44th N. Y. at Gettysburg, Report of Lt. Colonel Freeman Conner
LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submit the following report of the action taken by this regiment in the engagement on July 2:
About 4 p.m. our regiment, Col. J. C. Rice commanding, was placed in position on Round Top hill, with the Eighty-third Pennsylvania on our left and the Sixteenth Massachusetts on our right. Company B was immediately thrown out as skirmishers. When they had advanced about 200 yards, they met the enemy advancing in three lines of battle.
Orders were immediately given by Capt. L. S. Larrabee, commanding the company, to fall back upon the battalion. It was while executing this order that that faithful and brave officer was shot through the body and instantly killed, being the first officer that this regiment ever had killed in battle.
The enemy continued to advance until the first line came within about 40 yards of our line. Upon their first appearance we opened a heavy fire upon them, which was continued until they were compelled to retreat. After they had disappeared in our immediate front, we turned our fire upon those who had advanced in the hollow to our right, and continued it until we were out of ammunition.
After we had been engaged about one hour, Colonel Vincent, commanding brigade, was wounded, and the command fell upon Col. J. C. Rice, and the command of the regiment upon myself.
We remained in our position until the next morning about 8 a.m., when we were relieved by Colonel Hayes, Eighteenth Massachusetts. We were then moved to the right about three-eighths of a mile, and formed in line of battle, the Sixteenth Michigan on our left and the Twentieth Maine on our right.
I regret to add that in addition to Captain Larrabee, whose death I have already noticed, the officers are called upon to mourn the loss of First Lieut. Eugene L. Dunham, Company D, a brave and efficient officer, who was instantly killed during the heavy firing from the enemy in our front. Capt. William R. Bourne, Company K; Capt. Bennett Munger, Company C; Adjt. George B. Herendeen First Lieut. Charles H. Zeilman, commanding Company F, and Second Lieut. Benjamin N. Thomas, Company K, were wounded, the latter, it is feared, mortally.
It affords me great pleasure to be able to state that both officers and men behaved with the greatest coolness and bravery, not a single case of cowardice having come to my ear.
Our casualties were:
| Officers and men | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total |
| Commissioned officers | 2 | 5 | .... | 7 |
| Enisted men | 24 | 73 | 7 | 104 |
| Total | 26 | 78 | 7 | 111 |
FREEMAN CONNER,
Lieut. Col., Comdg. Forty-fourth New York Volunteers.
Lieut. GEORGE B. HERENDEEN,
Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.
Series I, Volume XXVII, Part 1, Book 43, Page 630-1