Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1905-12-15

ginia. We were at the scene Of the
first days struggle. Soon our feet
pressed the sod where Reynolds fell
while grandly meeting the charge o.
Lees advance guard. A little mound
supporting simple stone marks the
exact spot where Pennsylvania's great
Maj General Of Volunteers died.
Yards in advance of his own firing
line, as it is, by it we read better than
by plaudits of history the ohivalrous
dash Of his bravery. A noble monu-
ment in stone and bronze a quarter OF
a mile distant represents the warrior
in lifelike repose, sitting his charger
and gazing away toward the blue line
Of hills from whence came the dashinp
men in grey. From one of the four
cannon resting on granite bases at
this spot was fired the first shot of the
battle of Gettysburg.
Just ten miles it is to the seam in
the mountains through which wound
the veterans-tried of Dixie land. A
grey haze of smoke hangs like pail
over the hills, and through 1t fantas-
tic, weird shapes seem moving still.
Rank on rank Of infantry, numbering
cannon, flashing sabers of cavalry
men are marching up the quiet Penn
sylvania pike. No word they utter,
no sound but in their eyes the light
of awful purpose burns living flame,
and on their brows is set the pallid
seal of fate. They tread the narrow
ing lane of death. They sing the
songs and cheer the cheers with word,
with thought, with life of that which
they believed to be cause we'll worthy
smiles from God, but which the One
Omnipotent had judged unworthy and
untrue. The sun is waning in the
west, and with it wanes and flicker
out brave peoples star of hope.
Confederacy is lost forever "The
government at Washington still sur
wives" Humbly in the dust we bow
and, thanking Him who rules the
roll of worlds for the heritage Of sires
who died, we, the living, rededicate
ourselves to the cause of brotherhood
and common veal.
There are many things we would
like to write, but we must hasten our
pen as we hastened our feet. At the
extreme right of Seminary Ridge is a
monument that attracted our atten-
ton. 1t is erected in memory of the
Goth Regiment and represents in stone
a shattered tree trunk At the fork
ing of two branches, a little turtle
dove in bronze stands with wide
spread wings, lowering her young
The story is to me beautiful one. A
shell fired on the 1st Of July by Lees
advancing army tore the top out of a
tree where the monument is now
erected. Just below the section cut
away, a dove had her nest, and
through the long and terrible battle
she covered her young; now and then
uttering a plaintive mother-cry Of
fear, not for herself, but for the little
ones Nesting in her breast.
The same old beautiful story, told
in another and strange way, but the
same old story still-the love of a
mother. Rob the world Of light and
Joy and truth and bravery and virtue,
and leave still with us mother-love,
and soon the sun will shine, the
heavens smile, the world bloom with
new courage, and faith lead on her
own sweet way to purity.
Changing our course, we drove the
entire length of Seminary Ridge, the
position occupied by General Lee and
the Army of Northern Virginia during
the battle of Gettysburg. Every few
yards, iron tablets mark positions of
batteries, batallions and divisions,
giving names and recording history.
Cannons are in position, placed as
nearly as possible in the places occu-
pied by the artillery in July, 1868. No
monuments are as yet erected on the
Confederate side, and so, in compari-
son with the Union lines just across
the valley Of death, Seminary Ridge
is plain and bare.
Here in sunken vale we read that
just before us and behind clump OF
scrub oaks, Longstreet formed his
lines for Piclxett's charge on the Union
center. Driving on, we had at last
traversed the entire length, four miles,
of the Confederate battle line. De
scending into the valley, we began
our backward trip down the Union
positions, by Big Round Top and
Little Round Top, through Death
Valley and DEVILS Den, along Peach
Orchard and Bloody Wheat Field
over the High Water Mark Of the Re-
bellion, into Mead's Headquarters
and on through the National Gene
terry out to Spangler's Spring, where
men in blue and grey drew water
together
We climbed Big Round Top and the
lookout tower located on the summit
1t was a hard pull, but the view thai
lay in panorama before oureyes, east
ward, westward, to the north, and tc
the south, was recompense a hundred
times for all the energy expended
Some one has said that this is the
most beautiful and inspiring land
scape in all the world. However thai