The Republican journal., 1882-02-02
Recollections of a Drummer-B Boy.

THE FIRST DAY All GETTYSBURG.
Colonel, close up your men and move
on as rapidly as possible
1t is the morning of July LIST, 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 regiments in the rear We
get up on a high range OF hills, from which
we have magnificent 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 some
thing is going on yonder, away down in
the valley, in which, perhaps, we may
have a hand before the day is done. See ,
Another and another Faint and far
away comes the long delayed "boom ="
''boom' echoing over the hill, as the
staff officer dashes along the lines with
orders to '..double-quick double-quiclk y"
Four miles of almost constant double
quichng is no light work at any time,
least of all on such day as this memor-
able first day of July, for it is hot and
dusty. But we are in our own State
now, boys, and the battle is opening
ahead, and it is no time to save breath.
On we go, now up a hill, now over a
stream, now checking our headlong rush
for Il moment, for we must breathe a
little. But the word comes along the
line again. "double- quick" and we settle
down to it with right good will, 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
thinking. We all feel, somehow, that our
day has come at last-as indeed it has
We get in through the outskirts of
Gettysburg, 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 meadowland, we halt, and rapidly
form the line of battle.
General shall we unsling knapsacks p
shouts some one down the line to our Di-
vision general, as he is dashing by
"Never mind the knapsacks, boys; it's
the State now. y
lAil'i ut plulStS HIS SpulS up W tuc
rowels in the tlanks of his horse, as he
takes the stake and rider fence at a 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
command LOAD at will-load. - the ram
rods make their merry music, and at
once the word is given, "Forward, double
quick :" and the line sweeps up that riS-
ing ground with banners gayly flying,
and cheers that rend the air-a sight,
once seen, never to be forgotten.
We drummer-boys sit on our drums,
and watch the line going in with cheers.
Forthwith we get a smart shelling, for
there is evidently somebody else watch
ing that advancing line besides ourselves; !;
but they have elevated their guns a little
too much, so that every shell passed quite
over the line and plows up the meadow
sod about us in all directions
Laying aside our knapsacks, we go to
the Seminary, low rapidly filling with
the wounded. This the enemy surely can
not know, or they wouldn't shell the
building so hard. We get stretchers at
the ambulances and start out for the line
OF battle. We can just see our regimen
tai colors waving in the orchard, near a
Lighthouse about three hundred yards
ahead, and we start out for t-I on the
lead and Daney behind
There is one of our batteries drawn up
to our left a short distance as we run. 1t
is engaged in sharp artillery duel with
one Of the enemy's which we can not see,
| n ho11nh haor i,,lv
and straight between the two our road
lies. SO, up we go, Daney and |, at a
lively tro1, lodging the shells as best we
can, till, painting for breath, we set down
our stretcher under an appletree in the
orchard, in which, under the brow of the
hill, we find the regiment lying, one or
two companies being out on the skirmish
line ahead.
| count six men of Company C lying
yonder in the grass-killed, they say, by
a single shell. Andy calls me away for
moment to look after scme poor fellow
whose arm is off at the shoulder and it
was just time | got away, too, for imme-
diately shell plunges into the sod where
| had been sitting, tearing my stretcher
to tatters and plOwing up great furrow
under one of the boys who had been sit
ting Immediately behind me, and who
thinks THAT was rather close shaving,
wasn't it, now? The bullets whistlng
overhead make pretty music with their
er-varying "z-i-p! Zip" and we could
imagine them so many bees, only they
have such a terribly sharp sting They
tell me, tOo of certain cavalry-ma
dennis Buckley, Sixth Michigan cavalry
as afterwards learned let history pre-
serve the brave boys name) who, having
had his horse shot under him, and seeing
the tirst-named shell explode in Company
e with such disaster. exclaimed, "That
is the company for me-" He remained
with the regiment all day, doing good
service with his carbine, and he escaped
unhurt.
"Here they come, boys; we'll have to
60 in at them on charge, | guess ="
Creeping close around the corner of a
log house, | can see the long lines of
gray sweeping up in fine style over the
fields; but | feel the Colonel's hand on my
shoulder.
"Keep back, my boy; no use exposing
yourself in that way"
AS get back behind the house and
look around, an old man is seen approach
ing our line through the orchard in the
rear. He is dressed in long, blue, swal-
low tailed coat and high silk hat, and
coming up to the Colonel, he asks:
"Would you let an old chap like me
have chance to fight in your ranks,
Colonel"
"Can you shoot ?" inquiries the Colonel.
ooh yes, | can shoot, reckon" says
he.
''But where are your cartridges ?"
'Tve got 'em here, sir" says the old
man, slapping his hands on his pantaloons