DOCUMENT: ELISHA RICE REED

This essay by Elisha Rice Reed, who fought at Gettysburgwith Company H. of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, waswritten after the fact (probably at the end of 1863). By thetime of Gettysburg Reed had already served as a prisoner ofwar in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Salisbury, N.C. Not surprisingly,his battlefield diary is considerably more succinct than boththe journal he kept as a prisoner of war and this essay. "Marchedabout 6 or 7 miles and our brigade charged double quick on theenemy and drove them from the woods. . . . I was hit three times.Afternoon they drove us. I was shot through both thighs andfell to the rear. But the enemy took the position and I foundmyself a prsioner of war," wrote Reed of his participation inthe first day's battle at Gettysburg. "Heavy firing nearly allday," was his only observation of the final day of the battle,though he witnessed it from the extraordinary vantage pointof the tower of the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Finally,two days after the battle, paroled (released) in the field,he wrote, "Rebels are gone. I put on my clothes and went . .. up town." The essay printed here offers a fascinating firsthandaccount of the battle and is epecially notable for Reed's descriptionof the Confederate officer's enraged reaction to Pickett's Charge. This document is reproduced in its original form; spelling,grammatical, and usage errors are maintained. General Lee had his forces well in hand and was approachingGettysburg from the west and northwest. General Meade's armywas scattered over a large extent of territory;--but he hadhis "feelers" out in the shape of cavalry under GeneralBufort. These feelers found General Lee's army in strongforce approaching from the west; and immediately dispatchedan Aid to Gen. Reynolds to hurry up the 1st Corps, which wasthe only one in the immediate vicinity. Reynolds was approachingfrom the south, and at once filed left oblique through fieldsof standing grain to the point designated, which was McPherson'swoods. Arriving at the woods he swung the first brigade--knownas the " Iron Brigade" forward into line and charged thewoods. In that charge we lost heavily, but we captured Gen.Archer and 600 of his men and drove the rest from the woods.The 2nd Brigade at our right or north of us, did a like brilliantthing and captured the --th Mississippi regiment. In the afternoon the balance of the 1st Corps and the 11thCorps under General Howard came up and took positions. About3 p.m. Lee had massed an overwhelming force and came upon usand drove us from the field. He drove us back past the LutheranTheological Seminary on Seminary Ridge, through the town ofGettysburg to the foot of Cemetery Ridge. There he halted. Hehad captured the town, which was his objective point. He thenmoved the balance of his army up into position and preparedto attack Meade the next day. In the mean time Meade's scatteredCorps were coming in and taking positions on Cemetery Ridge.This ridge runs nearly north and south,--connecting Culp's Hillon the north with little and big Round Tops on the south. Culp'sHill circles to the rear or to the east, forming a bend likea fish hook and is what is called in military parlance "refused",or turned back. Meade occupied the whole of this fish-hook fromCulp's Hill to the Round Tops, with the 1st Corps on Culp'sHill and the 3rd Corps under General Sickles at the Round Tops.The other Corps as then came up filled the spaces between. Now, the distance from Culp's Hill to the round tops is notto exceed four miles. Meade could throw half his armyover to the support of either his right or left wing in a marchof less than four miles; and this could be done by moving backunder the hill, wholly unseen by Gen. Lee. Lee occupied allthe territory to the westward, but had no means of concealinghis movements except the cover of darkness at night. Lee triedto make a flank movement at night and turn Meade's right asJackson did Howard's at Chancelorsville. But he found Meade'sright already turned back, and he came up square face to facewith the 1st Corps and had to fall back. He then tried to turnMeade's left and found the 3rd Corps under Sickles on guardthere and was again compelled to fall back. He then resolvedto make a bold dash and "rush the center". Pickett waschosen as "Center Rush", and he rushed with disastrousresults. Now let us return to McPherson's woods. When Lee came upon us in the afternoon of the first day inMcPherson's woods we had not fallen back very far before I wasshot through both legs. No bones were broken and I "limberedto the rear" rapidly. I got back into the Seminary andboth armies swept past me and left me a prisoner of war. Onthe afternoon of the third day I happened to be up in the cupolaof the Seminary and had a good view of Picket's charge. Therewas also a rebel Lieu't in the cupola. A dozen Yanks in thecupola rejoiced exceedingly when they saw the result,but the rebel Lieu't saw nothing to make him rejoice. He wentbelow and "told the boys". The boys rejoiced with a loud noise.Then the rebel Lieu't came in, slowly, sadly, and silently.We were in the Chapel--the largest room in the building. TheLieu't walked around for some time,--looking at no one--speakingto no one. Finally, like the "pent up thunders in the earthbeneath" he broke forth in a raging torrent of long suppressedwrath. Imagine if you can an enraged southern fire-eater pouringout volcanic clouds of vigorous and vehement volumes of profanity--callingLee a fool--with all the profane adverbs and adjectivesqualifying fool--for undertaking to dislodge Meade fromthat position over there. He can't do it,--and he knowshe can't do it: then why in hell does he try todo it. Then he went on to state the situation: Lee's positionthere and Meade's position over there. "Lee had tried to turnMeade's right and he could not do it: he tried to turnhis left, and he couldn't do it. He knew that Meade hadthe whole entire army of the Potomac there on a line lessthan four miles long: and when he sent Pickett on thatcharge he knew he was sending those men into a rat-trapfrom which they could never get out. Every man that brokethrough Meade's line is there yet,--and will stay there.Lee knew that Meade had men enough to kill or capture everyman that broke through his line and he did it: Meadehad seven Corps, and Picket only one, besides a greatadvantage of position." He swore there was not a private soldierin the whole Confederate Army but would know better than toundertake to dislodge Meade from such a position. In short,--itwas evident to him that somebody had blundered. Source: Writings of Elisha Rice Reed from the archives ofthe State Historical Society of Wisconsin.