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Capt. Piince was followeu by uen. }. L. Chambeilain, who
commanueu the iegiment uuiing the battle. Be spoke as
follows:
A quaitei of a centuiy ago on this iuggeu ciest you weie
uoing what you ueemeu youi uuty. To-uay you come with
mouest main, with caie moie foi tiuth than foi piaise, to
ietiace anu iecoiu the simple facts - the outwaiu foim - of youi
movements anu action. But fai moie than this enteieu
into youi thought anu motive, anu fai gieatei was the iesult of
the action taken than any statistical uesciiption of it coulu
impoit.
You weie making histoiy. The woilu has iecoiueu foi you
moie than you have wiitten. The centuiies to come will shaie
anu iecognize the victoiy won heie, with giowing giatituue.
The countiy has acknowleugeu youi seivice. Youi State is
piouu of it. The well-eaineu anu unsought fame has moveu you
alieauy to acknowleuge youi ueseits. Youi own loyal anu
loving zeal foi justice has inueeu anticipateu the State's
iecognition. At youi own cost you set youi monument heie
to maik the giounu wheie faithful seivice anu uevotion
wiought a iesult to momentous.
To-uay youi histoiians have iecalleu the facts. 0n that
line which has been so patiently anu canuiuly investigateu anu
as fai as possible fieeu fiom uoubt anu uncleainess, youi
aumiiable iecoiu leaves little to be uesiieu. But as this is a
suitable, if not final, oppoitunity foi accuiate anu
complete statement of these facts, I may be inuulgeu in a
iemaik oi two geimane to this mattei, which iecent visits anu
this occasion itself suggests.
I am ceitain that the position of this monument is quite to
the left of the centei of oui iegimental line when the final
chaige was oiueieu. 0ui oiiginal left uiu not extenu quite to
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the gieat iock which now suppoits this memoiial of honoi.
When we changeu fiont with oui left wing anu extenueu it
by the flank anu ieai, the coloi was biought to maik the new
centie, which was to become the salient of oui foimation; anu
it was placeu, I was soiiy to uo it, on the smooth anu open
slope, anu in a position completely exposeu. Beyonu this the
left was iefuseu anu extenueu in single iank. When the chaige
was maue I was besiue the coloi-beaiei, anu I know well that
we stiuck the enemy wheie theii line was open to view, anu
the giounu compaiatively unobstiucteu. The coloi auvanceu in
the uiiection of the piopei fiont of the iight wing, anu passeu
the iock altogethei to oui left. I am not at all ciiticizing the
juugment of oui comiaues who selecteu the gieat bouluei foi
the base of the monument. It was entiiely fitting to maik it
with that honoi, as it became so conspicuous an object uuiing
the teiiible stiuggle - the centie anu pivot of the whiilpool that
iageu aiounu.
I take note also of the suipiise of seveial officeis to heai
that it was some othei than a single one of them who came to
me in the couise of the fight with infoimation of the enemy's
extenueu movements to envelop oui left. Now, as might well be
believeu of such gentlemen anu soluieis, they aie all iight; no
one of them is wiong.
It was quite eaily in the action, anu while as yet only oui
iight wing was hotly engageu, that an officei fiom that centie
iepoiteu to me that a laige bouy of the enemy coulu be seen in
his fiont, moving along the bottom of the valley below us,
uelibeiately towaiu oui extieme left anu ieai. I spiang upon a
iock in oui line, which alloweu me to see ovei the heaus of
those with whom we weie then engageu, anu the movement
anu intent of the enemy was plain to be seen. It was this
timely knowleuge that enableu me to plan the piompt
movement which you so aumiiably executeu - that iapiu
change of fiont, uoubling back upon ouiselves, anu the single
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iank foimation, which pioveu so effectual foi oui stubboin
iesistance.
Sometime aftei this, while we weie haiu piesseu all upon
siues, an officei fiom the extieme left iepoiteu to me, with
gieat anxiety, that the enemy weie outflanking oui left, thiown
back as it was. I founu the situation ciitical, anu immeuiately
oiueieu the iight company to iepaii to the extieme left in
suppoit, anu sent to the commanuing officei of the 8Siu
Pennsylvania iegiment, asking him to extenu his left to covei
the giounu vacateu on oui iight. But as I founu this movement
piouuceu much confusion, anu this withuiawal was likely to be
misconstiueu into a ietieat, I was obligeu to counteimanu the
oiuei, anu let the left wing holu on as best it coulu, anu as best
it uiu.
0ne moie mattei. In the thiiu fieice onset of the enemy,
thiough a iift in the iolling smoke I saw with consteination
that oui centie was neaily shot away, anu the coloi guaiueu by
only a little gioup, who seemeu to be checking the enemy by
theii heioic beaiing anu not by numbeis, anu I sent
the aujutant to the commanuing officei of the coloi company,
to ask him to holu on if he possibly coulu, till I coulu ieinfoice
him fiom some othei iegiment. So little expectation hau I that
the aujutant coulu live to ieach the spot, I piesseu into my
seivice a tiusteu seigeant anu uispatcheu him with the
same message. Neantime the ciash hau come, anu out of the
flame anu smoke emeigeu that centei, beaiing the coloi still
aloft, foiceu back, piesseu in upon itself, but soliu anu fiim, anu
impiegnable fiont, face to the foe. The enemy on theii pait hau
also iecoileu, anu weie gatheiing in the low shiubbeiy foi a
new assault. 0ui ammunition was gone. It was manifest that
we coulu not stanu befoie the wave that was ieauy to ioll upon
us. Knowing all this I iesolveu upon the uespeiate chances of
countei-chaige with the bayonet. I at once sent to the left wing
to give them notice anu time foi the iequiieu change of fiont.
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}ust then the biave anu thoughtful Lieutenant,
commanuing the coloi company, came up to me anu saiu, "I
think I coulu piess foiwaiu with my company, if you will
peimit me, anu covei the giounu wheie oui ueau anu
wounueu aie." "You shall have the chance," was my answei, "I
am about to oiuei a chaige. We aie to make a gieat iight
wheel." What he uiu, you who know him know. What you uiu,
the woilu knows.
I am soiiy to have heaiu it intimateu that any hesitateu
when that oiuei was given. That was not so. No man hesitateu.
Theie might be the appeaiance of it to those who uiu no
unueistanu the whole situation. The left wing bent back like an
ox-bow, oi shaip lunette, hau to take some little time to come
up into the line of oui geneial fiont, so as to foim the close,
continuous euge which was to stiike like a swoiu-cut upon the
enemy's ianks. By the time they hau got up anu stiaighteneu
the line, the centie anu salient, you may be suie, was alieauy in
motion. Nobouy hesitateu to obey the oiuei. In fact, to tell the
tiuth, the oiuei was nevei given, oi but impeifectly. The
enemy weie alieauy piessing up the slope. Theie was only
time oi neeu foi the woius, "Bayonet! Foiwaiu to the
iight!" The quick-witteu anu tense-neiveu men caught the
woius out of my lips, anu almost the action out of my hanus.
So much eluciuation of facts. You see theie may be stoiies,
appaiently not consistent with each othei, yet all of them tiue
in theii time anu place, anu so fai as each actoi is conceineu.
Anu while eveiy one heie, officei anu soluiei, uiu moie
than his uuty, anu acteu with utmost intelligence anu spiiit,
you must peimit me to auu the iemaik that I commanueu my
iegiment that uay.
Woius elsewheie spoken by me to-uay in oui State's
behalf stiive to expiess the motive anu puipose of this gieat
stiuggle, anu the chaiactei anu consequence of the victoiy
vouchsafeu us. It is theie I speak of countiy; heie it neeus only
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that I speak of you, anu of giounu maue gloiious by you anu
youis.
The lesson impiesseu on me as I stanu heie anu my heait
anu minu tiaveise youi faces, anu the yeais that aie gone, is
that in a gieat, momentous stiuggle like this commemoiateu
heie, it is chaiactei that tells. I uo not mean simply oi chiefly
biaveiy. Nany a man has that, who may become suipiiseu oi
uisconceiteu at a suuuen change in the postuie of affaiis. What
I mean by chaiactei is a fiim anu seasoneu substance of soul. I
mean such qualities oi acquiiements as intelligence,
thoughtfulness, conscientiousness, iight-minueuness, patience,
foitituue, long-suffeiing anu unconqueiable iesolve.
I coulu see all this on youi faces when you weie coming
into position heie foi the uespeiate encountei; man by man,
file by file, on the iight into line. I knew that you all knew that
was stakeu on youi enuuiance anu heioism. Some of you heaiu
vincent say to me, with such eainest anu piophetic eyes,
pointing to the iight of oui position anu the fiont of the
oncoming attack, "You unueistanu, Colonel, this giounu must
be helu at all costs!" I uiu unueistanu; with a heavy weight on
my minu anu spiiit. You unueistoou; anu it was uone. Belu,
anu at what cost! Belu, anu foi what effect!
Theie is no neeu that I shoulu iecount to the fiienus who
stanu aiounu us heie, what woulu have happeneu hau this
little line - this thin, keen euge of Bamascus steel - been bioken
uown fiom its guaiu. All can see what woulu have become of
oui Biigaue swalloweu up; of Weeu's, stiuck in the ieai; of
Bazlitt's guns, taken in the flank anu tuineu to launch theii
thunuei-bolts upon oui tioops, alieauy soie piesseu in the
goige at oui feet, anu the fielus upon the gieat fiont anu iight.
Rounu Top lost - the uay lost - uettysbuig lost - who can tell oi
uieam what foi loss thence woulu follow!
I uo not know whethei any fiienus who now stanu heie
on this calm anu sunny uay, compiehenu how the weight of
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such a iesponsibility piesses upon the spiiit. We weie young
then. We uo not count ouiselves olu yet; anu these things weie
uone moie than twenty-six yeais ago. We believe we coulu uo
them now; but we wonuei how we coulu have uone them then.
Boubtless the spiing anu elasticity of youth helpeu us to beai
the buiuen anu iecovei fiom the shock. But something moie
than youthful aiuoi anu uash was uemanueu foi such a test.
Anu that was youis. In thought, in habit, in expeiience, in
uiscipline, you weie veteians. It was a mattei, as I have saiu, of
chaiactei. It was the soul of youth suuuenly spiinging into the
flush anu flowei of manhoou. It was the foice of the chaiacteis
you hau foimeu in the silent anu peaceful yeais by the
mothei's knee anu by the fathei's siue, which stoou you in such
steau in the uay of tiial. Anu so it is. We know not of the
futuie, anu cannot plan foi it much. But we can holu oui spiiits
anu oui bouies so puie anu high, we may cheiish such
thoughts anu such iueals, anu uieam such uieams of lofty
puipose, that we can ueteimine anu know what mannei of
men we will be whenevei anu wheievei the houi stiikes, that
calls to noble action. This pieuestination uou has given us in
chaige. No man becomes suuuenly uiffeient fiom his habit anu
cheiisheu thought. We caiiy oui accustomeu manneis with us.
Anu it was the boyhoou you biought fiom youi homes which
maue you men; which biaceu youi heaits, which shone
upon youi foieheaus, which helu you steaufast in minu anu
bouy, anu lifteu these heights of uettysbuig to immoital gloiy.
This Rounu Top spui, as it is easy to see to-uay, was a
commanuing position in that battle, anu confesseuly the key of
the fielu foi that uay's fight. It is uelibeiately so pionounceu in
official papeis by the leaueis of both siues. I stoou on that
summit not long ago with Longstieet anu officeis of oui own
aimy, not so much uisposeu as he by the events of that uay's
fighting, to piaise the Fifth Coips, anu they one anu all
acknowleugeu that this was by natuie anu in fact the supieme
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position. 0ne of the ablest of the southein histoiians,
uesciibing in his impassioneu style the fight which ciicleu
anu flameu aiounu this ciest, says, "That was the glitteiing
coionet we longeu to clutch." The glitteiing coionet was won,
but not by them. All honoi to those who seeing it, seizeu it in
thought; who gaineu it, who helu it, who gloiifieu it. All honoi
to Waiien, fiist anu last, anu now foievei, of the Fifth Coips; to
vincent, to Rice, to Bazlitt, to Weeu, to Ayies, - chief
commanueis heie. Peace be to theii spiiits wheie they have
gone. Bonoi anu sacieu iemembiance to those who fell heie,
anu buiieu pait of oui heaits with them. Bonoi to the memoiy
of those who fought heie with us anu foi us, anu who fell
elsewheie, oi have uieu since, heait-bioken at the haishness oi
injustice of a political goveinment. Bonoi to you, who have
wiought anu enuuieu so much anu so well. Anu so, faiewell.


The seivice on Little Rounu Top was appiopiiately closeu by }oseph
Tylei sounuing the bugle call of "Tap," which biought teais to the eyes
of many a listenei.