The evening of July 1, 1863 found Col. Philippe Régis de Trobriand’s brigade at Emmitsburg, Maryland. Tasked with protecting the western approaches to the Army of the Potomac’s flank and rear, the brigade along with one other had been detached for that purpose while the rest of their corps marched to Gettysburg. The officers and men enjoyed their stay in the pleasant surroundings. Some of de Trobriand’s regiments were encamped on the “beautiful grounds” of Mount Saint Mary’s College (see Pg. 55), a location they found much to their liking. Colonel de Trobriand made his headquarters at the nearby convent of St. Joseph. Being a Catholic, the colonel spoke with the nuns, requesting that they “ask St. Joseph to keep the Rebel army away from here; for if they come before I get away I do not know what will become of your beautiful convent.” De Trobriand and his men could not know it, but they had little to fear of the war coming to them at Emmitsburg; their appointment with destiny rested a dozen miles to the north.1

Officially the Third Brigade, First Division, III Corps, de Trobriand’s command consisted of five infantry regiments, all good ones. Four of these—the 3rd and 5th Michigan, 40th New York, and 110th Pennsylvania—had been in service since 1861 and had amassed considerable combat experience. The 17th Maine was a newer regiment, having been raised in the summer of 1862; yet the Maine men had almost a year of drill and discipline under their belts and had fought well at Chancellorsville. Numbering 1,387 steady veterans, de Trobriand’s brigade was as solid as any in the Army of the Potomac, a fact it would prove before the end of another day. Their commander was also an experienced veteran of two years service and one of the most senior colonels in the army. Born to a noble family in France, de Trobriand was a seemingly fearless warrior who undoubtedly looked forward to leading the men of his adopted country into battle.2

At 2:00 a.m. on July 2, de Trobriand received orders to move his command to Gettysburg. Calling in his far-flung pickets took time, but the French colonel put his troops on the road at daybreak. Sgt. Daniel G. Crotty of the 3rd Michigan was sorry to leave peaceful Emmitsburg:

We . . . march through the village. The bell in the tower of the village church tolls for morning mass, and makes us think of bye-gone times when we were wont to respond to the call of the bells in the towers of our far-off Michigan homes. We leave the echo behind, and march on to the fearful carnage that is waiting for us.3

After a march that involved several delays, de Trobriand’s regiments approached the high ground around Sherfy’s peach orchard at about 10:00 a.m. Shots rang out from Warfield Ridge, west of the Emmitsburg Road, as Confederate flank guards hidden in a copse fired on the Federal column. Members of the 3rd Michigan who had been “singing and cracking jokes” quickly closed ranks and traversed the danger zone at a double-quick. Turning right at the Peach Orchard,

Page 2 • Order this issue