History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

866 SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT. 1863
through the orchard just below the Cemetery, checking the pursuit and occupying the houses on either side of the Baltimore Pike. Companies A, F and
D, under Captain D. F. Kelly, seized the house on the right of the pike; companies E and H under Captain Kennedy, a house on the left, opposite Captain
Kelly; companies B, C and K, Captains Miller and M'Govern, under Captain
John Kelly, a stone wall on the left; and companies G and I, Captains Wild
and Schaeffer, the tavern at the foot of the hill, and at the junction of the Baltimore and Emmittsburg pikes. A brisk fire was at once opened which completely
swept all the approaches, and checked the enemy's advance, the fire from the
companies behind the stone wall proving very effective. The fire from the
houses occupied, commanded the streets and tops of the buildings in the town,
and protected the cannoniers of Steinwehr's artillery on the heights above. On
the morning of July 2d the regiment was relieved by remnants of the One Hundred and Fifty-fourth, and One Hundred and Thirty-fourth iNew York, a large,
proportion of whose men and officers were lost in retreating through the town
on the previous evening, and was posted on Cemetery Hill near the point where
the line crossed the Taneytown road, and in rear of the batteries of the Fourth
United States Artillery. The position which the corps here occupied was in
the form of a letter V, the apex pointing towards town, the two receding lines
being exposed to the same fire from opposite directions, the enemy's shells
frequently passing over both lines towards his forces on the opposite side. At
the close of the day, and when it was already quite dark, the enemy attacked
the brigade battery posted on the right of the pike, with great impetuosity and
daring. As rhe rebels approached under cover of the Cemetery Hill, Captain
Kellyin command of the regiment, was not aware that a charge was being made,
until they were already upon the guns and struggling with the troops in their
support. Moving rapidly to their assistance, in connection with the Twentyseventh Pennsylvania, it assisted in repulsing the attack upon the left and in
bringing the guns into play. On the 3d the regiment remained in the position
held during the previous evening, and in the afternoon, while the fearful cannonade was in progress which preceded the final struggle, it was exposed to
the fire of the enemy's guns from a circuit of two or three miles. On the morning of the 4th sharp skirmishing was kept up until nine A. M., when, it having
been discovered that the enemy was falling back, the Seventy-third was ordered
into the town. His skirmishers kept up a steady fire as they were pushed back.
The streets were soon barricaded, and were occupied by the brigade. Captain
Kennedy who was field officer of the brigade, discovered soon after dark that
his skirmishers had withdrawn altogether. The regiment had no field officer
in this battle, but was led by the senior Captain, D. F. Kelly. The loss was
eight killed and twenty-six wounded.
The regiment returned with the army into Virginia after the escape of Lee,
and moved with it to Bristoe Station, whence with the two New York regiments
of the brigade, it returned to Catlett's Station, and after some delay at Manassas
Junction, to Alexandria. Here it was engaged in guarding and conducting to
the front the drafted men, who were being received, armed, equipped, and assigned to regiments. Colonel Moore who had so far recovered from his wounds
as to take the field, re-joined the regiment, and was placed in command of the
entire force at Alexandria.
Soon after the disasters at Chickamauga, the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps,
under command of General Hooker, were ordered to Tennessee to the succor of