glory enough at (xettysburg to go all around,- ' as
President Lincoln said to Creneral Sickles. It is a pity that some of
the high o£Scial reports spread the glory in spots. Slocum got the icy
hand and Greene's Brigade never has had its due.
Comrades, I cannot stop until I have said something that it is
in my mind and heart to say about the Gettysburg Battlefield Com*
mission. I remember very well the appearance of this battlefield when
I visited it the twenty-third year after the battle. A few regimental
monuments and markers had been erected on small spaces acquired
through the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, formed by
patriotic citizens of this town and a number of former officers and
soldiers who had been invited to join with them. To that little asso-
ciation, doubtless, is due much of the credit for the acquisition of the
battlefield by the National Government. To the United States (rct-
tysburg Battlefield Commission is due the honor and credit of its
splendid development, which we witness to-day. Under their wise
control nothing has been done to mar its natural beauty; while the
lines of the battle have been shown with accuracy, and made accessible
by grand avenues and side avenues all the way around and across.
Besides that, the Commissioners deserve greatest commendation for
their impartiality. Every organization, from the corps unit to the
single battery, had their claims accorded careful and fair consideration
by the Commission and were settled according to ascertained facts.
When the battle lines of the Army of Northern Virginia were
studied and mapped out the Commission built Confederate Avenue,
which sweeps grandly from the Confederate left to right, around and
beyond Devil's Den, that was won by Longstreet on that bloody
second day, to the foot of Round Top. The positions of the Confed-
erate organizations, along that great avenue and elsewhere, have been
located correctly, and are marked with pedestals of polished granite,
on which bronze tablets are mounted^ bearing the names of brigades,
regiments and batteries which occupied the ground nearest them. We
might let this grand work be the Commission's monument, but it seems
to me, since there are already hundreds of splendid monuments on the
battlefield to commemorate great deeds and in honor of the great
commander of this army. General Meade, also of corps, division,
brigade and regimental officers who led us in the battle — no one
more worthy than the commander of the Philadelphia Brigade here
in the Angle — a monument for the Battlefield Commissioners who
7S
«
Blexaiidcr WUmun VttO^
have done so much to develop and mark it, should be erected in doe
time. I declare that a grateful country ought to erect a monument
of bluish-gray granite, bearing on its faces bronte tablets with the
names of the commissioners and their able civil engineer, Cokmel
E. B. Cope, and surmounted by a statue of Colonel John P. Kidiolson,
who has been the chairman of the Commission from the first The
captain of the First Xew York Battery was under twenty*two, —
the old veteran you look upon now is seventy-four, and lame. He
may never pass this way again, but many of you are younger and
strong. Remember what he said here.
Comrades, when you return to your homes and firesides, per-
chance in the long winter evenings to come, you may dream of the
heroic days of your youth, when you fought to save the Union and
cleared the way for building this great Nation.
LISTEN !
Listen^ the trumpet if telling
Of fields where we fought and won —
What? Am I only dreaming
Now that the day is done?
I dreamt I heard it callings
Heard every clanging note
That leapt with the march's cadence
From its battered, gleaming throat !
From its first clear notes in the dawning
To the last low call at night
Through the battle years it led me —
Through drill and march and fight;
Through war with its pomp and glory
And its pride and martial power
And through war in its darkest moments
Through the crushing, blinding hour.
I heard it singing so often
Those terrible, blood-stained years;
It told me so many stories,
Of fight, of laughter, of tears —
From the crashing charge of squadrons
To the last sad notes at the grave,
That it seems like an old time comrade,
Old and tried and brave.
74
Blezan^er MevMrt WOob
It seemed that I lieard it calling
To memory'a blue-clad ghosts
That marched to its ringiog music
With the War God's vamshed hosts —
But its gleaming sides are battered
And the firelight softly plays
Where it hangs among the trophies
Of the by-gone battle days/*
Comrades, farewell ! Two years ago I said : *' Auf • Wiedersehn 1
(Goodbye until we meet again) — Now, I say "' Farewell/'
>»
75
B^^re00 bi? Dn 0. 3. K. flDiller
Mb. Chairman, Comsades and Fbiends:
I HAVE the honor to speak to you in behalf of the Phikdelphia
Brigade, on this important occasion of the dedication of the
statue to the distinguished man who commanded our brigade
in the battle of Gettysburg.
We have just been called, by the orator of the day, Grcneral James
W. Latta, " The Old Philadelphia Brigade." Now I do not think
we are so very old. Our years are but fifty-four — just in the prime
of life. The brigade holds a rather unique position in its history.
First we were thought to be Califomians, then United States troops,
and lastly we came to be included in the ranks of the grand old
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
We were really brought into existence by a speech made by United
States Senator E. D. Baker, of Oregon — a speech that was delivered
in New York City on May 21, 1861. The senator felt at that time
that the Northern States had a long war on their hands; and while
other States were recruiting men for only three months, under the first
call for troops, he said he would enlist a regiment for three years, with
the authority of the State of California and the approval of the
President of the United States. He realized that the war would last
that time. His intention was to recruit a regiment in New York City.
I do not know the reason for his change of plan, but he went to
Philadelphia afterwards, and it was there that he did his recruiting,
early in the summer of 1861. It did not take him long to get the
regiment together. Thereafter, California gave him authority to
recruit a whole brigade in the East, as it would have taken too long
a time to recruit the regiments in California and trahisport them to
the theatre of war. As soon as the wishes of California in this matter
were conveyed to President Lincoln he at once commissioned Senator
Baker as the colonel of the First California Regiment. During the
summer and fall of 1861 the other regiments were organized and
76
pUced under his command. We were then known as Baker's Cali-
fornia Brigade, consisting of four regiments, the First, Second,
Fourth and Fifth Infantry Regiments. We were also to have a
regiment of cavalry and a battery of artillery, but the death of
General Baker prevented the consummation of that plan. In the
fall of 1861 we were taken to Washington and sent into camp at
Camp Observation, at Poolesville, Maryland, where the recruiting
still continued.
Here we thought it was fine to be soldiers. We were well treated.
In the morning, after roll call, we were given a cup of hot coffee
and a couple of allowances of hard tack. Before and after dinner
we had drill exercises, and in the evening dress parade; all very fine,
but it was not to last long.
On the night of October 20, 1861, something began to happen, and
the following day found the brigade in its first battle, at Balls Bluff,
Virginia, not far from Leesbiurg. Colonel Baker was commissioned
a brigadier-general of United States Volunteers the day before the
battle. The means of getting troops across the river were very 'bad
and not all of them were able to take part in the engagement. The
First California Regiment crossed the river, and with the other
regiments present fought bravely and lost fifty per cent, of their
numbers. It was here that General Baker lost his life as he gallantly
led his men in the charge. With the tremendous odds against us there
was no chance to win. Our men were vastly outnumbered by the
Southern troops, who had more cannon as well as occupying a better
position. Retreat became inevitable, and nearly all those who escaped
were obliged to swim the river, many of them being shot while in
the water. By this time we began to realize that there was not so
much fun in being a soldier after all.
Now I wish to give a part of our history in the war that is not
so well known. The War Department records show that the First
California Regiment, commanded by Colonel Edward D. Baker,
fought at the battle of Balls Bluff, Virginia, on October 21, 1861,
its commander being killed in action. On the other hand, the records
of the State of California have it that the State recruited the First
California Regiment, but never left California soil. That came about
in this way. In the East our brigade was never recognized by Cali-
fornia ; and after the battle of Balls Bluff, having lost our commander
there, the link between the East and the West was broken, and
77
aicxander Mewwt VBebb
Pennsylrania claimed the brigade as her own. The men constituting
it were all from Pennsylvania, and none of its officers was ccha*
missioned. As far as the army was concerned, we belonged to no
State in particular. We received our pay as United States volunteers.
Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania offered to ccmunission the officers
and place the brigade as part of Pennsylvania's quota to the Northon
armies.
The first man to accept a commission was Colond Joshua T. Owen,
of the Fourth Infantry, the figures '* 69 " being given him as his
number in the line. Only a few days after Colonel Isaac J. Wister
received his commission, and his regiment, the First, became the
Seventy-first. Then Colonel D. W. C. Baxter, of the Second Regi-
ment, was commissioned, and the Seventy^seccmd Regiment was put
in his charge. Colonel Turner G. Morehead, of the Fifth, did not
want so hig^ a number then, but delay in accepting made it necessary
to give him the One hundred and sixth. On account of these high
numbers we were often taken for new regiments, and nearly all of
the men being from Philadelphia, we were christened the *' Phila«
delphia Brigade '*, and have been known by that name ever since.
Upon the organization of the Army of the Potomac, we became
the Second Brigade, of the Second Division, Second Corps, with
Grcneral William W. Bums as brigade commander. General John
Sedgwick as division commander and Grcneral Edwin V. Sumner
corps commander.
The brigade took part in all the campaigns of the Army of the
Potomac, notably doing its duty whenever called upon to serve.
At Fair Oaks, Virginia, on May 81, 1862, it supported Kirby's
Battery, when charge after charge was made to capture it, tiie
enemy being driven back every time with heavy losses. It performed
brave and meritorious service at Antietam, on September 17, 1862,
losing 545 of its numbers in killed, wounded and missing. On Fred*
ericksburg's memorable field, December 18th the same year, it stood
its ground and remained there all that long cold winter's day until
night brought relief. And here on this hallowed ground, the Angle,
made famous in the world's history as the greatest battle of the Civil
War, a little more than fifty-two years ago, commanded by New
York's illustrious soldier, Alexander S. Webb, it did more than heroic
work when it fell to it to bear the brunt of that magnificent assault
of Pickett's noble Virginians.
7S
■I<xiu0er fttewirt VSUVb
Pickett's men formed on the edge of yonder wood, on Seminary
Ridge, about a mile from this ground. When they first appeared
they seemed to move as if cm parade. Proudly advancing to this
position, in close column, and numbering about 15,000 men — made
up of the best regiments in Grcneral Lee*s Army — troops that had
not yet been in action on this field — they were met with a rain of grape
and canister, shrapnel and shell from our batteries. Spite of rifle and
artillery fire that mowed them down like grass before the reaper —
commanders leading and cheering their men in the diarge — they
continued to pursue their objective, but with all their determination
they did not succeed. They either fell or were captured or slain and
but a remnant of them returned to Seminary Ridge. The melee was
fierce beyond description, but it was over in twenty minutes. The
enemy left four^fifths of their men upon this field; of their brigade
commanders two wen killed and one wounded; seven of their colonels
fell and one was wounded; three lieutenant colonels were mortally
wounded and nine wounded not so seriously. In fact, <mly one field
officer, besides Grcneral Pickett, was left of the number they had when
the charge began. The casualties among the company officers were
no less. Thus ended, practically, the battle of Crcttysburg, and
history finds few such great combats to record.
The Philadelphia Brigade followed the fortunes of the grand
old Army of the Potomac until the end came at Appomattox. It
was at the battle of Bristoe Station and at Locust Grove, the Wilder-
ness, Po River, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon
Railroad, Ream's Station, Boydton Plank Road, Hatchers Run,
Sailor's Creek, Farmville and Appomattox.
Grcneral Latta has said in his address that the Philadelphia Brigade
had done its duty all through the years of the great war, but that it
ceased to exist in the spring of 1864. To that remark I take exception.
The Philadelphia Brigade has not, and will not, cease to exist, and it
will not until the last man claiming to belong to it answers the final
roll call. We keep and have kept up our organization, as the survivors
of the brigade, ever since the close of the war. We hold meetings
and reunions and keep alive the memories of the past. We have had
great influence in bringing the North and the South closer together
as brothers. Over twenty-five years ago, the Brigade Association
entertained the survivors of Pickett's Division upon this historic
ground, — the same men who fought us so hard here on July 3, 1863;
TO
Bleian^cr SMewact TRBebb
and we gave them the hand shake at the same spot and over the same
stone wall where so many of their brave comrades gave up their lives
fifty*two years ago; and in return we were entertained by Pickett's
men in the City of Ridmiond, Virginia, on October 5, 1888. We
captured the city then and did not lose a man. Again, on May 27»
1889, in the City of Washington, the brigade presented a beautiful
United States flag to Greneral George E. Pickett's Camp Confederate
Veterans of Ridmiond. They carried it back home with them, proud
to march once more under the old flag, and some of them told me
then that should there ever be another war you would find the South
and the North marching shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow
in the same cause and under the same old flag. And so it came to
pass. In the Spanish- American War we had no North or South,
but one reunited country. So you see that we still keep up the Asso-
ciation of the old Philadelphia Brigade, and with the survivors of
Pickett's Grand Division will cement the friendship of the North
and the South for all time, under One Country, One Flag and
One GkxL
80
PU
•/ I
i ^ ' ^ V
-:n b'JL-'N'DAl'
tMtb 9a. vote.
Mk. Chahman, C0MIADE8 ANB Fbdsnm:
IT would be impossibk for me, in the short time allowed, to even
briefly recount the most valuable services rendered by the 106th
Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, or even mention
in detail the many brave and heroic deeds performed by its members
during its four long years of service, for it was the only regiment
of the Philadelphia Brigade that kept its organization until the end
of the war, when it was finally mustered out on June 80, 1865.
It had enrolled 1085 officers and men and lost in killed, wounded
and missing 518, just fifty per cent, of its membership. So I must
confine myself to tiie services rendered by the regiment on this famous
battlefield.
On the first day of the great battle, July 1, 1868, we were on the
march from seven o'clock in the morning, when we left our camp at
Frizelberg, Maryland, until nine o'clock at night, and then went into
camp on the eastern slope of Round Top, west of the Taneytown
Road.
The next morning, July 2nd, we were awakened at three o'clock
and told to get ready to move at once. After a short march, the brig-
ade was massed in a field on the right of the Taneytown Road, and
addressed by Greneral Alexander S. Webb, our new brigade com-
mander. He told us we would be called upon to defend our native
State, and it would require every man to do his full duty. He
expected each man to do his duty; anyone found shirking would be
severely dealt with ; he would shoot any man he saw leaving the line
and cdled upon any man to shoot him if he failed to do his duty.
He won the hearts of the boys and had them all with him.
About six o'clock that morning we were moved into position on
this, then known as Granite Ridge, but now known as East Cemetery
Ridge, at what is at present known as the Angle. The Sixty-ninth
and Seventy-first were placed in line along the stone wall here, the
Seventy-second behind them and the One hundred and sixth in rear
81
Blexan^cr Stewart HSIebb
of the Seventy^second, just over beyond the road. At onee Com-
panies A and B of the One hundred and sixth were sent out as
skirmishers, under the command of Captain John J. Sperry; Com-
pany A deployed and Company B in reserve.
During the morning. General Meade rode up, and in consultation
with General Webb said he would like to know the strength of the
enemy in front. General Webb at once volunteered to advance with
his brigade and ascertain for him. To this General Meade said " No ",
the movement of so large a force might bring on an engagement and
he was not ready yet. Then he said *' send that company ", pointing
to Company B of our regiment out front, commanded by Capt. James
C. Lynch, who at once advanced his company almost up to that large
wood on Seminary Ridge, and was met with a heavy fire, but he
pushed on and uncovered the enemy in large force in that wood. He
withdrew his company and reported to Greneral Webb.
In the meantime a force of the enemy had taken possession of
the Bliss House and bam, beyond the Emmitsburg Road and had
succeeded in killing and wounding some of the men of Company A
by their enfilading fire, and when Captain Lynch returned with his
company Captain Sperry told him to go and dislodge them. Captain
Lynch found a much larger force there than he expected. This was
the Sixteenth Mississippi Regiment. Captain Lynch placed his men
behind a stone wall and sent to Greneral Hays, in whose front he was,
for reinforcements. General Hays furnished four companies of the
Twelfth New Jersey Regiment, and together they captured the house
and bam, taking a large number of prisoners as well. The house
and bam were biuned to the ground. While accomplishing this
Captain Lynch lost one officer and eleven men.
In the afternoon, General Wright with his Georgia Brigade had
passed the right of Humphreys' Division, at the Emmitsburg Road,
southwest of the Codori House, and pushed on up to our position,
capturing the four guns of Brown's Rhode Island Battery in our
front. At that moment General Hancock rode up to our regiment
and asked what regiment it was, and when told by Colonel Curry
ordered him to charge at once upon the advancing enemy. Colonel
Curry rushed the regiment over the stone wall at the left of our
brigade, poured a volley into Wright's men and then charged and
drove them back beyond the Emmitsburg Road, capturing at the
Codori House, Colonel Gibson, 20 line officers and 200 men,
82
Btexandcr Stewart HSIebb
principally of the Forty-eighth Greorgia Regiment. Captain Ford
who received their surrender came back with his arms full of the
officers' swords and turned them over to Colonel Curry.
The regiment then returned to its position with the brigade, but
had hardly done so when an urgent appeal came from General O. O.
Howard, commanding the Eleventh Corps on East Cemetery Hill,
for his old brigade to come to his assistance. He had formerly com-
manded the brigade and knew them well. His line had been pierced
by the famous " Louisiana Tigers '% who had driven his men from
their position at a stone wall, and forcing their way up the hill had
captured the guns of Wiedrick's New York and Rickett's Pennsyl-
vania batteries. Grcneral Webb at once ordered the iSeventy-first and
the One hundred and sixth regiments to report to General Howard.
Unfortunately, the Seventy-first went too far to the right and ran
into Johnson's men, then occupying the works recently vacated by
General Geary, who was ordered to reinforce our line on Round Top,
and the Seventy-first lost one officer and twenty men, as prisoners,
and Colonel Smith brought his regiment back to the brigade; but
the One hundred and sixth proceeded as directed and reported to
General Howard, just as the "' Louisiana Tigers " had been repulsed
and were being driven from the field, and our regiment was ordered to
take position at that stone wall, with instructions to hold it. As they
passed by General Howard, he turned to Major Osborne, of his staff,
and said. " Major, your batteries may be withdrawn when that regi-
ment runs away."
Before leaving the brigade, a detail of fifty men from all the
companies, under Captain Robert H. Ford, was sent to relieve Com-
panics A and B on the skirmish line. Captain Sperry had been
wounded, and Captain Lynch commanded both companies. All the
lieutenants of the two companies were either killed or wounded. He
reported to Grcneral Webb that his men were entirely out of ammuni-
tion. General Webb told him to take them back to the train and
replenish his ammunition, and when they returned the regiment had
gone over to General Howard. Captain Lynch asked General Webb
if he should take his men and report to the regiment. The general
told him to stay where he was, and that is how the two companies
and that detail of fifty men came to be here at the Angle and helped
to repulse Pickett's charge, when the rest of the regiment was doing
good service with the Eleventh Corps.
83
When Pickett*! diarge was made that portioii of tiie Out Inrndbned
and sixth regiment lay there just behind that now eekbrated dump of
trees, and Captain Ford being wounded during tiie terribk artillery
duel that preceded the infantry assault. Captain Lynch was again
incommaiuL When General Armistead, with some of his men, pierced
our line here at the Angle, General Webb, with his cap on his sword
called for his men to follow him, leading them into that terrible hand*
to*hand conflict. Captain Lyndi called out, "' Crcneral, the One hun-
dred and sixth is with you *', and rushed his men down over the stone
wall and took part in that hand-to-hand fight as General Webb, said,
'" Boys, the enemy are ours," and passed orer two Confederate flags
on the ground without stopping to pick them up.
Pickett's repulse ended the battle of Grcttysburg, and that night
General Lee Ivithdrew his army and began his retreat, and early
the next morning Grcneral Howard sent forward the One hundred
and sixth Regiment into the town to see if the enemy had vacated it.
The regiment moved down into the town, driving before them the
enemy's pickets, and found the last of General Lee's Army going out
of the other end of Grcttysburg. Thus Was the One hundred and
sixth regiment the first of our troops to enter Grcttysburg after the
battle.
My comrades you will then see that the services rendered by the
One hundred and sixth Regiment were different from those of any
other regiment. ^
In the first place, it was the only regiment of our brigade that
furnished the skirmish line for the second and third days of the battle.
One company of it was selected by Grcneral Meade for reoonnois-
sance. Later, that same company joined in the assault on the Bliss
House and assisted in the capture of it and the many prisoners taken.
That same afternoon Greneral Hancock ordered the regiment to repel
Wright's assault, which they did, with the capture of 250 prisoners.
After that the regiment was sent to the assistance of General Howard,
at his special request, leaving 100 men here, who helped repulse
Pickett's charge. And, finally, it was the first of the troops to enter
the Town of Grcttysburg after the enemy had evacuated it. Glory
enough for one regiment. The One hundred and sixth brought into
this great battle 28 officers and 268 men, and lost one officer and ten
men killed, ten officers and 58 men wounded and two made prisoners,
making a total of 75.
S4
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""^w
PU
fi
VbbWM ^ Oeneral JOKctoon %. pecH
•C SufUnatra, Vt
CoMBADES, Ladies and Gentlemen:
V£RMONT is highly honored in being invited to participate in
the dedicatory exercises of this beautiful memorial to one
whose name is so weU known to the veterans of the Green
Mountain State, — Major Grcneral Alexander Stewart Webb, one of
the most distinguished officers of the United States Army during the
war for the Union and the gallant commander of the Philadelphia
Brigade, Second Corps, which bore such an important part in the
Battle of Grettysburg. We feel a particular pride in what it repre-
sents, due to the fact that the Second Vermont Brigade, whose monu-
ment, surmounted by the statue of its intrepid c(mmiander. Major
Greneral George Jerrison Stannard, you can see in the distance, also
bore an important part in that terrible struggle, which proved to be
the high-water mark of the Rebellion, and has become Imown as one
of the most desperate ever recorded in history.
For many years it was my privilege to enjoy the friendship of
Greneral Webb, and to repeatedly hear from his own lips the details
of that terrific combat which took place on this spot on the afternoon
of July 8, 1868.
Greneral Webb never forgot to praise the brilliant and rapid move-
ment of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth Vermont Regi-
ments, under the leadership of General Stannard, who, as the Con-
federate troops appeared over the crest of the hill in their advance
upon the Union lines, realized the importance of immediate action,
and, without orders, changed his battle line and poured upon Pickett's
right flank such a destructive fire, in addition to that of Greneral
Webb's Brigade, that a probable defeat was changed into a decisive
victory. Ever after General Webb had the highest regard for Greneral
Stannard as a commanding officer, and their warm friendship was
terminated only by death.
Of the wonderful gallantry of Lieutenant Gushing, commanding
the battery of artillery which bore his name, Greneral Webb often told
S5
BIezan&cr Stewart TUebb
met ftnd also of the heroic action of First Sergeant Frederick Fuger,
who, when Lieutenant Gushing and the other officers were killed and
woundedf took command of what was left of the battery and per-
formed deeds of valor for which Grcneral Webb recommended him for
a lieutenancy in the United States Army and for the Congressional
medal of honor, both of which he received. It was characteristic of
General Webb to see that others were rewarded for their bravery,
and it is a source of gratification and pride to his many friends that
Congress did not fail to bestow upon him the cherished medal of
honor for distinguished gallantry at Grettysburg.
Upon the field of battle at Spotsylvania General Webb again met
the Vermont troops, — the First Vermont Brigade, well known as the
'' Old Vermont Brigade,*' Second Brigade, Second Division, Sixth
Army Corps, commanded by General Lewis A. Grant. It was here
that Grcneral Webb received the severe wound in his head, from
which he suffered the remainder of his life. The valor of the Ver-
monters during the engagement and their ready response to the
now famous command of Grcneral Sedgwick, ** Put the Vermonters
ahead and keep the column well closed up," brought forth renewed
praise from General Webb, and of him they could not say too much
as a commanding general and a man.
Time forbids me speaking at length, but as a Vermonter and a
friend and admirer of General Webb I take this opportunity to
express to Governor Whitman the appreciation of the Vermont
veterans of what the great Empire State, which he so admirably
«pre«„t^ h« don. to hom.r L mmory of her mmtriou, J.
Vermonters remember with much pleasure that Grovemor Whitman
when a boy lived in Lyndon, Vt., where his father was a minister of
the gospel. To Major Grcneral James W. Latta, of Philadelphia,
the Assistant Adjutant Grcneral of the Third Brigade, First Division,
Sixth Corps, and later of the Fourth Division, Cavalry Corps, Mili*
tary Division of the Mississippi ; to Colonel Cowan, of Louisville, Ky.,
a distinguished soldier who rose from a private to the rank of lieuten-
ant colonel and commanded a battery and later a battalion in the
Sixth Army Corps, and is now President of the Society of the Army
of the Potomac; and to General Horatio C. King, of New York, a
brave ofiicer upon the staff of General Sheridan — a medal of honor
man — and for many years the able Secretary of the Society of the
Army of the Potomac, our thanks are due for their admiration always
86
Hlezan^er Stewart Ulebl)
expressed for the Vermont troops, espedaUy the '"Old Vermont
Brigade " and First Vermont Cavalry, which regiment at five o'clock
on the afternoon of July 8, 1868, some two hom^s after Pickett's attack,
made the terrific charge in front of Romid Top, in which some two
hundred men were led by their gallant commander. Major William
Wells, later a major general commanding a division in Sheridan's
Cavalry Corps, and suffered a loss of sixty*seven men, killed and
wounded, in less than thirty minutes.
Especially do I congratulate Colonel Lewis R. Stegman, diair-
man, and the members of the New York Monuments Commission
upon this noble and lasting tribute which has been dedicated to^y.
Colonel Stegman was one of our bravest soldiers, whose record is
full of battles and wounds, promoted from captain to the grade of
colonel in the One hundred and second New York Regiment, serving
in the Army of the Potomac and in Sherman's Army, and receiving
wounds at Cedar Mountain, Grcttysburg, Ringgold and Pine
Mountain.
Under the kindly and watchful care of the Grcttysburg National
Park Commission, of which Colonel John P. Nicholson, of Phila*
delphia, is chairman and Colonel E. B. Cope engineer, the many
monuments on this historic battlefield will forever stand as silent
witnesses to the valor of those brave heroes who here paid to the
nation their uttermost tribute of devotion, but none speaks more
worthily than this which has brought us together to-day.
In closing, may I add my tribute to him whose record is a price*
less heritage, not only to us but to future generations. As a soldier —
a noble and mighty defender of his country — as a citizen — a leading
college president; and a Grod*f earing man whom to know was to
honor and to love.
ST
Ketiiarlit bv Captain 3obn 9. Vosera
7M tn. Vol*.
COMBADES AND FeLLOW CITIZENS :
MY talk today is one of love. My text is, *' Hope is often like
a butterfly flitting from flower to floww, but memory is
like a sweet-voiced angel, which hovering by our side forges
the links in the chain which binds our hearts to sanctified memories.'*
We here dedicate this statue to the memory of one of nature's
noblemen. As a military hero he towered high, and as an educator
he established a reputation that will be no less remembered*
It was my good fortune to know General Webb intimately. My
regiment belonged to the brigade that he commanded on this field;
and during the years that he was president of the College of the City
of New York it was my privilege to meet him frequently. The ability
with which he discharged his duties as the head of a great institution
of learning reminded me forcibly of the genius that he displayed on
the battlefield as a commander.
To*day we are concerned with Creneral Webb's career as a soldier.
Perhaps it will not be out of place for me to tell of my first impressions
of the general as commander of the Philadelphia Brigade, a few days
before the battle of Gettysburg. My regiment was not far then
from the scene of the contest. We all felt that a great struggle was
not far off. Our marching was strenuous, and in consequence our
uniforms were anjrthing but fit for a parade. Not so though with
our commander. His dress and personality attracted us the moment
we first laid eyes on him. Compared to him we must have looked
shabby ourselves then.
The last day of June General Webb issued an ofiicer's call of
the Second Brigade by regiments, and he addressed his officers as
follows when they appeared before him :
" I presame you are all officers as you attend the call. There are but few of
you whom I am able to recognise as officers, as you have no insignia of office
except your swords."
88
Btexatibor flMewirt THIebb
Our experience in battle led us to know that we were safer if we
were not conspicuously dressed^ as officers were the first to be picked
off by the enemyt and hence we tried to be as little conspicuous as
possible in our dress.
The general ordered us to go to our conunands and prepare our*
selves with insignia, as we were entitled to, so that when he met us
he would know our rank. We thought this order was far f etdied, but
we must obey. The next day another officer's call brought us before
the general again. This time he told us he was informed that there
was frequent straggling in the regiments. He ordered that the officers
should arrest any of the men found straggling and to bring them to
him and he would shoot them like dogs. This last order, thoi^;fa severe,
was doubtless just. Many thought him untempered and fresh.
We arrived on the field the night of July 1st. Most terrific
fighting had been going on all day. Our brigade laid on its arms
that night, but whm day came we had several contests; and finally,
the second day, we came into combat near the Angle, where the
enemy captured two of our guns, but we soon recaptured thraiL The
thing was so adroitly handled by the general that he with the men
engaged at this point broke loose with the wildest shouts and yells.
All could see that the general had a lot of grit and sagacity as well
as grace and he won our confidence and admiration.
And now about the fight the third day at the Angle, in which the
Philadelphia Brigade was foremost. Our brigade occupied positions
near the Angle when Grcneral Lice commenced the great artillery duel
at Seminary Ridge. The Southern artillery destroyed scmie of the
batteries posted in our vicinity. During the cannonading General
Webb stood in the most conspicuous and exposed place, leaning on his
sword and smoking a cigar, when all around the air was pierced by
screeching shot and shell. Our appeal to him was not heeded. He
stood like a statue watching the movement of the enemy. No greater
valor was ever shown in battle than that displayed by Grcneral Webb
at the Angle. That was enough for us. General Webb was no longer
the dress parade soldier that we supposed him to be at first, but the
great hero. We who knew him and served under him at Gettysburg
loved him.
General Webb lives to-day in sanctified memory. His latest sun
did not set in the darkened west but melted away in the brightness
of heaven.
89
« «'
Benediction J^ tbe Veverend ®0car X. Skverson
I37tb KL V* Vol0«
MAY the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, who when leaving Spring-
field, Illinois, for Washington, asked his neighbors and
friends to pray to the Divine Person, in whom we all believe,
for wisdom, guide us in our duties.
And may the Blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy
Ghost rest upon us all forever. AMEN.
OQ
Xite of General TIfilebb
:Bv General Woratio C. 'King, X.X.9.
r
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31
Srevet nDaiar#(Beneral aleIan^er Stewart vne&b
IT is a pleasure to write of a manly man after an acquaintanceship
of more than half a century. Handsome in physique, genial in
approach, warm-hearted in action and bright in intellectual
resources, he made and carried hosts of friends through life.
In our Republican government we are more or less democratic,
but I think it will not be denied that human nature generally enjoys
a good ancestry. Even the self*made man is proud of his creator,
that is of himself, and the humblest will not reject his affiliation with
higher lights in history.
Samuel Blatchley Webb, the grandfather of General Webb, was
bom on the 15th day of December, 1758, at Wethersfield, Connecticut.
His ancestor was Richard Webb, of Gloucestershire, England. He
settled in Boston in 1682, and became a member of the Hooker Colony
to Hartford in 1685. His descendant, Samuel B. Webb, became a
lieutenant in the Colonial Army, was wounded at Bunker Hill and
complimented in General Orders. He was an aide to General Put-
nam and then secretary and aide-de-camp to General Washington.
It is of him the story is told that going down the New York Bay to
meet a flag of truce, he was presented with a letter written by General
Howe and addressed to Mr. George Washington. Webb declined
to receive the letter. His subsequent services in the Revolution, his
capture, his promotion to brevet brigadier-general, and his death at
Claverack, Columbia County, N. Y., in 1807, can have but a slight
reference here.
In 1802, at the place just named, was bom James Watson Webb,
the father of our subject. He was of a military turn of mind, and
at the age of seventeen ran away to Washington and obtained an
appointment as second lieutenant in the Fourth Artillery. At twenty
he performed the remarkable feat, in the company of one reliable
companion and an Indian guide, of crossing Illinois in eight inches
of snow, and reached Fort Armstrong in time to warn Fort Snelling
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Bleian^er Stewtrt Webb
of an intended raid and slaughter, which was prevented. In 1825
be was made an adjutant of the Third Infantry. Two years later he
resigned and bought the New York Morning Courier, of which he
was principal editor. The Enquirer was added to the Courier, and
the Courier and Enquirer started a new method of news getting and
became a leading paper. In 1861 he was appointed Minister to
Brazil, where he served eight years. Returning to New York, he
passed the remainder of his life there, and died on the 7th of June,
1884.
It is not surprising that from such ancestors Greneral Alexander
S. Webb inherited fine military and masterly qualities. He was bom
in New York City on the 15th of February, 1885. From private
schools he entered the Military Academy at West Point, where he
graduated in 1855. In his class were General (^eorge D. Ruggles,
General A. T. A. Torbert and Greneral William B. Haasen. He was
commissioned a lieutenant in the Second Artillery and ordered to
Florida, where he took part in the operations against the Seminole
Indians. In this expedition he had some of the most exacting and
dangerous experiences of his life. Thence he was ordered to
Minnesota, on frontier duty, from 1855 to 1857. He was then
detailed as assistant professor of mathematics at West Point, and
was a junior officer in Griffin's West Point Battery. This company,
under the command of Captain, afterwards Creneral, Griffin, was
ordered to Washington, where it paraded in the inauguration cere-
monies of President Lincoln. The announcement that the guns were
loaded with grape and shrapnel doubtless prevented the threat of the
Secessionists to stop the inauguration. From this company Webb
had a guard in citizen's clothes to protect General Scott at his
headquarters.
At the outbreak of the War he was assigned to Light Battery A,
Second Artillery. Its commanding officer, Captain, afterwards
General, William T. Barry, speaks of Webb in the highest terms.
The battery moved to Fort Pickens and saved that defensive work
to the Union. " He rendered me," says Captain Barrj% " that
intelligent, faithful and energetic assistance that gave promise of the
still greater soldierly qualities that distinguished him later in the
War."
At the first battle of Bull Run he was an officer of the B Batterv
which he raised at West Point. Under the command of Captain
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Hlexan^er Stewart TKlebb
Griffin, it held a dangerous and critical position at the Henry House.
Rickett's Battery was there too. Then occurred one of those errors
which caused the disabling of both batteries, whose fine discipline,
wonderful daring and matchless skill were the prime features in the
fi^t. On Griffin's right a regiment emerged from the woods and
was supposed to be a support from Heintzelman. A deadly Con-
federate volley ensued and every cannoneer was killed or disabled, as
well as many horses. The guns fell into the hands of the enemy.
(general Webb was appointed Assistant Chief of Artillery of the
Army of the Potomac. His selection as Major of the First Rhode
Island Volunteers he was obliged to decline. In the summer of 1862
he served with the Army of the Potomac and was active in the
Peninsula campaign. His excellent account of McClellan's move-
ments are given in his volume of the Scribner's Series, entitled ** The
Peninsula.'*
AVhen General Barry took the field with the Army of the Potomac,
in March, 1862, the subject of this sketch accompanied him as inspec-
tor-general on his staff. Of his duties at Yorktown, General Barry
says: '^ He exhibited not only energy but also very great coolness
and gallantry.'* In the battles of Hanover Court House and Gaines
Mill '" he rendered gallant and efficient service.*'
During the masterly retreat of McClellan from the front of
Richmond to Malvern Hill, generally known as the seven days* battle,
Webb was always conspicuous and became so exhausted on the sixth
day as to fall fainting from his horse. The day before the engagement
and bloody repulse of the Confederates from Malvern Hill, he dis-
covered and reconnoitred an unknown road into which the train was
turned and saved it from capture.
In September, 1862, General Barry was transferred to other
duties. Webb preferred to remain with the Army of the Potomac.
In parting, his official head wrote of him:
''In conclusion^ I beg to assure you that in all the soldierly attributes of
subordination, intelligence, energy, physical endurance and the highest possible
courage, I consider him to be without his superior among the younger officers of
the Army. I also consider that both aptitude and experience fit him to command,
and to command well, anything from a regiment to a diTision."
He was at Camp Barry, at Washington, D. C, until January,
1868, when he reported to General Meade, Fifth Corps, as assistant
inspector-general.
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HIexan^cr Stewart MeDb
At Chancellorsville he was conspicuous, and General French in
his report of his division in the battle writes: '' Having been thus
hotly engaged for more than an hour, I discovered a body of troops
taking a position which flanked and turned my own. I therefore
sent to the general commanding the Army (General Couch, com*
manding the Second Corps, being at a distant point on the field),
informing him of the fact. Very soon a brigade, commanded by
Brigadier-General Tyler, led in very handsomely by Lieutenant*
Colonel Webb, of General Meade's staff, formed line of battle, con-
necting with my right, and immediately engaged the enemy."
A most brilliantly planned battle was lost by mismanagement.
Greneral Couch in his account in the ** Battles and Leaders of the
Civil War " says :
"In looking for the causes of the loss of Chancellorsville the primary ones
were that Hooker expected Lee to fall back without risking battle. Finding
himself mistaken he assumed the defensive, and was outgeneraled and became
demoralised by the superior tactical boldness of the enemy/'
(rcneral Pleasanton in the same work, in *^The Successes and
Failures of Chancellorsville," writes:
" It is useless to speculate what General Hooker would have done if he had not
been disabled. Up to the evening of the 2d of May the enemy had suffered
severely^ while the Army of the Potomac had but comparatively few killed and
wounded; but the unfortunate circumstances that contracted the lines of our Army
enabled the enemy to inflict the severest punishment upon all the troops that were
engaged. In fact the greatest injury was inflicted on the 8d day of May, while the
Army had no commander. Had the First Corps, which had not been engaged, and the
Fifth Corps, still fresh, been thrown into the action in the afternoon of Sunday, the
3d of May, when Lee's troops were exhausted from the struggle, they would
certainly have made Chancellorsville what it should have been — a complete success.
Those two corps mustered from 25,000 to 80,000 men. There was no one to order
them into the fight and a second golden opportunity was lost."
I have heard it stated often that had Greneral Couch taken com-
mand of the Army as soon as Greneral Hooker was disabled, the
victory would have been ours.
Webb was promoted to brigadier-general on June 28, 1868, and
placed in command of the Second Brigade, Second Division of the
Second Corps. This was only seven days before the battle of Gettys-
burg. His troops were known as the Philadelphia Brigade, consisting
of the Sixty-ninth, Seventy-first, Seventy-second and One hundred
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Hleimtder Stewart Tnaebb
and sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and facetiously known as '" Faddy
Owen's Regulars.'*
His official report of the engagements of July 2d and July 8d
shows that his brigade at 6 :80 a. m. on the 2d was posted on Granite
Ridge, its right resting on Cushing's Battery A, of the Fourth U. S.
Artillery, and its left on Battery B, First Rhode Island Artillery,
Lieutenant Brown conunanding. During the day both of the batteries
on the flanks of the brigade as well as the infantry engaged the enemy.
The shelling wounded but few. But the desperate contest occurred
in the afternoon of July 8d, in the famous charge of Pickett's troops.
At 1 P. M. the enemy opened with more than twenty batteries on the
centre* This indicated the direction of their assault.
'* The Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers were moved to the waU on the right
of the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers.
"About 1 p. M. the enemy opened with more than twenty batteries upon oar
line. By 2:45 o*clock had silenced the Rhode Island Battery and all the g^ns but
one of Cushing's Battery, and had plainly shown by his concentration of fire on
this and the Third Brigade that an important assault was to be expected.
** I had sent, at 2 p. m.. Captain Banes, assistant adjutant general of the brigade,
for two batteries to replace Cushing's and Brown*s. Just before the assault. Captain
Wheeler's (Cowan's) Battery, First New York Artillery (First New York Inde-
pendent Battery) had gotten in position on the left, in the place occupied by the
Rhode Island Battery, which had retired with a loss of all its officers but one."
"At three o'clock the enemy's line of battle left the woods in our front; moved
in perfect order across the Emmitsburg Road ; formed in the hollow in our immediate
front several lines of battle, under a fire of spherical case from Wheeler's (Cowan's)
battery and Cushing's guns, and advanced for the assault."
" The Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers were advanced to the wall on the
right of the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers. Three of Cushing's guns were
ran down to the fence, carrying with them their canister. The Seventy-second
Pennsylvania Volunteers were held in reserve under the crest of the hill. The
enemy advancd steadily to the fence, driving out a portion of the Seventy-first
Pennsylvania Volunteers. General Armistead passd over the fence with probably
over one hundred of his command and with several battle-flags. The Seventy-second
Pennsylvania Volunteers were ordered up to hold the crest and advance to within
40 paces of the enemy's lines. Colonel Smith, commanding the Seventy-first Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers, threw two companies of his command behind the stone wall on
the right of Cushing's Battery, 50 paces retired from the point of attack. This
disposition of his troops was most important. Colonel Smith showed true military
intelligence on the field. The Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers and most of
the Seventy-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, even after the enemy were in their rear,
held their position. The Seventy-second Pennsylvania Volunteers fought steadily
and persistently, but the enemy would probably have succeeded in piercing our
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BIexan^cr Stewart uniebl)
lines had not Colonel Hall advanced with several of his regiments to my support
Defeated, routed, the enemy fled in disorder. General Armistead was left, mortally
wounded, within my lines, and 42 of the enemy who crossed the fence lay dead.
" This Brigade captured nearly 1,000 prisoners, battle flags (4 have been
turned in), and picked up 1,400 stand of arms and 90S sets of accoutrements.
" The loss of the Brigade on the 2d and Sd was 48 commissioned officers and
482 enlisted men. But 47 enlisted men are missing."
General Webb in his report confuses Andrew Cowan's with
Wheeler's Battery, a mistake which he later took pains to correct.
A more detailed accomit of the part taken by him and his brigade
wiU be found at the close of this volume, in an address delivered by
General Webb to the Seventy-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, at
the dedication of their monument at Gettysburg.
Greneral Walker in his splendid history of the Second Corps
presents this final charge in most graphic form. It is a fine word
painting of a decisive event in history, and I shall copy it here in full.
*'The cannonade has lasted an hour and a qnarter, and the ammnnition of the
artillery is getting low. Brown's Battery, which had suffered severely on the previous
day, is ordered from the field, and Cowan's New York Battery takes its place. The
other batteries are directed to cease firing, that they may be ready for the infantry
charge soon to follow. From right to left our fire dies down, which the Confederates
interpret to mean that our guns have been silenced by their greater weight of metal;
and, for a few minutes, they lash our lines with redoubled fury.
"And now in the edge of the woods, the column of attack is seen forming.
There stand the Confederate chiefs, grim and resolute for their great emprise.
Well they understand the desperate hasard of the struggle to which they are called;
Longstreet, to whom has been assigned the conduct of the day, hesitates. He has
to be reminded more than once that precious minutes are passing. At last the die
is cast, the word given, and the splendid column, fourteen thousand strong, is
launched against the Union line.
" Of Pickett's Division, Gamett and Kemper are in the first line, Armistead in sup*
port On Pickett's left is the division of Pettigrew. The advancing line ofi^ers a
tempting mark to the artillerists on the Union centre and left; but, with an hour and a
half of such work behind them, and with what is plainly before them in the next half
hour, it behooves our men to husband their strength and their ammunition. And
so, for hundreds of yards, this column moves in full view, almost unmolested, on
its hostile errand. The Second Corps batteries have a special reason for being silent.
They have nothing but canister remaining, and must await close quarters. But
now the brigades of Pickett, making a half wheel to the left, in order to bring
themselves directly face to face with Hancock, expose their right flanks to McGilvray*s
and Haslitt's guns, while Osborne's batteries, from Cemetery Hill, open on Petti-
grew's Division. Undaunted by the sudden and tremendous outburst, Longstreet's
men rush forward over fields and fences, without wavering or staying in their
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HIexan^er Stewart XKUbb
coane. But Wilcox^ who should hare been on their rights has failed to move in
time^ exposing thus the flank of the main column. And now the moment of collision
is approaching. Pickett's Division and a portion of Pettigrew's are directly in front
of the position occupied bj Gibbon's (Second) Division of the Second Corps. The
main body of Pettigrew*s Division is equally close to Hays' (Third) Division of
the Second Corps. Behind Pickett are the brigades of Lane and Scales.
" Up the slope the Confederates rush with magnificent courage. At two or three
hundred yards the Union infantry opens its deadly fire, but still the assailants push
forward, undaunted, though Gamett falls dead in the van. And here appears
the first serious consequences of Wilcox's failure to come up on the right. This
has left open Pickett' flank on that side, and Hancock, easily the best tactician of
the Potomac army, and always on the front line of battle, eagle-eyed, sees and
seizes his opportunity. Galloping to Stannard's Brigade, he directs him to move
his regiments to the front and attack the flank of the assailing forces. And now
the collisions — for which these thousands of Confederates have crossed the bloody
plain, and for which those soldiers of the Union have waited, through all that
anxious time — comes with a crash and clamor that might well appall the stoutest
heart. Upon the Sixty-ninth and Seventy-first Pennsylvania, of Webb's Brigade,
posted on the low stone wall, falls the full force of Longstreet's mighty blow.
'* Like leaves in Autumn gales the Philadelphians drop along the line. Now the
position of the Seventy-first is carried, and the right of the Sixty-ninth is thrown
over upon its centre; now the Confederate flags wave over the stone wall; the men
of Kemper and Armistead, of Gamett and Archer, pour in through the gap, led
by Armistead in person, and beat down Cushing's gunners over their pieces. The
gallant and accomplished young commander of the battery gives one last shot for
honor and for country, and falls dead among his men. For the moment that great
and long-prepared charge is successfuL Meade's line is broken. In the very centre
of the Union position, crowning Cemetery Ridge, wave the flags of Virginia and
the Confederacy.
*' Meanwhile Pettigrew's brigades are engaged at close range with Hays' Division*
Deployed at fifty to two hundred yards, they maintain an unavailing f usilade, which
is responded to with fearful effect by the cool and hardy troops of Hays. The
regiments of Smyth*s Brigade, now commanded by Colonel Pierce, of the One
hundred and eighth New YoA, for Smyth has been wounded in the cannonade,
bear themselves with a gallantry that cannot be surpassed. The Twelfth New
Jersey, First Delaware, and Fourteenth Connecticut, on Smyth's left, poor in a
deadly fire, before which the Confederate line curls and withers like leaves in
the flame. While Pettigrew is thus engaged. Lane and Scales, of Pender's Division,
moving rapidly up from Pickett's rear, thrust themselves into the fight, finding
a place where they can, among the fighting brigades. Wright, Thomas and McOowan
advance nearer the scene of conflict, to cover the retreat or to crown the victory.
And so, for an awful quarter of an hour, the two lines stand confronting each
other, here two hundred yards apart, there but forty, pouring upon each other a
close and unremitting fire.
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BUxall^cr Stewart THOebb
** Let nt now past in thought to a point behind the Union line shaken by this
moat gallant aasault, and see what is doing there in that moment of suspense. When
the Seventy-first Pennsylvania was forced back, and Cushing's guns had fallen
into the hands of the exultant enemy, no panic seised the veteran troops of the
Second Corps, which, from the rear and from the flank, behind the Confederate
flags waving on the stone walL With one spontaneous impulse oflkers and men
bend themselves toward the point of danger. Gibbon has already fallen, severely
wounded. The gallant Webb rallies the Seventy-first Pennsylvania and forms it
on his remaining regiment, the Seventy-second. Hall, whose brigade lies on Webb's
left, moves a portion of his command promptly to attack the enemy's column in
flank, while Harrow, of the First Brigade, throws his veteran regiments forward
to help restore the line. So eager are the troops to join in the fray that men break
from the ranks and rush toward the point where the head of the Confederate
column, giving and taking death at every, blow, stiU lies within the Union lines,
incapable of making further progress, and fast being walled in by a force against
which it may not long contend. It is a moment for personal example, and personal
examples are not wanting. Hunt, Chief of Artillery, rides along the line and fires
barrel after barrel of his revolver into the faces of the enemy; while two young
officers, bravest of the brave. Major Mitchell, of Hancock's staff, and Lieutenant
Haskell, of Gibbon's, ride mounted through an interval between the Union battalions,
and call upon the troops to go forward.
'* It must be evident, even to one who knows nothing of war, that such a strain
as this could not be long continued. Something must give way under such a
pressure. If one side will not, the other must; if not at one point, then at another.
The Union infantry has come up somewhat tumultuously, it is true, but courageously,
nay enthusiastically, and has formed around the head of Longstreet's column four
ranks deep. Armistead is down. Every field-officer in Pickett's Division, except
Pickett and one lieutenant colonel, has fallen.
'* The time has come to advance the standards of the Second Corps. With loud
cries and a sudden forward surge, in which every semblance of formation is lost,
the Union troops move upon the now faltering foe. One moment more and all
is over. The most of the surviving Confederates throw themselves on the ground;
others seek to escape capture, and retreat hurriedly down the hill and across the
plain, which is once more shrieking with the fire of the artillery, now reinforced
by Weir's, Wheeler's, Kinsie's, and other batteries.
** Then did the Second Corps go forward, ' gathering up battle-flags in sheaves ',
and gathering in prisoners by thousands. Thirty-three standards and four thousand
prisoners are the fruits of that victory. And so Fredericksburg is avenged! Yet
not without frightful losses. Hancock has fallen, desperately wounded; in the
moment of victory. Gibbon and Webb are also wounded; while in the Second
Division, on which fell the utmost weight of the great assault five battalion com-
manders have been killed. Scarcely any regimental field-officers remain unwounded.
The corps artillery, too, has suffered an extraordinary severity of punishment.
Cushing is dead, and Woodruff and Rorty ; Brown is wounded, Arnold alone remains
at the head of his battery."
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•;DA
Blexan^er Stewart Mcbb
For his great and specific gallantry here he was brevetted major
in the regular army and was awarded the Medal of Honor.
General Meade in presenting to General Webb a replica of the
gold medal given to him by the Union League Club in Philadelphia,
in 1866, wrote:
" In selecting those to whom I would distribute these medals I know of no
one general who has more claims than yourself either for distinguished personal
gallantry on that ever memorable field, or for the cordial, warm and generous
sympathy and support so grateful for a commanding general to receive from his
subordinates. Accept therefore the accompanying medal^ not only as commemorative
of the conspicuous part you bore in the great battle, but as an evidence on my
part of reciprocation of the kindly feelings that have always characterized our inter-
course both official and social."
■
In reporting the bill to place General Webb on the retired list.
Senator Proctor, chairman of the committee on military affairs, said:
"General Webb's conduct at Gettysburg^ July 3, 1868^ is particularly worthy
of mention. He was in command of the Second Brigade of the Second Division
of the Second Corps^ and had been with the color guard of the Seventy-second
Pennsylvania Volunteers^ of whom every man was wounded or killed. General
Webb left the color-guard and went across the front of the companies to the right
of the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania all the way between the lines in order to direct
the fire of the latter regiment upon a company of rebels who had rushed across
the low stone wall^ led by the rebel general^ Armistead. Thus^ General Armistead
and General Webb were both between the lines of troops, and both were wounded;
but by this act of gallantry General Webb kept his men up to their work until
more than one-half were killed or wounded. In this action he was wounded by
a bullet which struck him near the gproin. General Meade, in his letter presenting
a medal to General Webb^ mentions this act as one not surpassed by any general
on the field."
During the year following the battle of Gettysburg, General Webb
was twice in command of the Second Division of the Second Corps.
He was division commander at Bristoe Station, where he captured
from Hill's Corps five guns, a large number of prisoners and two
battle-flags.
An incident at Bristoe Station is pleasantly told by General
Walker. The sharp rattle of musketry indicates that the flanking
regiment, the First Minnesota, has encountered the skirmishers of
the enemy and that a smart fight was at hand. He writes :
" A pretty to do it is ! A moment more discloses the Confederate infantry form-
ing upon the crest on the left, to advance against the flank of our column. Those
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Blcxan^er Stewart Tiael>l>
are the brigades of Cooke and Kirkland^ coming fast into line to face the rail*
road instead of the stream^ while Poague's pieces^ diverted from their practice apon
the rear of the Fifth Corps column^ are galloping into battery on a new Une, to
turn their fire upon Webb, who, discerning the importance of securing the crossing
of Broad Run, moves at double-quick toward the Ford.
" Brown's B, First Rhode Island, was marching literally at the very head of
the column. Upon the discovery of the enemy the bugle cry, 'Cannoneers, mount!*
rings out, and, with ' trot, march ! ' the battery dashes across the plain, goes splash-
ing through Broad Run and comes at once into action from the other side. The
race has been a sharp one, with the Confederates moving squarely down on Webb's
flank; but Webb gets to the stream, and even crosses the Ei^ty*second New Yoik,
to hold the opposite bank with Brown, while he faces his remaining regiments to
the left to meet the impending blow."
He adds in conclusion of this contest :
** It is dark, and ' Bristoe Station ' has passed into history. It can be no longet
written that the Second Corps threw off the first attack of Heth, but was crushed
beneath the gathering masses of Hill and Ewell. The corps has accomplished its
difficult and perilous task; and is now at liberty to withdraw, as fast as the weary
legs of the men will carry them, to join their comrades behind Bull Run. Its
spirited young leader has made himself a reputation of the first class; and, though
only temporarily assigned to the command, it cannot be doubtful that he will find
a place among the permanent corps commanders of the Army of the Potomac"
General Webb's own official report of December 4, 1868, of the
campaign at Mine Rmi tells modestly what his division did and the
principal part is here given:
" At daylight on Thursday, November 2C, in accordance with orders, this dirision
marched from camp near Ross' Mills to Germania Ford on the Rapidan River,
crossed the river at 2:30 p. m., marched four miles, and camped during the night
near the Chancellorsville plank road. On the morning of the 27th marched to
Robertson's Cross Roads, at which point the Third Division, which preceded, was
skirmishing with the enemy, who was endeavoring to get possession of the ridge
which commanded the crossing of the turnpike and Raccoon Ford road. The
Second and Third brigades were immediately placed in position on the right of the
Third Division; the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Pennsylvania and two com-
panies of the Nineteenth Massachusetts were ordered forward as skirmishers.
A brisk skirmish took place, during which the Sixty-ninth Pennsylvania and Fifteenth
Massachusetts were deployed on the right of the Seventy-second. At three p. m.,
the enemy's skirmishers were reported coming around the right of the skirmish line.
The First Brigade, Colonel Baxter commanding, was directed to take up position
on the right, which movement checked the enemy's advance. The skirmish line was
then ordered to advance, supported by the First Brigade, and wheel to the left and
feel the enemy. The line advanced 600 yards, and, not meeting with opposition,
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BlexanDer Stewart VJUcbb
was halted and dispositions made for the night The line of battle connecting on
the left with the Third Division at Robertson's Cross-Roads extending along the
ridge to Jacob's Ford road^ connecting on the right with the Sixth Corps.
**On the morning of the 28th^ the division marched in line of battle to Mine
Ron^ near Old Verdierville, in which position it remained until 5 p. m. of the 80th^
when it was relieved by the Second Division^ Fifth Corps^ General Ayres command-
ing. It then marched past the rear of the Sixth Corps and rejoined the First and
Third divisions of the Second Corps at Robertson's Cross-Roads^ marching toward
New Verdierville, and halting on the plank road two miles from the enemy's works
at 8 p. M. Here the Third Brigade, Colonel Morehead commanding^ was ordered
to report to General Caldwell, as the enemy was reported coming around his right
flank. The Nineteenth and Twentieth Massachusetts were deployed and skirmished
with the enemy until darii. The division camped for the night near the plank road.
At 4 A. M. oh the 50th, the division moved to a position between the railroad and
plank road, where it was concealed from the enemy and placed in two lines, for
the purpose of storming the enemy's works; its right connected with the Second
Division, Third Corps; the left rested on the railroad and connected with the
Third Division, Second Corps. Remained in this position until dark, when it
retired to the woods directly in its rear, and camped for the night, with the
First Division, Second Corps, on its right. It remained in this position until
8 p. M. December 1, when the division was moved in rear of the corps^ left in
front, toward Gold Mine Ford, on Rapidan River. Crossed the river at Gold Mine
Ford at 9 a. m. December 2d, and reached camp, left on the 20th of November
at dark."
In the campaign of 1864 when Grant took command of all the
armies and made his headquarters with General Meade, General
Webb participated. In his brilliant recital of the events of that
advance, in the "' Battles and Leaders of the Civil War," he gives a
graphic accomit of what the Army did. Grant's officers and men
numbered nearly one hundred and fifteen thousand. Such a number
disposed for battle would cover a line of twenty*one miles, two ranks
deep and one-third in reserve. Lee had sixty-two thousand, which
would cover twenty miles. But Lee had the interior line and could
at any moment reinforce a point of attack.
In this struggle, at the Wilderness, Grcneral Webb's Brigade, on
the 6th of May, advanced and found itself engaged with Field's
Division, consisting of Gregg's, Benning's, Law's and Jenkins' bri-
gades, on the north side of the Orange Plank Road. The Second
Corps was hotly engaged. He says :
*' One of Bnmside's dirisions, under Stevenson, moved up the plank road in
our support and I placed four of his regiments, taken from the head of his column,
as my right, then pressed to the right and changed my whole line, which had been
103
Hlexan^er Stevmrt MeDl>
driven back to the plank road, forward to its original line^ holding Field's Division
in check with the twelve regiments now under my command. Now at this very
moment. General Wadsworth (who had assumed command over me because he stated
that Stevenson ranked me and he must take us both in his command) had given
to me the most astonishing and bewildering orders, — which was to have the twelve
regiments under my command at his (Wads worth's) disposal, and to go to the
left and find four regiments and stop the retreat of those troops of the left of
our line, who were flying to the Brock Road. When I rode ofi^ to obey this
unfortunate order, General Wadsworth, in order to stop the enemy's attack upon
Birney on his left, sent to the Twentieth Massachusetts of my brigade and ordered
that regiment to leave its log-works and charge the enemy's line, a strong breast*
work on the west side of the ravine on Wadsworth's front.
"General Wadsworth was told that the regiment could not be safely moved,
that I had changed my front on the regiment and held the line by means of it.
Wadsworth answered that the men were afraid, leaped his horse over the logs and
led them in the charge himself. He was mortally wounded and my line was
broken by Field and swept off as by a whirlwind."
"Bimey's line was also broken under an attack led by General Lee
in person. When the general returned from his endeavor to carry out
General Wadsworth's order, he held this position. Colonel Connor
was shot in the leg, in the logworks, and his regiment remained until
Webb gave the order to retreat to the Brock road.
"May 6th was the last day of the battle. Ewell had stopped the movement
of the right wing of Meade's army and Hill and Longstreet had defeated Hancock
on the left. The Second and Ninth Corps had been driven in detail and the
Fifth and Sixth were blocked. The confidence of the troops in their officers was
much shaken."
The movement towards Spotsylvania was begun, led by the Fifth,
and followed by the Sixth Corps. General Webb*s notes show that
his part of the Second Corps obeyed orders implicitly. " We waited
to cover the movements of the rest of the army and then took our
place at 4 p. m. on the eighth of May on the Brock road, about one
mile southeast of Todd's Tavern."
Of his principal work in this engagement at Spotsylvania, he
states that Hancock, after repulsing the enemy, crossed to the north
side of the Po river. One gun, the first ever lost by the Second Corps,
was jammed between the trees and had to be abandoned. Meanwhile,
Warren determined to attack. This was on the 10th of May. The
colrmin included Crawford's Division, Cutler's (formerly Wads-
worth's) Division and Webb's and Carroll's brigades, of the Second
Corps. Many gained the Confederate works but were driven back.
104
Blcxant)er Stewart Tllllebb
At half past five, Hancock returned and ordered another attack at
seven, but was driven back. On the left, Wright had found a
vulnerable point. Emory Upton was to lead the attack. " Upton,*'
he writes, "' formed in four lines. The Sixth Corps batteries played
upon the left of the enemy's salient, enfilading it, and as they ceased
firing, Upton charged. Rushing to the parapet with a wild ' Hurrah ',
heedless of the terrible front of flank fire he received, his men passed
over the enemy's breast works after a hand-to-hand fight, and passing
forward took the second line of rebel entrenchments with its battery."
Mott did not support Upton and the latter retired imder orders
taking with him several standards and twelve hundred prisoners.
On that day the Second, Fifth and Sixth Corps lost forty-one
hundred men killed and wounded, with very few missing.
On the 11th, dispositions were made for the grand assault at the
*^ Bloody Angle." During the night three divisions of the Second
Corps were to move to the left, behind the Sixth and Fifth, and join
the Ninth Corps in an attack at 4 a. m. on the 12th. The attack was
made at 4:85 a. m., and General Johnson, four thousand of Ewell's
men and twenty pieces of artillery were captured. At this time.
General Webb was dangerously shot and carried to the rear. In
respect to this he said, that in the Wilderness he was speaking with
Wadsworth, explaining why he thought it useless to look after men
who were shot in the head. He thought such cases were past cure,
unless a man could lift up his head, and when he himself was wounded
at Spotsylvania the discussion recurred to him. The bullet which
struck him had passed through the comer of his eye and came out
behind his ear. When he struck the ground after falling from his
horse, he made an effort to raise his head and when he succeeded he
made up his mind that he would not die of the wound — and fainted.
In January, 1865, he returned to active service as chief of staff to G^n.
George G. Meade, commanding the Army of the Potomac, and served
as such until after Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
He was mustered out of the volunteer service on January 15, 1866,
and after some reconstruction duties as Military Governor of Virginia
was made Assistant-Professor of Geography, History and Ethics at
West Point. When the Army was reorganized, he was appointed
Lieut.-Colonel of the Forty-fourth Infantry. In December, 1870,
he was, at his own request, discharged to accept a civil position as
President of the College of the City of New York.
105
Bleian^er Stewart TUlebb
Several brevets were conferred upon him. Lieutenant-Colonel,
October 11, 1868, for Bristoe Station; Colonel, May 12th, 1864, for
Spotsylvania, Brigadier-General, March 18, 1865, for the campaign
ending with the surrender of Lee, and same date Major-General,
August 1, 1864, for Grettysburg, Bristoe Station, the Wilderness and
Spotsylvania. All of these were for gallant and meritorious services.
His entire absences from the Army from April, 1861, to April,
1865, including the time that he was recovering from wounds, did not
exceed two months. After his woimd in 1864, he did court-martial
and recruiting duty until he joined his command. It must not be
overlooked that after Gettysburg and until April, 1864, he com-
manded the division of which his brigade was a part. He was entitled
to and should have received promotion at this time.
Greneral Webb's system, weakened doubtless by his wounds, began
to fail about a year before his death, and on the 12th of February,
1911, he died. In three days he would have reached the age of
seventy-six. He died on Lincoln's birthday and was buried on his
own birthday, February 15th. After funeral services in New York
City the remains were taken to West Point and interred with military
honors.
Mrs. Webb survived her husband until the 15th day of November,
1912. General Webb's family comprised Mrs. Webb, Henry R. R.
Webb, who died in infancy, and William Remsen Webb, who died
in March, 1899; Helen Lispenard Webb (Mrs. John E. Alexandre),
Elizabeth Remsen Webb (Mrs. (rcorge B. Parsons) , Anne R. Webb,
Caroline LeRoy Webb, Alexander Stewart Webb, Jr., and Louisa
De Peyster Webb (Mrs. W. John Wadsworth), who died in 1910.
106
Ocncral aiexati^cr %tcwm VHebb in CMi %iU
»t Aajof abac ic« JB. l|?^ccltcf
FROM his birth in 1885 to his entrance to the U. S. Military
Academy at West Point, young Webb was in civil life, and
had the education of a home where there was no lack of life
and energy, and conspicuous Americanism, for James Watson Webb
was a man of the strongest individuality. He also had the benefit of
instruction in one of the best private schools, the Churchill School,
at Sing Sing. From 1851 to 1869, his associations were emphatically
military and these experiences left him a man of action, of kindly
impulse, of just appreciation of the value of character, honor,
patriotism, ability and industry. From July 1866 to October 1868,
he was on detail to the West Point Academy as Instructor in Con-
stitutional and International Law, and from there he was elected by
the Board of Trustees of the College of the City of New York to the
office of president of that institution.
The college has always been moulded after the U. S. Military
Academy in its course of study, particularly in science and mathe-
matics, and it not only seemed logical to find a West Pointer to
succeed the retiring president, Horace Webster, but the time was one
when a gifted war veteran w,as most acceptable to the people of New
York to manage the people's college. At that time he was a com-
paratively slight, dark haired, swarthy faced man of thirty-four years,
having a finely moulded head, erect upon a compact but nervous and
active frame, displaying assertion and eagerness, in all his move*
ments and speech.
He early found that the educational authorities were yielding to
the constant and unvarying cry for reform, change, reconstruction
and economy, usually made by persistent theorists or self seekers, to
. men who are too often uncertain in their own conceptions of what is
most valuable and wise.
The following was written in 1902 as a summary of the work of
General Webb as president.
107
BIcxant)er Stewart XKUJoib
He promptly set about acquiring a grasp of the situation^ and his
report to the Board of Trustees, in October, 1869, shows how early
in his new position the path of the college was made thorny.
The Board of Trustees had resolved in substance October 4th,
1869:
1. To consolidate the chairs of English and of History.
2. To consolidate the chairs of Mathematics and Mixed
Mathematics.
8. To require the President to teach all the Philosophy taught.
4. To abolish all tutorships except one.
5. To give professors $5000 per annum *' in view of their increased
duties."
It must have astonished the new president to see how many ways
there were of criticising and balking the work of the institution. Of
course the trustees listened to reason and the arguments of (xcneral
Webb, and did not do any of the things threatened. But they put a
firm limitation on the broadening views of the professors and president,
and every one settled back to the old work.
The following statements appear fairly to be sustained by the
records of the Board of Trustees:
General Webb at once suggested changes in the courses of studies,
some of which were made in 1870. He reconunended that German
be put upon an equal footing with the French and Spanish languages,
and that those in the lower classes be given an opportunity to study
that language. Theretofore the study of German had been limited to
the comparatively few who became juniors and seniors.
He advised that the students of the introductory class be on proba-
tion the first ei^t weeks, and that those who clearly showed their
lack of preparation, or their indisposition to enter upon the college
work, be dropped. This effective change was made and relieved the
college greatly. It also improved the tone of the sections.
He early advocated the enlargement of the classical schedule of
studies, and this has eventually resulted in separating the classical and
scientific courses very markedly, so that the graduates of the college
now have no cause to regard themselves as stinted in their collegiate
training in the ancient languages.
In 1878, the commercial course was added to the college, but this
was never regarded as of a character to warrant its association with
the regular courses, and after a few years it was abandoned.
lOS
Blexan^er Stewart TRaebb
In 1875, through the advocacy of Professor Compton, a post-
graduate course in civil engineering was created, but no degree was
ever favored by the president. General Webb had early founded a
manual instruction course by which students were given an opportu-
nity after hours to perfect themselves in the use of tools. Ultimately
the mechanical course was incorporated in the college schedule in 1881.
Originally this was a three years' course, but in 1889 it was enlarged
to a five years' course, and became a regular collegiate course, yielding
to graduates the degree of B. S.
General Webb always opposed those who considered yoimg men
in the sophomore class ready to enter upon a proposed course of
pedagogy. He was consistently against the establishment of the
commercial course, and his aim was always to steady the work of
the institution along the lines of its original foundation. He never
believed that the average student attending college should be given
early in the course too much indulgence in electives.
When, in 1897, the high schools were established and inaugurated
as a part of the public education of the city by those whose aims
appeared to be hostile to the College, the foresight of the president
forced the establishment of a College High School by the subdivision
of the entrance classes, and an extension of their courses, so as to
maintain the supply necessary to keep the College alive.
During the years 1895 and 1897, when the earnest and successful
efforts of the friends of the college, led by its Alumni Association,
were made to procure the legislation for a new sitj. there was no one
who gave more continuous and intelligent application to the accom-
plishment of the work than the president of the College, never thwart*
ing but always aiding that movement. When, finsily, in 1898, the
supplementary act had to be passed to provide the additional sum of
$200,000, Greneral Webb's personal aid on the floor of the Senate waS
instrumental in having the bill taken up out of its course on the last
day of the session, thus insuring its successful passage.
It was an exciting moment, when, in the hurry and struggle and
bustle of the last hours of the Legislature, Mr. Ellsworth, the leader
of the Senate, taking the distinguished president of the College on
the floor of the Senate, and introducing him as the hero of Grcttysburg,
asked unanimous consent to pass out of its order the bill which had
come from the Assembly, after over a week's careful watching and
urging, and in a few minutes the work of its adoption was done.
109
Blexall^er fttewirc WcW
The loyalty of Webb to the College idea, led him to be conservative
toward the progress of events which have gone through something of
a cycle. He wrote on one occasion:
" Colleges will difTer according to their especial objects and location^ but not
in the essential lines of instruction. Every college graduate is to-daj as good a
man as any other college graduate^ or he is^ in his own estimation^ a little better
than any other college graduate. The term is a well known one and we must respect
the title^ and see to it that no reputable college reduces its course^ or changes its
general course in any way to bring contempt on the Bachelor's degree. But the
advocate of the elective course comes in and tells us that we are all wrong. Parts
of our course studied in excess are better for this man and that man than the whole
course.
"One cannot conceive how the plan proposed could tend to produce harmony
amid all these conflicting interests. We sincerely deplore that we must differ con-
scientiously from high authorities in matters which refer to the policy to be adopted
by our institutions of higher education^ but^ at this time^ it is especially necessary
to be plain spoken against invasions of the present college course as arranged by
the best minds of the country, and to express determined hostility to the abuse
of the elective system, leading as it does to these discussions, when this
system is applied to students not of the university grade."
It was a great disappointment to General Webb not to continue
in office until the great structures could be built upon the site acquired
for the College on Convent Heights. He had seen the college grow
beyond all power to care for its students; he had made an army of
friends and admirers and the college was most firmly established as an
integral part of the educational system of the City.
On his retirement he received the highest tributes of respect from
Students Alumni, Faculty and Trustees; and several years after the
Associate Alumni gave him a most enthusiastic banquet, at which the
decorations were his old corps flags, and the speakers his ardent
admirers and friends.
This was the students' tribute:
" And we who have known the general so well, will ever remember that noble,
gentle face and kindly eye, reflecting as it does a heart as big as the man himself.
In him we have always found a staunch friend^ a wise counsellor, a merciful judge.
Slow to anger, steadfast in the right, dignified, courteous, noble, generous, in fact
an ideal man whom we all might well follow as a precept and example, for it can
truly be said of him, ' He was a man the like of whom we shall not see again
f f9
The dominant trait which Webb, as president, represented, was
a manly example of heroic, patriotic and worthy actions,
no
Hleianber Stewart Mebb
General Webb took a prominent part in the ceremonies attendant
upon the inauguration of General Grant as President of the United
States; and was grand marshal of the funeral parade in New York
City to the same distinguished person.
After his retirement, General Webb was occupied in his home at
Riverdale in working up some of his old army records, and in the
Military Service Institution of the United States, of which he became
the president. He particularly labored to foster attention to military
education. The last year of his life was one of weakening strength,
and he passed away, survived by his wife, a son and four daughters.
Ill
Bit W^€8B IMtvered at tfetttflmri
BnaMt 27» 1883
•eticnil aiexciidet Stewctc Webb
at tbc VcMcstlon M AoMsmciil la tbc 9cvciitv«Sccoiid 9citii««lwiifa Vofuiitcccf
TIESE CHiet of the Dead, ettaUiibed bj the Goremmeiit of the United
Statei — preferred hj the loving handf of thoie who cherish the laddeit
recoUeetions of onr late war — are the lasting moniunents we have reared
to testify to our assurance that it was Ood himself who presenred this Union;
they are the pledges we have given that we will be its conservators.
We, therefore, approach in revere nti al respect and affectionate regret the graves
of onr eomrades who have fallen, and, with tender recollection of our last companion-
ship with them, we drop the tear of pride — jes, but of glorious pride — when we
lecall the time and the circmnstance of their death— *tlie time of onr own salvatloii.
And why boild monuments and pay loving respect and especial tribute to the
memory of these men? Why claim for them a little more of these sad testimooials
of onr devotion than we give to others?
If from these few words of mine we may find left with os the ccmviction that
these cold marbles are not yet sufficient to record, with anything like fidelity, the
magnitude of the services rendered by the men who foo^t on this spot, we will
have done no more than simple justice to their patriotism in this our act of
It is proper, therefore, that it should devolve upon one who was present with
you in onr glorious defense of "the main point of the Union line npon which
General Lee ordered his columns to advance" (this is from Longstreet himself),
it is proper, I repeat, to write that of which he can speak as an actor in the fray,
with the certainty that no one will hereafter gainsay a clear statement of what
we may all now testify to, and with the feeling that, in performing this labor of love,
he does nothing more than pay a proper tribute to the memory of these who died a
soldier's death while rendering to their country a service for which no adequate
recompense can be or will ever be made, either to their heirs or to their companions
stm living.
For thus it is, and thus it always must be, with Republics; so that, expecting
nothing and seeking nothing from our Oovemment, we come to engrave on imperiih-
able marble our tribute to the faUen in your old Seventy-second Pennsylvania,
knowing, as none others know, the time, the circumstance of their final devotion
and gallantry, and death.
112
^1
PUBLIC LIBRA.;
.1
y^^ ;
Blexan^er Stewart Mctb
You will; therefore^ gladly, no doubt, dwell with me for a few moments while
I endeavor to place before you the facts and the circumstances which gave to the
old clump of trees we so long defended, and which we never lost, the well-deserved
name of " the turning point in the war."
And who were these men whose graves are now so signally honored, and whose
death we crown with historical tribute?
Enlisted in Philadelphia, in August, 1861, by Col. D. W. C. Baxter, they
served under our old chief McClellan, on the Peninsula, rendering signal service
at Fair Oaks, where, under the war horse Sumner and gallant Sedgwick, they came
to the support of General Heintselman, and with Sully and others checked the
Rebel advance at a moment when all was confusion and much was panic. Thence
to Peach Orchard and Savage Station, under their still honored and respected
Oen. W. W. Bums, they passed to Glendale, displaying such staying qualities, and
exhibiting such results of their discipline and drill, that they, together with the
other regiments of the brigade, secured the promotion of their well-tried commander
of the Sixty-ninth, Joshua T. Owen, to a brigadier-generalship. Tried and exposed
to shot and shell at Malvern Hill, they rested at Harrison's Landing — veterans —
with a history of which they might well be proud. Surviving the disasters and
mismanagements of the second Bull Run, they covered the retreat from Chantilly
to the defenses of Washington under Generals Sully and Sumner in person.
And now we ask your attention to their next service, since some writers have
been misled, and these men, who, on this spot, fought with me, and made me
known as their commander, have the right to demand for their reputation the services
of my pen and voice.
Antietam was a scene of their success and of their bloody loss. It was not to
them at any time a source of discomfort or of loss of reputation. Let Dunker
Church, had it a voice, relate how they passed by it, across the open field, far,
far into the wood, arrested only by the personal order of Sumner himself. Count
the missing and the slain, and recall the promotion of Wistar, and then ask if all
this can be, and this regiment and this brigade be charged with remaining in the
rear or retiring without success.
At this time I cannot stop to dwell upon Fredericksburg, where their services are
acknowledged and recorded. Time fails me, and I hasten on to this historic field.
The battle of ChancellorsviUe, May 2d to May 5, 1865, whereby Gen. Joseph
Hooker lost much of his hard-earned reputation, was to the Northern patriots so
severe a blow — and to the Southern rebel so just a cause for pride and elation-—
that it is not a matter of wonder that Gen. R. £. Lee, taking into consideration
the situation at Vicksburg, and almost certainty of the surrender of that city to
General Grant, determined to " counterbalance that impending disaster ** by striking
at once at the existence of the Army of the Potomac, and our possession of the
Capitol at Washington by invading the North.
In matters international, it is generally customary, and probably wise, to dis*
semble in regard to our feelings toward all nations — but it will be better for us,
if we study well the relations of the foreign powers to the United States during
this portion of the year 1868 — before we give way to any very strong feelings of
118
mexan^er Stewart TKlebl)
reverence or esteem for their policies^ their interest in^ or their appreciation of
our institutions. And^ after such study^ if we find that the neutrality of the govern-
ment of England (save on the part of her queen and prince consort) was shallow
and pretentious; the position of France positively hostile; all other nations^ except
Russia, inclined to rejoice in our defeats, it may be well, on such occasions as
these, to give way to that which is the honest expression of a reasonable distrust
of all their pretensions, past, present and future, and thus leave behind for the
careful consideration of our posterity the soldier's maxim:
" In peace prepare for War."
That dissembling policy strongly characterized the condition of affairs so far as
regards our foreign relations from May 3d to July 4, 1863; but Vicksburg and
Gettysburg made it necessary for all these powers to continue dissimulation
indefinitely.
It may thus be understood that Lee did not lack good and sufficient reasons for,
and moral support in, beginning his invasion, and he seems to have felt confident,
and reasonably so, that with a force of 75,000 men, placed north of Baltimore
and Washington — cutting or menacing all their conmiunications North, East and
West — he would be in a position to receive sufficient aid from the Northern
Copperheads and the foreign neutrals, to warrant the claim from his Rebel
"Government," that England should throw aside her mask, and acknowledge ^* The
(so-called) Confederacy of the South."
What a day dream! With English guns, English Shenandoahs, English moral
support, and now English loans. What was to stand between Rebel hopes and
Rebel success?
Just one power, Onmipotent in council, irresistible in the field —
" The WUl of God."
Why relate to you the incidents of the march from the Rappahannock to
Gettysburg. You all took part in it, and remember it, and you care for little
other than the remembrance of the facts as you now recall them. It is sufficient
for us to repeat that, July first, we found the Rebels here, and that we knew
that they had come to stay, if the right hand of the Government, the force in
whom the people of the North had their wAe dependence did not drive them out.
The people knew the qualities of the Army of the Potomac. They relied upon it,
and not in vain.
And now we near our subject, "The value of the sacrifice of these men —
at this point of all others on this field — on the second and third days of the
battle of Gettysburg."
For nearly two months the disagreement between the War Department and
General Hooker had been steadily approaching that point at which the resignation
or relief of this General from the command of the Army was at last inevitable,
and on the 29th of June, Major General George Gordon Meade was placed in
command of the troops, who were destined under Divine Providence to drive Lee
forever from Northern soil.
114
Bleiattt>er Stewart Webb
Bid not farewell to Joseph Hooker without expressing for his memory that
meed of praise which should he his — by reason of his services from the Peninsula
to Gettysburg. He was willing and anxious to fight at all times — was an able^
impetuous commander in the presence of the enemy — was a warm friend of any
one he considered a good soldier, and an able man in the field; but was most
unwise in the selection of his surroundings.
His was a sad fate. Stripped of his unwise counsellors, and surrounded by
good men and able staff officers, he would have ceased to have been his own worst
enemy. He is dead. His faults lie buried with him. He was a courageous,
ambitious, fearless commander — an organizer of men, a fast friend.
How can we of the Army of the Potomac speak in adequate terms of our last
beloved commander. General Geo. G. Meade!
He who addresses you, as you well know, knew him as a soldier as intimately as
any one, serving with him night and day, in battle and in camp — how can he
express to you one tithe of his love and respect for him !
The man, who was the first and only man who ever met Lee in his pride and
strength in pitched battle, and defeated him, has, I know, been assailed for years
by those whose military history will bear but little examination. And recently they
have found a mouth-piece quite willing to repeat, without sufficient experience or
any personal knowledge, the scandals to which these writers gave life, only after
their final deposition from active commands or responsible duty in an army, to
whose success, against Lee, they could have added, and did add nothing.
But George G. Meade was, and is, known to have been the soul of honor, the
Christian soldier and patriot, the modest, kind, scholarly friend, to all who approached
him for counsel and support, the successful chief of the grandest army this continent
ever has seen, or ever will see. How dare they tell us — on their hearsay— that
such a man deliberately evaded telling the whole truth before the Committee of
Congress, which was endeavoring to fasten upon him (by his own evidence) these
malignant aspersions of those discharged, relieved, or retired officers— men who
well knew that under such a commander as Meade, all the abuses practised during
Gen. Hooker's rule, to which they owed their advancement, must cease. Gen. Meade
then declared under oath, and called upon his God to witness to his then repeated
declaration, that not one word of their charges against him was, or ever had been, true.
Strong indeed is the testimony of Sedgwick, Howard, Newton, Sykes, Williams
and Gibbon, and A. S. Williams, who were present at the Council of War, held
July 2d, against Pleasanton and Doubleday, who were not present, and Slocum, who
thought Gen. Meade said that, *' Gettysburg was no place to fight a battle." Stronger
yet, for the truth of history, is the evident inability of Gen. Bimey to charge Gen.
Meade with any other fault than "seeming indisposed to fight, or hazard a battle
on any except the most favorable terms." Strong indeed, on the side of Meade, is
the testimony of Generals Warren, Hunt, and Seth Williams, his trusted staff officers ;
and finally, and last of all, and most powerful against the influence of the authors
of these charges, are the circumstances surrounding their separation from this army,
and the natural result therefrom, that some, or all of them, have been finally per-
mitted to sink into oblivion after having failed utterly in their endeavors to detract
115
Bleianoer Stewart TKIle&b
from the well-earned reputation of Geo. G. Meade. Their punishment is well
deserved.
This Christian soldier, on June 28th, took command of our dear old army, and,
when he sent forth the following address to us, we well knew that he and we had
come to succeed here or be sacrificed:
" By direction of the President of the United States, I hereby assume
command of the Army of the Potomac. As a soldier, in obeying this order —
an order totally unexpected and unsolicited — I have no promises or pledges
to make. The country looks to this army to relieve it from the devastation
and disgrace of a hostile invasion. Whatever fatigues and sacrifices we may
be called upon to undergo, let us have in view constantly the magnitude of the
interests involved, and let each man determine to do his duty, leaving to an
all-controlling Providence the decision of the contest"
And believing in this all-controlling Providence, and relying on the skill, the
soldierly ability, and the guidance of such a commander, the Army of the Potomac
moved to this spot, ready to determine here in these open fields whether or not it
was yet the will of God that the Union should be saved.
And now for a brief allusion to the battle and to the part these fallen heroes
took in it. Pardon me if I relate something concerning the details of it, which you
may know even better than myself. For the sake of the truth in history bear with
me for a little while.
This three days' contest was a constant recurrence of scenes of self-sacrifice,
and of exhibition of wise prescience, on the part of Meade, Reynolds and Howard
on the first day; of Sykes, Warren, Weed, Hancock and Geo. S. Greene, the man
who saved our right flank, on the second; and on the part of all engaged on the
third and last day. Lee was ever active and pushed us sorely.
The list of dead and wounded among our higher officers stands an ever present
witness to the severity of these actions, and their loss was indeed to us, who had
served with and had learned to respect and follow these men, most terrible.
The history of the battle has been told and retold until we are all familiar with
the well established particulars of it, as well as with most of the claims made by
those who have not as yet been able to agree as to whether they were posted by
themselves, by their commanders, or by individual skill and forethought, in localities
calculated to repel Lee's and also any other army of the Rebel Confederacy.
In the presence of the graves of our dead let us repeat that which I wrote of
you about twenty years ago, sustained as I have been in my statements by the best
of our historians, and conscious of my willingness and desire to acknowledge the
rights and the claims of any and every soldier who may have participated in our
triumph.
Men of the Philadelphia Brigade held this position for the whole period of the
battle, and were never driven from one rod or foot of it under any circumstance,
save when the two companies of the Seventy-first, to which I refer in my report,
others of the same regiment having been already removed to afford a space for
artillery fire, were fairly overwhelmed, and driven back 100 to 150 feet by a mass
of the enemy, now known to be equal in volume to a full brigade. Some men of
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the other brigades of our dirisioii pasted in rear of our Sevent j-second Regiment
to its right, and, after the assault, to our front, who were not at any moment in
the inmiediate face of the rebels, and who yet daim to hare passed through that
regiment. They did not
Justice — simple justice — to these, our dead, require this declaration, and if
I am to-day brought in direct conflict of statement with some of those who so
patriotically endeavored to assist us on July 8d, it is not through a want of appre-
ciation of their efforts. God knows that I was grateful enough to them; but it is
simply through my sense of duty to the memory of these, over whose graves we
hold this service.
In loving commemoration of their devotion and daring, I must restrict these claims.
You were posted, as yon will remember, early on July Sd, on this ridge,^ and
on the right of our division, by order of Brigadier-General Gibbon, our commander.
Our right rested on Lieut. A. H. Cnshing's Battery A, Fourth U. S. Artillery; our
left on Battery B, First Rhode Island Artillery, Lieut T. Fred. Brown commanding.
The Sixty-ninth Regiment was placed behind a fence, a little in advance of the
ridge—- the remaining three regiments of the brigade under cover of the hill in the
rear. Brown's Battery was in the course of the day removed to the front of the
Sixty-ninth Regiment It remained at this point until the assault at 6:S0 p. m.
Your position was well calculated to render you available for the work before you.
Colonel Charles H. Banes, our adjutant general of brigade — than whom there
is no better staff officer or military adviser, nor more self-possessed man on the
hottest field — has, in his account of this day's fighting, written as follows:
" Immediately after assuming this position, a detail, ordered from each
regiment, was advanced as skirmishers beyond the Emmitsburg Road, and
parallel with the Rebel line of battle on Seminary Ridge. This disposition
was scarcely completed before the enemy opened with sharpshooters and
artillery. During the day both of the batteries on the flanks of the brigade
engaged those of the enemy, the shelling wounding but few on our side/'
From our position, which gave us a commanding view of our front and left, we
beheld the whole of the unfortunate advance of General Sickles and his subsequent
discomfiture, and we knew at the time that it would devolve upon General Hancock's
command to repulse the charge or assault the rebels were certain to make. Hancock
had command of the First, Second and Third Corps, and it required all his energy
and military promptness to save our broken line on that day, using for this purpose
every man at his disposal.
We cannot pause to speak in fitting terms of the deaths of Generals Weed and
Vincent, of Colonel O'Rorke and Captain Hazlett, in saving for us our position on
Little Round Top, or of the sacrifice of Colonels Willard, Cross and Zook, of our
corps, in saving the Third Corps from total rout. Their names have been handed
> Extending from the left of the cemetery, and falling off gradually towards Round Top,
Granite Ridge formed the natural location for a line of battle. Defense there was none, except the
low stone walls marking the field boundaries. In the centre of this line, and just below the crest,
a small grove of peculiar shaped trees gave prominence to the landscape, and it was this copse
Wbich was selected by General Longstreet as the point of direction for his columns of attack.
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down to posterity as those of our dead heroes of Gettysburg whose deaths ensured
to us our victory at the end. No efforts of the very best and bravest of our generals
could stem the tide of Longstreet's attack, supported as he was by the " best fighting
material in the rebel army," under Wilcox, Barksdale, Perry and Wright Not even
the soldierly qualities of the brave Humphreys could secure more to the Third Corps
than a sullen retreat. Thus were we of necessity brought into action at about six
o'clock p. M. on the* 2d, and well was the honor of Philadelphia upheld by your
regiments.
" Our skirmishers had been holding their line and engaging the enemy during the
past Jiour."
" The enemy made the assault of the 2d at about 6:10 p. m. Their line of battle
advanced beyond one gun of Brown's Battery, receiving at that point the fire of
the Sixty-ninth, of the Seventy-first advanced to the support of the Sixty-ninth, and
of the Seventy-second and One hundred and sixth, which had previously been moved
to the left by command of Major General Hancock. Colonel Baxter, of the Seventy-
second, while gallantly leading his command was at this time wounded. The enemy
halted, manoeuvred, and fell back, pursued by the One hundred and sixth. Seventy-
second and part of the Seventy-first. The Seventy-second and One hundred and
sixth followed them to the Emmitsburg Road, capturing and sending to the rear
about two hundred and fifty prisoners, among whom were one colonel, £ve captains
and fifteen lieutenants."
During the first assault we lost eighteen officers, and probably 200 men killed
and wounded. We were thus well prepared for the work before us, and we were
thus soon to be tried as men seldom had been or have since been in the presence
of their fellow soldiers.
Let us turn then to the consideration of the part we were about to take in the
final contest for the maintenance of Rebel strength north of Washington.
There is a point to which in any pursuit of life one may attain success beyond
which he may not pass. With the sanguine hopes of his government, and the moral
support of most of the rulers of the nations of the earth, R. £. Lee, the leader of
the Rebel forces, was permitted to reach this, but till then little known Pennsylvania
town — only to find that here all hope of success was to be lost, all assurances of
carrying the war into the Northern States to be proven false. Bitter, bitter failure !
Thus far shalt thou go.
Gettysburg in the political sense was, and is now throughout the world, known
to be the Waterloo of the Rebellion. And thus it was of necessity most bloody.
Both sides knew the importance of the results, and were prepared then and there
to decide the issue.
For two days Lee had contended to determine and to carry some weak point in
Meade's line, and without success. He had crushed in our advance on the first, had
driven back Sickles on the second, had almost turned both right and left on that
day, and had retired only to determine upon some point upon which to renew his
assaults.
Once successful with one of his strong columns, he felt that the day would be his,
and that the first step would be taken toward opening correspondence with the
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Rebels of the North. And now the question in which you are most interested was
to be settled^ and as Longstreet has himself given testimony it was settled in your
favor. Your clump of trees was to be taken^ and to be assaulted by the flower of
the Rebel host. This decision gave you your place in history; this stone wall its
prominence.
Before describing the main assault and its failure^ let us refer for the last time
to some of the reports and histories which have been written with the desire to
wrest your laurels from you.
One writer thus describes the action of the enemy " after they found his " (the
writer's) *' command too much for them." " I moved my command by the right
flank to the foot of the 'bluff', delivering our fire as we marched, and keeping
between the enemy and the object of his enterprise" (i. e., us). " He succeeded
in reaching the fence at the foot of the bluff, but with ranks broken, and his men
evidently disheartened. Some succeeded in getting over the fence," etc., etc
This one we should be thankful to. He was the saviour of the clump. Can you
find the bluff .>
And now another: " The charge was aimed directly at my command, but owing
apparently to the firm front shown them, the enemy diverged midway and came
upon the line on my right." Then he took them in flank and probably without
loss, captured not Lee, but the main portion of those Lee had dared to point towards
him, " the larger portion of them surrendered and marched in not as conquerors but
as captives." This all took place on our left, and beyond the position of those who
really were with us in our hour of need.
But in pleasant contrast let us look to the right. There was " old " Alex. Hays,
a glorious fighter, probably a man without a newspaper in his interest. He tells
of his front without one attempt to take from any one their laurels fairly won.
Thus he writes:
" Their march " (the enemy's) " was as steady as if impelled, marching
unbroken by our artillery. . . . When within one hundred yards of our
line, the fire of our men could no longer be restrained " . . . " before the
smoke of our first volley had cleared away, the enemy, in dismay and con-
sternation, were seeking safety in flight."
With our right protected by Alex. Hays (than whom there was on that field no
braver, and but few more observing officers), and with our left reinforced by Hall,
Colonel Norman J. Hall commanding the First Brigade of our own division, I do
not think we either looked for or asked for any one to dishearten the enemy before
they reached us, nor did we expect any one to interpose their forces between our-
selves and Pickett. Had these latter been near enough to the rebel line to know
Pickett's men, they would never have permitted this absurd claim to have been
made for them.
It seems a little hard to be forced to state at this late day just what was the
"point of attack of Longstreet's forces.'* But, in self-defense, it must be done.
Will you accept Longstreet's own statements, and that of Colonel Harrison, General
Pickett's adjutant general and inspector general, or that of General E. P. Alexander,
of the Rebel artillery? Bachelder says: "While visiting the field with him at
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Gettjsburg^ the copae of trees on General Webb's front was the point on which the
troops were directed to advance. " These trees being relieved in clean outline against
the sky, when seen from the Rebel line, formed an unmistakable landmark."
Lieut.-General James Longstreet spent several hours, in 1868, in Mr. Walker's
studio, examining the painting of the battle of Gettysburg, not then completed.
After looking at it closely for some time, he turned with a sad smile to Bachelder,
and said: " Colonel, there's where I came to grief."
" I have called your assault the ' tidal wave,' and the copse of trees in the centre
of the picture, the ' high-water mark ' of the rebellion," said Bachelder. *' You said
rightly," Longstreet responded; ''we were successful until then. From THAT
point we retreated, and continued to recede, and never again made saccessful
headway."
At a dinner given not more than Ere or six years ago. General Hancodi, in reply
to a toast given to him, and referring to his success at Gettysburg, said:
"In every battle there must be one point upon which the success of
cither side must hinge. At such a position every earnest or brave general
must hope to be posted. It was General Webb's good fortune to be posted
at that point at Gettysburg, and he held it.*'
Have you any doubts remaining in your minds to-day in regard to the culminating
point on this field? Here, therefore, we claim were sacrificed the lives of these
men, to whom all must give the highest honor, through force of position and cir-
cumstance during the trying day, which decided forever the Rebel claim to rule this
country — a claim which had never been more properly asserted, than when spoken
in our National Legislature in this wise: "I shall yet call the roll of my slaves under
the shadow of the Bunker Hill monument." I refrain from alluding to another
author who wrote page after page to prove that those whom we met were exhausted.
THE THIRD DAY
The One hundred and sixth Regiment had been ordered to our right, to General
Howard. They had won sufficient honor with us; they received a glad welcome, and
a corresponding praise when parted from us.
Our Sixty*ninth was on the left at the wall, and in front of the now renowned
copse of trees. On their right was most of the Seventy-first Regiment, a portion
of it retired to the wall, behind the Angle, placing it in echelon with the remainder.
The Seventy-second was posted inunediately behind the crest of the mound or
hill in support of Cushing's Battery and HalL
On our right was glorious old fighting Hays, and on our left Hall and Harrow.
Our strength was but 1,100 men and but seventy-four officers (of these we were to
lose forty-three officers and 452 men, of which latter but forty-seven were inissing).
As we now consider matters, we had not much more than one full regiment.
We had heard and fully realized the severity of the morning's contest in regaining
for our side Gulp's Hill, abandoned the night before in the darkness. We had
rested, but we were not unmindful of the fact that the silence of the enemy forebode
some severe and well-planned attack. If not retreating Lee was to be aggressive.
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Hlexan^cr Stewart Ulebb
About one o'clock^ while the men were wondering what would be the next move-
ment in this great battle, a single Whitworth gnn was fired from the left of Seminary
Ridge, a distance of three miles. Then followed those signal guns, and at last
that terrific fire from the Rebel artillery. Have you ever heard the like? Shell
and shot from nearly 150 pieces falling among our batteries and regiments. We
had little or no cover save a pile of stones not two feet high. Had the fall of missiles
been likened to hail, the picture would not have been overdrawn. A hissing, fiery
storm — every conceivable bolt of destruction striking in our midst— * the dreadful
thud everywhere! Horse and carriage and dismounted gun lying where a little
before had stood the Union battery. The wounded, suffering, and the dying still
and quiet in the midst. The calm and brave Gushing and his brother officers of that
noble artillery, standing by their remaining pieces to the last — our pride and our
glory. When will it cease? When will they charge? for surely this is what it means.
Can you not feel yet the heat of that bursting caisson; the stones and sand from
that exploded shell? It will never be forgotten. And there in the wood they form
"a solid front." Pickett and Pettigrew and Trimble — Virginia and Georgia and
North Carolina, Virginia leading — are to take this clump of trees. Ah, well
chosen was this gallant band! See them now as their lines descend toward us— >
our countrymen, but our foes. With all, we cannot be other than proud of our
enemies. They come to crown this crest or perish.
Bring us now new batteries ! Let Wheeler and Cowan come to replace Woodruff
and Cushing. These are to die, but, oh! such deaths, in every contact with the
enemy. Let every man know now that the impending strife is to be for life or
death, for Union or defeat
Two lines of Rebel regiments, possibly 18,000 men, are moving on our line slowly
and determinedly. They near the crest. Cushing, wounded, asks to have his
remaining gun run down to the fence, and, glorious martyr, wounded, yea, sorely,
stands by that piece the very picture of a soldier. Americans can well glory in the
achievements of the Cushings.
But Hancock, our glorious Hancock, ever near the front in action, was not to be
easily overthrown by this mass of angry foes. He had the old Second Corps and
Doubleday's Division of the First; and well he knew how to use us! Stannard was
to be used to stay the supporting column on the Rebel right, and well he did it.
Gates, of Rowley's First Brigade, was enabled to assist in this movement. Harrow
and Hall, of our own division, were near to help us, and Hays on our right with the
Third Division, with Smith's Brigade, was well able to hold his own.
On, on they come with solid front! Line closing in upon line, as their right or
left felt the pressure of Hancock's aggressive movements. And now they strike the
Sixty-ninth, under Colonel O'Kane, and a portion of the Seventy-first, under Lieut-
Colonel Kochersperger, and, halting under the withering fire of these brave men,
pressed toward the open part of the wall, in front of the space held formerly by
Cushing. Here, Armistead, waving his sword aloft, had rushed in with his men.
Here, Cushing had died at his piece. Here, was to be the final struggle for the
crest! But this crest was not to be taken from us, if, by self-sacrifice and by
individual effort, it could be retained.
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B(eIan^cr Stewart McbJj
Presied bj a wedge-shaped colmnn of Rebels^ the right of those who guarded
the wall on the left of Cashing was pressed to the rear, but not penetrated or driven
to the rear. Thej were better for defense in their new position. The brigade
commander himself pointed out to them the number of the Rebels who had passed
to their right, and directed them to fire upon them, and to fight their right and rear.
But past the wall — low enough for Armistead to step over — what had they
to meet: First from our right the fire of the companies of the Seventy-first, under
Colonel R. Penn Smith; then from the front the fire of the Seventy-second Regiment,
perfectly organised and in line on this crest, and from our left, and left centre,
that of the body of Hall's men, the guard or rear guard under Captain Ford and
Lieut Lynch, of the One hundred and sixth, which hurried to be with their brigade
in the fray, and finally also, the rush of Kochersperger's men pressed right and
left With no hope of success in their front, and no hope of retreat, they surrendered.
Armistead dying — their dead and wounded within our lines — killed and maimed
in a hand to hand contest, those in rear had nothing else to do. Hall, Hays, Harrow,
did much to aid in securing this result; in every battle it will be and has been in
vain to try to claim all the praise and all success for any one brigade or regiment;
but I defy ,you to find a contest in which any one brigade performed more nobly the
part assigned to it.
This is no description of tl^p battle at the crest No man on such an occasion
as this .can enter into the details of a history which would require the limits of a
volume to portray its incidents.
We came to tell of the deeds of those who lie buried here; but pausing, find
that the limits of this, my tribute to your patriotism, will not permit of it. Each
name has been engraven on some paneL It may be, in what is to-day a place of
obscurity; but in the near future I can see that history, so often called unreliable,
will-— from some efforts such as this — be led to uncover these silent memorials,
and in pages emblasoned with the symbols of truth, and breathing forth the imperish-
able words of Justice, will seek near this spot to relate to the world, the deeds of
those unconquered heroes, who gave their lives to their country, in order that the
power of the fiat, *' Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther," might be proven to
be in things temporal and in things spiritual, the will of Omnipotence.
What words can better describe our feelings than those of our grand President,
Abraham Lincoln, delivered on this spot: '* The world will little note, nor long
remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."
*' From these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which
they gave the last full measure of devotion."
Meade, beloved and honored, has passed from among us; but his name shaU live
as the hero of Gettysburg.
Lincoln is dead, but we well remember that we laid this, our offering, at his
feet, acknowledging him to be for that, our National Crisis, the ordained saviour
of the principles of American Liberty.
Hancock still lives, we give to him his portion of our glory and respect for
giving to us his unstinted praise. And can we here forget our citisen friend and
companion, J. Warner Johnson, the quiet, thoughtful friend of each and aU of us.
For his self-sacrifice, God has no doubt rewarded him. The man who shod and
122
Bleian^er Stewart WsbJ}
clothed some of these very men, who wisely counselled and befriended so many, who
cared for the wounded, who supported the widows, has engraven on our hearts a
remembrance we will cherish to the end.
To our brethren of the army we turn to do us justice. They who on this bloody
field saw so much to try their patience and their valor, to them we look, as a soldier
may look to soldier, to give to the memories of these, our comrades, their places in
history. None, none but such brave men can estimate our work; few, few yet live
to tell of the intensity and strength of our trial. O'Kane and Tschudy, Duffy,
Thompson and Kelly, Steffan and Dull, McBride, Griffiths and Jones, from their
silent graves call for our maintenance of their rights, our cherishing of their reputa-
tions and their sacrifices. We will do our part. In this a memorial to all of them,
we, rearing this monument to the dead of the Seventy-second Regiment of Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers, do honor to all.
The Rebel blow at our Unity, and the slave-holders' proud boast that the
Northern artisan should yet succumb to their power and influence, found on this
spot their death-knell.
The dead knew not, it may be, all that they have done; but they died for us,
and for our country. *' But ere the spirit fled, Heaven grant they saw that not in
vain they bled." We approach their graves in reverence and in tears. We now
know how much we owe to them. Rest! patriot spirits. Rest! We live to know
how great was your sacrifice -— how great was our gain. History shall give to
you the glory, and Memory (crowding upon us all that we can recall of your
gallantry and worth) will secure to you from us, in the future, as now — love,
affection and attachment, on occasions such as these.
You have died that we might live, and this nation since your death honors annually
'her nation's dead. We decorate in fond remembrance the graves of our nation's
sacrificed. We find none who dare to withhold from them these symbols of the
nation's gratitude. We speak of our Union dead as of the lost in our families;
of their cause for which they died, as the cause of the salvation of our country
and of her institutions; of their services and death as the sacrifices of her sons,
that she might live.
If the spirits of those who slumber here may be allowed to know of this, our
tribute to their patriotism; if the spirits of those who sowed, but never reaped;
who died for freedom; and for the fulfilling of God's will, may be allowed to
commune with us to-day; we, their comrades and their survivors, can do nothing
more fitting in our act of consecration of this humble memorial, than here to
solemnly renew our oaths of allegiance to our Glorious Union; here to swear that
this government, loved, honored, and preserved by us in the past, will be maintained,
protected and conserved by all in the future. God gave and preserved the Union
of the United States. Who shall dare to sever us ?
Brothers before the war — brothers to-day — we deplore the cause of these sad
remembrances; but we well know as few others can, that mementos such as these
must be erected, that men may, in the sight of these hallowed graves, recall the
errors of the past, and knowing the cost of rebellion against His will — resolve to
foster and maintain the principles for which our fathers fought, for which their
sons have died.
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