Who Engaged First?

Abstract

Who Engaged First? matter appears to increase as years roll onward, owing, no doubt, largely to the now universally conceded fact that it was upon the fi eld of Gettysburg that the crisis of resistance was passed, and the supremacy of the Union irrevocably established. Th e credit and the honor of the opening of the battle upon which hinged issues so momentous as those which presented themselves on that fi eld will scarce repeat itself in an age, not at all likely in a century, much less within the lifetime of any one individual. Th e Army of the Potomac, on that occasion, fairly symbolized the spearhead in rear of which have ever followed progress, enlightenment, and the elevation of the human race. In regard to the claims from the other arms of the service, it is generally understood that unless a battle be one confi ned to the cavalry arm it is not opened until the infantry become engaged, and taking this view of it, the honor of the opening fi re of the battle may fairly be claimed to belong to the offi cers and men of the 56th regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers,— to its offi cers and men,— not to any individual offi cer or man, as has been claimed in some instances, but to the regiment as a unit; and it was the result, in a large measure, to long, persistent, hard work, and an intelligent and cheerful concession on the part of the offi cers and men to all the discomforts imposed upon them to fi t them to give an instantaneous response when the moment for action arrived. Th eir fi re was “by battalion;” therefore, as stated, the honor belongs to no individual, but to the regiment as a unit. General Cutler, who commanded the brigade, Although the Gettysburg campaign ended in July 1863, the fi ghting did not. It merely assumed another form. One of the vehicles for continued confl ict was the National Tribune, a monthly newspaper that began publishing in 1877. Quite soon its pages included the reminiscences of former soldiers, both offi cers and men alike, especially in the “Fighting Th em Over” section in which correspondents shared their own memories and promoted their own versions of history. It did not take long for verbal jousts to emerge as the memories of the participants oft en clashed with each other on issues both large and small. One question that brought forth considerable debate was which Federal unit claimed the honor of being fi rst engaged. Th is question emerged periodically over the years, including an exchange of several letters in the summer of 1884. What prompted it is unknown since the several issues before the two letters that appeared in the March 20 issue do not appear to have mentioned it. Regardless, over the next few months several letters were exchanged by men promoting their own units. Although it was obvious that Gen. John Buford’s cavalry was the fi rst to fi re on the Rebels, most of the correspondents, like our fi rst correspondent below, discounted the cavalry’s claims, maintaining that the battle had not truly joined until the infantry became engaged. Th e fi rst was from J. William Hofmann, who had served as colonel of the Fift ySixth Pennsylvania Infantry.1