MILLERTON — Perhaps 20 American flags brightened Millerton’s Veterans Park on Main Street on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 11, where veterans, their families and area residents assembled in front of the central memorial to honor Veterans Day.
Sean Klay, historian and member of American Legion Post No. 178 in North East, addressed the assembled crowd with a lesser-known story of the Battle of Gettysburg, the charge of the Minnesota First Infantry Regiment.
On the second day of Gettysburg, he said, the Minnestota First, numbering some 250 infantrymen, charged a brigade of 1,200 Confederate soldiers from the top of Round Hill and miraculously held the Union line. Gettysburg represented a critical turning point in the Civil War.
Due to their action, the Minnesota First holds the tragic record for the greatest portion of a single U.S. military unit lost to casualties in one day.
“There’s a reason that we hold the colors in reverence,” said Klay. “There’s a reason why we salute the colors and a reason why we take our hats off when the parade’s going by—to show them respect. We’re not just showing respect to those guys who were standing in formation on Round Hill, parading the colors before the charge, we’re showing respect to everyone who never make it home.”
Afterwards, a veteran played taps from among the flags, and the small crowd stood with hats in hand.
