Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-05-25

~ CS, ! know how it is. Jarvis" he re-
pcatcd, but ynN see | was on the other
side, and | ailtt got any cause to be
ashamed of it. We thought we were
right and your people thought they were
right. and with only that little difference
Of opinion between MS we made the grand
est tight Of it the world has ever seem
Well, il was over long ago. and those
that were in ii amt got any bitter feeling
toward each other. Its right that the
northern people should decorate the
graves of the men who fell. and in the
south we do the same. lIarli to that
trumpet, They are still gathering. They
know that we'll char=" 'cm pretty quick
Just as soon as our skirmiShcrs and cav
airy turn their left flank, it'll be up and
at en-
Soft, but mellow and clear, the note ot
the trumpet once more came through the
jungle across the marsh. The fire of the
skirmiShcrs Swcll"d into steady crackIc
That trumpet is Il signal" said the
regular, land its like another but bigger
signal that | heard Il long time ago.
Hear those shots over there? The cayal-
ry are ON their Hanks now. We haven't
got much longer to wait; then wr'll swing
forward rs we did that day up Cemetery
hill, but to "A luckirr end
ut was hot them" said the youth ten
tativcly.
The regular laughed quietly.
"Hot?" he said. ''IIot was no name
for it. 1t was the road to the Internal
regions. I'm Il Nirgiuian, Jarvis. and
was with Pickett. | was no older then
than YOU are now. We We're lying down
on Seminary ridge, facing the Yankees on
Cemetery hill and biding our time We
had been tightin" there nearly three days,
you know, Jarvis. but we, under Pickett,
did not come up until the last day. DO
You see any of 'cm. Jarvis?"
"No. The skirmishcrs are still lively,
but | don't see anything"
Its still too early for us. There had
been tremendous fire of big guns, about
300 of 'em altogether. for an hour or two,
and then they stopped all of sudden.
1t was so still that you could hear an ant
crawl. Then came the signal for us with
Pickett to charge home to the heart of
the northern army, and we did it. | say
we did it, but we didn't come back-at
least not many of us. 1t was about a
mile across the open, and there We're less
than 1000 of us going against the Yam.
kee army of GO,GOO or SO. 900 men, though
if it had been the other way | guess the
Yankees would have done the same. That
was the hottest and livcliest march, Jar
Wis, that 1000 men ever made. They be-
gan blazing at us at once with the big
guns on Cemetery hill and from the bat
teries that covered the hill called Little
Round Top. and the bullets and the shells
lashed us through and through. Hasn't
that firing come Il little nearer, JarviS?'
"les. | can see two of our skirmisherS
crawling through the bush"
"All right. let 'cm work; it's their time.
and ours hasn't come. When we got
across that valley. Jarvis, there weren't
many of us left, but we went on all the
same. and then the rifles began on us,
10000 or GO.OoO of 'em. but then they
looked to me- like a million. | couldn't
see anything hut black smoke and red
fame. and as | went on | stumbled over
the bodies of my comrades. Even now,
Jarvis. | sometimes hear in my ears the
roaring of all those cannon and rifles
Now and then when the smoke was drv-
en- aside by the blaze of the great guns
we could see the northern batteries, and
we kept straigh: toward 'em. We haven't
much longer to wait now, Jarvis. There's
the colonel across yonder. and he's draw
ing his belt l.ttle tighter. That means
that the charge is coming, and he'll lead
1t himself"
II don't hear the trumpet any more,
Wilson,"
NO, it's sung its song for the day. The
enemy are crawling into the earthworks
now. AS told you, Jarvis, we went on
up the hill and into the mouths of the
Yankee guns. Oh. they were there all
right enough waiting for us, and | don't
remember much that happened then ex-
Cept roar aud a blaze and yells as if a
million devils were shouting at once. All
OF our men who were left were killed or
taken, and | fell down with one bullet
through my leg aud another through my
shoulder"
"Iou were taken prisoner, Wilson,"
"Of course. When the battle was over,
tall young fellow with blue eyes and
brown hair just about as old as you are
now, lifted me up and carried me into the
Yankee camp. He brought me a doctor
and until | got well he waited on me
same as if he had been my brother. That
was curious young fellow, Jarvis-at
least | thought SO then, but not now ncl-
haps. He didn't seem 20 have any malice
toward us Of the south, though he was
fighting us with all his might lie had got
q little wound himself in the charge, lust
enough to put him off active duty, hut
pot enough to keen him from helping me.
It WAS then that began to find out that
the Yankees We're the same sort of men
under IA" skin that we were. We'd argue
the question OF the war in the most peace
ful way. just like two preachers. Then
he'd tell me about his home way up
north, and I'd tell him about mine way
down south. Ilark to that. Jarvis. The
fights swinging close"
The fire of the skirmishers grew fiercar.
TO the ears of the listening men came
the occasional shout of the combatants.
Overhead coppery sun sailed in a sky