Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/530

518 of a brigade of the enemy, which were engaged with the extreme left of General Heth's division upon the opposite side of the road, which caused the enemy soon 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 seventy-five 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 Assistant Adjutant General Riddick were disabled by severe wounds. The brigade halted to return this fire of the enemy, throwing in confusion somewhat the line. 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 the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, Thirty-fourth North Carolina troops, and joined 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The troops of the division, which had been sent into the town to gather up prisoners, were withdrawn upon the appearance of the brigade of Brigadier-General Ramseur, filing into it from the left, and the whole division, General Thomas having come up, was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 except heavy skirmishing along the entire line. During a successful charge made to drive the enemy from a road in front of Cemetery Hill, Captain William T. Haskell, First South Carolina volunteers, in charge of a select battalion of sharp-shooters, received a wound from which he died in a few minutes on the field. "This brave and worthy young officer," says Colonel Perrin, in his official report of the transaction, "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