The National tribune., 1894-05-03
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What0ur Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
LINCOLN TO SICKLES.
There was Glory Enough at Gettysburg to
Go All Around.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Inere ar
sc many claimants for the honor of Saving
Gettysburg that must confess am gettini
a little mixed. Strange, but true, eacl
claim is well fortified with good reasons TO
being allowed.
The friends of Gen. John Buford CLAIM
that he saved Gettysburg, because with his
dismounted cavalry be kept the enemy a
bay nearly all the forenoon Of the first day
of the fight, thus giving our forces chanc'
to come up on to the field just in time.
The friends of Gen. o. o. Howard claim
that he saved Gettysburg, because when hs
moved forward to the support of the First
Corps he left part of his force on Cemetery
Hill, on which to fall back in case of defeat
in front; that force prevented our men from
being driven pell-mel over it; and the loss
of the ridge would have been the loss of the
battle.
The friends of Gen. Hancock claim that
when he arrived on the field the first day OF
the fight the scene of confusion, wreck and
ruin was appalling But his commanding
presence and energetic will were equal for
the time being to a reinforcement OF thou
sands of men. The stream of fugitives was
turned back to their regiments, which were
soon formed in line-of-battle on Cemetery
Ridge. Skirmishers were thrown out, and
ance that when viewed by Gen. Lee, although
with half his army well in hand, he dare
not attack, and that delay saved Gettysburg.
The fate of these claims depends very much
upon whether the judge happens to wear
jeff Davis or Abraham Lincoln spectacles.
1t was not the loss of the battery that Gen.
Hancock feared when he ordered that terri
BILE charge of the LIST Mimi; the loss of the
battery was nothing compared with the loss
of this noble regiment of men. But he in
stantly saw it was desperate crisis in the
battle that could only be met by the charge
of that regiment. And it saved Gettysburg.
The friends of Gen. Berdan, of the Sharp
shooters, are doubly fortified by testimony
of both friend and foe that he saved Gettys-
burg, because Gen. Longstreet says that he
delayed his attack just five minutes too
long; if the delay had been 80 instead of 40
minutes, he would have taken possession of
Little Round Top, the key to our position,
and our defeat would have been inevitable.
The principal witness in this claim was one
of our principal foes in the war, and we will
not be surprised if this claim be promptly
allowed, as the judge and witness wear
~specs of the same pattern.
The friends of Gen. Warren, Of the Engi-
neers, claim that TO him is due all honor,
because he was the first man on our side to
discover that the enemy was about TO take
Little Round Top. Five minutes later Laws
and Richardson's Brigades of Hoods Divis-
ion, would have been holding it, and on
their lannon's enflading order our men
would have hustled down to Pipe Clay
Greek.
The friends of that tough old hero, Gen.
George S. Green, say that with a single bri-
gade he held Culp's Hill and saved the right
of the Union army from being turned by the
repeated assaults of Stewards Division.
Last, but not least, the whole State of
Vermont is ready and willing, regardless of
party, to rise and affirm that to the best of
their knowledge and belief Gen. Stannard
saved Gettysburg, because on Friday after
noon he saved two batteries from instant
capture and retook one and captured rebel
battery and thousand prisoners. On Satur
day afternoon, during the tremendous artil-
lery fire, the position of his force on the left
center was in advance of any other on that
part of the field and in the last grand charge
Gen. Pickett's right supports melted away
before the deadly fire of his Vermonters, de-
livered at close range. They captured over
1900 prisoners The bayonet charge of the |
18th VT, under the gallant Col. W. g. Veazey, |
by which the supporting rebel brigade, un-
der Gen. Wilcox, was captured, is worthy of
particular notice. AS to The merits of Yer
mont's claim l very much doubt whether the
united wisdom Of Col Abe Slupsky, Hon.
Dink Belts, Judge Pod Dismuke, Hon. Hope |
Elias, and Hon. Hoke Smith will be able to |
find the least flaw in the claim.
For the last 80 years / have been q resi- |
dent Of one of the noblest thunderbolts of |
our civil war, the State of Illinois, but |
shall ever remember with pride that I am |
native of that glorious little Northeastern !
star-and, by the way, the only one on Old |
Glory that has never descended beneath the |
horizon-an eagle in the pride and strength |
OF her mountain home. Never has she been |
brought down either by the bowling of |
dogs or hawking of housing political owls;
but stasd steadfast and true, without ,ari- |
ableness or shadow of turning
An anecdote Of the brave but rough old |
Gen. Stannard ] have never seen in print. |
We were on guard on the Orange & Alexan- |
dria Railroad between Bull Run and the |
Rappahsnnock, when we were ordered to
move in pursuit Of the enemy. On June 30
we were in the northern part of Maryland,
and hot, thirsty, and weary, under a blaz-
ing MONDAY sun, when We got a welcome
order to halt, break ranks for bareback. The /
job was finished within the hour allowed and |
as Uncle Sam was not very much in the |
habit of providing buckwheat cakes and /!
honey for dessert, of course the boys were on
their own resources to supply the deficit. |
Their success on that day was eminently |
satisfactory, but proved to be the Waterloo |
of about a dozen magnificent cherry trees |
standing in the front yard of one of Mary |
land, My Maryland's" most loyal citizens. |
However, there is no doubt about the 10y |
atty, or perhaps the lawlessness, Of the boys |
that soon filled his trees inside and out. |
Happiness without a break reigned supreme |
in and around those cherry trees for about |
five minutes, when who should put in an |
appearance but old Gen. Stannard himself. |
The boys knew well enough that he could |
swear when he was mad, and some wicked |
people say that Gen. Washington could, too. |
Stannard instantly opened fire at short |
range, and the blast that he delivered was a |
sulphurous terror that seemed to bubble |
night up from the very belly of sheol, but /
greatly 10 the relief Of the boys and disgust |
of the old General, who had hardly time to |
unmuzzle the half Of his birthstone bless |
ing, when the order came to fall in. The |
boys and the best part Of those cherry trees
obeyed the order promptly. For a mo-
ment the old General seemed to be dumb |
founded, and then put spurs to his horse and |
was of like a shot.-JAMEs TARBELL, |
Lieutenant, Co. A, 10th Vt, Upper Alton,
Ill
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