The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-10-18

For toll and grief are forgotten,
And life is heavenly thing.
The music ends, and SILVER.
Eol my soul has returned to earth,
And the silence falls like sorrow
Which blaaches the face Of mirth.
Harper for February.
THE FIRST DAY At GETTYSBURG.
From Harry II. Kieffer's sRecollections of
Drummer Boy" in January st. Nicholas
Colonel, close up your men and move
on as rapidly as pc ,sible."
1t is the morning Of July l, and we are
crossing bridge over q stream, rs 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 high
range of hills, from which we have mag
ni6cent 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! Apuff of smoke
In mid-air! Very small and miles way. as
the faint ard 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
other, and another Faint aud far away
ing over the hills as the staff officer 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
CT 70
boys, and the battle is opening ahead, aad
1t is no time to save breath. On We go,
now up hill. now over "A stream, now
checking our headlong rush for moment,
for we must breathe a little. But tho word
comes along the line again, "double- quick"
and We settle down to 1t with right good
VIII, 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 O battery Of brass guns drawn ND
beside the seminary, some hundred wards
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 d.
vision. general, as be 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"
Nov 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
tho word is given. Forward, double
quick" and the line sweeps up that rising
ground with banners gayly flying, and
cheers that rend tie 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 Il smart Smelling, for there is
evidently somebody else watching that nd =
vanc'ng line besides ourselves; but thew
have elevated their guns little too mnch
so that every shell passes quite over the line
and blows up the meadow sod about Ms 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 buildine
so hard! We get stretchers ct the ambu
lances, and start out for the line of battle.
We can just see our reyimental colors wav-
ing IN the orchard, near log house about
three hundred ahead, yards and we start
cut for 1t II 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 I'M
der an apple tree in the orchard, in which
under the brow of the hill We fnd the reei.
Meat lying, one or two sxlruisu lines
ahead.
:, l count six men Of Co. G lying youder in
the grass-kil ell, they say by a single shell.
Andy calls nae away for Il moment TO look
after some poor fellow whose arm is off at
the shoulder; and it was Just time l got
away, too. for immediately shell plunged
into the sod where I had been sitting tears
ing my stretcher to tatters and plowlny up
great furrow under one of tho BOYS who
bad been sitting immediately behind me,
AID who thinks That was rather close sha-
vng, wasn't it now2" The bullets whis-
thing overhead mako pretty music with
their ever-varying zip! zip! and we
could imagine them Sc many bees, only they
have such terrible sharp sting. They tell
me, too, OF a certain cav airy man dennis
Buckley. 9Th Michigan cavalry 1t was, as
afterward lea1ned-let history perserve the
brave boys name) who, having had his
horse shot under him, and seeing that first
named she'll explode in Co. C with such
disaster, exclaimed, That is the company
for mel" He remained with the regiment
oil day. doing good service with his carbine
and he escaped uaLlirt!
Here they come, boys; we will have to
60 In at them on charge guess!' Creep
ing close around the corner Of the log
house, I can see the long lines of gray
sweeping up IN fine style over the fields;
but feel the coloners hand on nv
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 approaching
on: 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 shoot?" inquiries tie colonel.
oh, yes, can shoot, I reckon" said
he.
"But where are your cartridges?"
I've gotten here" says tho 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 tiel when the day is done.
Reclining there under a 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 Wonder in the edge of the wood,
about SO yards to orr righ:. The enemy'r
batteries have excellent range on the poor
fellows serving it. And when the smoke
lifts or rolls away in great clouds for o 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