The National tribune., 1891-11-12

title 20 honor and admiration upon the authen
tic official records and in common with thou
sands OF my comrades OF the Army Of the lotO
mac, cannot but regard IL a eeplorab!t
misfortune TO its fair history, aud still more
grieyOus injustice to other brave commands
who did fully rs much as IL in repellug the
assault OF July 3 that It's members should bC
ostentati iousl posed IN cyclorama paint AS the
all-rOnguering YictOrs Of Gettysburg, ana that
us slain heroes Of 1868 should be slandered on
foreground by straw dummies in 1891
It's brave men did great work in the repulse
but not greater than the close, telling flank
yOLeys Of those steady Yermouters under the
gallant Stannard, aud other heroic commands,
easily named, who few 10 the breach la that
Portentous assault, on which the watching Lee
had hung the dearest, il not the last, hope OF
the COnfederacv.
Oh, no, gentle, gentle readers, those old gray
heads, wearing little bronze button In their
coat lapeis are not deceiving you. They are
giving il 10 yOu straight" when they assure
you quietly that there is heap of military
and moral difference between a battle at Get
tSsburg and a CyClOrama IN Philadelphia or
Chicago; almost as much difference, in fact
rs between the real commanders Of our regi-
ments, briEadcs, and divisions in the hot and
bloody Summers OF O. 6l aud '6i aud the
spurious Generals" paper "Colonels," aud
bogus Majors" whom the soldiers Of those
years don't remember a. ali. and who now
swarm around the official fat making the
once
NUMEROUS And NECESSARY PRIVATE
look so lonesome, tired, and unnecessary in
1891.
After studying RothormoTs expensive paint
ing in Memorial Hail. philipoteauxs cyco-
/ rama, and straw corpses in tho foreground,
cannot honestly help feeling that so fgr AS a
correct understanding Of what really happened
at Gettysburg is concerned the living as well
as the dead have been badly stuffed" in
/ cycOramas.
After looking over all this circus history.
further daubed by itinerant Gettysburg "lec-
/ turers," and their accessories those Jehu bat
/ tCfcld guides" who threaten with their
O.d sleuth' and Dead wood Dick " tales 10
turn respectable battlefield into a. unWada-
Die ahattolr Of gore, 10 rinses and refreshes my
4 soul TO examine alres the brief and graphic
/ words in which Pickett's charge is described
/ by the great soldier who received 1.-THE su-
/ pcfb and ever reliable Hancock, who looked
] nom hls saddle 80 the distance Of a few rods
into the eyes Of the southern men at the tre-
mendous moment whose issue might have
/ changed the map Of this country, and when, TO
use swinton's apt figure, "the tide Of rebellion
reached its high water marll!"
/ When ! speak Of the difference between a
/ cyclOrama aud a battle al Gettysburg I am not
| monkcylug with secondhand information
either, please observe for ] lost my eye, my
liberty, aud my watch at Gettysburg, and have
managed a cyclorama since, glory be TO God.
1 Kindred % the species Of misrepresentation
70 which / have referred may be classed the
! picturesque buriesques one encounters in a
| visit nowadays 20 the battlefield. These
/ present themselves in forms too varied and
numerous for present detailed reference; but
among the most familiar and offensive may he
| ciassed the relic" " manufacturers and fakirs,
Inn fiF.ru -. II a \
cious and lecturing Jehus, 10 whom hotel ac-
completes introduce you as
BATTLEFIELD "GUIDEs"
These Goddess men will take YOU over the
field with a spawned team IL you arc both
opulent and verdaut enough 70 undergo the
/ operation; aud II your object is quantity rather
1 than quality in the matter Of the battle history
/ you wlll have 20 just reason TO kick, for they
viii tell you al they know about Gettysburg
aud more too. To a veteran who can keep
straight face il is grim sort Of sport, despite
4 the attendant eEtortion, 20 make tue circuit Of
the Held with one Of these CORY purvcyors Of
! history
Embarrassing experiences Of the past have
/ however, made them wary Of veterans, and
F. hence their first move will be the cautious in
! quiIy g" If you were in the battle?7 II You
would enjoy the full fow Of his genius the
correct caper is 10 evade this question, affect a
profound dumhness, and give yourself wholly
/ up 10 hrs mercy. Z.
Having thus obtained room Commensurate
with his historical. strength, I've viii seize his
! descriptive whip, and, warming 10 bis work as
/ tue journey proceeds, be will leak misinr0r-
nation at every pore, and food you with tor
rent Of battle lore that c0mpels his very mules
1 20 fold down their honest ears IN pious mortif-
/ cation with their enforced part IN the inicuitv
Quietly compare has trighfful statements Gf
rcgiaeutal losses, rs be points out the land
/ MARKS aud monuments with the official report
Z 0l the War Department in your hands aud n
you VIII foot up his figures Of the slain i'm both
armies at the end Of the trip. you will have an
/ aggregate ot human slaughter beside which
/ waterloo WlA dWlldlc 20 lonesome sziTmish
Happily the Gettysburg a Harrisburg Rail-
road, whose energetic and courteous supgriu-
tcndent, Vim. H. Wood ward Of Carlisle. vas
himself very young bot gallant volunteer in
/ our army has done a much needed aud right
eous work IN recent years in extending its
tracks 30 as To traverse the battlefield between
the town aud Round Top. carrying visitors for
t1hing fare iTnm the right Of the Onion line
Of battle % its left, and thus abatiug in a large
measure the shameless ext0rt i0n a. well as the
orat0ricai outrages hitherto iu Aictcd upon them
BY this litter Of greedy liars, whoge sole
knowledge Of a fearful battlefield charge I"
consists 81 the one they make upon the purses
Of their heeCed and suu- burned passengers.
Few o. tic tens of thousands who nov
YEARLY VISIT THE FIELD
realize how much they are also indebted for
the railroad eemiorts they now enjoy % Gen.
J. b. Boyd, Of CAambcrsburg, another gallant
Union soldier. who is the able Superintendent
OF the Cumberland Valley Road. Gen. Bovd
was my cumTade ln prison during the war. aud
participated with Wc iu the tunnel escape from
Libby IN i-Gt. lie reached our camps al risht
Whlie j was retaken IN sight Of The Union
plcEets as related in my recent memoirs.
Scarcely Jess offensive than the outrage oi
The JeEu guyds is that inflicted by some
itineTaut pseudo lecturers, who for small re.
ward Of silver wal turn the crank and grind
out lurid 2rIst Of history while you wait.
Que Oi these who was neither iu the battle 0I
2ettysburg nor any other that am aware Of
raises The hair Of bis audience with horribly.
1ocosc account Of bow armlcss soldiers carried
lcgiess comrades 10 Spaugler's Spring duriup
the battle, and thus 81 Led each Others capierus
by doubling up." as Dee grimly terms IT,
warming % LIs work he then transforms Tho
4 br0uZHd defenders of Cemetery HIl-CarroIT,
Brigade aud Ricl.etiss caun0noers "A fnol
OF plgIllsts IN the battle, making them SO fli
1 forget themselves in their cOmbative heat "a,
70 throw away their muskcts aud engage will
their lists ln 4 lcrce aud Sullivanic Smuggling
match with the LOOerzea nner Tigers" mos
Of whom, Rs a matter of course. are in "A feu
bloody minutes knocked by tho Yankee Non
pareIs luJo the center Of the ensuing week
while the
SURVIVING TIGERS
escape down The hill % the town. 30 get spouRe
for their noses and oysters for their eyes.
he neTsplr.nE orator IN grammar fogRy a