Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-11-18

his presence revived the dropping spirits
OF ihe men, as 1t a ways did. Hancock
MADE mace ms report, and Meade ordered the
whole Union army to Gettysburg, and il
was decided by Merric1s party that.
while the army was concentrating al
Gettysburg on the second day, Lee )
me day. as. in fact. the fighting did not
begin July >, until about p NJ
But our discussion settled nothing the
force of arms settled it, While we were
sitting on the piazza of the hotel there
| We're doubtless more than twenty men
women and bows who badgered us to buy
anything for souvenir" Some of our
party had wounds received at this battle
some We're captured here. and lay n
southern prison pens ten months before
three days fight unscathed. Where The
| 18th made its gallant stand our party
| posed for the professional photogra I.
pher. and that was another reason why
souvenirs went slow with our crowd
The evening was taken for rest by most
OF the party. and Il was decided to make
second and third days fighting. AS has
been said the fighting on the SECOND day
did 3l rot begin until ?. NJ.
| Right here the writer must put in a
word in favor of as gallant and brave an
| Qtficer as ever commanded a corps, Gen
Gouyeneur *. Warren. at this battle
chief engineer Of the Army of the Poto-
mac. Il was by his express order tnat
| Little Round Top was occupied. He was
personally seeking an advantageous posi.
| lon Tor more artillery, and noticing the
advance of Hoods Confederate Division
| 10 occupy Little Round Top he ordered
| forward Nincents brigade in which was
| the Slth Maine,p and by rapid double
| qulck the historic point was saved 10
| the Union. our forces arriving just in
time 70 meet Laws Alabama brigade ana
hGri II back to awful defeat. 1t was here
Of Little Round Top. proved himself in
deed a hero. and with his regiment WOO
Ilmperishable renown, and al because
Had this point once been occupied by
Confederates. Gettysburg would have hal
i different ending. This same Warren
subsequently commander Of the 5th
Corps, was dissraced in presence of his
whole Corps at Five Forks by the i'm
petuous Sheridan. ana retired into priva,e
life he who had given his whole life t.
his c0untrYs service. For Years and
years he tried 10 have the stigma re-
moved. But no. the powers that be
could not be moved. and after repeated
attempts. aided by the efforts Of his com
radeS OF the regular army. his great heart
broke. and he died in seciusion in iitti,.
New York town. Note the differen ,e:
Antietam; not a man fired gun. al
though ne was sent to for aid continu-
ously from noon until night on that i7th
Of September. 1863. Note the difference.
This same FitZ John Porter assisted il
Popes defeat 1T Second Bun Run. Was
cashi"red the service. but he was rein
TO high and lucrative position. 1t is this
that makes the men behind the guns
in the old Second and Fifth Corps touchy
and indignant about poor Warren who
whose foresight and promptness saved
the battle Of Gettysburg to the Union
forces
Pardon this depression.
The EeXt forenoon At nine our party
again started out Cor the final trip over
the battlefield. \ few. the writer amon@
4 20 h. .4+t1 -
Den. and thence. short walk to Little
Round Top to wait arrival of the res
of the party by teams. There, like a
vidette. glass in hand. stands an elegant,
life like statue Of General Warren, fitting
~ placed on the spot his quick eye had
taken - he the key to the whole field.
Here. but a step distant. is the 21th
Names monument, bearing the. names oi
y officers and men who died in defense
Of that position. Only a short distance Is
the Jth Maine battery monument. placed
Louisiana Tigers. Here the whole party
united and together rode over the rest ut
the field. Here was Spanglers Spring,
where at the battle Union and Confeder-
ate alike filled their canteens. The origi
nal line Of work: has been well pr
served. almost intact from stevens
Knoll $50 called in honor of Judge
Stevens Of your city. commander OF
stevens battery around 20 the Round
Top. ana even. though less marked, 20
the Peach Orchard ana Wheatiield. thn
two latter localities being the scene Of
some Of the most desperate lighting in
history. where the 3rd, 4th. Ith. 11th AMI
18Th regiments covered themselves With
glory.
| cannot close this letter without AHA
sion to the National Cemetery. and Will
mention right here that it is one Of the
grandest places in the country. y splrn
did ''rostrum has been erected. where
President Lincoln uttered those few
words, which the Westminster Review
iangua ge.-at the dedication of the GENE
tery. To stand where he stood. to look
out on every hand ana see the mdgnih-
states and BY the general government
brings To mind Lincolns words What
they did here will never be forgotten"
There is but one Confederate monument
on the field. ana that is at cup Hill.
Others would be just as fitting at Semi
nary Hin. at Cemetery Ridge. at Gem.
the Devils Den, the Peach Orchard, the
Wheatfeld. at the Bloody Angle. ANA
lastly. al The High Water Mark monu
ment. where the last and supreme effort
Of Lee was made to pierce our line. 1t
was here that our party made Us last
halt for the lecture OF Captain Minnigh'
describing the second and third days bat
tie In graphic words he told OF the be
ginning 81 the end Of the end .of the
Rebellion" He mentioned the work Of All
! the Maine organizations participating IN
the crushing defeat Of Pickett, who
brought to that great charge the how"r
! of all the Confederate army: how Lee :
| his forces ana giving battle where they
| could select a position; how the clump
| of trees" lust westerly 4 few feet. from
/ the magnificent High Water Mark monu
| ment was to be the objective point. frhiS
| ''clump Of trees is the same today a.
| il was in '6.,. OF perfect umbrella shape,
| and the government has erected an iron
| fence about il to preserve II IRON desc
! cration3 how the lines of blue Sazed IN
| admiration upon the lines of grey ad
| TanCing like vast and grand machine,
| how the Union artillery. which the Con
| federateS supposed Silenced by their hrt.
now opened terrible. death dealing hre
| upon the approaching lines. but i WAS
/ the order Of Lee to break that line ~
| die - ANA those splendid fellows kept
| their lines as straight as though on par
adc Whole ranks We're swept down, but
| the line advanced. it struck the line ct
! Blue. can anything human stay that ad'
| vance? The Blue waivers it breaks, The
| Grey is through the line, The 'clump II
| trees" is reached. il is passed, Now al
| most insane with the JOY of approaching
! victory. the Grey hurls itself anew upon
the Union line \ few feet beyond the
! "rlump OF trees and human strength
/ cannot longer endure in" strain. cannot
longer withstand the terrible precision ol
tn Union guns. TIE Grey is hurried
back. The Blue triumphs, and Gettyi-
burg - saved
! ht Cemetery Hill. near the equestrian n
statue uf General Hancock. who was o. E
| NJ the heroes Of the day. our party Sath 4