Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 24.djvu/25

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but, as they fell into the enemy's hands, they were not included in tin- hospital report. This loss occurred mostly in the first day's fight, where the regiment encountered the isist Pennsylvania * and Coop- Battery of Rowley's Brigade, Doubleday's Division. The quar- u -pilaster of the 26th who made the official report on July 4th, states that there were only 216 left for duty after the fight on the ist inst. Tin- regiment then participated in Pickett's charge on the third day of the battle, iii which it attacked the position held by Smyth's Bri- gade, Hoyt's Division, Second Corps. On the following day it mus- tered only 80 men for duty, the missing ones having fallen in the final and unsuccessful charge. In the battle of the first day, Captain Tuttle's company, [F.] went into action with three officers and eighty-four men ; all of the officers and eighty-three of the men were killed or wounded. On the same day, and in the same brigade, (Pettigrew's), company C, of the nth North Carolina lost two officers killed, and 34 out of 38 men, killed or wounded; Captain Bird, of this company, with the four remaining men, participated in the charge on the third of July, and of these the flag-bearer was shot, and the captain brought out the flag himself. This loss of the 26th North Carolina at Gettysburg, was the severest regimental loss during the war." The total loss of the regiment on the first day alone, based on the figures of Col. Fox, was in killed, wounded and missing, eighty-six and three-tenths per cent. f This loss exceeded by four per cent, the loss of the ist Minnesota at Gettysburg, which amounted to eighty-two per cent. The 14151 Pennsylvania comes second, with seventy,five and seven-tenths per cent. In the Franco- Prussian war, the heaviest loss was forty-nine per cent, sustained by the i6th German Infantry (3rd Westphalian) at Mars-la-Tour. In the charge of the Light Brigade, the loss was but thirty-six and seven-tenths per cent. Oh that the 26th North Carolina had a Tennyson to sing of its charge when no one had blundered ! But this same brigade of Pettigrew, shattered as it was by the three days fighting, was one of


 * This regiment lost 335 men in killed, wounded and missing, on July i.

t In killed and wounded alone, according to Colonel Fox, the 26th North Carolina stands third on the list of great losses, having seventy-one and seven-tenths per cent, against eighty-two and three-tenths per cent of the ist Texas at Sharpsburg, and seventy-six per cent of the 2ist Georgia at Man- assas. That few of the "120 missing" from this regiment, on July i, re- turned, is indicated by the number reported for duty on the 4th. out of 820 men, or ninety-seven and five-tenths per cent.