Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-05-06
HIGKErT'S ARTILLERY AT GET
1YSRIJRG

1YSBURG.
Ga that ever memorable I'd day Of
July, 1868, Pickett's Division of gay
boys mai ched from Cham bersburg and
reached the neighborhood of Gettys-
burg, fed horses, ate dinner and were
up the hfrry trees when Hoods guns
opened When his musketry began to
roar we felt happy--cherries never
tasted so sweet. Those Texas boys
were whipping them and they were
welcome to the glory-we thought more
of cherries than OF glory or the grave,
but alas Nick blew his bugle-thal
wonderful bugle that was always SO
hard to fnd and VIII found got
all the calls mixed up. Nick,
our Hans Brightman, would tell
US that neither he nor it were
responsible, for ever since it paraly zed
. Yankee colonel and his staff, it had
been beside itself. Thereby hangs a
tale: "At New Berne when 1 showed
his bugle in the Yankee colonel's face,
glance down its crooked barrel made
him throw up his hands, and so with
his adjutant and surgeon. They were
brave men and could face common
straight barrel pistol, but this crooked
kind of Internal machine fetched them.
General Pickett publicly presented me
with the colonel's sword, pistols, horse
and equipments" l suppose Nick still
carries his bugle and is telling all about
It, wherever he may be, whether here
or on the boat that plies up the river
Styx.
That bugle call meant for US an all
nights march, first one way and
hen another, with halt after halt,
some long and some short, in bewilder-
ing confusion. General Lee was hunt
ing for the hottest place he could find,
TO put us in. Always half asleep,
never wide awake, nobody knew or
cared much about where we were go
ing. About day we came up in the
rear of our position on Pickett's line.
Soon after Maj. Dearing heard some
guns firing, pricked up his ears and or
iered us forward, and soon we were
engaged in driving back some skirmish
demonstration. Twas then that Maj
Reid got red hot straight part down
the middle of his bald head, and we
laughed at his uncommon dudish pro
pensities. That skirmising placed u
first on the ground, and we tried hard
to find the best place, for we knew the
Fayette artillery came next after US
and they had the established reputation
Of getting, by hook or crook, the best
Of every thing. Those Fayette arti.-
ery boys were handy fellows; your hat
wasn't safe on your head when they
were walking about, but one of our
Loudoun boys, duck-legged Saund, rs,
capped the climax when in Petersburg
he called for So drink and took de
cauter in one hand and the glass in the
other and showed the city police and
provost guard SO clear pair of heels
they were paralyzed by wonderment.
Poor Saunders He soon afterwards
reported at those headquarters where
Uncle Toby says "Great allowances are
made for soldiers"
When every thing queted down we
slept of the nights march with our faces
to high heaven, from whence the light
and heat giving orb, in its benignity,
shed so fiery lustre upon us, you would
| have sworn we were in the hands Of
one OF Easculapius' disciples. When we
arose every thing was wondrous still.
Old Pete rode by and our hearts
jumped. Pickett, with his flow
ing locks and gay dashing staff, rode
back aud forth among us-we loved
him. Fighting was in the air. Then
Marse Bob stopped with us, looked
long and hard at the crest with its blue
fringes and big ugly.looking buttons
arrayed upon it, told US that it was bean
artillery day, apd pointing to the crest,
"If you boys will do your duty General
Lougstreet's infantry will march there,
and you must go along with them. "
He talked so soft and pleasant this day
didn't say word about trespassing,
depredating cherry trees, riding on
caissons or seeing General Chiffon
we knew it was to be an uncommon
day, and anecdotes were in order.
As the occurrences are now some
what dimmed BY age I take the privi-
lege of arranging them. Nick, immor-
talized by his bugle, must have first
place. When General Pickett brought
his bride to Petersburg, our battalion
gave a grand blowout. Nick was chief
cook and bottle washer. We bought
all the wine in Petersburg and carried
it in two-gallon demijohn to Mrs Car
roll. Nick's repeated calls for more
wine, finally, put her on her metal.
The amount of wine and onions you
are cooking frightens the ladies'"
Nick when l fix the dishes, you
don't taste nothing of them, they will
just taste good;" and so it was. Nick
was Il chmond soldier.
BIount had big Irishman, that, in
a snow ball match, captured our cap
tain and was bearing him off bodily on
his shoulders, when Erin to the res.
cue' brought Tom O'Donnell dashing
forth. He rescued our captain and
carried the war into the enemy's country
aud the provost guard were for many
days searching for missing camp ket-
ties, blankets and a whole weeks ra.
tious, but they only found tom sick
abed.n
But hush boys, Maj. Dearing is issu
ing orders: You charge abreast the in