Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-28
SCENES AND INCIDENTS OF THE
GREAT BATTLE RECALLED.
GENERAL LEE AND THE FLAG STORY,
COL. FLOYD, OF LYNCHBURG, GIVES
THE CORRECT VERSION.
4 WARTIME WE'D DIN G.
The Dressing and the supper-Mark-
ing the Graves of Confederate Pri-
soners-Appeal from Richmond
Chapter, Confederate Daughters.

The following appears in the Alexan-
dria Gazette:
Having been invited TO accompany a
party of friends on a visit TO the Get
tysburg battlefield, from which / had
been borne wounded some thirty years
y before, gladly accepted the invitation
and on the morning Of the 18th of Octo-
Der I started from the hospitable city
OF Hagerstown. accompanied by Mr..
and Mrs Charles Wysong and Miss
Anne Bruln, on the Cumberland Valley
railroad 1t was an ideal autumn day
and nothing could exceed the beauty Of
the scenery along our route. The Cum
berland Valley. with its succession of
beautiful and highly cultivated farms,
lay In full view below US, while the
forest foliage, taking on every tint Of
autumn coloring, adorned the mountains
over which We passed. A succession of
carefully tended orchards extended as
Ear as Buena Vista, with the hotel on
the summit of the mountain, reminding
the beholder of the famed Castle of
Chllon. This country is fast attaining
supremacy as the peach growing region
OF the East. After delightful drive we
arrived at our destination about o'clock
and proceeded to the Gettysburg
Hotel, which we found TO be well kept
and moderate in its charges. We here
engaged a good team at charge of
q dollar per head for the entire day.
and were so fortunate as TO have it
driven by John Hoffman, one OF, If not
the best, guides in the town. l would
advise any one visiting the battle-fields
10 endeavor 10 secure his services, as
they will find him well informed, courte-
Gus, and obliging. We started out
10 the point on the Chambersburg pike,
where the first shot was fired on July
LIST, and then followed the track of
the fighting up the pike into the town,
where the scars Of shot and shell can
be plainly seen on many OF the original
buildings. IL was through these streets
thai the Union forces rushed, panic
stricken, on the evening of the first days
fight, losing upwards Of 5000 prison
ers. and had Longstreet been up the
battle of Gettysburg would have been
over. We next went 10 Cemetery HUI.
which Is about three hundred yards
from the town, where the enemy were
allowed 20 remain in small force and
throw I'D earthworks during the night.
II was here that the Louisiana Tigers
made their memorable assault the next
morning and being enhladed by the
cannon on Culp's Hill, left l,4O0 out Of
the LOO that made the charge. We
hext went out TO CUPS Hill, where the
mutilated and SCARED timber bore ample
evidence Of the hurricane Of shot and
shell that had torn through It. Here II
was that johnson, Early, and Rhodes
charged this impregnable position and
were repulsed with heavy loss. Before
nightfall, Johnson, moving to his left,
Ranked the hill and finding no enemy in
his front. moved up TO the Baltimore
pike and halted, imagining he was be-
ing led into a trap. Had he but known
that he was within few hundred yards
of Meade's headquarters and about the
same distance from his parked ammuni-
tIon train, how different the result might
have been. But
Alas! ah, no, twas not to be.
We can't prevail 'gainst Gods decree.
We passed on TO the famous peach
orchard, where the tide Of battle ebbed
and flowed flercely on the second day.
Not tree remains 10 mark the spot.
Thence to Big Round Top, so hercely
contended for during the second days
flght. / was surprised at the strength
OF the position occupied by the Union
forces on tho second and third days.
Culp's HILL Big and Little Round Top
are covered with boulders from few
tons weight 10 that of several hundred
tons, affordinS the best of defensive
positions, and II seems that a force
holding them could not be successfully
charged by ten times their number. l
venture 10 affirm that / could have held
either of them with the Eighth Infantry
against a division. No wonder Long
street failed TO carry the two Round
Tops and Ewell Culp's Hin. The ter
Fnination OF the fighting on the second
day found the Union army intrenched
IN a strong position with their line In
almost the shape OF segment of a
circle. while General Lees line repre-
scented an outer segment of nearly double
It's length Just here 1t is that some Of
his would-be critics say he should have
WITHDRAWN his army around the enemy's
left flank, and that Picketts charge
was blunder. Not man in Il thou
uand that fought under him believe this
10 DO true. General Lee never blundered,
although he may have trusted too Inn
plicitly In being seconded promptly by
some of his subordinate officers Had
Pickett been up instead OF his division
burg. the battle OF Gettysburg would
have terminated with the first days
nghting. i was In command OF a detail
that spent the day In destroying rail-
road property in Chamoersburg that was
not the slightest advantage 20 us. Some
eight or ten Of my men would take a
trail, and with the cry OF Boys re-
member Haymarket," would perforate
ore OF the large brick railroad buildings
rs easily az a needle would go through
pleco OF cloth: having in this manner
worked long slit in the wall. down II
would tumble. The reference to Hay
market was owing to that village having
been wantoniy burned at night by
drunken party OF Blenker's men.
mao the satisfaction. however, OF hear
NS compliments passed on us for the
teropu1ous regard paid for private pro-
perry IL was utterly out OF General
A~@s mower 10 withdraw his army from