The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-02-02
THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBUR

W
the faint ard long booming 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 before the day is done. See!' An
other, and another! Faint and far away
comes the delayed "boom!" "boom?" echo
ing over the hills as the staff off Ger dashes
along the lines with orders to double
quick! double quick!"
Four miles of almost constant double
quicking is no light work at any tine,
least of all on such day as this memoir
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 20,
now up hill, now over stream, now
checking our headlong rush for moment,
for we must breathe 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 talking, though every man is busy
enough thinking. We all feel, somehow,
that our day has come at last-as indeed it
We get in threug n the outskirts of Get.
tysburg, tearing down the fences of the
town lots and outlying gardens as we 20;
we pass 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 knapsacks7"
shouts some one down the line to our d.
vision general, as he is dashing BY.
Never mind the knapsacks, boys; it's
the state now!"
And he plunges his spurs up to the row.
els in the TANKS of his horse, as Re takes
the stake-and-rider fence at leap and is
away.
.Unfurl the flags, color:guard!"
Now forward, double"
Colonel, we're not loaded yetl'
A laug b runs along the line as, at the
command LOAD at will-load" the ram
rods make their merry music, and at once
tho word is given. Forward, double
quick!" and the line sweeps up that rising
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. Forth
with We get 4 smart Smelling, for there ia
evidently somebody else watching that adj
vanc'ng line besides ourselves; but thew
have elevated their guns little too much.
SO mat every shell passes quite over the line
and blows up the meadow sod about us in
all directions. >'' 40 ~
Laying aside our knapsacks, we 90 to the
seminary, now rapidly filing with the
wounded. This the enemy surely cannot
know, or they wouldn't she'll the buildino
so hard! We get stretchers at the ambu.
lances, and start out for the line of battle.
We can just see our regimental colors wav-
ing in the orchard, near a log house about
three hundred ahead, yards and we start
out for it on the lead and Daney behind.
There is one of our batteries drawn up to
our left short distance as we run. It ia
engaged in sharp artillery duel with one
OF the enemy's, which We cannot see, al
though we can hear it plainly enough, and
straight between the two our road lies, So
We 60, Daney and I, at a lively trot. dodo-
ing the shells as best We can, till, painting
Tor breath, We set down our stretcher un-
der an apple tree in the orchard, in which
ander the brow of the hill we find the repi
ment lying, one or two skirmish lines
ahead.
count six men Of Go. q lying youder in
the grass-kl'ea, they say by a single shell.
Andy calls me away for a moment to look
after some poor fellow whose arm is off at
the shoulder; and it was just time got
away, too. for Immediately she'll plunged
into the sod where had been sitting tears
ing my stretcher to tatters and plowlng up
great throw under one of the boys who
had been sitting Immediately behind me,
and who thinks THAT was rather close sha-
vng, wasn't it now9" The bullets whis-
thing overhead make pretty music with
their ever-varying Zip! zip! and we
could imagine them so many bees, only they
have such terrible sharp sting. They tell
me, too, of certain cavalry man dennis
Buckley, 9Th Michigan cavalry II was, as I
afterward learned-let history perserve the
brave boys name) who, having had his
horse shot under him, and seeing that first
named shell explode in Co. with such
disaster, exclaimed, THAT is the company
for mel" He remained with the regiment
all day. doing good service with his carbine
and he escaped unhurt!
Here they come, boys: We will have to
go in at them on charge I guess!" Creep
ing close around the corner of the 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
Az I get back behind the house and look
around, an old man is seen approaching
ous line through the orchard in the rear.
He is dressed in long. blue, swallow
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, colonel2"
Can you shoot2" INQUIRIES the colonel.
oh, yes, can shoot, I reckon, said
he.
'@But where are your cartridges?"
I've gotem here, says the old man,
Shaping his hand on his pantaloons
pocket.
And SO, "old John Burns, OF whom
every school-boy has heard takes his place
in the line and loads and fires with the best
of them, and is left wounded and insensible
on the field when the day is done.
Reclining there under tree while the
skirmishing is going on in front ard the
SHELLS are tearing up the sod around us,
observe how evidently hard pressed is that
battery yonder in the edge of the wood,
about so yards to our righi. The enemy's
batteries have excellent range on the poor
fellows serving it. And when the smoke
lifts or rolls away in great clouds for q mo-
ment, We can see the men running and
ramming and sighting and firing and wab-
bling and changing position every few min
utes to throw the enemy's guns out of range
little. The men are becoming terribly
few, but nevertheless their guns, with a
rapidity that seems undated, belch forth
great clouds of smoke and send the shells
sh1ieking over the plain. "s
Meanwhile, events occur which give us
something more to think of than mere skir-
mishing and Smelling. Our beloved brig
adler general. stepping out moment r.
reoonnoiter the enemy's position and move
mepts, is seen by some sharp shooters of
in . tree, and is carried severely wounded
mand Of the brignde. Our regiment facing
westward. while the line on our right faces
to tho north. il observed 70 DO sxpossd 70