HOWARD ASSUMES COMMAND. 267 advance of his troops, came upon the field, and, ignorant of the death of Reynolds, sent messengers in search of him, and asking for instructions. While waiting the return of his aids, he went to the top of the college, which is situated about half a mile a little north of east of the theological seminary, to reconnoiter the surrounding country. His aid, Major Biddle, soon came back and reported the sad intelligence of the fall of Reynolds, and that the command now devolved upon himself. He at once assumed the command, turning over his corps to General Carl Schurz. It is claimed that while upon the top of the college General Howard saw the advantages of Cemetery Hill, and at once gave orders to halt Steinwehr's division of his corps there, and form a strong line, supported by artillery, as a rallying place in case of defeat tigrew-in what is known as Pickett's charge-burst into the Federal breastworks in front of Hancock's Corps with desperate valor. It was the tattered remnant of this same brigade that fought the last battle north of the Potomac, at Falling Waters, on the line of the retreat, when General Pettigrew, then in command of Heth's division, was killed, dying while defending the lives of the sick and wounded of his command, whom the fortunes of war had committed to his care. "As soon as Archer's artillery opened, his command crossed Willoughby's Run, driving the enemy before them-who were disputing its passage-into a skirt of woods. Here they were again attacked by the Confederates, who moved on rapidly, firing while advancing. General Reynolds, who had placed a brigade on Archer's extreme right, concealed by a wood, seeing a part of Archer's brigade on the east side of the run ordered a charge, and Meredith's brigade swept down on the Confederates rapidly, and those that had crossed the run were captured-probably about two hundred-including General Archer. While this was going on General Reynolds, the Federal commander, while brandishing his sword and issuing orders, was observed by one of Heth's sharp-shooters, concealed in a tree, who instantly raised his rifle and shot him dead. This took place behind the seminary and near Willoughby's Run. "After Archer and his men were captured, the remainder of his brigade fell back some distance to a new position, and awaited the arrival of Pettigrew and Brockenborough. At the same time the Fourteenth Brooklyn and Ninetyfifth New York, who had contested the passage of the run, now changed upon the position they then occupied. For this act he received the thanks of Congress. The claim made for General Howard that he was the first of the Union generals to perceive the advantages of Cemetery Hill, is disputed by some, who give this credit to General Reynolds. Reynolds' claim rests on the following statement, made by General Doubleday: "Buford gave way slowly, taking advantage of every accident of ground to protract the struggle. After an hour's fighting he felt anxious, and went up into the steeple of the theological seminary, from which a wide view could be obtained, to see if the First Corps was in sight. One division of it was close at hand, and soon Reynolds, who had preceded it, climbed up into the belfry to confer with him, and examine the country around. Although there is no positive testimony to that effect, his attention was doubtless attracted to Cemetery Ridge in his rear, as it was one of the most prominent features of the landscape. An aid of General Howard-presumably Major Hall-soon after Reynolds descended from the belfry, came up to ask if he had any instructions with regard to the Eleventh Corps. front and attacked Davis' Mississippi brigade who, up to this time had been driving the three regiments before them on our left. These three regiments retreated down the Chambersburg pike to the eastern slope of Seminary Ridge. "When Davis found himself vigorously attacked in flank, his command moved a little further to the left and rushed into an unfinished railroad cut, which extended all along the Chambersburg pike into the town. Now, when these three regiments, who had been driven down the Chambersburg pike by Davis' command, leaving their battery behind them, discovered the position he was in, they hastily returned, and joining their former associates surrounded the Mississippians in that plight and captured some six hundred of them. "All these occurrences had taken place by twelve o'clock, or perhaps a little after, and they may properly be considered as the beginning of the Gettysburg conflict." SELECTION OF CEMETERY HILL. 269 Reynolds, in reply, directed that General Howard bring his corps forward and form them on Cemetery Hill as a reserve. General Howard has no recollection of having received any such orders, but as he did get orders to come forward, and as his corps was to occupy some place in the rear, as a support to the First Corps, nothing is more probable than that General Reynolds directed him to go there; for its military advantages were obvious enough to any experienced commander. Major Rosengarten, of General Reynolds' staff, states positively that he was present and heard the order given for Howard to post his troops on Cemetery Ridge. The matter is of some moment, as the position in question ultimately gave us the victory, and Howard received the thanks of Congress for selecting it. It is not to be supposed that either Howard or Rosengarten would misstate the matter. It is quite probable that Reynolds chose the hill simply as a position upon which to rally his force if driven back, and Howard selected it as a suitable battle-field for the army. It has been universally conceded that it was admirably adapted for that purpose. Professor Jacobs, in his Battle of Gettysburg, page 25, says: "Early in the morning the hills around Gettysburg had been carefully examined by the general and his signal officers. At half past eight o'clock A. M., one of these officers was on the college cupola making observations, when his attention was specially directed to that hill by one of the officers of the college, as being of the highest strategic importance, and commanding the whole country around for many miles. Doubtless he had satisfied himself of the pre-eminent advantages it offered as a position of * General Doubleday's "Chancellorsville and Gettysburg," pages 126, 127. offense and defense, and therefore determined to take and hold it." Professor Jacobs does not say what general this was. As the survey of the surroundings of Gettysburg was made early in the morning, and the observations from the college cupola occurred at half past eight o'clock a. M., it could not have been either Reynolds or Howard, for the former did not reach the town until ten o'clock and the latter until half past eleven. The only general then in or near the place was Buford, and the suggestion to hold Cemetery Ridge may have been first made by him. General Howard at once saw that the First Corps was contending against large odds, and sent back for the Eleventh Corps to come forward as quickly as possible. He also sent a dispatch to General Meade, who was then at Taneytown, thirteen miles distant, informing him of the death of General Reynolds, of the large Confederate force present, and the probability that Lee was concentrating his whole army at that point, as well as the favorable position there for a battle. Dispatches were also sent to General Slocum, who, with the Twelfth Corps, had left Littlestown early in the morning and was then resting at Two Taverns, five miles south of Gettysburg, and to General Sickles, who had marched from Bridgeport to Emmittsburg, informing them of the perilous position of the First and Eleventh Corps, and urgently calling upon them to hasten to their assistance. Owing to the direction of the wind, the sound of the guns did not reach Taneytown, and General Meade was not aware that a portion of his army had met the enemy, and that Reynolds had fallen, until one o'clock P. M., when Howard's courier arrived. Upon the reception of this dispatch he sent General Han GENERAL HANCOCK PLACED IN COMMAND. 271 cock to the front, with orders to assume command of all the troops, and to report to him concerning the nature of the ground there, and the practicability of fighting a successful battle at that place.* General Meade has been blamed for sending General Hancock to supersede officers who were his superiors in rank. His justification for doing this is as follows: Congress had passed an act authorizing the President to put any general over any other superior in rank if, in his judgment, the good of the service demanded it, and General Meade then assumed this power in the name of the President, believing that the exigencies of the situation required it. That there was not the best of feeling existing between some of the general officers then at the front is painfully evident in some of their actions and writings. General Buford was doubtless aware of this when he penned the following dispatch to General Meade: HEAD-QUARTERS FIRST CAVALRY DIVISION, July 1st, 1863,-3:20 P. M. General Reynolds was killed early this morning. In my opinion there seems to be no directing person. JOHN BUFORD.† *The following is General Meade's order to Hancock, through his chief of staff, General Butterfield, to proceed to the front and assume command and report upon the position there for a battle: HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE SECOND CORPS (HANCOCK): †Colonel James G. Biddle, in Annals of the War, page 210. |