The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-10-20
THE FIRST DAY At GErTYSBUKG.

prum--er Boy" in January 81 Nicholas.
Colonel. close up your men and move
on as rnpidiy as 20 ,sible."
II Is the morning NJ July /, and we are
crossing d bridge over stream, as the staff
Officer; haeih. delivered this order for us
dashe9 down the line to hurry DIP the reei.
ments in the rear. Wo get up on a high
range of hills from which we have mag.
nitcent view. The day is bright, the mr. ID
fresh and sweet, and the sun shines out OF
an almost cloudless sky, and as We gaze
away off yonder doen the valley to the left
| look! Do you see that! Apuff Of smoke
in mld-air. Very small and miles n way as
the faint ard loug-boming boom" Of the
| exploding shell Indicates, but it means that
something is goi ag on yonder away down in
the valley, ia which, perhaps, we may have
hand before the day is done. Ste! An
Other. and another' Faint aud far away
| comes ths delayed "boomi". "boom2' echo
ing over the hills as the staff ofrcet deshes
along the lines with orders to double
| quick! double -quick!'
Four miles Of almost constant double.
quicking il no light work at any time,
least of all on such day as this memoir
able first day Of July. for it is hot and
dusty. Bat We are IN our own st ,te now,
boys, and the battle is opening ahead, and
| 1t is 10 time to save breath. On we 60,
now mp hill. now over a stream, now
checking our headlong rush for a moment,
for we must breathe little. But the word
comes along the life again. double. quick, u
and we settle down to It with r right gccd
will, while the cannon ahead eceh to be
getting nearer and louder. There's little
said in the ranks, for ,here is little breath
fal su l,,..
enough thinking. We all feel, somehow.
that our day has come at last as indeed il
has!
We get in through the outskirts OF Get.
tysburs, tearing down the fences OF the
town lots and outlying gardens as we 90;
We pass battery OF brass guns drawn up
beside the seminary, some hundred yards
in front of which building, IN a strip Of
Geadow-land, we halt, and rapidly form
the line Of battle.
General, shall we unsling knapsacksl"
shouts some one down the line 20 our di-
vision general, az he is dashing by.
Never mind the knapsacks, boys; it's
the state now!"
And he piunges his spurs up to the row.
els in the tlanks OF his horse, as be takes
the stake-and-rider fence at leap and is
awav
""unfurl tie 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 mnsic, and al once
tho word is given. Forward, double
quick" and the line sweeps up that rising
ground with banners gtyly 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 goingin with cheers. Forth.
With we get II smart shelling, for there il
evidently somebody else watching that ad.
vancng line besides aurselves; but they
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
ell dir, ctlons.
Laying aside our knapsacks, We goto the
seminary, now ripi1ly filing with the
wounded. This the enemy surely cannot
know, or they wouldn't shell the buildinf
SO hard! We get stret:hers at the ambu .
lances. and start on, for the line Of battle.
We can Just see our regimental col0rs wav.
ing in the orchard, near a log house about
three hundred ahead, yards and we start
cut for tt on the lead and Daney behind.
There is one Of our batteries drawn up tc
our left short distance as We run. II 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 go. Danev and /. at lively trot, dodg-
ing the shells rs best We can, TILL painting
for breath, We set down our stretcher un
der an apple rec in the orchard, in which
under the brow Of the hill we find the reRi.
ment lying, one or two skrm.sn lines
ahead.
l count six men OF Co. lying youder in
the grass xii ed. they say by single shell.
Andy calls nae away for moment 10 look
afe some poor felloS whose arm is of at
the shoulder; and it was inst time got
into the sod where had been sitting tears
ing my stre,cher to tatters and plowing up.
great furrow under one of the boys who
had been sitting Immediately behind me,
aId who thinks That was rather close sLa-
vng. wasn't il now1" The bullets wbis-
ting 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 n certain cav ilry man dennis
Buckley, 9Th Michigan cavalry II was, as l
afterSard 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. G with such
disaster, exclaimed, That is the company
for mel" He remained with tho regiment
ali day, doing good service with his calbine
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 tho log
house. / can see tho long lines OF gray
sweeping up IN fine style over the fields;
but feel the colonel's hand on my
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
ou- 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 al old chap like me have
Q chance to fght in your ranks, colonei?"
Can you shoot?" inquiries the colonel.
"Oh, yes, can shoot, I reckon" said
he.
.Bat whore are your cartndgesi'
I've gotem here" says the old man.
siappins his hand on his panaloons
pocket.
And so, sold John Burns."o OF whom
every school boy has heaid takes his place
IN the line and loads and fires with the best
Of them. and is left wounded and insensible
on the tielt when the day is done.
Reclining there under . tree while the
skirmishing is going on in trent 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 80 yards TO our righi. The euemy's
batteries have excellent range on the poor
fellows serving IL. Aud when the smoke