234 Nortu Carona Troops, 1861-’65. | TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT. 235

flank, the head of their column being then near Frederick, pressed. At Willoughby Run our Field Officers dis-
our resting place of the fall before. mounted. Approaching from the north by the Heidelburg
Our corps was at once put in rapid motion southward. The road till within about a mile of the field of battle, we were
intelligence received had changed Lee’s whole plan. His filed off by the right flank to the Mummersburg road. As
plan now was to concentrate at Cashtown with the mountains we emerged from the woods and moved down the slope to the
at his back and beyond them the rich Cumberland Valley, latter road twenty pieces of artillery opened on us with grape,
for a granary. Here Meade, who had now superceded Hook- from the left, inflicting some loss.
er, would have had to attack us with everything in our favor. The Mummersburg road here runs east and west. Very
A. P. Hill, contrary to orders, precipitated battle at Gettys- close to the road on the south side stands the Forney house.
burg with the enemy on the defensive and everything in their This house stands in the northwest corner of the Forney field,
favor. However, it is but fair to General Hill to add, that which extends about half a mile from the house along the
owing to the absence of cavalry, he had no means of knowing Mummersburg road, and is about a quarter of a mile broad.
that the forces unexpectedly interposed between him and Get- Across this road near the Forney house the brigade was form-
tysburg, whither part of his command was marching to pro- ed facing east. Along the path or eastern side of the field and
cure a supply of shoes, were other than militia or at most a on a ridge ran a stone fence, which formed part of the enemy’s
small detachment of Meade’s army. line. Behind this fence, alone, lay hidden from view, more

Leaving Carlisle on Tuesday, the last day of June, we men than our assaulting column contained. A body of woods
marched swiftly southward. Cherries were ripe along the extended from the southeastern corner of the field for about
rock-walled lanes. Bringing camp hatchets out, fruit ladened two hundred yards along its southern side.
limbs were severed and we regaled ourselves as we swung The brigade, about 1,450 strong, advanced under artillery
onward. The spirit and morale of the army were then superb. fire through the open grass field in gallant style, as evenly as
Many German-descended members of our regiment belong- if on parade. But our brigade commander (Iverson) after or-
ing to the companies raised in Lincoln, Catawba, Gaston and dering us forward, did not follow us in that advance, and our
Montgomery Counties, were in this region amid, or not far alignment soon became false. There seems to have been utter
from, their kin. From here their ancestors had emigrated ignorance of the force crouching behind the stone wall. For
to North Carolina about one hundred years before. But I our brigade to have assailed such a stronghold thus held,
doubt if many of them thought of it at that time. Little did would have been a desperate undertaking. To advance
the families at the separation imagine that the descendants southeast against the enemy, visible in the woods at that cor-
of the emigrants should in a generation or two return as in- ner of the field, exposing our left flank en enfilading fire
vaders to the old home. To this day (1900) there are Ger- from the stronghold was fatal. Yet this is just what we dics
man families around Gettysburg which recognize their dis- And unwarned, unled as a brigade, went forward Iverson's
tant kinship to and occasionally visit their people who came to deserted band to its doom. Deep and long must the desolate
this State about 1750. homes and orphan children of North Carolina rue the rash-

3ut to return to the subject in hand. Sounds of strenuous ness of that hour.

: a) were.’ ‘+ blank range the dense line of the
battle reached us early on the morning of Wednesday, 1 July, When we w ere in point bla c Te g
enemy rose from its protected lair and poured into us a with-

as we pressed forward towards Gettysburg, the obscure .
Dutch town so soon to be made famous. Our brigade (Iver- ering fire from the front and both flanks. For Battle’s bri
: gade, ordered to protect our left flank, had been thrown into

son’s) led Ewell’s corps and was the first to become engaged ‘ : a ee oe ‘wary
as he hurried forward to succor A. P. Hill, then hard confusion by the twenty pieces 0 artillery and repulsed by

 

 

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