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| Major James Cromwell - 124th New York |
Major
James Cromwell was 23 years old as he assisted in leading the 124th
New York “Orange Blossoms” toward the tiny crossroads town of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was beloved by his men and marked as a
young officer of great promise in the Army of the Potomac. The
regiment's Colonel, Augustus Van Horne Ellis, at the age of 36, had a
good deal of adventurous experience before the war and was not one to
back away from a fight. He was a sea captain on the west coast and
also befriended the King of Hawaii. Soon after the start of their
blossoming friendship Ellis was offered the position of head of the
Hawaiian Navy...that is until he found out they had no vessels.
The
124th
New York had been in the service of the United States since September
of 1862 and was lightly engaged in their first campaign at
Fredericksburg. The following spring at Chancellorsville the
regiment lost over 200 men and were in the thickest of the fight.
This hardening experience provided the men of the 124th
a taste of that fatal type of contact with the enemy that festers in
the mind for years after the conflict. Although a terrible price for
any regiment, the experience would pay dividends in their next combat
venture.
July
1st,
1863 found the regiment on the march towards the destination by which
the rest of the army was pacing itself in the fastest possible
manner, Gettysburg. The Union First and Eleventh Corps had opened
the battle with General Lee west and north of the town, buying time
with lives. Finally forced to fall back, Union troops reformed on
the high ground south of town, making the most defensible terrain in
that part of Central Pennsylvania their bastion.
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| Colonel Augustus Van Horne Ellis - 124th New York |
The
124th
New York arrived with the rest of Ward's Third Corps Brigade on the
evening of the 1st.
After a morning of confused dispositions on the part of their corps
commander, General Daniel Sickles, they moved west towards a new
position cresting the south end of Houck's Ridge around 2PM. The
regiment was placed in support of Smith's New York Batter above
Devils Den. The regiment to their left (4th
Maine) was the extreme left of the Federal Army at Gettysburg.
Around 4PM, General James Longstreet launched his audacious assault
on the Union left flank. Colonel Ellis, Major Cromwell and the men
of the 124th
could see the tidal wave about to strike them as it swept off the
ridge in their front. Berdan's Sharpshooters fell back in their
front, fighting all the way. Smith's 4 guns in front of the New
Yorkers belched their deadly iron towards the advancing Rebel ranks.
The
first hard contact reached the right of the 124th
New York in front of the 20th
Indiana. Major Cromwell went over to Colonel Ellis and asked if he
might be given permission to make a charge and knock the Confederates
of Robertson's Brigade off course. Ellis denied this request
preferring to await the time when the enemy was within range. As the
Confederates drew nearer, Cromwell sensed the urgency in an effort
that might drive the momentum from the foe. He again approached
Ellis for permission to charge the enemy in their front, meanwhile
the 1st
Texas under Colonel Philip Work inched closer and closer to their
line under the deadly missiles of Smith's Battery until they reached
a point by which Smith's guns could not depress their muzzles
sufficiently to render any more damage.
Finally
Ellis decided that the time had come and he gave Major Cromwell
permission to lead an advance. Ellis and Cromwell both donned steeds
for the attack to the protests of many of their men. The commander
of the right wing of the regiment, Lt. Colonel Francis Cummins
remained on foot, but was soon felled by shrapnel from an exploding
shell. Cromwell continued to carry out the assault. The attack was
very successful and Ellis proudly watched as Cromwell led the left
portion of the regiment into the advancing Texans, driving them forth
in their own powerful tidal wave.
As
the Rebels began to scatter, victory, even if temporary, seemed near
and at that moment a small band of the enemy unleashed a volley.
With shouts of triumph on his lips, down went the gallant Major
Cromwell, shot through the heart at the age of 23 years. Many of the
men were horrified that their beloved leader had fallen and turned
into ferocious beasts. Colonel Ellis screamed above the noise, “My
God! My God men! Your Major's down; save him! Save him!”
With
that the energy of the men in the ranks swelled and they started
pouring a devastating volley into the Texans. At that moment Colonel
Ellis was directing the fire of his boys when a minie ball came
crashing through his brain. The firefight turned vicious for both
Federal and Confederate troops and then the 44th
Alabama showed up on the regiment's left flank. Colonel William
Perry ordered the left half of his regiment to wheel up over Devil's
Den and the right half up the Plum Run Valley. This they did with
fearful execution.
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| Monument to the 124th New York - Erected in 1884, the first monument to a New York Regiment |
The
124th
New York was forced to fall back towards Smith's guns now under the
command of a captain with all their colonel, lieutenant colonel and
major all down. They retreated all the way back to the south edge of
Rose's Woods. Finally to their appeal, help arrived in the form of
the 99th
Pennsylvania under Major John Moore. At the same time, the regiment
that was holding the left flank of the brigade, the 4th
Maine, finally was able to reform and charged up the north slope of
Houck's Ridge above the Den to reclaim the lost territory. The
combination of Maine and Pennsylvania men helped to re-stabilize the
line for a short period.
Eventually
though, the Confederate numbers would tell and Ward's Brigade,
including the remnants of the “Orange Blossoms,” were forced to
withdrawal. The cost to the regiment in those left on the field was
35 men killed, 58 wounded, and 5 missing of the 238 men that went
into battle on July Second. Even worse, the regiment's command
structure was totally destroyed and their beloved leaders had
breathed their last.
Today on the south end of Houck's Ridge stands
a monument to the 124th
New York. It was the first monument placed to honor a regiment from
the state of New York. The crowning feature is a very life-like full
casting of Colonel Augustus Van Horne Ellis, permanently watching
over the fields upon which the enemy came charging nearly 150 years
ago. One of the persisting Gettysburg legends is that the rock upon
which the regimental monument stands is where the bodies of Ellis and
Cromwell were taken in the midst of the fight.
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| Veterans of the 124th New York attend the dedication of their monument on Houck's Ridge - 1884 |
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