Cutler’s Brigade Led - 147th New York Infantry Regiment

By J. N. Hubbard
Co. A 7th Indiana 
National Tribune
September 1, 1910
Transcribed And Donated By Tom Ebert

J. N. Hubbard, Co. A 9th Indiana writes:

“I take issue with C. B. Bishop, Co. F, 7th Wisconsin, in two points of his letter of June 2, under caption of “The Sanguinary Struggle at Gettysburg.” He states that Cutler never commanded the Second Brigade, and that the Second Brigade was not in the van July 1, 1863. In the “History of the Army of the Potomac” J. H. Stone, the Historian of the First Corps, says: “Cutler’s Brigade has the lead, and he was directed to form his brigade on the right of the Chambersburg pike. Then he rode to the left, directed Meredith, who commanded the Iron Brigade, to face the right flank, and advance thru an oak grove to which Buford reported the enemy advancing to take possession.” Again he says “While the Iron Brigade had been successful in capturing Archer in the woods, Cutler’s brigade had suffered severely. Cutler put the brigade in line with the 76th N.Y. on the right, the 56th Pennsylvania on the left, and the 147th between on the railroad cut and the Chambersburg pike, which runs through Cashtown, where Reynolds had posted James A. Hall’s main battery.”

“The brigade was divided, and Col. E. B. Fowler was sent to the left of the railroad cut with his own regiment, the 14th Brooklyn, and the 95th N.Y., under Col. George H. Biddle. Thus five of Cutler’s regiments were in line of battle, while the remaining regiment, the 7th Indiana, under Col. Ira G. Grover, was guarding the train from Marsh Creek to Gettysburg. It was not therefore on the field on the first day of the battle.” Buell, of old Battery B, the author of the Cannoneer, also says that Cutler’s brigade had the advance on July 1, 1863, the 76th leading the brigade. This, in my opinion, settles the point, as to whether Cutler ever commanded the Second Brigade and as to the leading brigade on July 1, 1863.

I wish to make an apology to comrade A. F. Sweetland, 55th Ohio, who had a sketch in the National Tribune some time ago, criticizing my letter of September 9, 1909, in which I spoke to in praise of the Old Second Corps, mistaking his brigade of the Eleventh Corps, for one of the Second Corps at the stone wall around the cemetery on the third day. The old Eleventh Corps was a fine body of men, and did superb fighting on every battlefield except Chancellorsville, and it was no fault of the men they failed them. Had they been handled as well as the other corps the battle of Chancellorsville would have ended differently.