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Gettysburg Battle Report: Scales's Brigade

No. 560.--Report of Brig. Gen. A. M. Scales, C. S. Army, commanding brigade.
HEADQUARTERS SCALES' BRIGADE,

Camp near Orange Court-House, August 14, 1863.

MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this brigade on Wednesday, July 1, at the battle of Gettysburg:

In the first arrangement of the troops of Pender's light division, Lane's brigade was on the extreme left, and my brigade on his immediate right, with my left resting upon the turnpike leading from Cashtown to Gettysburg. McGowan's (South Carolina) brigade was on my right. A few minutes after the line of battle was thus formed, we received orders to advance.

After marching about a quarter of a mile without any casualty, we were halted, and put in rear of the artillery belonging to A. P. Hill's corps. Here General Lane's brigade was changed to the extreme right of the division, leaving my brigade on the extreme left, without any change of position. After the lapse of some thirty minutes, we were again ordered to advance, which I did in good order, and under a pretty severe artillery fire from the enemy in my front. While thus advancing, I observed a regiment or two of the enemy about half a mile in our front, marching in line of battle parallel to the turnpike, and directly toward the road. They very soon engaged a regiment of our men (supposed to be a part of General Davis' brigade), who were advancing on the opposite side of the road. A heavy fight ensued, in which our friends, overpowered by numbers, gave way. Seeing this, the brigade quickened their step, and pressed on with a shout to their assistance. The enemy, with their flank thus exposed to our charge, immediately gave way, and fled in great confusion to the rear.

We pressed on until coming up with the line in our front, which was at a halt and lying down. I received orders to halt, and wait for this line to advance. This they soon did, and pressed forward in quick time. That I might keep in supporting distance, I again ordered an advance, and, after marching one-fourth of a mile or more, again came upon the front line, halted and lying down. The officers on this part of the line informed me that they were without ammunition, and would not advance farther. I immediately ordered my brigade to advance. We passed over them, up the ascent, crossed the ridge, and commenced the descent just opposite the theological seminary. Here the brigade encountered a most terrific fire of grape and shell on our flank, and grape and musketry in our front. Every discharge made sad havoc in our line, but still we pressed on at a double-quick until we reached the bottom, a distance of about 75 yards from the ridge we had just crossed, and about the same distance front the college, in our front. Here I received a painful wound from a piece of shell, and was disabled. Our line had been broken up, and now only a squad here and there marked the place where regiments had rested.

Every field officer of the brigade save one had been disabled, and the following list of casualties will attest sufficiently the terrible ordeal through which the brigade passed.

Some few of the missing have returned. Others, no doubt, straggled and were made prisoners, while not a few, I have no doubt, were left dead or wounded on the field.

I must be permitted to express here my highest admiration of the conduct of both officers and men in this charge. No body of men could have done better. When all did so well, it would be unjust to make distinctions. I must, however, be allowed to acknowledge my indebtedness to Lieutenant [J. D.] Young, of the Thirty-fourth Regiment, and Adjutant [J. W.] Riddick, of the same regiment, both acting on my staff during the day, for the services they rendered me. Cool, calm, and intelligent, they acted throughout the day with a gallantry that deserves this notice.

In less than ten minutes after I was disabled and left the field, the enemy, as I learn, gave way, and the brigade, with the balance of the division, pursued them to the town of Gettysburg.

For the operations of the brigade for the balance of the evening and during the two days' fight which followed, together with the falling back and the recrossing of the Potomac at Falling Waters, I respectfully refer you to the accompanying report of Colonel Low-rance, who was in command of the brigade.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A.M. SCALES,

Brigadier-General.

Maj. JOSEPH A. ENGELHARD,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 561.--Report of Col. William L. J. Lowrance, Thirty-fourth North Carolina Infantry, commanding Scales' brigade.

AUGUST 12, 1863.

SIR: On the evening of July 1, after a severe engagement on the part of the brigade, led into action by its commander (General Scales), I was informed that the general was wounded, and it devolved upon me to take command.

At this time I found the brigade on the extreme left of the division, and numbering in all about 500 men, without any field officers, excepting Lieutenant-Colonel [G. T.] Gordon and myself, and but few line officers, and many companies were without a single officer to lead them or to inquire after them.

In this depressed, dilapidated, and almost unorganized condition, I took command of the brigade, and remained at the point where I found it until after nightfall, when I was ordered to the extreme right of the line; and, having arrived at the place designated, I sent out a strong picket to the front and right, so as to guard against any surprise, and then ordered the few who were still in ranks to stack arms for the night. It was then 1 o'clock.

At early dawn on the morning of the 2d, I was ordered to a position on the right of and on line with the artillery, which left me still on the extreme right of the line, and was ordered to hold position at all hazards; and, being an important point on the immediate right of our artillery, we its only guard, and with no support, I considered it hazardous in the extreme, taking into consideration our weakness as to numbers and the importance of the position. So I threw out a strong line of skirmishers, extending fully one-half mile to the right, inclining to the rear, which was placed under command of Lieutenant [A. J.] Brown, of the Thirty-eighth North Carolina troops, who most gallantly held the line against several strong skirmish lines thrown against him until 1 p.m., at which time the brigade was relieved by General [R. H.] Anderson's division; and then I was ordered to move by the left flank and join my division, which I did, and was formed on the second line, and joined on the right of General Lane's brigade, where we remained until the morning of the 3d, when, in conjunction with General Lane's brigade, I was ordered to the right again, where we were placed under command of General Trimble, and were formed on the second line, in rear of Major Poague's battalion of artillery; and here we remained at least one hour, under a most galling fire of artillery, which I am proud to say the men endured with the coolness and determined spirit of veterans, for such they are. Then we were ordered forward over a wide, hot, and already crimson plain.

We advanced upon the enemy's line, which was in full view, at a distance of 1 mile. Now their whole line of artillery was playing upon us, which was on an eminence in our front, strongly fortified and supported by infantry. While we were thus advancing, many fell, but I saw but few in that most hazardous hour who even tried to shirk duty. All went forward with a cool and steady step, but ere we had advanced over two-thirds of the way, troops from the front came tearing through our ranks, which caused many of our men to break, but with the remaining few we went forward until the right of the brigade touched the enemy's line of breastworks, as we marched in rather an oblique line. Now the pieces in our front were all silenced. Here many were shot down, being then exposed to a heavy fire of grape and musketry upon our right flank. Now all apparently had forsaken us. The two brigades (now reduced to mere squads, not numbering in all 800 guns) were the only line to be seen upon that vast field, and no support in view. The natural inquiry was, What shall we do? and none to answer. The men answered for themselves, and, without orders, the brigade retreated, leaving many on the field unable to get off, and some, I fear, unwilling to undertake the hazardous retreat. The brigade was then rallied on the same line where it was first formed.

In this engagement, I observed with pride the conduct of many officers and men, but must beg especially to mention that of Lieutenant [J. Maclin] Smith, Thirteenth North Carolina, and Lieutenant [M. M.] Gillon, Thirty-fourth North Carolina, whose conduct was meritorious of all honor.

We remained in line of battle near this place until the evening of the 4th, when we retreated to Hagerstown, where we arrived on the 7th and remained until the 11th, and were then drawn out in line of battle, and remained so until the night of the 13th, during which time the enemy were drawn up in our front, but remained inactive, excepting some skirmishing, which resulted in loss on our part of 2 killed, several wounded, and several captured.

Then commenced our retreat to Falling Waters, and we arrived there at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 14th; and, while resting for a few hours ere we crossed, whether it was in order to cross over the wagon trains, artillery, &c., I cannot say, but just as we were moving out to cross the river, were attacked by a squad of cavalry, which caused some detention. Then, all being quiet, I moved off, as directed, toward the river, but ere I had gone more than 300 yards, I was ordered by General Heth to take the brigade back to the support of those who were acting as rear guard; and, having done so, I took a position on the right of the center, which point appeared to be threatened, but was immediately ordered by General Heth to form the brigade on the extreme left; and having formed the brigade, as directed, by moving there in quick time (being informed that that point was threatened), I found the men were quite exhausted from pressure of heat, want of sleep, want of food, and the fatigue of marching; and at this very moment I found the troops on our right giving way, whereupon I sent Lieutenant [J. D.] Young, acting aide-de-camp, to rally them, which he did after some time. Then I was ordered to join on their right, and, while making a move to this effect, ere we had come to the top of the hill on which they were, I rode forward, and saw the whole line in full retreat some 200 or 300 yards to my rear; the enemy were pursuing, and directly between me and the bridge.

The move, I understand since, was made by order, but I received no such orders, in consequence of which I was cut off. But I filed directly to the rear, and struck the river some three-quarters of a mile above the bridge, and then marched down the river; but the enemy had penetrated the woods, and struck the river between us and the bridge, and so cut off many of our men who were unwilling to try to pass, and captured many more who failed from mere exhaustion; so in this unfortunate circumstance we lost nearly 200 men.

Having recrossed the Potomac, we moved, as did the division, without any engagement until we came to Culpeper Court-House, Va., where the Thirty-fourth was engaged in a skirmish with the enemy's cavalry on August 1. Our loss, 3 wounded and some missing.

In all this campaign, the men endured with their usual forbearance, and bore all their trials and privations without a murmur. It is proper to mention the conduct of Captain [Hugh L.] Guerrant, assistant adjutant and inspector general, Adjutant [D. M.] McIntire, acting assistant adjutant-general, and Lieutenant Young, acting aide-de-camp, who on all occasions rendered their services indispensable.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully,

WM. L. J. LOWRANCE,

Colonel Thirty-fourth North Carolina Troops, Comdg. Brigade.