Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-01-17

puddly in places as from recent rains
no dust to choke the hurrying columns,
no thick clay mud to clog the wheels
or load the worn brogans.
Even before the earliest sunbeams
came glinting through the eastward
wood, Reynolds had called on his men;
| and they presently went tramping
away northward between moist, smil-
| ing fields and orchards, heading for the
| distant towers of the quaint little
| Pennsylvania town. Somewhere up that
charming valley their leaders knew
John Buford to be, for he and his SUM-
| tanned troopers had been thrown
ahead to cover the advance and find
/ the army of Lee, well known by this
| time to be concentrating to meet them.
Years and experience have taught
the leaders of the Army of the Potomac
something of the true use of cavalry,
| and there is no more of the blind CROP
| ing of the old days. They know that
Longstreet's whole corps is camping
about Chambersburg, across the South
Mountain range to the west. They
| know that Hill is between him and
| Cashtown, the first village of import
ance to the west of Gettysburg. They
know that Ewclls foremost divisions
have struck the line of the Susque-
spirited northward sweep of Meade's
far-spreading corps. They know that
these men of Reynolds lead the van
of the main army, and will doubtless
| be the first to reach and back the cav
airy when those searching horsemen
find and tackle the foe. What they do
not know is, that from west, north
west, north and northeast these con-
| verging columns are all headed for that
same little Pennsylvania town, march
ing to concentrate on Gettysburg, and
that this, the First corps of the Army
of the Potomac, is destined within
three hours to thrust square in between
those swft-closing jaws, and COM
PEELED, as Buford says to his own men,
| to flight like the devil" until the rest
of the army can reach it in support
In far better fettle and discipline is
Lees brave army than when it tried
the conversion of Maryland ten months
before. Only in two points is it less
|
dead and Stuart's cavalry is as good,
or bad, as lost For once in his life
| that brilliant and daring leader of
| horse is of no use to his commander.
| Through some error of judgment he
has gone far to the east and has been
| cut off from communication. For once
the Army of the Potomac has its eyes
| nd r. wit of
eyes, at least, of the Army of Virginia
are away to the rear. AT breakfast
time in Gettysburg, this morn of the
first of July, Heths division of A. P.
Hills corps of the Army of the South
comes "bulging" ahead, without the
accustomed screen of cavalry skirmish-
ers, and is brought up standing by the
challenge of Calef's light guns, plant
ed squarely in the middle of the Cash
town pike, and the simultaneous up
rising of squadron on squadron north
and south of the road--Devin's and
CANDLES gallant br;gades of famous
John Bufords division-and there,
like a bulldog Buford holds them two
mortal hours, until Reynolds, with his
| foremost men, comes squirting up the
eastward face of the brigade, joins Blu
ford at the old Lutheran seminary
and notes that the main lines of Heth S
division, north and south of the pike
are just forming for advance to the
attack in force-all that preceded hav-
ing been the work of strong sklrmist
lines-and now begins in grim earnest
the greatest and most momentous bat
tie of American history.
First to reach the field in support OF
Buford's hard-fghting Horse is the
First division of the First corps of the
, old Army of the Potomac, and the
first brigade to come swarming up the
slope is led by old graybeard Cutler
whom We saw at the head Of the Sixth
Wisconsin in its maiden battle on the
Warrenton pike, while, following close
at the heels of the foremost and. ODE
! dent to Reynolds orders, breastins
the height to the south of the sem
r mary, stride the five battalions of the
| Iron Brigade, the biggest not quite 500
, the others barely 800 strong. White
5 haired Wadsworth rides at the head o
the little division. That's all there il
! of it-these two brigades, led by thos,
t two far western brigades, barring thu
batteries that ever go with them-bu
= the blue-blooded old Gothamite il
command swears he wouldn't swap it
small as it is, for the strongest di
vision in the whole army-and h
: means it.
: 1t is a sight never to be forgotten
that which greets their eyes as TIL
Black Hats come popping up over tn
ridge. The westward forest is al
alive with flashing bayonets aligned OF
the little red battle flags, the division
of Heth in battle array. reaching al
most from pike to pike, with on
brigade thrown out lin the air. to tn
north, and pushing daringly forward t
. sweep the stubborn troopers, fighting
dismounted, out of the way. 1t i