The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-03
MEETING OF
An Incident or Two of the Committee Ap-
pointed to Visit Gettysburg.


The writer had occasion to visit Captain Spahr's
ahEee yesterday, where the committee Of Indi-
ana veterans who participated in the Gettysburg
battle were preparing to visit that field, in
pursuance Of the duty Of marking the
positions beld by their respective regi-
ments in that historic contest. Twenty-four
years ago he was with some of the party then
service, with battles, sieges and marches waiting
them through a dark and foreboding period, bust
ness and avocations were left in answer to their
ecuntry's demand. Their courage bore the
grand test Of Charlottesville, Antietam, South
Mountain, Gettysburg and the Wilderness. Yes
serday, after twenty years enjoyment OF peace,
D part Of these Indiana braves left on their jour
ney to a field the memories of which are rich in
incident and narrative of their comrades
bravery. The personnel of the committee
showed at the best the manhood, intelligence
and unassuming address that distinguish the
superior qualities of citizen soldiers. To
more clearly define and make &C
curate the part they and their
regiments took in the Gettysburg struggle of
zigantls armies. It would seem that the duty
had been assigned to substantial citizens rather
than to men with years of soldierly experience.
But a very few OK the mad seen eacn
ether since they returned victors from about
Richmond and Appomattox, and one can easily
imagine the cordiality of greeting that
broke down all restraint, and carried the veter-
ans into close comradeship once more.
During the few minutes the writer was with
them, each veteran had stories of battles and
wonders to tell, and one would not reach the
climax of his narrative before another would
break in with, "Do you remember" or, 1T
- ST.
that fight there was, /" etc. It was a test Of
"Reminiscences, producing no little confusion, but
all the same a great deal of enjoyment. For ex-
ample, Captain Meyerhoff, of the Fourteenth
Indiana, said to Captain Patterson, Of the same
regiment:
SCap. do you remember one Fitzpatrick, of
your companyT"
YES"
'fWell, you also remember the tussle he had
with q concealed reb., at Greenbriar. Two large
trees had fallen, and were lying in parallel not
far from each other, and between them lay a lot
of leaves. Fitz got between the logs and fell
upon a reb., who was covered with the leaves,
but your man was soon on top OK him., although
Ht q disadvantage, as the Johnnie had caught
Fitz's fingers in his mouth, and down on
khem was bringing his teeth with all the force
bis jaws possessed. Let 60, d-n you, said
Fritz. Let go, I say and at every utterance he
gave the reb a fearful thwack with his free fist.
The reb held on like grim death, and did not
give up until two men came to Fritz's assistance
and shot the Johnnie"
Eyes, Fitzpatrick left the service on his own
motion Town about Luray. have not seen or
heard from him" said Captain Patterson.
SIN all the war sketches and histories relating
20 operations in Virginia the Indiana troops
have been sparingly mentioned" suggested an.
other.
1.-THE trouble is, we have not the historians.
The greater part of historical writing concerning
The Army of the Potomac has come from East
ern men, and they have been 10th to glorify any
achievement that was not performed by Eastern
regiments" said another officer.
1T is Doubleday" another officer observed,
"who, in his history Of Gettysburg, says in re-
gard to one of our movements there: The regi-
ments in this position did all that could have
or three Eastern regiments there the bill could
have been captured earlier in the day"
''That is the sort of stuff called impartial his
tory, but perhaps we, with our little $3, 600 ap-
preparation, can do a little to give Indiana troops
some significance in connection with Gettysburg. "
Evidently the Legislature did not expect us
to buy the earth with that SIS, 000."
"Oh, well, under the circumstances, what
moro could be expectedp
1T is rather an anomaly, is it not, to have
Kosecrans figure as a prominent orator at a bat
Sle-ield celebration when he had no connection
sith the fghta He was a thousand
At that time. And il does not
appear that any one distinguished at Gettys-
burg is to have any part in the oratorical exer-
sises.s
"Well, we did not arrange the programme.
Had we done SO. Rosecrans, anyhow, would have
been left out We had enough of him in West
Virginia campaigns"
With this the order of march came, and the
old soldiers, gripping their valises and shoulder
ing their overcoats, started for the depot on
heir peaceful visit to Gettysburg.