The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-10-24
STORY 0F A CANNONEER.
Continued from 1st page.)
pearance of apprehension on the part of any


we were packing our haversacks Corporal
said to me: "You want to hang onto that
grub, my son because we shall probably be
fighting up here for two or three days, aud
you can't get any more while that is going
on"
We were turned out the next morning
about daybreak, harnessed up, and, after
crossing the little bridge, halted to let the
infantry of Wadsworths Division file by.
There was no mistake now. While we
stood there watching these splendid soldiers
file by with their long, swinging route
step," and their musSets giittering in the
rays OF the rising sun, there came out of the
northwest sulen "bcom! bo0ml boom {"
of three guns, followed almost Immediately
by prolonged cracking sound, which, at
that distance, reminded one very much of
the swapping Of dry brush-heap when you
first set it on fire. We soon reasoned out
the state of affairs up in front. Buford, they
calculated, had engaged the leading infantry
OF Lees army, and was probably trying to
hold them with his cavalry in heavy skir-
mish line, dism0unted, until our infantry
could come up. They said that the enemy
had not yet developed more than q skirmish-
line, because 1t be had shown n heavy forma-
ton Buford would be using his artillery, Of
which he had two or three batteries, whereas
we had thus far heard only the three can
non shots previously mentioned. l relate
these apparently triiling incidents To show
how the men ia our army were in the habit
of observing things, and how unerring their
Judgment was, rs rule, even in matters Of
military knowledge far beyond their sphere
or control
But my eyes were riveted on the infantry
marching by. do not want to fight Gettys-
burg over again, but / would like, if only in
dream or trance, to see once more that old
Iron Brigade file past as it did that morn
ing. i had seen troops enough marching,
but these were the first / had ever seen
going forth directly to battle, with the
enemy's musketry ringing in their ears The
little creek made a depression in the road,
with gentle ascent on either side, so that
from our point of view the column, as it
came down one slope and up the other, had
the effect of huge billows of men topped
with spray of shining steel, and the whole
spectacle was calculated TO give nerve to n
man who had none before. Partly because
they had served together q long time, and,
no doubt, because 30 many of their men were
in our ranks,
THERE WAS GREAT AFFINITY BETWEEN
THE BATTERY AND THE IRON BRIGADE,
which expressed itself in cheers and good
natured chatting between us as they went
by. Find good place 10 camp; be sure
and get near good dry rail fence; tell the
Johnnies we will be right al0ng,' were the
salutatlons that passed on our part, while
the infantry made such responses as "All
right; better stay here till we send for you !;
the climate up there may be unhealthy just
now for such delicate creatures as you," and
all that sort OF thing. Ii was probably 8
o'clock when the last of Cutters Brigade had
passed, and then we got the order 10 march,
following these troops closely. As we
moved up the road we could sec the troops
OF the next division esming close behind, so
we felt that we would have plenty of sup
port, which ~ the frat thing that an artil-
leryman thinks abont By this time the
leading regiments of Wndsworth's infantry
had rot on the ground, and the sounds of
battle were increasing rapidly.
The sounds Of the cavalry fight had been
distinct ever since we left Marsh Creek-a
fitfni crackle--but now we heard fierce,
angry crash on crash, rapidly growing in
volume and intensity, Bignifying that our
leading infantry W.adsworth's Division, OF
which the Iron Brigade formed the head of
colnmn-had encountered the dough boys"
of Lees advance. II is well known that the
men OF the Iron Brigade always preferred
siouch hats, western fashion, and seldom
or never wore caps. At the time this heavy
crashing began We were probably half way
up from Marsh Creek, and the battery was
marching at walk 30 most Of us were
walking along with the guns instead Of
riding on the limbers. / happened to be
marching by the side OF man from the I'd
Wisconsin John HollaDdl who took great
pride in the Iron Brigade. So, when that
sudden crash! crashl crashl hoated over
the hills 10 our ears, John seized me by the
shoulder, saying: Hear that, my son
That's the talk
THE OLD SLOUGH HATS HAVE GOT THERE,
You BETl!n
Now the artillery began TO play in earnest,
and IL was evident that the three batteries
which had preceded us were closely engaged,
while the musk etry had grown from the crack
ling sound of the skirmishing we had heard
early in the morning to an almost incessant
crash, which betokened the iile-flring OF u
main line OF battle Just before reaching the
brow OF the hill, south Of the town where
we could get our first sight of the battle it.
self, there was g provoking halt OF nearly
half an hour. We could hear every sound,
even the yells of the troops fighting on the
ridge beyond Gettysburg and We could see
the smoke mount up and float away lazily
10 the northeastward; but we could not see
the combatants. While halted here Double
days Division passed up TIE road, each regi-
ment breaking into double-quick Us il
reached the top of the hill The Eleventh
Corps also began by this time TO arrive from
Emmittsburg, while, looking across the fields,
we could see the Taneytown road full of the
troops of the Twelfth Corps coming from
that place. Finally, when the last of the
Second Brigade OF Doubleday tStone's) had
passed, we got the order TO advance again.
and in two minutes the whole scene burst
upon us like the lifting of the curtain in a
grand play. 10 me, who had never seen
anything of the kind before, il WAS simply
stupendons Ia the first place, do not
suppose there was ever battle fought else
where of which such complete view was
possible from one point rs we got of that
battle when We reached the top of the hill
abreast OF Round Top On the whole, /
think ! would have been cOntented to re-
main there and watch the performance ]
confess that my desire to see "a great battle
would have been. amply satisfied without
any closer acquaintance with its details /
don't mean to say that, was scared, or that
/ dreaded to go aader fire, but the spectacle
was so grand, so terrific, 40 utterly strange