The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-07-20
sPANGLER,s SPRING.
A GRAPHIC STORY or THE BLOODY FIELD
or GETTYSBURG.


Philadelphia Times.
DR.. K, one of the most success
full educators in Philadelphia, had a
happy thought when he gave to class
OF his boys a never.to-be-forgotten OBJ
ject lesson in the history of their coun-
try by personally conducting them TO
Gettysburg and taking them afoot
over that marvellous battlefield. The
time chosen for the visit was also for
tunate, being the twenty-fifth anniver.
sary of the three-days fight. and vete-
ran soldiers from both North and
South, the foes OF former days, were
coming to encamy together on the his.
toric ground in numbers far excee ing
the population of the town itself.
DIR. k, with his party of about
dozen boys, left Philadelphia at a
very early hour in the morning, in or
der to arrive at Harrisburg in time to
make connections with the train on the
Cumberland Valley Railroad, which,
emerging from the wooded hills, darts
shrieking into Gettysburg in the mid
die of the forenoon.
The party was bright and animat-
ed one. The only shadow over it was
the quarrel which two of ITS members
had been foolish enough to bring along
with them. These two boys were
Leon Starr and Sheridan Tupper, who
had fallen into violent dispute over a
base ball game the afternoon before.
Some very hard words had passed 1t
was said that fight might grow out
ofihe affair.
The two nov sat at oppos te ends of
the car scowling at one another. The
doctor paid no attention to the uupeas.
antness, it being his policy not to take
cognizance of disputes among his pu-
pills unless they were absol utely forced
upon his notice.
At Carlisle a one armed Union vete-
ran entered from the smoking car.
He wore the Grand Amy slouch hat
and the five point star badge of the
Twelfth Corps.
Being alone, he was soon surround
ed by an interesting group of listeners,
who piled him with questions and
whose respectable curiosity he was by
no means unwilling to crafty.
He had fought at Gettysburg, of
coursei
"That's where I left my arm,' re-
piled the old soldier, proudly. "My
regiment was the One Hundred and
Forty Seventh Pennsylvania, so you
may know, if you are at all familiar
with the history, that was in some
of the toughest lighting all through
the battle-for wasn't wounded un-
til the third day."
''If remember rightly, said DR.. X
-, "your regiment had particular
ly lively time, alternating all the way
between the extreme right and the ex.
treme left"
"Livelyi / should say so. We
came up by the Baltimore pike on the
first day and were marched to Little
Round Top. But early the next
morning we were taken to our regular
position with the Twelfth Corps on
Culp's Hill. That afternoon when
Sickles' Corps was driven back and
slaughtered on the Wheat Field, we
were taken down to Little Round Top
to help keep Longstreet back. And
then, after dark on the same night, we
were marched back to Culp's Hill
again, where we had to drive out lot
of Confederates of Ewell's Corps, who
had taken possession of our entrench-
ments while we we're away. And
there we put in our seven hours of ter
rife but successful fighting on the
morning of July 8, the last day. Yes,
it was lively, you may we'll say-and
deadly, too"
Everybody was now peering out of
the windows, as the train neared Get
tysburg, trying to make out the faini-
liar features of the landscape, as seen
in pictures. A dozen times suppositi-
tious Round Tops, Cemetery Hills and
Seminary Ridges were fixed upon with
eagerness, only to be abandoned in
disappointment as the train rushed on
and no town came in sight.
Suddenly when no one was expect
ing it, they shot past two or three gra-
mite monuments, past the college with
its white cupola and shady campus
sand came to" stop at little brick
station.
"Gettysburg!"
The name sent thrill to every
heart. Flags were flying, soldiers in
uniform were moving about in all di
rec,ions, white tents cleaned in the
distance, the sound of martial music
was borne on the breeze, and occasion
ally an artillery salute was heard
among the surrounding hills and dells.
1t must be startling reproduction
of the wartime Gettysburg, the boys
thought; and the visible excitement of
the veteran as he leaped from the
train and hurried of to join his Iegi
ment heightened this impression.
Every member of DIR. Ks party
was burning with eagerness 10 begin
the circuit of the battle shrines. Lug
gage was bundled down in heap AT
the boarding house, maps and guide
books were taken out, and off they all
started afoot for General Lees head
quarters on the Chambersburg road, I,
The doctors idea was to begin with
tne sctuts VI Tue uiet uay = pa'Stc aHu
make progressive circuit of the field,
taking in their proper order the memo
rable points associated with the three
days bloody conflict
Everywhere they came upon granit@
and bronze memorials, some just in the
process of dedication, with the old SOL
diers grouped reverently about and the
tattered bstlle flag of the regiment
proudly waving in the summer
breeze
1t was late in the afternoon when
our young pilgrims approached dark
wooded height, rising to the southeast
of the town, beyond the monuments
groves and grassy slopes of Cemetery
Hill
"Yes, that is Culp's Hill ahead yond
er," said the doctor. "lt was, as you
know, a most important position. The
struggle for its possession between
Ewells Confederstes and Socum'
Twelfth Cops made the ground,
where we are now standing litera
valley of death during the battle
4. 4 4