THE BUCKTAILS AT GETTYSBURG
by
MICHELLE DORN
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It is a simple monument, nestled on a
slight rise in a stand of trees. At first glance, the granite soldier leaning on his gun
with his face turned to the enemy no longer visible seems similar to a great many others
that dot the landscape of the Gettysburg Battlefield. On closer inspection, there is one
aspect of his attire that catches the visitor's eye: a deer's tail jauntily affixed to the
side of his cap. This is no ordinary soldier. This is a Bucktail, a member of one of the
most colorful units to fight in the Civil War.
On April 15, 1861. President Lincoln called for 75.000 three month volunteers
to combat a "rising rebellion". Thomas L. Kane, an abolitionist lawyer from
Pennsylvania, was at his home in Philadelphia, taking a break from his railroad and mining
interests, when the call came. The adventurous young man immediately wired Governor
Andrew Curtin with this message: "Will you accept a Company of horse to be raised by
me in Elk and McKean Counties. I can leave tonight and bring down my men in a week. My
offer of service is unconditional."
His offer was accepted, and by April 17th he was in Smethport, Pennsylvania
recruiting men from McKean, Cameron, and Elk counties. He chose this area to recruit
because he was familiar with it and the unusual breed of men who resided there. They were
"used to taking care of themselves, accustomed to handling guns. familiar with the
atmosphere of forests, dogged and determined in character and possessed of strong, rugged
physiques through their outdoor existence:" As if Kane's electric personality wasn't
enough, patriotic fervor ran high due to the announcement of the recent firing on Fort
Sumter.
Kane eventually ended up with 315 men
who would incorporate into a three brigade system of 1.165 soldiers. Of the thirteen
regiments of infantry spread throughout these brigades, only one, the 13th was a rifle
regiment. The 1st Pennsylvania Rifles obtained their famous sobriquet of
"Bucktails" even before they began their service in the Union army. Recruit
James Landregan stood outside the Smethport courthouse when he looked across the street
and noticed a freshly killed deer hanging in the window of the butcher shop. For a reason
known only to him. he sauntered over to the shop, removed the tail, and affixed it to his
cap. Kane, when he saw the emblem, decided to call his unit of tough woodsmen the
"Bucktails". Each man was to have his own bucktail, taken from a deer he
personally slew. A less common name for the regiment was the "Bucktailed
Wildcats" as most of the men came from what was known as the Wildcat District. The
district was famous, not for the habitation of large cats. but for the boisterously savage
nature of its men, most of whom were rugged specimens over six feet tall.
The Bucktails arrived in Harrisburg and, after some
political and military wrangling. found their way into the war, fighting with distinction
at Drainesville, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill. Charles City Crossroads, Manassas, South
Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. They gained a such reputation as
excellent sharpshooters and skirmishers that Secretary of War Stanton requested an
additional brigade of Bucktails in 1862. Twenty companies were raised and formed the 149th
and 150th Pennsylvania regiments. They too called themselves the Bucktails. but their
adoption of the name and the deer tail was not taken well by the original companies, who
derisively called these upstarts the "Bogus Bucktails" or the "New
Bucktails”.
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Prior to Gettysburg their most famous
encounter was at the Battle of Harrisonburg, where they clashed with Stonewall Jackson and
Turner Ashby. killing the latter. Although outnumbered by nearly five to one, they
inflicted such high casualties that Confederate General Dick Ewell honored them by
allowing the Ist Maryland to attach a captured bucktail to their colors. At
Fredericksburg. they were one of the few bright spots for the Union army as they managed
to drive three brigades of Hill's division from their breastworks. They took a great many
casualties, and their tenacity caused a
transfer to Washington, a duty which
allowed them to rest and refit.
In late June, 1863, word came to Washington that the Confederates were amassing to
invade northern soil. Upon hearing this, the Bucktails asked their officers for permission
to rejoin the Union Fifth Corps and return to defend their native state. The march which
followed was brutal. Unaccustomed to long marches, they suffered through 80 torturous
miles in three days. There were 349 effectives when the march began; and only 297 by the
time they arrived at Gettysburg.
Finally allowed to sleep for the first
time in twenty-eight hours, their rest was uneasy. They had learned that their old
commander. John Reynolds, had been killed and that the Union had been defeated during the
first day of battle. Their former nemeses, the 149th and 150th Pennsylvania regiments had
paid the ultimate price of their life's blood to "wear the bucktail".
Whether the Bucktails would have seen
as much action as they did without General Dan Sickles' surprise move on July 2nd has long
been the subject of debate. But, as it was, the hard-headed Sickles moved his troops
forward off the upper base of Little Round Top into the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard. and
Devil's Den without approval from Union General George Meade. Generals Winfield Scott
Hancock and John Gibbon watched the suicidal movement, and Hancock laconically remarked.
"Wait a moment, they'll come tumbling back."
Tumble back they did, and Sickles' men
needed plenty of reinforcements to do it. The Bucktails were moved out of their position
on nearby Power's Hill along with the rest of Samuel Crawford's division of Pennsylvania
Reserves. They went into action along the far left of the Union fish hook line, near
Little Round Top and Devil's Den.
The Bucktails reached their destination
by following the Granite School House Lane to the Taneytown Road, where they turned south
and found an old country road which crossed over the northern slope of Round Top. They
ended up on the rear of a supporting column and deployed to the left. The Confederates in
the area, part of John Bell Hood's division, were making stubborn progress. so the
reserves were ordered closer to the front and told to fire their weapons. When the first
volley failed in its intended effect, General Crawford gave an impromptu address. Telling
the men to fix bayonets. he ordered them to charge into the valley below. a depression
now known as "The Valley of Death". These men, who had made their mark as
skirmishers and sharpshooters, charged, rivaling the Confederates by giving their
"peculiar wildcat yell".
The already exhausted rebels had
finally had enough and. after a brief rally with hand-to-hand combat, were driven from the
immediate area. The Confederates occupied the surrounding land, however, bedeviling the
stubbornly entrenched Bucktails throughout the night. Sharpshooters from Devil's Den
continued to harass the men, and shot their popular colonel as he asked the men why they
weren't firing. The Bucktails held their position through the night of July 2nd.
The next day found them in the same
defensive position. Some comic relief was provided by a German captain who had asked the
Bucktails for sup port
during the previous day. Grateful for the aid, he
stood by the stone wall near their position and proclaimed, "The
Pennsylvania Reserves saved mine pattery [sic] by
…………………………… ! I gets you fellers all drunk mit beer!"
Unfortunately they were unable to accept
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the generous
offer. as the Confederates in the Den opened up and enfiladed their position on Houck's
Ridge. Major Hartshorne of their regiment finally said, Arc you going to let those fellows
pick us off? Some of you get in there."
Asked to do
what they did best, two companies of Bucktails moved out to scout the position and offer
the needed relief. The rebels. who resented the return fire, increased their fire power to
such a level that the men were driven back. Eventually, though, after Pickett's Charge.
the Bucktails returned, charging across the Wheatficld and into Devil's Den, driving out
the men of the 15th Georgia. The Bucktails captured several cannon, 7,000 guns on a
stockpile about to be burned, and over 200 prisoners. "Damn you:" said one of
the dejected captives, "you always give us hell when you meet us."
The Bucktails
regained the land lost by Sickles at a relatively low cost, losing 48 of the 297 men who
had gone into the fight. Seven were killed, 35 wounded, and 2 missing. One of the slain
was the brave Colonel Taylor, their "gallant and brave leader".
The Bucktails
served bravely after Gettysburg, particularly in the Wilderness in May, 1864. They were
mustered out on May 30, 1864. Only 317 men were left of the original 1,165 who joined up
three years earlier. Some of them returned to their homes, while others reenlisted,
forming the 190th and 191st Pennsylvania along with
the survivors of their rivals, the 149th and 150th Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Describing
the role the Bucktails played at Gettysburg is best put into words by a former member of
the regiment when he recalled, "At Gettysburg, when Sickles' corps gave way and the
Union troops came flying up the slopes of Little Round Top, closely pursued by
Confederates. it, by a brilliant charge. drove back the enemy and secured the possession
of the battlefield to the Union army."
Sources for this article include: Coddington. Edwin.The
Gettysburg Campaign. Simon and Schuster,Inc., Touchstone Division. 1997. Original copyright.1968. Howard. O.R. and Rauch, William. History
of the Bucktails. Morningside House. 1988 Reprint. Foote. Shelby. Stars In Their
Courses. Random House. 1993 Sherry Jeffrey. "The Terrible Impetuosity".
Gettysburg Magazine, Issue 16. pages 68-80. Morningside House. 1997. Imhoff, John."Two
Roads to Gettysburg: Thomas Leiper Kane and the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves": Gettysburg Magazine. Issue 9. Morningside House. July
1993. Famous Units. Pennsylvania Bucktails.' Internet Document, http:llcivilwar.bluegrass.net/FamousUnits/pennsylvaniabucktails.htm/.
Quotes: #1Howard an Rauch. pp.6-7. #2: Imhoff p. 53. #3 Foote, .119.
#4.- Famous Units Internet article. #5:Sherry, p. 79. #6: Howard and Rauch, p. 271.
#7.Sherry. p. 80. #8: Howard and Rauch, p. vi.
Michelle Dorn, a
freelance writer and graphic artist, resides in Adams County with her husband, Bob. She
frequently eyes history through the Confederate point of view. though she
made an exception with the Bucktails
Note: The author cites Howard and Rauch---this should be Thomson & Rauch.
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