The National tribune., 1906-03-22
WAR SCENES ATGErrysBuRG.
Comrade Monnth Gives Some Unwritter
Incidents. Inc,ud;As the Capture oi
Sleeping JohnnfcssGane the Work OF
Confederate Sharpkh0OterS

Sleeping Johnniesstane the Work of
Confederate SharpthooterS.
Some unwritten incidents of Gettys-
burg are contained. .in,sa communica-
ton from Comrade Henry Monath. OF
4039 Duquesne averue, Ale gheny City,
Pa. who was n member OF co. I, 74th
Pa, and participated In some of the
hottest fights of the rebellion.
"On the morning of, July g. 1863
he says. "our line lay back of BattIe-
field Hotel about 100 yards. The ground
was covered by large fruit trees, and
we were in close range with the sharp
shooters who occupied the houses in
the city. Co. /, 74th Pa, received or
ders to advance through this orchard
to the hotel. The timothy was high,
and We crawled through il on our
hands and knees, in great danger all
the while of being hit by the missiles
OF the sharpShooters concealed in the
houses. When we reached The hotel
our Captain, Schleiter, took half Of the
company into another house across the
street. We were firing from the houses
we We're in at the rebels in other build
ings, and they We're firing at us.
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
while PickettS charge WAS being ma de,
the rebs turned their cannon on us.
Three solid shot were sent through the
hotel, and two of our number were
x,
of us went into the cellar and remained
there until nightfall, as We could do
nothing else. About 8 o'clock at night
the firing ceased suddenly. Then !
placed sentinel in the rear of the
house, so that if any body of troops
approached he could give the alarm.
About 10 o'clock he heard a voice from
the next house. The sentinel called Us
ont, and we listened and heard the
voice exclaim. Hello We replied,
What do you want?' Back came the
voice, L want to come over To this
one of us replied, Come He came in
without hat or gun, and told us his
musket was standing in rear of the
house he had Just vacated. The senti-
mel ventured over during the night and
brought the gun back. 1t was pri-
vate gun and one of the finest l had
ever seen, a breech-loader and silver
mounted, and we sold il the following
day for $35.
THE young man remained with us
during the night. He told us he had
been lying In rear of the other house
for two days, and could not move for
fear of being shot by the sharpshoot-
ers. At daybreak of July the sentinel
called us out upon the main street.
Upon looking up the main street We
could see the citizens waving their
handkerchiefS for us TO come on, as the
rebels had departed during the night.
We few men held a council of war on
the street, and decided that We would
move forward into the CITY,, In every
house we entered were rebel soldiers
sleeping. We escorted them all to the
square, and soon had about 100 of them
there and placed a guard over them.
"A lady came to me while ] was
guarding the Johnnies, and requested
me to go TO her house and take there
FIR rNETn N ed ha n
man to her residence, but did not enter
her front door, as she did, but went
TO the rear of the house. There were
two big rebels in the house. l in
formed them they We're my prisoners.
Their reply was: g..
Come on. Sergeant; there stands
our guns against the tree. Take them
and do what you please with them
II had my gun cooked. The woman
said she had already prepared break
fast for the Johnnies. and we sat down
together and ate IL. Then / marched
my prisoners to the square, but in the
meantime all the Cotiier prisoners had
been marched to the rear, so / escorted
my two back to the hotel. About this
time a regiment came through the main
street in full column, taking the full
width of the street. These men re-
ceived the credit of being the first to
enter the city on the morning OF July
4. They found many muskets. In the
lot which the prisoners. had occupied
was stack of from ! 600 to 1900 of
them Of different makes and styles"
Comrade Monath then describes how
he and the sentinel discovered the hid
ing place OF some liquor that had been
planted" in the house by the proGrie
tor, David Blubaugh, whom he met al
that time in company with the Cc:nnc.
of the 9Th Ohio, and how he End his
comrades filled their canteens with the
liquid disturbance" He appends a
letter he recently received from Mr..
Blubaugh, who is now at Abilene, Kan.
in which the latter complains that Un-
Gle Sam has never reimbursed him for
his property In the hotel that was con-
fiscated or destroyed in those stirring
times when the great battle OF Gettys-
burg was fought. Mr.. -Blubaugh says
in his letter that some Of the men who
lived on the battle-ground had nothing
left after the fight but what they had
on their backs-buildings, fences and
all disappeared. He thinks this Gov
ernment is "lame,"" because 1t has not
repaid the men for the losses they in
CURED in those strenuous times.