Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-12-21
u ElEERE HE CAME no GRIEF
Story OF Gettysburg by a Man Who
58 sa.s. Talked Too 1Inci,. sz#

Story OF Getty burg BY a Man Who
Talked Too Mich. 3}s
From tie Boston Joulnal.
"Here's where I came to g ief," said
"a Twelfth Regiment mar, as he stood
upon Seminary Ridge. .'HoW did it
happan?" was asked. 'Well,'' said he,
''if you wish l will tell you, but fear
may be wearisome. always had the
unenyiable reputation Of talking too
much, and on that lst day of July, 1865,
my propensity to be too loQuaclous came
very near ending my career. You see
they brought us up to the brow of this
hill on the double quick, and we found
we had beautiful chance to get cross
fire on brigade of 'Johnnies' that lay
down there in the open field. We pep
pered them awhile, and then our boys be-
gan 10 shout 'Forwardp and Charge! I
don't think the order came Though the
regularly constituted channels. 1t was
sort Of spontaneous and voluntary
movement on the part OF the men, who
were brim full of fight on this occasion.
The Colonel aud Adjutant both tried to
find out who gave that Order?'
but all we knew about it was that every
body in the regiment was shouting
"Forwardr' The advance was inevi-
table, so our officers placed themselves
in our front and away we went like g
whirlwind We had captured and
driven in all hut about twenty or thirty
of the rebs. after slight resistance, and
my propensity to talk was so strong up
on me that couldn't help telling the
'Johnnies' that were hanging behind
all about our good treatment of prison
ers, etc., and thus I didn't notice when
the regiment went back to its old posi-.
ton. When l came to nay senses l found
was alone. I concluded I would go
back, and 50 informed them, but they
very emphatically ordered me to re-
main, Now, something had to be done,
so I quickly determined to take nay
chances of instant death rather than
perish by the slower methods CT disease
and starvation, and informed them in
not very elegant terms, modes Of ex-
preston do not now use, that they
might go straight to very warm cOun-
try. Then ran, and the faster the bull
let's came the faster I ran, till after
awhile a shot from off to my right came,
and struck me III the left groin, and
down went. O. you needn't laush the
bullet struck ms in front, Pm happy to
say, and never regretted the decision /
made in such hurry" "What became Of
you atterward?" WAS asked. swell, I
lay there, unable to move, till nearly
dark, and had s. good chance to review
the rebel army, as most of it swept over
me. Artillery wheels and horses feet
came unc0mfortably near, but escaped
deatil-provilentiall it always seemed
to me. About sunset the Johnnies car
rled me back to the Pennsylvania COL
lege, but it would make too long story
to tell You all my experiences there. I
will On y say that from that point, lying
near an open door, could see many Of
the movements of the rebel army. in
Guiding the formation ana advance
of Pickett's division, and could hear the
yell of the rebs as they swept forward,
and then The glad hurrahs of our boys
when the charge was repulsad. There
were fifteen Of us wounded men at the
college-the other 700 were rebs-and
We cheered, too, when our boys did, I'M
til the rebs threatened to kill us if we
didn't stop. l shall never forget the
four terrible days l passed there-days
of alternate hope and tear-nor the JOY
felt on that morning when gray coats
went away, and blue coats appeared.
But am getting back into my Old habit
Of talking too much. Please excuse me.
I'm apt to forget myself when thinking
OF those days"