The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-06-27

I.
4 dusty. grizzly. crippled man of fifty.
leaning a good share of his weight on a
cane when he walked. sat on the post
office steps yesterday while he ate a dry
crust of bread. lie was nibbling aWav.
trying to find the soft side. when he
looked up and saw that hewas watched.
Yes. Nank, DO YOU call this tufT -
he called ont as he chewed away.
We'll, dry bread isn't much of a
meal, was the answer.
That S so, but when ratiOns ar low
and the commisSary wagons in the rear.
you've got TO fill up on the best vou
have. I've been camping out, alongside
of dry bread and water, for a whole
month. "
Going anywhere p
4 reckon. I'm allus goin' somewhar'
and never gittin' thar.
''On the tramp ?"
kinder. though I call if on the
march. You see. I got flanked bv hard
times. and I'm changing my base: I'm
looking for risin' ground now on which
TO form new battle-liue. I've got a
brother out here in Kent County. and
I'm marching that way.
" on were in the war =
Wasn't |! Can't ! shet my ewes
and see jiSt how General Pickett talked
when he led us agin your Second Corps
down at Gettysburg on the Sd OF July
Wash { it bilin' down thar that dav
Woof but how one of us got back be
hlnd Wright brigade alive Is mOre'n /
kin tell -
so you were under Pickett ?"
Fright under GmeraI Pickett. and
Kin see the lay of the ground on that
day as plain as that ere hosS. If I'd
bin lyin hack under the wagons that
day ] wouldn' hev got two bullets i'm me
nor hIn Jabbed with q hlyonCt. Lord.
stranger, but / thought I was "a goupr iu
that fight. ] can't talk about il 'thout
chllis swccpin' up my lack.
y cS, ii was hot
Hot, Wen. when thirtv-1ine men
out of "a comTuyof hltyarp killed dead.
and six Of the other 'lcycn wounded.
YOU may reckon somebody was tryfu- to
to hurt we 'uns al was about / o'clock
I'm the afternoon. All our guns hadbeen
booming away for three hours to break
the Fed. center, and Pickett was 90
lead us as "a StOrmiu' party. The reui-
meuts fell iu like clock-WOrk lots of the
BOYS lookm' awful white around the
giilS. and uO one but the officers speakin'
above a whisper We knew we were
goiu' to charge riie-pits and old vets.
behind them. and that lots of us were
g0in' over To the EmmetSburC road to
stay thar forever Wah but I crawl
when | think of il 80
He tossed the crust away with a look
Of contempt, grasped his cane with
lrmer grip and said
Pickett led. and behind us were Pet
tigTcw'S men. Attention Forward
And we went down in steady lines.
every company dressed as if ou parade.
and everybody waitin' for the ball to
toopen. Boom Boom You 'uns open
ed on Us with forty camonS. all booming
at once. and it was awful. sir, TO hear
the scTeamu' of grape and canister. II
tore men to pieces and sent their blood
spurtiu' on all sides. 1t took of legs
and arms. ana the poor fellows shrieked
out i'm awful agony. March March -
and by and by we rushed at the guns
with a veil. Behind -em were the rifle
pits, and beyond were lines of blue SIX
or eight deep. -ich roar Sich screams
and yells and shrieks. Stranger. I be-
heye l got iist as near Satan's head
quarters that day as live man can -
And You were driven back -
NcS. but the ground was covered
with dead men first. They lay thar in
heaps. We trod on 'em as we Surged
up and fell hack, and the wounded.
driven to madness. caught at our legs
or struck at us as we went past. We
were among the guns when I GOT this
bullet in the shoulder. Down I went.
and I got this one i'm the leg. I was
hangin to the wheel of gun and pull
III myself mp. when somebody Chucke1
@ lavouct into ma. and that laid me. and
it was months before I got out.
And uDw -'
wei. 2 dunno. I au't of much ar-
count. hut melhe suntliu' viii turn uu
hy-Iud-hy. i'm marChiu' OH tu -ee ms
brother. and like enough I'U gu into
camp ont thar.
And forget yor lH les -
Forget uutlml N.u'uus and ve--
UUs ar' aIl right uow-un more war fH
ever come between u- hut I.I rather
lose this right arm ths. to forget huw
GuarI Pickett look llat jaE as f-.
Thousand men behind him marched down
Co DEATH If yc fought On the Union
side I'N divide mv trr9fs with So ami
give ye the hiC-i-t half of Uy bel- bui
when ye Keep step with man down t0
the jaws of death. aUi 90 back al4ue. IL
We ever forget him ye ar 90 wolf That's
me- stranger. and Inw-Jttculi File
ri-ht-march .''
And he moved away with slow and
painful step. tO pitch his tent again
when his ola wounds ached. BtraF
Free Press.