Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-30
RECOLLEOTTONS OF A DRUMMER
BOY.
The FIrst nay az Gessy.bnrE.

The First Day at GettysbnrE.
"Colonel, close up your men and move on
as rapidly as possible"
II is the morning Of July lst, and we are
crossing bridge over stream, as the Staff
officer, having delivered this order for us,
dashes down the line to hurry up the regi-
ments in the rear. We get up on a high
range of hills, from which we have magnif-
cent view. The day is bright, the air is
fresh and sweet, and the sun shines out Of an
almost cloudless sky, and as we gaze away
off yonder down the valley to the left--look
Do you see that A puff of smoke in mid
air Very small and miles away, as the faint
and long coming "boom" Of the exploding
shell indicates, but it means that something
is going on yonder, away down in the valley,
in which, perhaps, we may have hand be-
fore the day is done. See Another-and
another Faint and far away cones the
| long delayed 'boom |" ''boom !" echoing
over the hills, as the staff officer dashes along
the lines with the orders TO ''double-quick
double-quick !"
Four miles of almost constant double
quicking is no light X at any time, least
of all on such day as lis memorable first
day of July, for it is hot and dusty. But we
are in our own State now, boys, and the bat
tie is opening ahead, and it Is no time to save
breath. On we go, now up hill, now over
a stream, now checking our headlong rush for
a moment for we must breathe little. But
the word comes along the line again, ''double-
qucik, " and we settle down to II with right
| goodwill, while the cannon ahead seem to be
getting nearer and louder. There's little said
in the ranks, for there is little breath for talk
ing, though every man is busy enough think
ing. We all feel, somehow, that our day has
come at last as indeed ii has
We get in through the outskirts Of Gettys-
burg, tearing down the fences Of the town
lots and outlying gardens as we go; we pass
a battery Of brass guns drawn up beside the
seminary, some hundred yards in front Of
which building, in a strip of meadow land
we halt, and rapidly form the line Of battle
General, shall we unsling knapsacks 2"
shouts some one down the line to our Divis-
ion-general, as he is dashing by
''Never mind the knapsacks, boys it's the
State now !"
And he plunges his spurs up TO the rowels
in the TANKS of his horse, as he takes the
stake. and-rider fence at leap and is away.
'Unfurl the flags, Color guard !"
"Now, forward, double"
Colonel, we're not loaded yet !"
A laugh runs along the line as, at the COM
mand 'Ioad at will-load I" the ramrods
make their merry music, and at once the
word is given, Forward, double quick ~
1 and the line sweeps up that rising ground
with banners gayly flying, and cheers that
Trend the air-a sight, once seen, never to be
lforgatten.
We drummer boys sit on our drums, and
Watch the line going in with cheers. Forth
o With we get a smart Smelling, for there is
9 Violently somebody else watching that adj
! Ancing line besides ourselves; but they have
6 eevated their guns little too much, 50 that
5 every shell passes quite over the line and
q pAws up the meadow sod about us In all d.
retions.
10 laying aside our knapsacxs, we 90 to the
. seminary, now rapidly filling with the
& wounded. This the enemy surely can not
70 knoS, or they wouldn't shell the building SC
y hard We get stretchers at the ambulances,
o and tart out for the line of battle. We can
. just Ne our regimental colors waving in the
"a orchaH near a lighthouse about three hun.
rs dred Nrds ahead and we start out for it'll
. on thdead and Daney behind.
s0 Thee is one of our batteries drawn up tC
our LEILA short distance as we run. II Is en-.
gagged u sharp artillery duel with one of the
= enemy's which we can not see, although We
II, can hea it plainly enough, and straight be
% tween IL two our road lies. So, up we GO
- Daney sd l, at a lively troL lodging the
n. shells as est we can, till, painting for breath
C. we set dwn our stretcher under an apple
.e- tree in te orchard in which, under thu
ce brow of Il hill, we find the regiment lying
n one or twdcompanies being out on the Skin
ry mish line dead.
I'd l count X men Of Company c lying yon
an der in the ghss-killed they say, by singl,
W. shell. And calls me away for moment L
he look after ssne poor fellow whose arm is of
ire at the shouler and it was Just time go
he away, too, foimmediately a shell plunges in
tic to the sod WIRE had been sitting, tearing
he my stretcherIo tatters and blowing up
great furrow uder one Of the boys who ha(
been sitting Immediately behind me, and whC
~ thinks THAT was rather close shaving
] wasn't it, now The bullets whistling over