Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 17.djvu/416

 408 Southern Historical Society Papers.

" J^ecord of Killed and Wounded at Gettysburg. — First Virginia regiment : Killed, 2 ; wounded, 62.'*

Whether or not there was intentional misrepresentation in this re- port I deem it but just to give the true record, giving the names of the killed, which can be verified by their surviving comrades.

First Virginia Regiment at Gettysburg, — Killed — Officers: Col. L. B, Williams, Captain James HoUoran, Company C; Lieutenant W. A. Caho, Company I — total 3. Sergeant C. P. Hansford and Corporal Richard Chaddick, Company H ; Corporal I. O. Ellett, Company I— total, 3. Privates : Fendall Franklin, Company B ; Willie Mitchell, D. S. Edwards, M. J. Wingfield, and J. W. Free- man, Company D ; William F. Miller, Company G; W.J. Vaughan, Flowers, Nuckols, St. Clair, J. W. Paine, M. Brestrahan, and W. S. Wad dell, Company H ; E. J. Griffin, Edwin Taliaferro, and H. McLaughlan, Company I — total, 16. Commissioned officers, 3 ; non-commissioned officers, 3 ; privates 16 — total, 22. Total killed, 22; wounded, 71; casualty, 93.

Suppose the six companies then composing the regiment carried into the fight 150 men, which I believe to be an over-estimate, it will be seen that more than one-seventh of the entire number were killed. Of the remainder nearly two-thirds were wounded. In other words, about two out of every three men carried into the charge were either killed or wounded. When we reached the ene- my's lines they surrendered and passed to the rear without a guard. An order was brought from General Kemper by Captain Fry, his adjutant, for the First regiment to move by the right flank. He called for the commander, and finding myself in that position I re- sponded and gave the order for them to fall in preparatory to mak- ing the movement. All in sight, about a dozen, took position promptly ; but so terrible was the fire to which we were exposed they were shot almost as fast as they took their places. I turned to Captain Fry and tdld him it was too late, and there was no First regiment left to execute the order. He turned and rode from the field. A few moments later, as I moved forward with the troops, I was wounded. The remnant of the division continued to advance till the color-bearer in the lead paused, turning to see what following he had, and finding the force entirely inadequate turned his face to the rear, and still displaying his colors marched from the field, thus ending this memorable charge, in which our losses were as described. I.have no reason to suppose that other commands suffered less than we did, as we passed through the ordeal together ; and I rectify the