Philip A. Work 1st Texas Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia
GNMP
Report of Lieutenant Colonel P. A. Work, First Texas Infantry.
July 9, 1863
SIR: The following is submitted as a report of the part sustained by the First Texas Regiment in the engagement of Thursday, July 2, near Gettysburg, Pa., to wit:
The regiment, together with the brigade, having been ordered forward to the attack about 4 p. m., continued to advance by the front for a distance exceeding half a mile, the Fourth Texas upon the right and the Third Arkansas upon the left, when Company I, commanded by Lieutenant J. H. Wooters, and thrown out as skirmishers, engaged the skirmishers of the enemy, driving them back upon a regiment supporting the enemy's battery, and then, aided by volunteers from this (First Texas) regiment, engaging the regiment and artillery, succeeded in driving back the regiment and silencing the enemy's guns, taking and holding possession of the latter.
While this regiment was closely following our skirmishers, and had reached to within about 125 yards of the enemy's artillery, the Third Arkasansas Regiment, upon my left, became hotly engaged with a strong force of the enemy upon its front and, left, and, to preserve and protect its left flank, was forced to retire to a point some 75 or 100 yards to my rear and left, thus leaving my left flank uncovered and exposed, to protect which I halted, and threw out upon my left and rear Company G, commanded by Lieutenant B. A. Campbell (some 40 men), which soon engaged the enemy and drove them from their threatening position to my left and the front of the Third Arkansas. It was while in the execution of this order that Lieutenant Campbell, a brave and gallant office, fell, pierced through the heart.
Owing to the failure (as informed by Brigadier-General Robertson) of the troops that were assigned to the position on the left of this (Robertson's) brigade to arrive promptly, neither this nor the Third Arkansas Regiment was able to advance, without advancing against a vastly superior force, and with the left flank of the Third Arkansas (protecting my left) exposed to attack.
After the lapse of several minutes, Benning's brigade made its appearance, but instead of occupying the ground to the left of Robertson's brigade, so as to enable the latter to move forward with its left flank secured from attack, it occupied the ground still occupied by a portion, at least, of this brigade, the Fifteenth Georgia Regiment falling in and remaining with the First Texas Regiment. After several ineffectual efforts upon the part of both the commanders of the Fifteenth Georgia and myself to separate the men of the two regiments, we gave the order to move forward, when both regiments, thus commingled, moved forward and occupied the crest of the hill, some 100 yards or more to the front, and where the enemy's artillery was stationed, where we remained until the close of the day and until 2 o'clock on Friday morning.
During the evening of the 2d, an incessant fire was kept up by this regiment, and the enemy was several times repulsed in their efforts to retake the hill. My position was such that I was enabled to pour a deadly enfilading fire into the enemy as they advanced trough a wheat-field to attack the troops in position on my left, and I have not a doubt that this fire contributed greatly to the repulse of the forces of the enemy attacking our forces some 300 to 500 yards on my left.
Once during the evening the troops upon my left were driven back, and my left was exposed, when, directing Capt. H. E. Moss, Company D, to take charge of the colors, and retaining them there with a few men to hold the hill until the regiment should safety retire, I ordered the regiment to fall back to a stone fence about 100 yards in rear. The major portion of the regiment and Fifteenth Georgia fell back, as ordered, but quite a large number, having noticed that the colors were not moving to the rear, refused to withdraw, and remaining upon the crest of the hill, succeeded in holding the enemy in check in their immediate front, and obliquely upon their front and left, until the troops upon my left had been reformed and were again advanced, when I directed Major F. S. Bass to return to the crest of the hill with the body of the regiment and, with Captain D. K. Rice, of Company C, proceeded myself to collect together all fugitives, slightly wounded, and exhausted men, and placed them so as to protect my right and rear from an attack from that quarter, one of my advanced scouts in that direction having reported to me that a column of the enemy was moving down a ravine or hollow and threatening me in that quarter.
Having made every disposition to guard my right and rear, I placed Captain D. K. Rice in charge of such defense, and proceeded to the Third Arkansas Regiment, of which General Robertson had order me to take charge. After the loss of some half hour in searching for the Third Arjabsaskm I found Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor and Major Reedy, of that regiment, both alive and uninjured, and in charge of the regiment which was doing its duty nobly and well.
Late in the evening, a terrific fire of artillery was concetreted against the hill occupied by this (the First) regiment, and many were killed and wounded, some losing their heads, and others so horribly mutilated and mangled that their identity could scarcely be established; but, notwithstanding this, all the men continued heroically and unflinchingly to maintain their position.
Immediately after dark, having detailed Companies E and I for the purpose, I sent three pieces of the artillery captured to the rear. There were there other pieces - two at one point and one at another-that I was unable to remove, for the reason that they were located between the lines of the enemy and our own, and were so much exposed that they could not be approached expecting under a murderous fire. While they could not be removed by me, neither could they be approached by the enemy, to the same fire that drove the artillerists from their guns and the infantry from their support was everyone readiness to keep them in check and drive them back.
With but two exceptions, to wit, Private [Richard] Childers, of Company E, and Private [W. F.] Brooks, Company K, each and every man of the regiment proved himself a hero. Hundreds might be mentioned, each of whom with reason and propriety might point to his gallant acts and daring deeds, and the lieutenant-colonel commanding feels that he cannot call attention to the bearing of a few only of these without doing some share of injustice to those not mentioned; and though he is urgent to mention the names of Privates [W. Y.] Salter, Company I, [J. N.] Kirksey and [G.] Barfield, Company B, and [W. J.] Barbee, Company L, for great and striking gallantry, and does mention them, he feels that he is neglecting others of equal merit. Private Barbee, though a mounted courier, acting for Major-General Hood, entered the ranks of his company (L), and fourth through the engagement. At one time he mounted a rock upon the highest pinnacle of the hill, and there, exposed to a raking, deadly fire from artillery and musketry, stood until he had fired twenty-five shots, when he received a Minie ball wound in the right thigh, and fell.
Having exhausted their original supply of ammunition, the men supplied themselves from the cartridge-boxes of their dead and disabled comrades and from the dead and wounded of the enemy, frequently going in front of the hill to secure a cartridge-box. Many of the officers threw aside their swords, seized a rifle, and going into the ranks, fought bravely and nobly.
The regiment lost in killed, 25, in wounded, 48 and missing, 20, a list of the names of whom, giving the company and character of wound of those wounded, is hereto annexed as part of this report.
Respectfully submitted.
P. A. WORK,
Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding First Texas Regiment.
N. B. -I would state that Capt. John R. Woodward, of Company G, entered the engagement as acting major in charge of the left wing early in the engagement. He was wounded in the head by the fragment of a shell, and was borne from the field.
[P. S.]-In addition to the above report, I have the following to submit: During the evening of Friday, July 2, Company I, compamanded by Lieutenant [J. R.] Loughridge, having become separated from the Fourth Texas Regiment, of which it was a part attached itself to the First Texas Regiment, and remained with it throughout the evening and night, until the latter was moved to the position occupied by the brigade on July 3, doing its full duty and batting bravely.
