The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-07-29
A RERoiC CHARGE

+. iioa' Gti,ysbarE was anishsr 10 Il
"a war oithe Rebellion.
> WLy. there are oh!ae lessons 70 ct
American rrl3s snd patriotism o. eve
turn Of the classic hfd. Fer insIanc
B. Ith,re 10 oar len, is tho scens Of the dee
ooHntmouted by tba, inscription 70
have !att paueel over oa the monument
the dead heroes OF the FIRST hinhesot
All time is the millennium Of your plor
You thought, as have others, tost tho'
word, were placed upon enduring msrb
through sn outburs. OF eItr'V.rapt hyp'
belle Whist | could not make clear
you before hope 10 noE IN telling 20
npon the spot where II was snss'el Q
July ? 1868. Of isat Of sHs uupsrailC
ed 10 the annals Of u odsrn wgr.
For nsarlr bali century sli the ~orl
has wondered, isst as Tennyson meant
shculd over The picturesque ride Of tb
5T Hupdred
Inio the i.ws 81 death
Ipto tho mouth OF hell
Al B.I.klavs en- not q rsbid Iaso
ordinarily, bu, it does make my American
heart beat faster than Its wont when
must listen 10 the rhspsodies OF the
crowd over the charge OF the Light Brig
sde, as though that incident made Bsls
klavs q fitld to date from in summing up
desds Of martial vslor. Frankly. the ride
OF the Six Hundred down the Valley Of
Death isn't in this contest by forty Ave
points, sll OF them &C, red on American
battefeIjs during the Civil W.r
The little block OF marble you would
have stumbled over back there in the
shadow Of the grand national pile, but for
lts catchy inscription, is placed above the
graves of fifty siI Minnesotans who were
killed outright in charge made by q
phslsnI Of only 26! men. There were
nineteen mortslly wounded and buried
elsewhere, and l40 wounded who reoov
cred, leaving AZ survivors out Of 262, o.
loss OF 80 per cent
Now the Light Brigade had 247 killed
aud wounded ont OF G73 who rode in the
dstt, loss Of about 81 per cent. A little
elementary mathematics shows agSp con
fronting the Bdtishers OF 45 stubborn
units snd that gap vac bridged, point for
point, on the bsttleHelds OF the civil war,
ell the way up to 81, the highest on rec ord
in ell the worlds showing.
We'll come back to figures and compsri
sons later il you bear with me while tell
what they are oil about, deed OF which
Gen. Hancock said; There is none subim
ct recorded in the pages OF history. My
figures say there is none 30 snblime,
counting the gains on the bloody iuvest
ment.
! saw it with it's prelude and it's sequel,
fer stood upon this ridge that afternoon
when General Sickles's Third Corps were
uverw helmed out there on ihst high
ground IN our front. This long ridge
upon which We srs now standing Was held
by Hsncocks corps and the defeat soi
5ickles thresteded disaster TO this flank
oi Meade's army, for that rocky mountain
here on the left, Little Round Top, had
not yet been seized by our troops. Han
sock stripped sl this ground OF infantry
10 send TO the aid OF Siokes, leaving only
DIS batteries to defend Cemetery Ridge.
The movement OF these troops from Han
,ock's line away to the lett could be seen
~ the Confederstes on our front and they /
we're inspired TO rush forward and pierce
be interval between Sickles and Hancock.
Hancock remained near here, the point q
i danger and he saw through q rift 10 ]
louds Of the battle smoke that lowered /
yer the field q column OF the enemy,
nrobiDs boldly with flying colors within t
few rods OF his line II left slone they t
Eould strike Battery G, Fourth United I
,tstes Artillery, which stood upon this i
uoll supported by the First Minnesots /
here we're no other Federal troops 10
ight. ReinfJrcements were ou the way e
rom be extreme night fsnk, away on the
ther side Of the ridge, but it would take e
me to gel them here. Looking ever the v
title phslsnx Of couple Of hundred or g
0, Hancock exclaimed; q
What regiment iB this'
I,s leader answered, The First Minneso r
Some who we're neSr Hancock ct the G
me say that be also eIolsimsd, Great T
-od Is thi, oil the men we have here
hsn vi sswesp OF bis eye toward the n
iyanciug sonisderates and their mensc 81
lg battle fags Of red, he shouted TO the O.
ommsnder Of the First. d
Col Col,ill, charge and take those o.
1lors, 2
Others say that be said simply, Charge b
iose lines. Others still say that be Ell b
aimed, DO you see those colosi Charge U
ID :sks themI But the strict wording Of /.
le order is In msterlsl, the idea was car ~
ed snt TO the letter b
There wEs 10 blnudcr about this for ir
IN hope. Whst followed vs.. msgulh p
nj and II was war The men knew The
rubIe sl,uatloa sli stoat them Jnst 81 II
ell as their leaders They arose With q
III sbd advanced quickly down the slope O
s.rd The plain TIL. eide OF Emmit,sburg A
Dad. FIRE. st lops, then al double quiot b
musket al right sLoulder shiit - then a,
ran al their utmost speed b,
There wers tIhcliy 262 cii Gers snd men le
th. Fifst Mtunesota tbs, day, sud the N
1uiedefa,ss we're a whoIe diusion, led b
WilcoIs Bnssie, Shot ani sbeli