GDG- My Christmas present to all: something directly pertaining to the discussion about the battle of Gettysburg

[Alan D. Brunelle]

Here's something I recently came across, and thought I'd share with one 
and all. It's from a (I'm assuming) rare book about the Soldiers & 
Sailors from NH in the ACW. [Any typos are surely mine... :-) ]

==============================
First New Hampshire Volunteer Light Battery

by Samuel S. Piper, late First Sergeant First New Hampshire Volunteer 
Light Battery

(Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the 
War of the Rebellion ; Prepared and published by authority of the 
legislature, by Augustus D. Ayling, Adjutant General; Concord, Ira C. 
Evans, Public Printer, 1995 (reprinted by Tony O'Connor Civil War 
Enterprises), p893-894)

On Monday, June 29, 1863, "Boots and Saddles" was sounded about 2 P. M., 
and the batteries were on the move, and at 10.30 on the morning of July 
2 the artillery reserve was parked on the Baltimore Pike, a short 
distance from Gettysburg, in the rear of Cemetery Hill. About 4.30 P. 
M., the battery was ordered to Cemetery Hill to relieve a battery said 
to be sadly disabled, which they found as stated, cannoneers killed and 
wounded, horses on two caissons killed, and many of the gun teams with 
hardly horses sufficient to take their guns out of the way. The New 
Hampshire battery was soon in position, and with a well directed fire on 
our front kept up the reply from that position, but soon found out that 
the batteries doing the most harm were not directly in our front, and 
according to instructions received in the winter of 1861-'62 from Capt. 
John Gibbons, later General Gibbons of the Second Army Corps, the 
attention of the battery was turned, hunting out the location of the 
enemy that were plunging their shots directly within our position, for 
unless the thing was remedied our stay here would be short.

The battery that had such complete range of this position and was making 
such havoc was considerably to our left, and the guns of the New 
Hampshire were ordered by Captain Edgell to be turned at once on their 
position, which was in plain sight. Every gunner with his best judgment 
sighted for the foe as the guns were being loaded; the result was that 
in less than forty minutes one of their ammunition chests was blown up 
and the battery disabled and withdrawn from our sight and out of action.

Remaining here, continually engaged until between 7 and 8 o'clock in the 
evening, Major Osborne, who had charge of all the batteries on Cemetery 
Hill, ordered the New Hampshire battery to the support of a brigade sent 
to retake Culp's Hill. The battery was soon in position on the Baltimore 
Pike, ready for covering any possible defeat of the troops, remaining 
here during the night. The next day, between 1 and 2 o'clock P. M. the 
3d of July, we returned to our old position on Cemetery Hill, where we 
withstood the most furious rain of iron hail ever showered upon living 
man. The battery returned the fire, giving shot for shot, until finally 
Lee's hosts undertook to drive with the bayonet the Union forces from 
their position. The sight was magnetic - never will it be forgotten by 
those living who witnessed the great struggle. Although exposed for many 
hours to this destructive fire, the battery sustained but a small loss - 
four men wounded, one seriously, three horses killed, and one gun 
disabled; three hundred and fifty-three rounds of ammunition of all 
kinds were expended.

Upon General Lee's defeat and retreat back to Virginia, the battery 
moved with the Reserve Artillery, passing through Frederick, MD., to 
Berlin, where the army crossed the Potomac river into Virginia for the 
third time. Since leaving Bell Plain June 17, 1863 the battery had 
marched two hundred and thirteen miles. July 19 the command reached 
Purcellsville, via Upperville and White Plains, arriving at Warrenton, 
Va., July 24. August 1, 1863, camp was made at Warrenton Junction.
==================================================================

A couple of interesting points:

o  The note about Captain Gibbons - later General, permitting the 
turning of a battery...

o  The note about moving the battery on the night of the 2nd to support 
the retaking of Culp's Hill. I hadn't realized that they moved artillery 
from CH to do that.

Very Respectfully Submitted,
Alan