The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-11

which souvenirs are sold there are two museums containing relics obtained from the battle field On the main street near the square is an old wooden pump, seem ingly out of place in town having mod erh waterworks, but they tell you Gen. Early watered his horse there and across the street in the museum is the old bat tered pot then a watering trough. Visi- tors are shown tree in the street with fragment of shell imbedded in it, and two story house near the square has the marks of several shells in it and 1t is related that many confederates got in the house but shell exploding in the upper story made them swarm out. Charley sturgis of this city tells about a eomrade calling to him of the eatables In a two-story brick and how he found great oaves of bread and apple butter but a shell made him leave hastily. It must be the same house.
 Farther east up Baltimore street and i on the left or northern side is brick house where Jennie Wade was killed At the time of the battle a woman with babe three days old was in the house and could not be moved The union gem erals gave orders that no pickets must use the house, but two got in and fired on our men from the cellar windows and of course there was return fire as our people did not know. the house was oc- cupied by women. Jennie Wade was be- hind the door of room kneading dough and a bullet passed through both door shutters and killed her. Her picture adorns match boxes, and almost every thing you can think of Her photographs are on sale and she is made conspicuous. Her story is told with every circum- stance of grief and horror She was the only woman killed on northern soil, and l heard it all and while deploring the accident I thought of the thousands of delicate women and children who were driven out of Atlanta by Sherman, to starve and die whilst he burnt their homes, and of the other thousands driven out of Columbia when he burned that city and of the numberless women and babes left to die of starvation by Sheridan when he ravaged the valley of Virginia. They were the wives and chill dren of rebels and 1t was all right for them to die and they got no pictures no sympathy Such Is the difference between mine and thine.
 In this house is a museum of field relics, among them some ancient dueling pls- tols, watches and quaint weapons of all kinds. One in particular arrested my at tention. It was a gold chain with locket attached and a ring of curious workman. ship. It represents casped hands, and the ring could be opened, displaying springs, but on being shut the hands again clasped The picture In the locket had faded as it lay on the ground nearly forty years, but the chain and ring are still perfect. From the position where it was found, 1 suppose one of Early S corps once wore it, but owing to the fact that there is no way for a stranger to ascertain what particular confederates fought at that or any other point, the relatives of the owner of the ring may never be found.
 first Days Fight.
 The first days fight commenced some three or four miles west of the town. For time Hills troops had all they could do to drive the enemy. Gen. Reynolds came on the field with his division, but an Arkansas sharpshooter named Dun lap Killed him and about noon Early came from York to the north and the federas were driven in great confusion through the town. Charley Sturgis says he fired 300 rounds that day and had 60 rounds left as the enemy threw away their ammunition. Late In the evening our bugles sounded the recall whilst the enemy was fleeing in the utmost con fusion to their reserves posted near the cemetery. The survivors still assert that they could have taken the heights that evening, but when one sees the num- erous cannons pointing in almost every direction on those heights which are said to be in the exact places then occupied by them, one may doubt 1t. Cubs hill is sos feet above the plane from which the field has been measured, which is consid- erably taller than Red mountain or Duff fey's mountain at Blount Springs. It Is rugged. steep and there are outcropping
 .v,I hF.rals s4 fC for two miles. Hayes Louisiana brigade mounted these steeps, took the earth works and held them till nearly all were slaughtered as their support did not come up From the angle where Pickett charged to Little Round Top, nearly two miles, the union line was broken at nearly every point sometimes pushed back nearly half a mile, but we had no re- serves, no fresh troops to crush the broken line which rallied and with re- Inducements drove our men back.
 Struggle of Giants.
 It was a struggle of giants and one cannot fail to be impressed as was Lin coin when he made his address in No yember following the battle. Even with all the hate and fury of war time, he said that he was proud of the Ameri- cans who charged those heights, and no southerner need feel otherwise when he X1S1lS the HelO. It VIII lOfClDiy SliihS every visitor that there was a great mis- take made in not having some monuments or tablets to show what particular com mand fought at particular points. All honor to that brigade which placed on its monument that it was driven by Barksdae's Mlssssippians 300 yards If they were driven and they frankly state 1t, they can feel that they met gallant foemen. There were privates in those Mississippi regiments, the equals in wealth social position and culture of any general on either side. Instead of detract- ing from the fame of their successful de- fense, it will add to their pride to know that Wilcox's, Rhodes or Laws Ala bamians or the Texans or Georgians or Carolinlans, the very flower of Lees army drove them from those apparently inn pregnable heights, and wrestled on that spot for victory. I have given the eleva- tion of Culp's hill on the left. Round Top on our right is 664 feet. Little Round Top 54S; Cemetery ridge 800, the angle where Pickett and Fender charged, 472: Peach orchard, ACT, the hill above Devils Den, 40 feet Red mountain is 400 feet above the railroad tracks at the depot in Birmingham, so one can get an idea of the heights, but over half the line was covered by lodges and boulders, render ing it impossible for any troops to keep fin line as they charged
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