Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-14
A PEACH Tree
And Why the Members Q: the Sd xaiac Are
Interested in Il.

From the Worcester Saturday On.
server, we take the following clipping
which may Ike of interest to the former
members of the 3rd Maine Infantry
and veterans in general.
The peach stone spoken Of was one
of the lot that came from the reunion,
Preferred to in tie arsicle) held at Cak
land, Me-. in 1855. where the three has.
kets of peaches were sent. 1t was in
the cngagementssh here described, where
G. f. Gannett @f this city, vas wound
ed So
Lieut.. H. A. johnson has historic
peach tree at his home in Fruit street
that has this year brought forth it's first
yield of fruit. The tree was re- Used from
stone that came from the Getty sburg
battlefield orchard.
'In July, 1858, Lieut.. johnson made a
pilgrimage to Gettysburg. after an abb
in company with r. A.. EastOn, Gen. JO-
siah Pickett and George II. Hubbard.
Paying visit to the peach orchard. it
occurred to him that it would be inter-
esting and novel to have sent north tor
the reunion of the Third Maine Regiment
a supply of peaches from the famous or
chard.
Accordingly. in August. 1883, John L.
Sherfay, owner of the orchard, sent north
three crates of ripe peaches, and they
were eaten at the regimental reunion.
1.-THE famous peach orchard was occu-
pied by. sickles' Corps. and Just where
fantry had it's fierceSt encounter, and sus-
tanned heavy loss. This was the most adj
vanced position held by the Union lines
on the Union left during the three days
IN 10 of bs,
position held by the same regiment when
it valOrously engaged portion of Long
streets Corps on the morning of the I'd.
with the shipment of peaches. Lieut..
johnson received a notable letter from
Mr.. Sherfay, from which the following
is quoted:
"'This orchard was occupied by Sickles'
corps, and just here where this fruit was
grown was where your regiment. the
Third Maine Infantry, had its fercest en-
counter with the enemy, when you lost
many men. The position occupied by the
Third Corps in my orchard being so adj
vanced and isolated, made it one of ex-
IRENE peril, and Longstreet. who saw the
position thought he could break your di-
vision by concentrated ire of artillery
and then crush you out OF existence by
his vast numbers of infantry, and If his
plans worked as he hoped he would be
master of the situation and have an al
most unrestricted road open to the key
of the position. Big and Little Round
Tops. then but feebly protected.
1.-The result is well known. for the plan
was carried out as arranged, and after
as severe a contest as veteran men ever
saw, by force of superior numbers, your
men were obliged to retire from the or
chard. Just here is where the work of
Sckles came of value. Not only had he
killed and wounded hundreds of Long
men. bit he had delayed the adj
vance of this fighting body of Southern
ers so long that it had given Meade time
to hurry up troops for the protection of
the Round Tops. and when Longstreet
attempted to take these positions he
found foe worthy of his steel where he
had expected to find only few and a
weakened body of beaten soldiers.
Here the battle again waged hot and
fierce; 1t was give and take; first in IA
vor of the blue. then the gray; but at last
sullenly falls back to the Emmitsburg
road. and the days fighting on this part
of the line is over My, house. as you
know. is situated on this road. and mid
way between the lines and the marks of
shot and shell are yet freely seen on the
walls and the trees ii
MANY of the veterans who attended |
the 1883 reunion of the Third Maine car
ried away with them peach stones to |
plant. From the stone planted by Lieut.. |
Johnson there has sprung up a hand |
some peach tree. which this fall was
loaded with fruit for the first time. The
yield amounted to more than bushel. |
The peaches are of fine color and size. |
and Lieut.. johnson expects to have a
yearly yield of the fruit that sprung from
the historic and bloody field in Pennsyl- |
vania.