Fellow Sharpshooters
Brian’s discovery of the Dyer Pettijohn’s post-War speech opens a number of questions for us who comprise the OCD Anonymous contingent of USSS researchers. Major Stoughton assigned Pettijohn as the acting lieutenant of an 11 man detail (selected from companies in the 2nd USSS) and ordered him to scout the country south of Devils Den for the enemy. Pettijohn and his entire command was captured during the opening minutes of Evander Law’s brigade assault.
My comrades and I have engaged in numerous debates of where Pettijohn’s detail (Bushman farm lane, a ridge line adjacent to the lane on the east side of Confed Ave, Bushman Hill, etc.) was situated when Law’s brigade swarmed over the ridge and initiated it’s assault. One of the problems I have with Pettijohn and Fairbanks accounts are that they both were recorded years after the battle. The issue of memory contamination in post-War accounts has always posed a problem for those of us interested in getting a clear idea of what happened on the battlefield. Another factor influencing memory is the tendency for persons to unconsciously, or consciously, protect their own ego for errors of judgment they made (an example of the later tendency can be Hiram Berdan’s Post-War boasts about his role in the Pitzers Wood affair). Finally there is the literal memory problem called the ‘fog of War’—where the participant is only able to view/understand the battle from their own narrow perspective. Pettijohn had a very active early War life, and portrays himself as energetic, adventurous and a bit of a scamp—all the attributes of a good sharpshooter.
This is Pettijohn’s post War account of how he was captured: On the 2nd day of July, 1863, near the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, we contacted the army of General Lee who was marching on the city of Washington. My particular command - the sharpshooters - were thrown out in front of the left wing of our army, and directly between General Sickles' and General Longstreet's Corps. That part of the battlefield is undulating ground, interspersed here and there with groves of timber and with an occasional rock as large as a hay stack. About one o'clock on that day the enemy infantry advanced and as we were in his immediate front, we were soon actively engaged. The rebel line as it advanced was anything but straight, but was in rather a zigzag formation, but on they came. While we were paying some attention, and not without effect, to the enemy troops in our immediate front and to our left, another regiment of "Johnnies" came up through a grove of timber on our right until they were within easy pistol range before we discovered their presence. When I saw that if they continued to advance our retreat to our line of battle would be cut off, and when they still came on, I realized that our position was hopeless. We were skirmishers out in front of the main body of troops and being practically surrounded by the enemy we were at his mercy. Thinking that discretion was the better part of valor, I jumped into a low spot of ground behind a large rock. Two of my boys who were with me at the time thought to escape to our lines by running. I heard the commander of the rebel regiment call out to them to "halt," which they failed to do. He then ordered his men to fire and a rattle of musketry was the response. I learned after coming back from the South that on the next day when our army reoccupied that part of the battlefield, those boys were found at that place - one was dead and the other badly wounded. Although a dozen bullets had struck him, hopes were first entertained for his recovery, but he dies in about a week. After the war I was told that the part of the battlefield which was occupied by my command during the battle was thoroughly searched for me, but without results, and for a very good reason. I was marching, as a prisoner of war, to the tune of "Dixie," in the general direction of Richmond.
This is Pvt. Charles Fairbanks (Co. 'E'-2nd USSS) account (page 49):Gen. Sickles placed our regiment in front of the line of battle, and moved his whole corps to the front and right of ‘Little Round Top’, near the peach orchard on the Emmitsburg road. This was about 1 o’clock p.m. About 2:30 pm a detail of sharpshooters was called for, to advance in front of the skirmish line, and eleven men from my regiment, including myself was detailed, and moved forward to draw the enemy’s fire and reveal their whereabouts, as nothing could be seen of them in our front.
Advancing about one-third of a mile, over a knoll and down into a ravine, the rebels, Longstreet’s Corps, began their desperate charge. Three lines of battle appeared in our front and left flank so suddenly that all of us that had been detailed were captured….Ira Carr, Ledrue M. Rollins, and Corporal H.C. Congdon of my company were captured with me, also George W. Dimond of Company H, whom I knew very well, and with whom I bunked during my captivity, haring with him part of my woolen blanket, which hardly covered us both. I had thrown all my luggage away in order to keep up with my company on the march of July 1st.
Finally, I have included Maj. Homer R. Stoughton after action report: On the morning of July. 2,. I was placed in line on the extreme left of the Third Corps, remaining there for nearly one hour, when the colonel commanding instructed me to place my command in a position to cover a ravine near Sugar Loaf hill, which I did by putting Company H on the brow of the hill, with vedettes overlooking the ravine, and Company D in the ravine near the woods, to watch the enemy's movements in that direction. Companies A, E, G, and C formed a line perpendicular to the cross-road that intersects with the Emmitsburg pike. Companies B and F, I held in reserve.
I remained in this position until about 2 p.m., when General Ward directed that I should deploy my regiment across the ravine and through the woods on the right, and advance. I moved forward to a brook some 200 yards beyond a second cross-road running perpendicular to the Emmitsburg pike, and intersecting with it in front of Sugar Loaf hill. I sent forward scouts to reconnoiter the ground. I then rode out perhaps the distance of half a mile, and discovered the enemy's skirmishers advancing on my right, which, being unsupported by any connection with skirmishers on my right, I was compelled to withdraw to protect my flank. In this position we had but little time to wait. The enemy's skirmishers advanced to the top of the hill in our front, and immediately after they placed a battery directly in our front, and being too far for our range, I sent forward a few men under cover of woods on the left, and silenced one piece nearest us.
The enemy then advanced a line of battle covering our entire front and flank. While they were advancing, the Second Regiment did splendid execution, killing and wounding a great many. One regiment broke three times, before it would advance. I held my position until their line of battle was within 100 yards of me and their skirmishers were pushing my right flank, when I ordered my men to fall back, firing as they retired. My left wing retreated-up the hill and allowed the enemy to pass up the ravine, when they poured a destructive fire into his flank and rear.
Here Adjutant Norton, with about a dozen men, captured and sent to the rear 22 prisoners. Special mention should be made of this officer for his coolness and bravery during this day's engagement. The right wing fell back gradually until they mingled with the regiments composing the Second Brigade, and remained till night, when the brigade was relieved.
In this day's action were wounded Capts. E. T. Rowell (acting major), J. McClure, and A. Buxton. Our loss was 28 killed, wounded, and missing. Among the missing was Lieut. D. B. Pettijohn, Company A.
Pettijohn’s ‘Lost Patrol’ sharpshooters:
Company E Pvt. Charles Fairbanks, Pvt. Ira Carr, Pvt. Ledrue M. Rollins, Cpl. H.C. Congdon
Company H Pvt. George W. Dimond
Company A Acting Lt. Dyer Pettijohn
Thanks to Fairbank's book, we can identify 6 of the 12 men assigned to Lt. Pettijohn's detail. Another two men, unidentified by Pettijohn, attempted to flee back and were cut down-one was KIA, the other mortally wounded-and subsequently died in US hospital. Who were the remaining men? James Mero Matthews journal identifies two men from Co. D. who were captured---were is unclear if they were part of the scouting detail or lost during the retreat/subsequent actions with 3rd AC lines?
The men who comprised the detail is very interesting. 1/3 come from Co. E. I don't recall exactly the arrangement of the companies placed on the Slyder Farm defensive line--I believe Co. D-ME occupied the far right flank-while F was the far left-Co. B. across Plum Run and perpendicular to the Slyder Farm line. Unfortunately Stoughton's AAR isn't very helpful. He doesn't give a specific timeline when he ordered Pettijohns detail (unidentified in the AAR) to advance and what position he wanted Pettijohn to occupy. Stoughton writes that he personally rode 1/2 mile beyond the 2nd USSS line but it is not clear if talked with Pettijohn in his advanced position or gave him any specific orders.
Both Pettijohn and Fairbanks indicate that once they occupied the assigned position that they remained there until captured. Pettijohn suggests the detail engaged Law's troops, while Fairbanks does not. Both consistently state that the CSA advance was rapid and they were captured quickly. At this time, the 1st Texas (close to the Bushman farm buildings, was advancing at the double quick step-around 165 steps per minute. Because the length of stride increases from common time, to quick time to double quick, we can calculate how much time it took Law's brigade and others cover the distance between the ridge and 2nd USSS positions. Another factor is terrain features, the contrast between the long slope across the Bushman Farm to the flat, swampy ground near the foot of BRT. These features caused formations to become irregular-observed by Pettijohn to be a 'zigzag'. Pettijohn mentions a CSA regiment coming up on his right flank 'in the woods'. Another clue.
Gregery Coco's book about the aftermath of Gettyburg, he devotes a chapter to the recovering dead US soldiers from the battlefield for internment. He mentions that many years after the war 4 bodies of USSS were found buried at the Slyder Farm. It is not clear if they were indeed USSS and what finally happened to the bodies...most likely buried in the Unknown section of the GNMC. Was one of them the unidentified USSS killed with Pettijohn??
Pettijohn’s detail comprised of nearly 1/10th the 175 to 125 man strength of the 2nd USSS on 7/2/63. But we hardly know anything about the events leading up to their loss?
HELP WANTED: Has anybody identified the rest of the men in Pettijohn’s detail, and what company they came from? Does anybody have photos of the men identified by Fairbanks? Do we have any diaries, memoirs, geneological refereces about/by them? Anybody have information as to the exact position occupied by Acting Lt. Pettijohn’s command when they were captured? Primary sources (original letters, memoranda, official reports) a must. I appreciate your support.
Bill Skillman Randolf Mess-USSS
Last edited by Bill Skillman on Fri May 22, 2009 9:20 am, edited 3 times in total.
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