The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-08-06
WASHINGTON c., THURSDAY AUGUST

ears, 20 miles ito the westward, had
given Sickles. t0.Iniles to the south. lit
tie or no hint tof the severity of the
engagement Howard requested Sickles
to march imtne diately to his assistance
as he was hadlyHneeded. This brought
about brief struggle in Sickles, for he
was mindful of Meade's instructions as
to the line of bHttle to be established
behind PfpesCreek and of the necessity
of holding Elmmitsburg strongly to Sc
cure freedom of manuvering. Yet Gen.
Sfckles was one of those natural SOL
diers who had the instinct that a SOL
dier's business was fighting, and his
burg could 1besta be defended by his
going up toIGettysburg and aiding the
forces already struggling there. There
fore. Gen. Sfckles sent return message
informing Howard that he would move
to Gettysburg Immediately. At the
same time he sent a courier with a
dispatch to Meade, informing him that
he had responded to Gen. Towards call
for help, and had started his corps
forward on two parallel roads, himself
moving on the turnpike, where he could
be found by any message from Meade
countermanding his action. Siekles left
De Trobriand's ard Burling's Brigades
and Smiths and Winslow's Batteries in
strong position at Emmitsburg to hold
that important point. and sent another
courier to Meade informing him of this
arrangement. Later Gen. Meade ap-
proved of what Gen. Sickles had done,
and ordered these two brigades up to
join their corps.
After rapid march of great severity,
since it was made over a rough road,
Gen. Sickles arrived with -Birney's Divi-
sion near Gettysburg at $50 p. m. The
division had thus marched 10 miles in
three hours. After hurried examina-
ton of the battlefield and consultation
with those who had been fighting there.
Gen. Sickles sent message to Gen.
Meade pronouncing it a good battle
field, but suggested that the left and
rear be strengthened at once. Gen.
Humphreys had started with his divi-
sion a little later than Gen. Birney,
taking parallel road about two miles
to the west, but he was misled by his
guide, physician from Emmitsburg.
who presumably was familiar with the
country, and did not reach the field
until / O'Clock in the morning. He had
been moving so near the enemy that
there had almost been collision with
some of Longstreet's advance at the
Black Horse Tavern. 49,
Mende Orders a Concentration.
Gen. Meade accepted Hancock's view
of the situation, and at once sent out
orders for the whole army to march
Immediately for Gettysburg. AS soon
as these were dispatched Gen. Meade
set out with his headquarters for the
same place, and arrived at Gettysburg
at 1 o'clock on the morning of July 2.
Gen. Gibbon. who was temporarily in
command of the Second Corps, started
it forward along the Taneytown road
until Hancock met 1t and halted ii
about three miles from the town to go
into position where it would guard the
left while at the same time supporting
the front. The Fifth Corps, under Gen.
Sykes was at Union Mills on the morn
ing of July /. II miles from Gettysburg
by the most direct route. 1t was under
orders to march by the way of Han
over, still longer course. 1t reached
Hanover about z p. M, and, receiving
orders to move to Gettysburg, resumed
its march and reached Bonaughtown,
six miles from Gettysburg, at midnight.
1t was absolutely necessary, as well as
good policy, to halt the troops there
for rest. They resumed the march at
daylight, and reached Gettysburg about
a. m. .Gr sot
The most remarkable achievement in
this concentration was the memorable
march of the Sixth Corps. This corps
had previously won a high reputation
by the. promptness and exactness of its
movements as well as by its lighting
qualities, and 1t was now to make a
record never afterward. paralleled by
any organization in the army. 1t had,
as the extreme right of the army, been
sent to Manchester. a pass in the ridge
which made a gateway for the road
from Gettysburg to- Baltimore. This
was to counter any movement that Ear
ly might make from the direction of
York. Manchester is 80 miles by the
shortest route from Gettysburg. Gen.
Sedgwick received orders on the even
ing OF July l to march to Taneytown,
and the corps started at p. m. While
on the way messengers arrived with
orders to continue the march to Get:ys-
burg, and only allowing a few minutes
halt each hour. and one short halt for
coffee, Sedgwick pressed on with his
men. reaching the battlefield at 3 p. M,
July 9, after a march which some of
the officers who made it insist was 35
miles long. This was under a broiling
sun, with the roads filled with stiffiing
dust and water very scarce.
A Weird, Spectral Scene.
That hot, dry, dusty, moonlit night of
July / presented a scene of weird, al
most spectral imDressiveness. The roads
flowed with unceasing, unbroken rivers
of armed men, marching swiftly, stolid-
ly silently. Their garments were COW
cred with dust, and their gun barrels
cleaned with a fierce brilliance in the
bright moonlight. The striking silence
of the march, the dust-gray figures, the
witchery of the moonbeams, made it
seem spectral and awesome. mol
drum beat, no trumpet blared, no harsh
command broke the monotonous still
ness of the steady surge forward.
That they We're masses of men was
lost sight of in the sensation of mighty
impulse of waves of the ocean.
Two years of hard service and the
hard pace for 200 miles from the Rap
pahannock had fined the regiments
down until they scarcely averaged 200
men apiece. But these were the kernel
of the 1000 men first enrolled, and to
follow their colors had become their
chief instinct. The regiment was all
their being, and they merely parts of it,
The houses by the roadside were
dark, save where an occasional light
showed that some one watched by a
sick bed. Ignorant of the nearby
brooding of fierce events, knowing moth
ing of the mighty tide of force flowing
by their doors, the wearied farmers and
their families were sleeping the heavy
following a long days fatigues
From the fields along the road came
the soughs and drones of fulfilled cattle
lying N the rich pastures, the tinkle of