Philadelphia Brigade Association

“ General Meade’s order to Haskell was so sedately humorous as to leave us in doubt as to whether the First Lieutenant and his horse alone were to charge the enemy’s flanks, or for Lieutenant Napoleon Wellington Haskell to order the First, Eleventh and Twelfth Corps to charge his left flank, and the Third, Fifth and Sixth Corps his right flank, while Haskell and Dick swept his centre from the field. ”

“ Haskell’s book. For however good Haskell’s record as a soldier is, yet the fact must clearly appear to every intelligent mind that a man who would speak falsely of his superior officers and even go so far—at least in one case (Sickles) —as to bring to life out of the long dead past, a sad, sad epoch, which was no fault of his—displays in such writing [Pg 33] a spirit unworthy of any American; and his self laudation of what he did—would cause anyone who was ever on a field of battle to use one of Haskell’s expressions, “Bah.” ”

“ As Haskell has been dead for more than 45 years, and the foul slanders were made public by the Wisconsin History Commission in November, 1908, defaming President Lincoln, Generals Sickles, Howard, Doubleday, Barlow, Schurz, Geary, Webb, Banes and other officers, and thousands of brave soldiers, it certainly does look to the Comrades of the Philadelphia Brigade as though the Wisconsin History fully endorsed everything that Haskell wrote. ”

“ Like Haskell, “A great, magnificent passion came on them that seemingly sublimed every sense and faculty—when, great heavens! their senses mad,” the Battle of Gettysburg, by Frank Aretas Haskell, First Lieutenant, Sixth Wisconsin Infantry, was “published under the auspices of the Commandery of the State of Massachusetts, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and the Wisconsin History Commission.” ”

“ The loss was forty-three officers and four hundred and fifty-two men, and only forty-seven were missing. The conduct of this Brigade was most satisfactory.’”
Compare the calm, temperate, lucid, truthful and dignified statement of Colonel Banes, who, as the Adjutant of the Philadelphia (Webb’s) Brigade, was more familiar with its every movement than any officer or private soldier could possibly be; a statement prepared with [Pg 24] deliberation by a man of mature years, and ripened judgment, with that of the raving, distracted, ridiculous utterances of the youthful Lieut. ”

“ GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD DISPATCHES.
From official dispatches sent from Headquarters, Army of the Potomac, to the War Department, during the progress of the third day’s fighting, which were given out to the Associated Press about midnight, being held back until assured that the Union Army was victorious.
“Gettysburg, July 3d, 3 P. M.—A great attack is now being made on our left center by a powerful column of Rebels. We can see them advancing in hosts. Their lines are half a mile in length. They have to march a mile before they can strike a line. ”

“ Rifles, bayonets and clubbed muskets are freely used, and men on both sides rapidly fall.
“This struggle lasts but a few moments, when the enemy in the front throw down their arms, and rushing through the line of the Seventy-second, hasten to the rear as prisoners without a guard, while others of the column who might have escaped, unwilling to risk a retreat over the path by which they came, surrendered. The battle is over, the last attack of Lee at Gettysburg is repulsed, and the highest wave of the Rebellion has reached its farthest limit, ever after to recede. ”

“ Sheaves of battle flags and thousands of small arms are being gathered in by our men. The rejoicing among our men is indescribable.”
“Gettysburg, July 3d, 5 P. M.—Our victory is more complete than we could dare hope for. An immense column of the enemy, at least 20,000 strong, attacked our left center and were utterly destroyed by our fire. The column consisted of Longstreet’s Corps, and but few of them are left. Nearly all were either killed, wounded, or are now prisoners in our hands. I hear that Hancock, Gibbon and Webb are severely wounded. The Philadelphia Brigade is almost destroyed. ”

“ The advance companies of the Seventy-first are literally crowded out of their places by the enemy, and, with one company of the Sixty-ninth, they form with the remainder of Colonel Smith’s command at the stone fence. At the same instant Colonel Hall’s Third Brigade and the regiments of the First under Devereaux and other officers, as if by instinct, rush to Webb’s assistance, while Colonel Stannard moves two regiments of the Vermont Brigade to strike the attacking column in the flank. ”

“ Cushing obtained volunteers from the Brigade, who served the guns until Cushing was killed.
“Webb’s Brigade, called the Philadelphia Brigade, was originally commanded by Col. E. D. Baker, who was killed at Ball’s Bluff. It was the Second Brigade, Second Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, and forms the prominent feature in Rothermel’s painting of the Battle of Gettysburg.” ”

“ That portion of the field lying between Granite and Seminary Ridge being an open plain without trees or shelter, the contests of our skirmishers were literally a series of duels fought with rifles at an easy range.
“‘The enemy made the assault on the 2d at about six and a half P. M. Their line of battle advanced beyond one gun of Brown’s Battery, receiving at that point the fire of the 69th, of the 71st, advanced to the support of the 69th, of the 72d and of the 106th, which had previously been moved to the left by command of General Hancock. ”

“ Armistead fell only a few yards in front of the 72d Regiment.
“With the exception of a slight change of position of the left wing of the 71st Regiment, the Brigade not only held its position, but advanced and captured several colors, and the prisoners taken exceeded in number what was left of the Brigade, which lost nearly fifty per cent. in killed and wounded—the killed and wounded of the 72d was over fifty per cent.
“Cushing’s Battery, which was attached to the Brigade, was served until men were not left sufficient to work the guns. ”

“ The [Pg 6] unreliability of Lieut. Haskell as a writer of military matters was equaled only by the egotism of the youthful Lieutenant. Thus this reckless First Lieutenant wrote of General Howard and General Doubleday, and thus he maligned the brave men of the Eleventh Corps:
“The two divisions of the Eleventh Corps commanded, by Generals Schurz and Barlow, making but feeble opposition to the advancing enemy, soon began to fall back. ”

“ It consisted of the 69th, 71st, 72d, and 106th Regiments of Pennsylvania Volunteers. The command had from the first enrollment until the muster out 350 field, staff and line officers, and over 6,000 non-commissioned officers and privates. The officers and men of the regiments were equal in courage, endurance and discipline to the best commands of the army, and their soldierly bearing on the march and in battle helped to make the history of the Army of the Potomac. ”

“ When these agents of destruction commenced their horrid work, no portion of the line, from the front to a point far in the rear of the Taneytown Road, afforded any protection against their fury. Men who had been struck while serving the guns and were limping towards the hospital, were frequently wounded again before they had gone a hundred yards. ”

“ Struck repeatedly, his right thigh had been ripped open in a ghastly manner by a piece of shell, and three bullets were lodged deep in his body, and from his wounds the blood oozed and ran down his sides and legs, and with [Pg 8] the sweat formed a bloody foam. ”

“ At early dawn on July 2d Hancock’s Corps was moved forward about four miles, and at 6.30 A. M. was placed in position on Cemetery Ridge. The Third Division (Hayes) , on the right, connecting with the left of Howard’s Eleventh Corps; the First Division (Caldwell’s) , [Pg 26] on the left, connecting with the right of Sickles, Third Corps, and the Second Division (Gibbon) , in the centre, and Haskell started in early on the second day to catch fame, and thus, according to his own “Narrative,” he succeeded:
“A bullet entered the chest of my horse, ‘Billy,’ just in front of my left leg ”