Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-06-11

nearest Confederate and he'd up his
broadbrim at arms length, by way OF
challenge, where it could be plainly seen.
As quick as thought two bullets cut
through the hat-one through the crown,
the other through the brim-and the
funny fellow, satisfied with the expert
ment, Sprdng into some bu hes near by.
! Those shots were undoubtedly fired at
the hat, not at the man. The fighting at
this point was at times severe, one-armed
General Phil Kearney being in command.
Near noon pause which astonished the
line occurred in the artillery fire of our
side, and exactly at noon there came from
! each Of our batteries twenty-One shots,
the reports of which sounded as soft as
cotton. 1t was the regulation blank sa-
lutte in honor of our independence, and it
was reciprocated, for instantly came the
same dead sounds from Ewelrs guns
sounds very different from the sharp,
spiteful ring made by shotted guns. Is
there an instance in any other modern
war of artillery actually engaged in bat
tie removing the shot from its cartridges
to give a salute to an idea?
There were few great battles of the
Army of the Potomac in which skirmish
lines were so little brought into play as
at Antietam. But at Gettysburg, in ad-
dition to the regular contests of lines of
battle, the skirmish lines were a notable
feature. During all those three days, and
a good part of the two nights, wherever
there was not a struggle between serried
lines of battle there stretched two lines of
! skirmishers, facing one another, engaged
in incessant though slow and deliberate
sharpshooting at one another. One Incl
dent of the skirmish line at Gettysburg
deserves to be widely known. 1t was in
front Of the extreme right of Hancock's
Second Corps. Repeated charges had
been made by the skirmishers here of both
sides, without any material alteration in
the position of the two lines, but with the
effect of strewing the ground between
with dead and wounded. 1t was near
noon of the third day July 3, 1869,
and the sun beat numerically down on
that open ground. The CRIES of the
wounded were pitiful and could con-
stantly be heard in spite of the rattle OF
the destructive fire-work. About mid
way between the lines was tree that had
served as a MONDAY resting spot for the
harvest hands in more peaceful summers,
and around the roots of this tree had lain
all that morning several Confederate
sharpshooters, whose execution both on
the Federal skirmishers and on the Fed
eral batteries posted on the ridge behind
had drawn upon them many Federal VOWS
of vengeance Within an hour the Con-
federate battle lines were to make their
brave but to them disastrous charge over
the same ground. There came sudden
lull in the firing on this part of the
skirmish lines and we rose to our
feet to ascertain the cause. A Con-
federate was approaching from the
the tree, holding up his right hand.
Thinking he meant to desert, some
of ours called out to him: "Come over,
Johnny we'll not fire." But he came
until within forty or fifty yards and then
knelt down, and we saw that this Con-
federate dead shot, who had for hours
been helping to work havoc among our
men, was holding up the head of a pros
trate wounded Federal while he gave
him drink from his canteen. Such a
shout as went up! Both sides stood upon
their feet within full view of one another
and cheered the noble act The Confed-
crate, having accomplished his purpos9,
made haste back to his fellow SHARPE
shooters at the tree Enmity had been
disarmed for a moment. and there was a
reluctance to begin firing again, but a
clear voice from the roots of the tree
called OUT "Take care, Yanks! we're
going to fre!" 1t is useless to tell any
man who saw real service in our civil war
that chivalry is dead. - Chicago Herald.