The Columbia Spy
Columbia Pa.
Saturday, July 11, 1863.
Army Correspondence
Westminster Md., July 5th. 1863.
Editor Spy. The 3rd Brigade, Pa.
Reserves left Upton's Hill on Thursday afternoon, the
25th ult., and marched out the Alexandria and Leesburg
Turnpike six miles, where they met the 1st
Brigade. On Friday they went to Edwards' Ferry
below Balls Bluff, and crossed over the river and
encamped at the mouth of the Monocacy several miles
beyond. On Saturday marched to within two miles
of Frederick city. Sunday marched north in the
direction of Uniontown. Monday passed through
Liberty and encamped one mile beyond Uniontown.
On Tuesday marched to Hanover. Wednesday to the
battle field. On Friday they participated in the
great battle. The Reserves again covered
themselves with glory. Near sunset on that day
the rebs drove a regiment of regulars and some others
from the ground in confusion. Gen. Crawford
hurried up and arrived on the ground just as those
troops were repulsed. He seized a Regimental flag
and wrapped it around his body, and advancing, told the
1st Brigade to follow him, they did so together with
the 11th Regt from the 3rd Brigade, and charged on the
rebs and drove them in confusion for half a mile,
taking their colors and killing great numbers of them.
The advanced
position thus taken was determinedly held against all
odds, which enabled the whole army afterwards to gain
ground which has been held. Col. Fisher took four
regiments up a cone shaped mountain driving in the
rebel pickets, and arrived at the summit before a
brigade of them was able to reach it although on the
double quick. In fifteen minutes the 3rd Brigade
had thrown up a stone fence, loop holed, and four feet
high and one-fourth of a mile long from which the Rebs,
up to this time, have been unable to dislodge them.
the Reserves marched over one
hundred miles. In the 1st regiment is a company
raised by the Hon. E. M. Phenon from Gettysburg.
One young man was killed on his father's farm, upon
which most of the battle was fought. His father
buried him on Saturday morning. It was a
noticeable feature in this battle, that the Reserves
took but few prisoners. The ground over which
they made their splendid charge was strewn with dead
Rebels, nearly all of whom had bayonet wounds.
Whilst passing through a wood after the enemy some of
the Bucktails observed a rascal in a tree from which he
killed, during the day, eleven cannoniers. Smoke
was seen issuing from the tree whenever he fired, but
he managed to conceal his person. He threw his
gun down and offered to cave but Bucktail couldn't see
it in that light. He remarked that those who shot
from trees he treated differently and shot him dead on
the spot.
The conduct of the Reserves is the
universal theme of conversation in the army, all alike
meet out to them in full praise. On Saturday I
passed over the the ground upon which the left wing of
the army fought. The slaughter was terrible. Our
victory was decisive, the result of which in detail you
doubtless have before this. On the evening of the
day of the battle the period for which a Vermont
Regiment enlisted, expired late in the afternoon; it
charged a battery and took five guns from the enemy and
brought them away. The
2nd Brigade of the reserves is at Alexandra, Va.
The loss of life in the 3rd brigade is trifling; owing
entirely to the rapid movement of the troops under the
lead of Col. Fisher, who secured the crest of the hill
before the rebs, who were endeavoring to reach it
first.
Orderly.
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