Morris tribune., 1882-02-02
THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYs BURG.

officer, having delivered this order for us,
dashes down the line to hurry up the regi-
ments in the rear. We get up on O high
range of hills, from which we have mag
nihcent 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
way off yonder down the valley to the lett
look! Do you see that! Apuff Of smoke
in mid-air. Very small and miles way, as
the faint and long boming 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 aud 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 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 90,
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 a 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
has!
We get in through the outskirts of Get.
tysburg, tearing down the fences of the
town lots and outlying gardens as we CO.;
we pass battery of brass guns drawn up
beside the seminary, some hundred yards
in front of which building, in strip of
meadow-land, we halt, and rapidly form
the line of battle.
General, shall we unsling knapsacks?"
| 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!"
And he plunges his spurs up to the row.
els in the tanks of his horse, as be 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!'
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 rising
| ground with banners gayly flying, snd
| 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 B smart shefling. for there ia
evidently somebody else Watching that adj
vancjng line besides ourselves; but thew
have elevated their guns little too much.
SO that every shell passes quite over the line
and blows up the meadow sod about us in
| all directions. :
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 shell the building
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 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 is
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 lively trot, dodg-
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. @ lying youder in
the grass--kil'ed, they say by single shell.
| Andy calls nae away for moment to look
after some poor fellow whose arm is off at
the shoulder; and it was just time got
away, too. for Immediately shell plunged
into the sod where's had been sitting tears
ing my stretcher to tatters and plowing up
| great furrow under one of the boys WHIT
had been sitting Immediately behind me,
! and who thinks THAT was rather close sha.
vng, wasn't it now2" The bullets whis.
thing overhead make pretty music with
their ever-varying Zip! zip! and w
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 1t was, as ]
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 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 coloneps hand on my
| SHOULDER.
Keep back, my boy; no use exposing
| yourself in that way"
As I get back behind the house and look
| around, an old man is seen approaching
our 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, colonel?"
Can you shootp'' INQUIRIES the colonel.
oh, yes, can shoot, I reckon" sale
| he.
aBut where are your cartridges3"
I've gofem 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
i on the field when the day is done.
|
skirmishing is going on in trent ard thu
SHELLS are tearing up the sod around us,
observe how evidently hard pressed is that
battery yonder in the edge Of the wood
about 80 yards to our right. The enemy'l
batteries have excellent range on the pool
fellows serving it. And when the smoke
lifts or rolls away in great clouds for mo
| ment, we can see the men running ant
ramming and sighting and firing and swab.
bing and changing position every few min
utes to throw the enemy's guns out of range
little. The men are becoming terribl,
few, but nevertheless their guns, with q
rapidity that seems undated, belch fortl
great clouds Of smoke and send the shelli
shrieking over the plain.
Meanwhile, events occur which give III
something more to think Of than mere Skin.
mishing and Smelling. Our beloved brig
adler general. stepping out moment Il
reoonnoiter the enemy's position and move
Il A.. = l. IL -. H. ~