The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-11-22

Sc "oiC hUEMtIS, auuSSiDue
70 replied the msn, thus cracking
!, old joke about the scarcity OF TIC
:, necessary articles. Never miI
- my men, exclaimed the General
!, he rode off. At the rebs come
!, before You are resdy. stand firm a.
: give them the bsyonet.' He cou
: not have given US sdvice more in 6
! cord with oUr feelings o. thst II
: ment, and the anecdote made ma
!, friends for "lour-eyed George"
> the bo;s we're even then beginning
call lin, in allusion TO bis spectacle
The Gettysburg campaign cor
/ menced, and we went to Aldie Ga
There Meade made a thorough i
5pection OF the corps, and aga
earned the love of his men By Il
care snd houghtlulness he displsye,
,, This preparation led to the Fifth bt
Ing called the marching corps, f;
from Aldie we made some extraord
nsry marches. At Frederick Cit
the Fifth lost Meade, as he succeede
Hooker, ard the feeling among th
men was one Of regret, though "
gained another old Fifth Corps man
So kes is cur commander. A
through the subsequent movement
We saw mere Of Meade than an,
other corps, he naturally seemiag I,
;all in with Us as we moved.
Two days before tie first da,
at Gettysburg my brigade m0vel
into q meadow to res', the remsined
er of the corps having gone to tn,
right of the Eosd. IL WAS q drearJ
snd uncomfortable morning, for The
rain wss still falling and the high grass
was drenched. As we lay there. wet
and shiverin2 with cold, Gen. Meade
and and his staff halted in the field
quite nesr, the General quickly dis.
mounting from his horse to stretch
bis legs. As he passed 10 and fro,
in nervous way peculiar 10 him, /
could see that he ielt the weight OF
the responsibility thrown upon him,
and scarcely enVied bin. His staff
stood slocf from their leader, con-
versing among themselves, so that
the General was left alone with bis
thoughts. So rapidly did be walk
hat little path WAS quickly trOdden
by his feetin the clover, aud he would
stop suddenly now and then, as if an
idea or suggestion crossed his mind.
l had a canteeI OF cold coffee with
me, aod took cupfull to moisten the
crscker 1 was mOnching, when the
General noticed it, and asked if |
could spare him some. Gladly con-
senling, 1 ventured 10 ask il the en-
gsgement we we're all expec ing
would be likely TO occur soon. Gen.
Meade smiled al he looked at me
over his wet glasses, and replied, 81
really cannot tell, Lieutenant, but we
are getting near it. How do your
men feel? Do they appear anxious 2"
told him the men were go tired with
long msrches that fight woui1 be
relief. "TEeD," ssid the General
''they'il rot have long to wait, but It
Hi:l he desperate struggle' just
then gc1urier rode up with a dispatches
which the General read with nervous
haste, and at once mounted and rode
of, with a slight ned 10 me as he did
Sd.
Three days after we were on the
bst,le field, and were suddenly hur-
ried up t. support Siczles and his
Third Corps In tile struggle that
ensued my brigade was sent scram-
Jling up the Round Top, and, after
takiOg the heights, helped to place
HszIitt's battery in position The
next day Longstreet made his charge,
and, as the Round Top overlooked
The entire left and centre of our lines.
il wss soon crowded with General
officers. while the Signal Corps be
gan waving their flags to snd fro so
that We socn learned the
numbers, though the messages were,
Of course, unintelligible- The group
Of officers who sat there among the
boglders that formed the apex Of
he Round Top was a striking one.
with his spectacles conceal
ng his calm gray eyes, took long
surveys of the plain below through
ais field-glass, turning now and then
% bis Chief of staff, Warren, 10 ask
, question. Warren was apparently
IS nervous aud full of fire ss when be
ed the Duryea Zouaves across the
. hest field at Giines' Farm, against |
! rebel battery. Hc seemed TO oe
anxious TO send our corps against .
arse force OF the enemy which was
being massed to our left, as If 10 try !
and turn our position, but Meade |
sou,d not consent SedgwIck bad /
inst come up with the Sixth Corps, |
md occupied the reserve position.
) Ssdgwick's massive frame aud heavy |
avs can:rasted strangely, as he |
.too 1 leaning on bis sabre, with the
,ea,Iy dressed aId 1.-the 6gme OF
p,es.su.cu, 8uu sat OF rock near
by iutenIly sisshIng lie bGots "i'h q
.i.i,n5 yaIp. hei.. was also
,rss.pr. and coLversed with Craw
ord of the Pennsylvania Reserves,
Il aade's old commend, whom he hid
ed the dsy before IN brilliant
.barce Warren crossed over to
and complimented him on
,he achievement, adding, however,
N his dry, csustic manner, that If
he Penpsy lvania troops did not fight
IN their own soil they nev,r would
A sudden movement of the enemy on
ais certrejust then drew our attention.
and tue group OF Generals ali scram
bled up a high wall to get a better
view. The sight of their bright
shoulder straps set the rebel sherp-
shooters IN the glen below hard at
vork. and before our C0lonel-Gsr-
raTd-could persuade them to cone
down q bullet passed under Warren'r
srm and Meade's shoulder, both hsV-
ing a narrow escape. They ell csme
do an again, laughing, and soon sep
a-ated The confidence felt by the
army in Meade was strikingly eVlDced
when BIS order was read to the troops
on tie Geld OF Gettysburg. Mcclellan
always adopted the Napoleonic tone
in his bulletins, while Meade, on that
occasion, simply told his army that
the fight would ,e the soldiers bat
tie, that he relied upon their patriot
ism, yslor, and obedience Tor The
means of driving the invader back
The simple laDgusge of the order, its
soldierly b evity, ,snd unstudied mod
esty, gave the rank and file renewed
cnursee. and it was curious TO see
the stern lines IN the mems faces
deepen es they listened to the appesl
of their General. The listeners cir
of fatigue was suddenly shaken of,
snd the men unconscicusly straight
ened themselves and grssped their
muskets as though each felt a share
of the responsibility resting upon the
entire army. And nobly did they
respond to the call, for the battle wSs
won, and the tide OF fortune in the
war turned never to be retraced.
Inext saw Meade at Falling VS.
ters, being in conmsnd OF a part ot
our picket line. He had come up tC
learn the situation, and as We bsd
Just captured one OF those reliable
contrabands who were always turn,
ing up, he began questioning the ne
gro SIS to the movements OF the enc
my, lesrning to his dlsmay that .
part OF Lees army had ALREADY