Army of Northern Virginia North Carolina Museum of History HEADQUARTERS WILCOX'S LIGHT DIVISION, November 4, 1863. MAJOR: The light division of Major General W. D. Pender, consisting of the brigades of Brigadier Generals J. H. Lane, E. L. Thomas, A. M. Scales, and S. McGowan, the latter under command of Colonel A. Perrin, Fourteenth South Carolina Volunteers, which had encamped, on the afternoon of June 30, on the north side of South Mountain, Pa., moved from that position at 8 o'clock on the morning of July 1, along the turnpike through Cashtown, in the direction of Gettysburg, in rear of the division of Major-General Heth. When within about 3 miles of Gettysburg, the artillery and the advance of Major-General Heth having already become engaged with the enemy, the division was formed in line of battle from right to left in the following order: Colonel Perrin, Brigadier-Generals Scales, Lane, and Thomas; the two former on the right and the two latter on the left of the turnpike. In this order, with a strong line of skirmishers thrown out on the right, the division advanced for nearly a mile, and was halted, in obedience to orders from Lieutenant-General Hill, General Heth having also halted in front. About 3 o'clock, the troops of the corps of Lieutenant-General Ewell appearing on the left, and the enemy making a strong demonstration on the right with infantry and cavalry, the brigade of General Lane was ordered to the extreme right of the division, and General Thomas was directed to close upon the left of General Scales. Simultaneous with the appearance of Lieutenant-General Ewell on the left, a general advance was ordered on the right. General Heth moved quickly forward, and soon became vigorously engaged with the enemy. The light division in the new order moved forward to his support, with the exception of the brigade of General Thomas, which was retained by Lieutenant-General Hill to meet a threatened advance from the left. The division continued to move forward until it came close upon the command of General Heth, pressing the enemy successfully within a short distance in front. General Pender sent his assistant adjutant-general forward to General Heth to know if that officer was in need of assistance. On being informed that he was pressing the enemy from one position to another, the division advanced slowly, keeping within close supporting distance of the troops in front. About 4 o'clock, General Pender ordered an advance of the three brigades, with instructions to pass General Heth's division, if found at a halt, and charge the enemy's position, which was on a prominent ridge between a quarter and a half mile from Gettysburg. The division moved rapidly forward, and passed the division of General Heth, then under command of Brigadier-General Pettigrew, which seemed much exhausted and greatly reduced by several hours' hard and successful fighting. General Lane, on the extreme right, being annoyed by a heavy force of dismounted cavalry on his right flank, which kept up a severe enfilade fire, was so much delayed thereby that he was unable to attack the enemy in front, excepting in meeting a force of them posted in the woods occupied the next day by Major Pegram's battalion of artillery. Colonel Perrin, after passing General Heth's division, took advantage of a ravine to reform his line, and moved rapidly forward, preserving an alignment with General Scales, on his left. Upon ascending a hill in front, the brigade was met by a furious storm of musketry and shell from infantry posted behind temporary breastworks and artillery from batteries to the left of the road near Gettysburg. The brigade steadily advanced at a charge, reserving its fire, as ordered, easily dislodging the enemy from his several positions, and meeting with but little opposition, excepting from an enfilade fire from the artillery on the left, until it came within 200 yards of his last position, the ridge upon which is situated the theological college. The brigade, in crossing a line of fencing, received a most withering and destructive fire, but continued to charge without returning the fire of the enemy until reaching the edge of the grove which crowns the crest of the ridge. Colonel Perrin, here finding himself without support either on the right or left (General Lane having been delayed by the attack on his flank, and General Scales' brigade having halted to return the fire of the enemy after their brigade commander had been wounded), attacked the enemy determinedly in his immediate front with success, suffering greatly by an enfilade fire on both flanks, and then, dividing his command by ordering the two right regiments to change front to the right, and the two left regiments to change front to the left, he attacked the enemy posted on the right behind a stone wall and on the left behind a breastwork of rails in flank, easily routing them, driving them through the town to Cemetery Hill. This movement caused the artillery on the left, which had continued to keep up a constant and destructive fire upon the advancing lines of the division, to limber up and move to the rear. Much of this artillery would have been captured, but the two left regiments met a second force of the enemy posted behind a stone fence to the left of the college, which was easily dislodged, but not in time to intercept the fleeing batteries. Too much credit cannot be awarded to Colonel Perrin and the splendid brigade under his command for the manner and spirit with which this attack was conducted. To the former, the Government has recognized his valuable services in a manner the most grateful to the true soldier, by a prompt promotion. Of the latter, all who are acquainted with their gallantry on this occasion unite in their commendation to both. Their commander, who fell mortally wounded the succeeding day, was most enthusiastic in their praise. General Scales, on the left, with his left resting on the turnpike, after passing the troops of General Heth, advanced at a charge upon the flank of a brigade of the enemy which was engaged with the extreme left of General Heth's division, upon the opposite side of the road, which soon caused the enemy to fall back. The brigade continued to advance rapidly, and as it commenced to descend the hill opposite the ridge upon which the enemy was posted, it encountered a most terrific fire of grape and shell on the left flank, and grape and musketry in front, but still it pressed forward at a double-quick until the bottom was reached, a distance of about 75 yards from the enemy's fortified position. Here the fire was most severe. Every field officer, with one exception, was either killed or wounded. General Scales and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General [J. W.] Riddick were disabled by severe wounds. The brigade halted to return the fire of the enemy, which was now very severe, throwing the line somewhat in confusion. Major-General Pender, with portions of his staff and General Scales', though suffering much from a severe wound in the leg, succeeded in rallying the brigade, which immediately pushed forward again, under command of Lieutenant Colonel G. T. Gordon, Thirty-fourth North Carolina, and joined in the pursuit of the enemy, driving him through Gettysburg. The troops of the division which had been sent into the town to gather up prisoners were withdrawn upon the appearance of the brigade of General S. D. Ramseur filing into it from the left, and the whole division, General Thomas having come up, was formed in line along the ridge opposite the town and Cemetery Hill, the left resting on the Fairfield road. In this position they rested during the night and the next day, with no active operations excepting heavey skirmishing along the entire line. During a successful charge made to drive the enemy from in front of Cemetery Hill, Captain William T. Haskell, First South Carolina Volunteers [Provisional Army], in charge of a select battalion of sharpshooters, received a wound from which he died in a few minutes on the field. Says Colonel Perrin in his official report of this transaction: "This brave and worthy young officer fell while boldly walking along the front line of his command, encouraging his men and selecting favorable positions for them to defend. He was educated and accomplished, possessing in a high degree every virtuous quality of the true gentleman and Christian. He was an officer of most excellent judgment, and a soldier of the coolest and most chivalrous daring." Late in the afternoon of this day, during the attack of Lieutenant-General Longstreet's corps and a portion of Major-General Anderson's division upon the enemy's left, Major-General Pender, having ridden to the extreme right of his command, to advance his division should the opportunity offer, received a severe wound in the leg from a fragment of a shell, which subsequently proved fatal. Seldom has the service suffered more in the loss of one man than it did when this valuable officer fell. Gallant, skillful, energetic, this young commander had won a reputation surpassed only by the success and ability of his services. The commanding general in the preliminary report of this battle, already published, forcibly expresses the sentiments of all who knew General Pender and who had watched his career as soldier. Says the report referred to: "This lamented officer has borne a distinguished part in every engagement of this army, and on several occasions was wounded while leading his command with conspicuous gallantry and ability. The confidence and admiration inspired by his courage and capacity as an officer were only equaled by the esteem and respect entertained by all with whom he was associated, for the noble qualities of his modest and unassuming character." The command of the division devolved upon General Lane, who, upon being informed by Lieutenant-General Ewell that he would move upon the enemy's position at dark, ordered the brigade of General Thomas and Colonel Perrin forward to the road occupied by the skirmishers, so as to protect the right flank of General Rodes' division, supporting these two brigades with his own, commanded by Colonel C. M. Avery, Thirty-third North Carolina, and Scales', commanded by Colonel W. L. J. Lowrance, Thirty-fourth North Carolina, who, although wounded on the 1st, ad reported for duty. The night attack was subsequently abandoned, but these two brigades (Thomas' and Perrin's) remained in their advanced position during the night and the next day, keeping up a continuous and heavy skirmish with the enemy, compelling his advance to remain close under the batteries of Cemetery Hill, the brigades of Lane and Scales forming a second line. During the morning of the 3d, General Lane received an order from Lieutenant-General Hill to report in person with the two brigades forming his second line to the right of Lieutenant-General Longstreet, as a support to Pettigrew. General Longstreet ordered him to form in rear of the right of Heth's division, commanded by General Pettigrew. Having executed this order, General Lane was relieved of the command by Major General I. R. Trimble, who acted under the same orders given to General Lane. The two brigades, thus formed as a support to Pettigrew, with Lowrance on the right, after suffering no little from the two hours' exposure to the heavy artillery fire which preceded the attack on the 3d, advanced in close supporting distance of Pettigrew's line, General Trimble, with portions of his own and General Pender's staff, being with and taking immediate command of the movement. The line moved forward through the woods into the open field about 1 mile, in full view of the fortified position of the enemy, exposed to a murderous artillery and infantry fire in front, a severe artillery fire from the right, and an enfilade fire of musketry from the left. The line moved forward handsomely and firmly. The division in front gaining ground to the right, uncovered the left of Lane's brigade, which caused it to advance more rapidly than the rest of the line, which was checked by an order from General Trimble. When within a few hundred yards of the enemy's works, the line in front being entirely gone, the division moved rapidly, up connecting with the troops on the right, still stubbornly contesting the ground with the enemy, reserving their fire until within easy range, and then opening with telling effect, driving the artillerists from their guns, completely silencing them, and breaking the line of infantry supports formed on the crest of the hill. All the guns in the immediate front of the division were silenced, and the infantry had fallen behind their second and third lines of defense, when the division, advancing in an oblique direction, the extreme right of which had reached the works, was compelled to fall back, the troops on the right having already gone, exposing the line to a very deadly fire from that direction immediately on the flank, and, a large column of infantry appearing on the left, that flank also became exposed. The two extreme left regiments of Lane's brigade, under Colonels Avery and [J. D.] Barry, advanced some minutes after the whole line had given way, and fell back, under direct orders. The gallantry and impetuosity of the two brigades of the division engaged in this attack drew from their veteran and wounded commander the highest compliments, as it won the admiration of all who witnessed it. Lane's veteran troops advanced with that enthusiasm and firmness which had characterized them on every field which has made the soil of Virginia historic, under the immediate supervision of their brigade commander; and the brigade of General Scales, yet weak from the terrible loss it sustained at Chancellorsville, and one-half of its remaining numbers killed and wounded in the attack on the 1st (including the brigade commander and all the field officers save one, who was wounded in this attack), yet moved forward with characteristic gallantry, and its right touched the enemy's line of works, and gave way only when the whole force on the right was gone, and the enemy, from numerous batteries crowning every height, was rapidly decimating its already reduced ranks. In this attack, Major-General Trimble was severely wounded near the enemy's works, in the leg, which necessitated its amputation, and in the retreat to the Potomac, unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy. His conduct needs no encomium in this report. The action of the division attests the value of his service, which a grateful country will ever appreciate. One member of his staff was killed and 2 others wounded, Major Gettings but slightly. The division was reformed, in accordance with orders from General Trimble, by General Lane, just in rear of the artillery, and upon the same ground where it had rested before making the attack, and in this position remained until the army fell back on the night of the 4th. The reports of brigade commanders are herewith inclosed, to which your attentions is called for further particulars and for notices of individual gallantry. The list of casualties, which was very large, has already been forwarded by Surg. P. A. Holt, the medical director of the division. Sincerely regretting the loss the division sustained in its two commanders, which has devolved upon me the necessity of writing this report, I am, major, very respectfully, your, obedient servant, JOS. A. ENGELHARD, Assistant Adjutant-General. Major WILLIAM H. PALMER, Assistant Adjutant-General. |
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