The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-23

! up his old gun and joined IN the hght.
! Several regiments claim that he fought
serg't. GA EtItice. Co. F. eth Wis.
writing frJIR Chilly, Cal. gives his YER
1 sion as follows
! 1T must have. been about noon when
4 I saw IHtle Ola man coming up in
i the rear Of Co, F. In regard to the
peculiarities9 of hts dress. / remember
that he wore swallow-tailed coat with
smooth brass buttons. He, had a rifle
on his shoulder We boys began to
poke fun at him as soon as he came
amongst ussc as 1--WE thought no civilian
i in his senses would Show himself i'm
such a place. IsEinding that he had
really comectO fight. / wanted to put
cartridge box on him to make him look
like soldier. telling him he could not
fight without one. Shaping his panta-
looms pocket, he replied. 4 can get my
hands in here quicker than in box.
i I'm not used to them new-fangied
i things In answer 10 the question what
possessed him to come out there at
/ such a time. he replied that the rebels
had either driven away or MIXED ms
! cows, and that he was going to be even
with them. About this time the enemy
4 began to advance. Bullets were flying
] thicker and faster, and we Rugged the
! ground about as close as we could.
Il Burns got behind q tree, and surprised
US all by not taking doubte-quick to
/ the rear. He was as calm and collected
as any veteran on the ground. We soon
had orders to. get up and move about
4 LOCO yards to the right. when we were
engaged in one of the most Stubborn
/ contests l ever experienced. Foot by
| foot we were driven back to point
near the Seminary, where We made q
stand, but were finally driven thru the
town to Cemetery Ridge. / never saw
John Burns after our movement to the
right, when we left him behind his
tree, and only know that he was true
blue and grit to the backbone, and
fought until he was three times wound
ed .'a
The Formation.
DoubIeday's old division of Pennsyl.
vanians. how commanded by Brig.-G
lThos A. Rowley, was the first to come
to the assistance of Wadsworth's Divi-
Ision. 1t brought two brigades onto the
field It's Third Brigade. commando
by Brig.-Gen. Geo. ]. Stannard, com
posed of nine-months men from Yer,
mont had been left behind to guaro
The trains from the supposed danger Of
an incursion by the way of the FAR
field road. The First Brigade, which
had been commanded by Gen. Rowley
before he succeeded to the command
1 of the division, was under Col. Chap
man Biddle, 121st Pa, and besides thi!
regiment there were the 1920 and IBIS
Pa and goth n. Y. Militia. The Second
Brigade, commanded by Col. Roy Stone
consisted of the 143d. 149th and 150tf
Pa. The 151st Pa. was left In reserve
near the Seminary. and the rest o.
Biddle's Brigade was posted on the left
of the woods occupied by the Iron Bri-
gade Stones Brigade WAS put into
position beyond McPherson's barn ano
on the right of the Iron Brigade.
The remaining division of the FRS
Corps, commanded by Brighten. 'Johr
c. Robinson, came up later. and went
into reserve in grove near the semi,
nary. Robinson's Division consisted OF
two brigades, the First. commanded by
Brig.-Gen. Gabriel r. Paul, which wa:
| made up of the 18th Me-. 18th Mass.
oath and .104th N. Y. 18th, and 107tf
Pa. The Second Brigade was com
manded by Brig.-Gen. Henry Baxter
and made up of the 18th Mass S3d
9th n. Y, SSth and goth Pa. The
massed batteries Of the enemy kept VI
n constant ana. severe fire while the
lines were being formed, endeavorine
by superior weight of metal to crush
out the Union batteries and break uT
the formation of the new line of de-
! Tense. The storm of projectiles bea
the most heavily upon the Cashtowr
road. where Calef maintained an un'
equal fight with the Confederate bat
teries massed to crush him. When his
ammunition was exhausted Doubleday
sent up REYNOLDS Battery l., LIST N.
IL. A. to relieve him. Reynolds tool
up the work CALAMITY where the Regu'
lar battery had left it. Col. Roy Stones
Brigade was sent to support the bat
terry, and formed on the left of the
!, pike behind a ridge, which had in ad'
| ufn To gain this Stone
had quite a sharp fight with the Con
:. federates, who realized the value of the
position, and stu5bornly refused to BIZ
driven.
Il EweII ON Oak Ridge.
About 1880 D. m. EweIi, seeing witt
[ a soldierly eye the vantage point o.
r the ground, marched onto Oak Hill
t and began planting his batteries there
v Oak Hill is a continuation of the ridge
} to the west of Seminary Ridge, an6
: about a mile north of the right of Dou'
! bleday's line held by Stones Brigade
EwelI announced his arrival by vol,
: lev of cannon shots, which enfiladet
! DoubIeday's line. This was matter
of the utmost gravity, since in the frs
: place it greatly endangered Stones Bri
t gade, and consequently the mainte-
f nance of its position. This was the
= key-point of DOubleday's line of bat
= tie, as IL ONeTlOOkeC the iieiu, anu III
j. possession by the enemy would cut tho
2 line in two and eHdanger the retreat
of the severed portions. Still Double
S day determined to hold on, hoping fol
l assistance and that new development:
would bring something to his relief. He
1 knew that it would be impossible fol
t him to hold on there, with Hill attack
ing him from the~west and Ewell from
: the north. The fire which EwelPs bat
, teries concentrated proved too severe
t for Reynolds and Calef. The former
was speedily struck down with severe
wound, and both batteries were so dis
/ abIed that they had to be withdrawn
{ Cooper's Battery was brought up t.
l meet EweiPs attack, and did it witt
magnificent skill and effectiveness.
Gen. Towards Report.
In his official report, Gen. o. o. How
ard says of the condition of things a!
: seen by him at this time, as follows:
ION hearing of the death of Gen
: REYNOLDS, 1 assumed command of tho
: Left Wing instructing Gen. Schurz t
: take command of the Eleventh Corps
: After an examination of the genera
, features of the country came to the
conclusion that the only tenables posi-
ton for my. limited force was the. ridge
: to the SOUTHEAST of Gettysburg now 81
: we'll knopfn as, Cemetery Ridge Thu
: highest Hoint at the cemetery com
!. ]trnanded HSery5 eminence within cas-!
!. range. TT sSBdpes toward the east ant
: south werc gradual, and could be com
: pletely swSpfbt artillery.2sTo the nOrtl
!. the ridgSSwaS broken by a ravine run
? nfups~ frayl<f6pf4e1y ssesss57sss.s-f