Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-01-25
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
Ane veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
"nlstl1ng Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

"n1st1ng Bullets, Bright Bayouets,
bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
camp Fire, Festive BuRa, Etc, Etc.
John H. Calef, Captain Second Ar
tillery, Horse Battery A, writes of Get
lysDurg in the New York Herald:
Ihe morning Of the eventful list Of
July came bright and hot After
breakfast l had ordered my horse, and
was preparing to make a hasty inspec-
lion OF Gettysburg, there to make some
purchases for our mess, when an or
oerly from General Buford galloped up
with the information that the enemy
were advancing and orders to prepare
Tor action at once. have yet to make
my contemplated visit to Gettysburg.
In an incredibly short time our bivouac
was broken, and the baggage and cais-
sons sent to the rear. Colonel Gamble.
commanding the brigade, instructed me
to select my own position, which 1 did,
on crest in advance Of the one we
had occupied during the night. Level
Ing the intervening fences, the battery
moved forward to the position select
ed 1t was good one for artillery,
with the exception that railway cut
existed near the right flank, which fea-
ture exercised quite an influence dur
Ing the progress of the battle.
After posting my battery, seeing Gen
eral Buford and staff on the Cashtown
pike, near my position, I reported to
him for further instructions. With
him at the time was General Reynolds
and staff, who, having been notified by
Buford early in the morning of the
movements Of the enemy, had fastened
forward in advance Of the corps, and
was now comforting with Buford as to
the lay Of the land and other military
points of pressing interest.
1t was a part of General Buford's
plan to cover as large a front as pos
sible with my battery CHS only artil-
lery), for the purpose of deceiving the
enemy as to his strength. He there
fore instructed me to post two guns on
the right of the pike, two on the left,
and the remaining two still further to
the left, where the Eighth New York
cavalry was covering the left flank. 1t
was just to the right of the guns last
mentioned, in a corner of the woods,
that General Reynolds was killed a few
minutes later.
l had scarcely completed the posting
of this left section when Roder opened
on the right of the pike, his left piece
being the opening gun, directed against
a column of the enemy beyond Will
loughby's Run, where our cavalry, dis
mounted, We're stoutly resisting the adj
vance of Hills infantry. The other
guns now opened. This called up the
artillery Of the enemy, and my four
guns on the right were soon hotly en-
gagged with Pegram's and McIntosh's
battalions of artillery, numbering from
twentyseven to thirty guns. Seeing
the battery so greatly outnumbered,
directed the firing to be made slowly
and deliberately, and reported to Blu
ford, who was in my front. The battle
was now developing, and the demoniac
whir-r-r of the rified shot, the ping"
of the bursting shell, and the wicked
zip" Of the bullet, as it hurried by,
filed the air.
While riding to the guns on the left,
I met General Buford, accompanied by
a bugler only, and calmly smoking his
pipe He had just made an inspection
of the field, and remarked: Our men
I1@% hI1f
boy. we must hold this position until
the infantry comes up. Then you with
draw our guns In each section by piece,
fill up your timber chests from the
caissons, and await my ORDERS
Just as he finished speaking a shell
burst so near to us that both of our
horses reared with fright, but all es-
capped injury. BY this time the wonnd-
ed were being brought to the rear, and
temporary field hospitals were estab-
lished in the vicinity of the seminary.
Here also were my caissons.
AS l Joined the left guns again there
came out Of the Mcpherson woods in
orr front double line of battle in
gray. and not over one thousand yards
distant 1t was Archer's brigade, and
their battle flags looked redder and
bloodier in the strong July sun than
had ever seen them before. At those
flags the firing was directed, and my
gunners succeeded in making excellent
shots. throwing the lines into some con-
fusion In a short time Meredith's bri-
gade of Wadsworth's division swept by
on the run, and we knew our relief had
arrived Overlapping Archer's front,
they rushed on, and, making partial
wheel to the right, caught Archer as
he was moving by a flank to gain
tongue of woods (the tactical object
of that part of the field, and a part
of the brigade, with its commander,
were taken prisoners. Giving orders to
the left section to retire by piece and
ioin the caissons, l rode over to the
30 fhoip with.