The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-10-24

and incomprehensible to me, that wanted
to stop there and do nothing but gaze at it.
However, we kept rapidly on. The men
ceased talking among themselves, and moth
ing was heard except the grim Close up ";
Steady; Keep section distance there"
and similar orders of march. In q few
minutes we had passed the town of Gettys-
burg and out on the Chambersburg road to
the crest of the ridge near the Seminary,
where we halted for O while in column.
Receiving orders then, we went into bat
terry on the north side of the Cashtown
pike, abreast of the Seminary. Our position
was on the crest of the hill Mt that point, and
we were formed by half battery" the rail-
road cut dividing us-three guns being north
| and three guns south of il. As ours was in
the center section, we rested our right on
the bank of the railroad cut and were on the
south side OF it, The left gun of our half
battery was close to the d0or-yard fence of q
house, and our caissons were partially COW
cred by the slope to the rear. Lieut.. Davi-
son was in command of our half-battery.
Our guns pointed about due west,
TAKING THE CAsHTowN PIKE EN- ECHARPE.
The right half-battery was in line with us
on the north side of the cut. It's right gun
| rested on the edge of little grove, which
extended some distance further TO the right,
and which | noticed was full of infantry
supporting us. There was also infantry in
our rear, behind the crest and in the railroad
cut One of our squad volunteered the
facetious remark that these infantry were
put there to shoot the recruits if they
tlnched"; for which he was Tebuked by my
Corporal, who told him to see that ne him
self behaved as well as the recruits" AS the
"Old Man n"-Stewart-comma the right
hali-battery in person, he did not have much
to do with us, directly, during the action
that followed.
At this time, which was probably about
noon, all the infantry of the First Corps, except
that massed Immediately about our position,
together with Halls, ReynOlds's and one of
the cavalry horse-batteries -Calef's, be-
lieve-were struggling desperately in the
fields in our front, and for few moments
we had nothing to do but witness the mag
nificent scene. The enemy had some bat
teries firing down the pike, but their shot
probably caDisteT-did not reach us. In q
few minutes they opened with shell from a
battery on high knoll to the north of as
(Oak HID and, though at long range, di-
rectly eniiladng our line. But they sent
their shells at the troops who were out in adj
vance. We stood to the guns and watched
tho infantry combat in our front. Over across
the creek (Willoughby's) we could see the
gray masses of the rebel infantry coming
along all the roads and depl0ying in the
fields, and to me it seemed that they were
innumerabie. remember remarking to my
next man that thought the report We got at
Mcchanicst0wn that I" Lees army rs it passed
through Hagerstown, was LAG, 600 strong" must
have been too small He grinned, and re-
marked: "H-ll. boy, what you see over there
IL only the adyapce-guard OF Lees army.
There amt q great many troops over there Z"
At this time some 200 or 800 rebel prisoners
passed by cur position on their way TO our rear.
They came pretty close TO US, aud kept turn
ing my head to watch them. They were
t0ugh.looking set. Some had bloody rags tied
round their limbs or heads. where they had re-
coived slight wounds. Intent upon seeing
them, had turned clear round aud left my
post several steps 30 | could see down into
the cut through which they were march
ing. At this tho Sergeant of our piece came TO
me and said in low tone: You must stand
to your post, my boy, and keep your eyes front
when We are standing at q ready in action. Don't
do this again. The Lieutenant is looking ut
you'll" did not quite realize then how much
of consideration there WAS in the old Sergeant's
method Of roproving me for what was serious
breach of discipline under the circumstances
/ remember that the information that &" the
Lieutenant is looking az you smo.e mo with
awful force. ! did not move a muscle again
until ordered To do so
Tn he