The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-15

Dssesspsiss - shs Standardization
Desvses ~ tlse Great CssRsrs- H~w
- Ybxhs wss rssghs Ger Ae.fs--
stsssgs Might se<se.

- ADxA4 - - = - - -
strssgs Night se<se.
GxrrTssrns, Penn. July 5ta. fs-s =
On the field at 6sftysbarx. twenty
Eve years after the great struggle, The
scene wzs very different from thsf Ct
the evenffnl three aaysof kassls- Here
the for5ses Confederate and Inion sol
diers again rass bat NOS rs faes--ssof as
Union soldiers nor Confederate cot
d.erx. nor ~ soIdiers al all bat a. ess-
liens aid friend. 70 fight their battles
over IN "Reminiscences, 70 compare
notes. renex arausiatances. and take
a lesssseiy book oyer fhe field Of their
exploits.
Not iess than fsfty thousand people
vixsssa the isasslefields adjacent 10 the
town 81 Gestysbarg on the first. second
and third days Of Jaly, tsss. % com
mesnDrzte tsie great battles OF the ist-
"a and % o. July, 1853 They came,
traif-lo2d alter srasfs-ioaa. hight and
DAY, beginniag the enezmpment A.
opealng. Three thousand tents dotted
Identical spot where the army tents
were tesose spread. though in much
greater ngsnler than upon the former
occasion, az then there Vas no tinze
nor Inclination TO spread teiat.. nor. far
that matter, anything else but destrue-
ton 10 the foe. The original batteries.
though, were In place uporl the llensi.
cal spot. 50 well marked As not - be
mistaken. by the half circle embark
nenf row settled TO less than two feet
In hight and sfi.riy soside8 b. the pas
ture grasses Of this REGION The guns
have been placed Ia position since the
war. pointing as thef then pointed and
mounted a. they were then mounted.
except tl1at iron wheels To the carriages
hare taken t8e place OF the wooden,
long since deeaYel-
THE FIRST waspFR
That strikes one upoa viewing the field
from m elevated position is its great
extent. Indeed, there IL no single
place where one can take II ali In at q
glance. Ishossld Judge that il a whole
township Of Fix niiies square were plat
ted. even then part Of the scenes OF the
battle wonld be left out; yet the actual
conflict Of arms would he confined to
shout twenty faruss.
Upon these farms one now sees the
ordinary scenes Of farm lie, the Flow
and harrow having long since obiiier-
nted the signs OF the greet battle. /
saw SEINE scenes that were extraordin-
AIRY for American farra life Some Of
the fields are level and rich, while 9th
ers are rugged and stony. some Of the
farms sh0@ thrift and coIn.u.t, while
Others give signs OF close exAciion for
q livelihood. Upon one Of these | saw
man with as oid.fashionei cradle in
his hand Grading wheat. which WAS
then ripe. followed by two women. one
raking and tine other sinsling the grain.
In another field, though, the harvester
was running. drawn By four horses
and followed by staIwart men securing
the grain. On one particular part OF
the held, where the sighf had been the
hardest. a. ! vas shown by the old
soldiers going over tie ground with
me, Hook Of sheep with their TAT
lambs lay ut the spring where the
Union and Confederate forces iay at
night of the sc 5ona day, 50 iniermin-
gIed that they could not tell friensi or
foe until early dawn revealed the dress
and caused tie renewal OF the hand
to-hand eonte 4 and slaughter. This
part Of the battle-ground was in the
woods. more or less open, though nsu-
ally one could see distinctly bur few
rods distant. Upon this hiii the Mon
troop had taken their stand and hal
roughly fortined the position on the
brow OF The hill by long line of earth.
works that yet remain. ltwas here
rnE REBELS HAD HEoKES OVER
The breastworks ami occupied the
ground recently abandoned hy the
Union troops. who had been called to
another part OF the field that was sorely
pressed, Returning. night brought
them back into the black forest. 10
where, a. before said, friend r foe
could not he distinguished until morn
ting came. aud with IL the fecommence-
ment of the slaughter. How near
there came 20 be a general and over
wheiming defeat Of the Union forces
was To d over and over again. in all
parts Of the field. H." said one Of
my companions ,enlpiia sizing the word.
II Lee mad only known that when his
men were over here" tpointinB to the
place where the sheep lay there was
nothing between them and oar supply
train. not i've hundred yards distant.
he coald have destroyed them, ammu-
tfttt8 1nI Az, anu tt4itthcttrl afttuB
10 arsier retreat or submit 10 cap
ture " found. however, that each of
the old warriors could show where the
turning point al the battle, according
tn his vision. lay right before him, and
that la each case the battle was nearly
lost; and bat tor some unaceoantable
action of the enemy, or some cause
no; easily seen, the great disaster was
ayer;ed aud victory Iinaily crowned
the Union effort
rnE EEtNios.
There were some interesting cpl
sodcs of Tia. reunion scarcely less
strange than fiction. Right here,
Us near a. | can locate IL. said a
unian veteran, half talking to himself
and halt addressing a stranger who
happened u he upon the same ground,
right here, twenty-five years ago
this day. captured rebel after Pick
e,t's charge, aad took his gun from
him.' 81 And right here, said the
stranger. then, Tor the iirst time. look
ing hts nea Acquaintance ia the face.
was captured ON that same day. -
And are Yea the mani" half stimuli
tancously from the lips OF each, a.
they then recognized each other BY
the Incident after this long lapse o.
time. 1t is needless To add that the
capture OF arms was mutual and that
the two had an experience OF reunion
voucaSafed 10 hut few, and long
stroll over the field OF their mutual
exploits.
Next 30 the magnitude Of the field.
creating won,icr IN the mind % the
visitor. the faces 81 the veterans at
tract most atteation. One naturally
associates the name Of veteran with
that 81 osi age. especially after the
lapse 81 a quarter OF a century slb-
segment 10 gle scenes of hts exploit.
Ia this respect | was much surprised
to see nearly al the old soldier" no,
Old mga nor showing the marks of old
as-r g | was bat seventeen years oil
when fought herr" said upe Of a
New York regiment 20 me was
barely ctshtecn. said another. |
was net vet twenty. " AID third AMI
~ on through with the company. OF
six t,sst happened 10 he present only
one vas over twenty years cid when
he toos part Ia the great battle
10 judge by the faces seen and the
subsequent inquiries made. enc would
conclude that that was about the per
vcntage ct youths thai Comprised The
Hover 81 Meade, army II must I've
remembered. h0@ever. that og the old
er men many more have gone zcros-
TO that last parade ami battle than has
fallen 10 the iat 81 the younger sener.
alton. and that C,n esluent.s The per.
ccntSge az Younger facrS would show
q. - ,. q