The National tribune., 1902-10-09

given way and the Confederates were ad-
vancing in strong force, in order to gain
the necessary time to get san opposing line
intact, Gen. Hancock ordered the 1st
MINI. to charge the advancing Confeder
ates. The regiment charged with 262
men in line, meeting whole brigade and
losing within 10 minutes, ,215 killed and
wounded or S3 per CENT of their whole
number; but they checked the advance and
held their ground against them until Han
was display of heroism that threw Pick
ett's charge of the following day in the
shade. The charge of the 5000 at Gettys-
burg July 3. 1868. and the charge of the
600 at Balaklava Oct. 25, 1854, were both
outdone by the charge of the 200 on the
I'd day of July, 1868; for there the brave
Minnesotians accomplished what they un-
dertOok.
THE STORY OF JOHN BURNS.
John l.. Burns has been called "The
Hero of Gettysburg" but a hero" as
well as prophet is not without honor
save in his own town, of which fact l
was impressed when l visited Gettysburg
in 1900. There l was told by men who
a myth and a fraud. That the true ver-
sion of the matter is that Burns was some
thing of q squirrel hunter, was out that
morning hunting up his cow and gather
ing few squirrels for dinner; was acci-
dentally wounded or shot himself through
fright. and ran home and hid under his
bed. Then l learned another phase of the
story, for the Burns story is not without
two phases in Gettysburg, where every
bOdy's father or uncle knew Burns better
than he knew himself; and this is it: That
Burns was wounded in battle and return
ed to his home in the evening; that the
next day, when the Confederates seemed
-, r-s, I, 81.
they pleased with the city in their pos
session. some of the copperhead element
put the Confederate authorities after
Burns, so he told the other phase of the
story to fool the COnfederates. which
proves Burns not only to have been a
hero, but diplomat as well. l feel sure
the last version is the correct one, for
John Burns joined the 7tb Wis. early in
the day in Reynolds Grove, and fought
with them until wounded and was advised
to retreat, which he did. l never saw
John, but have seen many of the 7th boys
who did, and had the story of the old
mans heroism from their lips, and have
every reason to believe their report true.
IL is 20 years too early to make poltroon
Of John L. Burns of Gettysburg
STORIES OF THE BIRDS.
The old people who lived at Gettysburg
after the battle tell some horrible stories of
the sights they witnessed, which will not
bear repeating here; but they tell one
story upon which they all seem to agree,
and as it relates to bird-kind rather than
to mankind we may assume that it is true,
notwithstanding the fact that it places the
character of the buzzard in new light
to me- and possibly to people generally. l
was told that after the battle the birds of
all kinds left the country round about
Gettysburg, and did not return again until
the next year. some species not returning
until the second or third year, and that
even the vultures or bfzzafds, which be-
fore the battle, as they are now, were
quite numerous in that vicinity, and which
are accredited with a great fondness for
human flesh, also deserted the country,
and not one darkened the sky again until
the next Summer. If thisi is a yarn, it
cost me nothing. When l visited Gettys-
burg in 1900, buZzardss and all kinds of
small birds were very numerous there,
and l saw with my own eyes q verifcatiOn
Beside our fierce black eagle the Dove of
Peace shall rest,
And in the mouths of cannon the wild bird
More than once was startled by the
whizzing of bird past my fears from the
mouth of cannon where the birds were
nesting.
THE FORTUNES OF WAR.
The story is told at Gettysburg for truth
that a young man by the name of Wentz,
who once lived with his father near the
Peach Orchard, but having gone South |
when the war broke out had donned the
gray, and being assigned to Lees Army, |
was with him at Gettysburg and stood, |
with his battery, in his fathers yard DUR
ing the battle Of July 2.
Also, that young man by the name Of |
Culp, and a nephew of the owner Of Culp's |
Hill, who went South before the war,
Joined the Confederate army, came North |
with Lees invasion, and fell on Culp's |
Hill, near the house where he was born.
Then, too, met at Gettysburg a native |
Of North Carolina, who Joined the Confed- |
crate army when the war began and |
served with 1t until after the battle at |
Gettysburg, wherein he was, and from
which point he deserted after the battle |
was over and had lived there ever since |
He told me this story himself. and
learned that he was well and favorably |
known by many people there. He said he
had all the war he wanted, and thought |
that good place to quit"
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY.
At the time of the battle the National
Cemetery was rough and rocky hillside
DctWeeH tue AdltiHOTe PIKE anu the IAN |
eytown road, and north Of the city GENE
tery. The Gettysburg Cemetery Company
was organized and Incorporated by the |
State Of Pennsylvania shortly after the |
battle, for the purpose of establishing |
here a soldiers cemetery. These grounds |
were dedicated for that purpose Nov. 10, |
1863. In 1872 they assigned it to the |
Government of the United States The |
soldiers who died at Gettysburg in defense
of the Flag and the Union are buried here |
in sections, In large semi-circular plat, |
each of the 18 States represented in the
battle occupying a section. The States
and the number of their sol |
diers are as follows:
Mahe: .................. 1O4
New Hampshire. re................ 40
Vermont ............ ........ 81
Massachusetts ........ ...... 159
Rhode Island ............, -
Connecticut ............. .... %
New York S61
New Jersey ................ 7S
Delaware Observation-Disclosures. Is
Maryland %
West Virginia ............... II
ONO ................... 131
Indiana .............,..... 80
Illinois .,....... 6
Michigan .......... ,...,..... III
Wisconsin .,........ 73