From our website at battleofgettysburgbuff/: The U.S. Regulars While they may not have played a large role in one of the more well-known phases of the battle, the bravery and sacrifices of the two infantry brigades of U.S. Regulars in General Romeyn B. Ayres’ Second Division of General George Sykes’ Union V Corps on July 2 should not be overlooked or forgotten. The First Brigade, commanded by Colonel Hannibal Day, consisted of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, 4th U.S. Infantry Regiment, 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment, 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment, and 14th U.S. Infantry Regiment. The Second Brigade, commanded by Colonel Sidney Burbank, consisted of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment, 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment, 10th U.S. Infantry Regiment, 11th U.S. Infantry Regiment, and 17th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Comprised of relatively small regiments (the 10th U.S. Infantry Regiment only had 3 Companies, and two other regiments only had 4 Companies), the two brigades moved from their initial position on the northern slope of Little Round Top to Houck’s Ridge on the eastern edge of and then into the Wheatfield to support General John C. Caldwell’s Division of the Union II Corps. Encountering four brigades of Confederate infantry on their front and both flanks, the two brigades of U.S. Regulars eventually began to fall back as if on drill, stopping at intervals to turn around and return fire as they slowly and methodically retreated to their initial position on the northern slope of Little Round Top. When it was all said and done, these two brigades of U.S. Regulars totaling approximately 2,600 soldiers suffered roughly 800 casualties in about an hour. One Union soldier in a nearby state volunteer regiment is reported to have once said something like “For two years, the Regulars taught us how to act like soldiers. At Gettysburg, they showed us how to die like soldiers. My great-great-grandfather was a Private in Company A of the 12th U.S. Infantry and was shot through both thighs that afternoon.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:33:18 +0000
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