you are not going to fire here, are you?

By Stephanie Hagiwara · Originally published July-August 2024 · pp. 45–47

you are not going to fire here, are you? — lead photograph from the original article

You Are Not Going To Fire Here, Are You? By Stephanie Hagiwara

“In retreat, double quick, run.” – Officer, 147th N.Y. n July 1, 1863, about 7 a.m., U.S. signal corps. officer Lt. Aaron B. Jerome spotted Confederates approaching Gettysburg, Penn. from his post in the cupola of the Lutheran Seminary. He alerted Gen. John Buford, 1st Division, I Corps, Army of the Potomac.

you are not going to fire here, are you? — photograph 2 from the original article

you are not going to fire here, are you? — photograph 3 from the original article

you are not going to fire here, are you? — photograph 4 from the original article

Buford had been ordered to secure Gettysburg for the Buford predicted, the Confederates “… will come booming Army of The Potomac with his two brigades, 2,700 cavalry skirmishers three deep. You will have to fight like the devil men. Confederate generals A.P. Hill, 3rd Corps, and Richard to hold your own until support arrives.” Ewell, 2nd Corps, Around 10:30 Army of Northern a.m. Maj. Gen. Virginia, were heading John Reynolds, towards Gettysburg. commanding a wing The Rebels would of the Army of the have the numerical Potomac that included “it seemed to me there were advantage. Buford I Corps, III Corps, and planned to delay XI Corps, arrived at the down in the Confederates Lutheran Seminary. by moving his men Reynolds called out to among us surrender. between the ridgelines his old friend Buford west of town until he in the cupola, “What’s I had discharged my gun at them could be reinforced. the matter John?” At 5 a.m., C.S. Buford answered as just before they got us, and of Gen. Henry Heth’s he climbed down the Division, Third Corps, ladder, “The devil’s to course was moving east on the pay!” Chambersburg Pike. Buford outlined Gen. James J. Archer’s the situation. Gen. 1,198 men led the James Wadsworth’s, column, followed by 1st Division, I Corps, the brigades of generals Joseph R. Davis, 1,508 men, J. was a few miles distant. Reynolds asked if he could “hold Johnston Pettigrew, 2,581 men, and John Brockenbrough’s out until his corps came up.” Buford responded, “I reckon 971 men. Both Maj. William Pegram’s 20 gun artillery I can.” battalion and Capt. Edward A. Marye’s Fredericksburg Up the Chambersburg Pike came Gen. Lysander Cutler’s Artillery, two 12-pounder Napoleons and two 10-pounder 1,600 men followed by Capt. James Hall’s 2nd Maine Parrott rifles, were with the advance guard. Battery, and Gen. Solomon Meridith’s 1,839 strong “Iron Heth believed the blue coats already seen in the area to be the local militia. Ordered not to bring on a general engagement, Heth’s plan was to scatter the militia with a few cannon shots. According to one of Pegram’s gunners, “We moved forward leisurely smoking and chatting as we rode along, not dreaming of the proximity of the enemy.” About 7:30 a.m., U.S. Lt. Marcellus E. Jones, 8th Illinois Cavalry, was summoned by the sentries. Asking for a rifle, Jones said, “Give me the honor of opening this ball.” Resting the gun on a fence rail, Jones fired the first shot of the Battle of Gettysburg at a mounted Confederate officer about a half mile distant. Pegram and the Fredericksburg Artillery reacted by positioning their guns in the yard of the Lohr Farm. A man ran out of house, shouting “My God, you are not going to fire here, are you?” Marye fired his 3-inch rifled cannon; the blue coats did not scatter. Pegram’s cannon fired 8 or 10 rounds; the blue coats did not move. The Federal cavalry dismounted to fight as skirmishers. Armed with breechloading Sharps carbines, 550 men spread out on Herr’s Ridge at 30 feet intervals, giving the illusion of a larger force. Heth ordered Archer and Davis to advance and the Federals “retired and continued to take new positions, and usually held out as long as we could without imminent risk of capture. We were driven from three positions successively in less than one hour,” recalled Capt. Amasa Dana, 8th Illinois Cavalry Gen. Joseph R. Davis, C.S.A. Colorization © 2024 U.S. colonels William Gamble’s and Tom Devins’s civilwarincolor.com, courtesy civilwarincolor. brigades joined their brethren defending Herr’s Ridge. As com/cwn. (Tulane University Libraries)

you are not going to fire here, are you? — photograph 5 from the original article

20,000 Yanks hallooing

you are not going to fire here, are you? — photograph 6 from the original article

I had to surrender.”

Brigade.” The last regiment, the 6th Wis., entered Gettysburg It looks as though they are driving Cutler,” a staff officer singing “The Campbell’s are Coming” and the colors were told Dawes, waiting in reserve. Dawes ordered his men unfurled. into a line “parallel to the turnpike and railroad cut, almost Reynolds directed three of Cutler’s regiments to deploy directly on the flank of the enemy.” Immediately, a bullet hit north of the Chambersburg Road and two with Hall’s six-gun Dawes’s horse. The horse ran off to the rear. Dawes moved battery on the forward slope of the ridge. The Iron Brigade forward on foot. loaded their guns as they ran across Dawes realized the heavy fire an open field into the woods. was coming from the cut. He rushed Archer’s brigade was entering up to U.S. Maj. Edward Pye, 95th Herbst Woods. Reynolds was N.Y., approaching from the left, waving his men to advance. He yelling, “We must charge.” Under yelled, “Forward, Men, forward, for deadly fire, 240 of the 420 men God’s sake and drive those fellows made it across the 250 yards to the out of the woods.” Reynolds’s head cut. Blue coats were attracted to the jerked, struck by a Confederate battle flag of the 2nd Mississippi bullet. He fell dead from his horse. Volunteers waving above the cut. Reynolds was the highest-ranking The Confederates resisted efforts officer on either side to die in the to seize it. battle. The cut was rapidly transforming As the 2nd Wis. reached from improvised breastwork into a McPherson’s Ridge, a Confederate trap. Davis ordered a retreat to their shouted, “Thar comes them oldoriginal position on Herr Ridge but black-hats! It’s the Army of the the steep walls prevented hundreds Potomac, sure!” The murderous of men from escaping. The Federals volley that killed Reynolds cut looking down at their foe roared, nearly 100 men down. Still the “Throw down your muskets! Throw Second moved forward returning down your muskets!” fire. Dawes, acting swiftly yelled, The Iron Brigade drove Archer’s “Where is the colonel of this men down McPherson’s Ridge into regiment?” C.S. Maj. John Blair, Willoughby Run’s lowlands. Hand 2nd Miss., asked who he was. to hand combat ensued. Gunsmoke Dawes responded, “I command “hovered near the ground, shutting this regiment. Surrender, or I will out from view the movements of the fire.” Blair handed over his sword. Federal troops.” According to Pvt. His men threw down his muskets. Gen. Rufus Dawes. Colorization © W.H. Bird, 13th Ala., “it seemed to Six more officers would relinquish 2024 civilwarincolor.com, courtesy me there were 20,000 Yanks down their swords. Dawes quick action civilwarincolor.com/cwn. (Julia in among us hallooing surrender … saved the lives of the 225 men who Cutler’s Civil War Journal) and of course I had to surrender.” surrendered. Private Patrick Mahoney, 2nd Wis., spotted Archer trying to escape. Mahoney dashed Sources: amongst the Rebels to seize Archer. Other soldiers rushed Trudeau, Noah Andre. Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage: to aid the capture. Archer was taken to the rear. Mahoney HarperCollins, 2010 would not survive the day. Davis vs. Cutler lasted about 30 minutes before Wadsworth Pfanz, Harry W. Gettysburg—The First Day: The University of ordered Cutler to retreat. The 147th N.Y. did not receive the North Carolina Press, 2011 order. “The fighting was short range and very destructive.” Rufus R. Dawes, Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: E.R. Without infantry protection from the north, Hall’s cannon Alderman & Sons, 1890 would be captured. Hall ordered a retreat, saving five of his Hartwig, Scott D. “I Have Never Seen the Like Before,” Herbst six guns. Realizing their predicament, the 147th fled. “We Woods, July 1, 1863. The Gettysburg Campaign and First Day of poured such deadly fire into them that they left their gun and Battle: National Park Service, 2005 ran for [their] life,” recalled a Rebel. Davis, a nephew of President Jefferson Davis, lacked combat experience and was unable to control his force. As Cutler’s men retreated, the Rebels followed with a wild yell. Stephanie Hagiwara is the editor for Civil War in The approach of fresh Federal troops stopped the chase of Color.com and Civil War in 3D.com. She also writes a Cutler’s men. They charged towards Col. Rufus Dawes, 6th column for History in Full Color.com that covers stories Wis., with a withering fire. Their momentum brought them of photographs of historical interest from the 1850’s to the railroad cut and they popped down in it. to the present. Her articles can be found on Facebook, The fresh Federal troops stopped the chase. “Go like hell. Tumblr and Pinterest.