STOP 9B
New York Avenue

 

Return to your car and continue southward .25 mile to a traffic loop and park in the spaces provided. This was the area held so heroically by Warren's Brigade against Longstreet's masses.

On 30 August at 1600 Longstreet gave the order to attack. Colonel J. B. Robertson, 5th Texas of Hood's Brigade, described hitting Warren.

At the edge of the timber the enemy's skirmishers were encountered by my skirmishers and driven back to a point in the timber about 100 yards from the open field beyond. Here I encountered the regiment of the enemy that had been deployed as skirmishers who had rallied on their right. I ordered the regiment to fire on and charge them. They broke and were closely pressed in the open field, where we encountered a second line of the enemy in the 5th Regiment New York Zouaves, who, after permitting the fleeing regiment to pass its lines, presented a solid front for a short time. Their stand was but momentary. They gave way before the impetuous charge of my men and fled, leaving the field strewn with their dead and wounded.

General Warren described the tragedy.

Reynolds' division on my left, probably aware of the superior force of the enemy gathering in his front, fell back from I toward P. The enemy advanced with rapidity upon my position, with the evident intention of capturing Hazlett's battery. The Tenth New York was compelled to fall back, scarcely arriving at the position held by the Fifth New York before the enemy, and in such a manner as to almost completely prevent the Fifth from firing upon them. While I was endeavoring to clear them from the front the enemy in force opened fire from the woods on the rear and left flank of the Fifth with most fearful effect. I then gave the order to face about and march down the hill so as to bring the enemy all on our front, but in the roar of musketry I could only be heard a short distance. Captain Boyd, near me, repeated the command, but his men only partially obeyed it. They were unwilling to make a backward movement. He was wounded while trying to execute it. Adjutant Sovereign carried the order along the line to Captain Winslow, commanding the regiment, and to the other captains, but was killed in the act. Captain Winslow's horse was shot. Captain Lewis, acting field officer, was killed. Captain Hager was killed. Captains McConnell and Montgomery were down with wounds, and Lieutenants Raymond, Hoffman, Keyser and Wright were wounded. Both color-bearers were shot down, and all but four of the sergeants were killed or wounded.

Before the colors and the remnant of the regiment could be extricated, 298 men of the Fifth and 133 of the Tenth New York were killed or wounded.

In the Tenth New York Lieutenant Hedden was killed, and Captain Dimmick, Lieutenant Dewey, Lieutenant Mosscrop, and Lieutenant Culhane wounded. The colors of both regiments were brought off, and the batteries we were protecting were withdrawn.

We assisted from the field 77 wounded of the Fifth and 8 of the Tenth. The remainder fell into the hands of the enemy. Among these were Captains Boyd, McConnell, and Montgomery, and Lieutenants Wright and Raymond, of the Fifth, and Captain Dimmick, Lieutenants Mosscrop and Dewey, of the Tenth. Braver men than those who fought and fell that day could not be found. It was impossible for us to do more, and, as is well known, all the efforts of our army barely checked this advance.