The herald., 1895-10-04

Archer's front, they rushed on, and,
making a partial wheel to the right.
caught Archer as he was moving by flank
to gain tongue of woods (the technical
object of that part of the field) and part
of the brigade, with Its commander, were
taken prisoners. Giving orders to the
left section to retire by pieces and join
the cassons, | rode over to the other guns
to superntend their withdrawal. as the
troops of the first corps had relieved the
cavalry line of battle, and Halls First
Maine battery had come up to take the
place of mine. As | was giving the
order to Sergeant Newman, commanding
the center section, a shell burst under
the horses of one of the pieces, killing
or disabling four out OF six; but by siren
uous exertions the brave old soldiers man
aged to get the piece off with the remain
ing team.
In the meantime General Buford had
discovered that the enemy's infantry
Davis Mississippi brigade) were util-
izing the unfinished railway cut as rife
pit and sent for one of Roder's guns to
entilade 1t and drive them out. AS the
piece was being unlim bered its chief,
Corporal Robert Natrous, approaching
the necessity for instant action, secured
a double round Of canister, but as he
was running with it to the gun he was
shot down. Private Slattery, the No. 3,
with commendaple presence of mind,
snatched The ammunition from the hands
of his fallen comrade and got it into the
gun just as the enemy were rushing to
capture it. Some of them were SO close
, that when the piece was hred they were
literally blown away from the muzzle.
1t was at this time the Sixth Wiscon-
sin, changing front and assisted BY the
Fourteenth (Brooklyn) and Ninety-fifth
captured part of Davis Mississippi
brigade. with the colors of the Second
Mississippi.
We had had hot, exhausting day Of it,
fighting first with the cavalry and then
with the infantry; and after it was all
over most of my men dropped flom utter
WEAKNESS and some of them were soon
asleep. As they lay around the guns,
resting and waiting instructions about
camping, General Buford rode up and
refined in long enough TO say, address
ing himself to the rank and file: Men,
YOU have done splendidly. l never saw a
battery served SO well in my life" This
recognition of their services by their
general was ample compensation to the SO
brave zen for the hardshlps of the day,
and nerved them for the hardships which
the morrow's sun would surely bring.
But we were to have respite. Early
on the morning of the I'd the battery was
in position Just to the east of the EN-
mettsburg road. Before opening, how
ever, it was withdrawn to accompany the
division to Westminster, whittier it was
sent to guard our communications, as
well as to supply itself with forage.
rations and ammunition, from which it
had been separated many days.
In view of subsequent events, Is it too
much to claim for General John Buford
that be saved for us the strong position
of Cemetery Ridge by his bulldog tenac-
ity in clinging to the line of Willoughby's
Run until the arri val of the infantry? Is
it too much to say that the presence OF
Horse Battery A, Second artillery, with
its guns strung out over one-third of a
mile, suggested to A. P. Hill the ex-
istence of an unknown quantity in his
front. causing him to halt, deploy and
advance with cautionP All this gained
time. precious time. for the arrival of the
First corps, who accomplished all that
brave men could to stem the advance of
overwh Ginning nun uers.
Of the many monuments gracing the
historic field of Gettysburg, none will
commemorate a more deserving character
than General John Buford. and no m ore
fitting position can De chosen for it than
the spot from which the first gun was
fired in this his most mastery achieve
ment.-New York Herald.