The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-08-19
Old John Burns,
The Hero of gettysburg.

Old John Burns, the Civilian Hero
lof Gettysburg, without official title
but with renOWn which shall be last
ing when brass and marble molder
was born at Burlington, n. J., on thi
5th OF September, 1893. His father
Josepb Burns, was q ScOtchman from
the banks Of the Dee, and a relative
OF the poet his mother, Polly Dob
son, Of English descent. Fearless By
nature, provOcatiOn served but Z
whet the edge Of his resolve, anC
when, after long.suffering, Outrage
and wrong, the United States declar
ed war against Great Britain, in
1872. Young Burns was among the
first in the ranks. The recollectiOns
of those I8 months of service were
never efTaced nor dimmed, and when,
a short time before his death-then al
the verge of S0-the subject was
broached, the fire of his eye and the
COMPRESSION of his lips, as he recount
ed their eventful course, revealed his
fearless and heroic nature. He was
of the company of Captain Barton, OF
the Tenth Regim ent, and marched to
New York, thence to Albany by boat,
| proeeeded to Greenbush, where he
Joined the army OF General Scott,
with it moved to Sackett's Harbor,
crossed to Canada, aud was st Platts-
burg and Queenstown.
In the battle of Lundy's Lane, when
the conflict was at its height, end the
event still doubtful, General Brown,
who commanded the American force,
came dashing up to Major Miller, who
was leading Burns regiment, his
horse fOaming with excitement, and
pointing to powerful six gun battery
of the enemy posted upon an emil
nenee and doing fearful execution,
exclaimed "Msjor Miller, can you
take that battery?" Miller was man
of few words, and he simply respond
ed. fI can try.n "We all knew what
that meant" says Burns "for while
one of his men should live we knew
that Miller would never rest till that
battery was his" The order to fix
bayonets and charge was promptly
given, and Miller, placing himself at
the head of the column, led on. Dark
ness oyershadO we'd all as the battle
was fought from sundOwn to mid
night-except as the blaze of the guns
lii M the field. The slaughter was
fearful: but that coveted eminence
was sealed, the guns captured and
turned on the foe. That heroic ex-
plOit was the turning point in the bat
Tie, and at midnight the British re-
tired, leaving the Americans masters
of the field. Tears would fill the eyes
of Burns, and his brawny figure heave
with emotion, as ne told the words
of his brave old leader, and described
the fiery ardor of his General.
On Sunday, June 81, preceding the
great battle, Captain john Scott, with
IA men, among whom was Burns,
went out IA miles into the mountains,
on the Chambersburg road, for the
purpose of bushw hacking the enemy,
but met Union scouts and were turn
ed hack. On Friday, the 26th, Early
came with his division to Gettysburg,
infantry, cavalry and artillery, and
Burns, perhaps showing himself lit
tie too officious, was taken prisoner
and held in custody until Sunday,
when the rebel leader departed ON his
way to New York. The 1eTy spirit
of Burns could i'll brook this vile dur
ance and insult to his authority as q
civil officer, and we may imagine him
ready to answer in the language Of
the resolute constable in Village of
the old Bay State, when bully
threatened to shake him, "You may
shake but remember, if you shake
me vou shake the whole State of Mas
sacbusetts.n Toward evening of the
same Sunday, Burns caught a rebel
chaplain, riding with messages from
Ewell to Early, and q trooper, and
lacked them up in the Gettysburg
iaiI. On the following day he seized
one of Whites guerrillas, who gave
the name of Talbut, and him, also, he
held fast in bail. Buford, with his
cavalry, came on Tuesday, and after
resting an hour in the streets, moved
ont to MePhersOn's farm and encamp-
ed.
The appearance of the flag and the
veterans of Buford brought joy TO the
old mans heart. Hitherto he had
been single-handed in facing the whole
rebel army. He hailed with sstisfae-
ton the van of the Army OF the Po-
tomac, coming to hissuppOrt. On the
following morning came Reynolds
leading the First Corps. Burns was
on the alert (; yet he was a man who
never meddled with any business ex-
cept his own and kept aloOf from the
Generals caVaicade; but when hailed
by REYNOLDS on his return from his
interview with Buford. and asked to
point out near way to get through
the outskirts of the town to meet the
head of his column, Burns joyfully
performed the Office. When the lead
ing division came on, and the prison.
ers. obedient to the order OF Reynolds,
were Ieveling the fences through the
fields to open q way to Seminary
Ridge, Burns was at hand, and the
flashing OF their bright axes in the
morning sunlight made an indelible
impression upon him. Burns could
never restrain his enthusiasm III de.
seribiug this scene but would spring
TO his feet and swing his aims as
though handling one of those shining
implements and laying low the fences
before him.
Going back toward his own home,
he met two wounded soldiers of Bu-
fcrd's command returning to town.
GAh, my lads" says Burns, 'your
guns are needed over yOnder; butyou
are bleeding and are too weak to car
ry them give Cne OF them to me.n
This the soldier, addressed resolutely,
refused. The other, more accurately
discerning the old mans spirit, said
10 his companion, "Give it to HIM.
You can't use it." "What do you
want to do with il ?'' asked the SOL
dier. "Shoot the id rebels" was
the old mans curt reply. It was Civ
en-, and filling his pocket with cart
rid dges, he hurried forward and came
upon the Uuion line where Stones
brigade was hotly engaged. He was
first accosted by Major Chamberlain,
"a liz One Hnndrad aud Eiftioth