Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1908-12-24

and in their death than any of the
princes or the great ones who slumber
within the fretted walls of Europe's
grand old Cathedrals-f fathers, broth
ers and kinsmen, men who came from
IS States to shed their blood on Penn
sylvania's soil in defense of the Union
and human liberty.
TRIBUTE TO Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg The national battle
field of the war, where gallant men
from 2S of the 80 States that then com
passed the Federal Union met in deadly
conflict to decide by force of arms the
future of the Republic, the great battle
of the war fought or the free soil of a
Northern State. Fortunate, indeed,
was the son of Pennsylvania who was
present in that stupendous fight and
by special Providence it would seem
as though the battle fought on the soil
should be, in very great measure, by
sons of the Keystone State, and the
historian of New York in the War"
William f, Fox, in his "Regimental
Losses" says:
'The percentage of killed in the
soldiers of the Keystone State was
greater than in the quota of any
other Northern State This high
percentage of loss in battle was
largely due to the fact that nearly
all of the Pennsy lrania troops serv-
Cd sy,N s,.s, L.
was better contested and the war
more prolonged. Then, again,
the Pennsylvania regiments were
second to none. The cavalry of
the State were, as a whole, unsur-
passed. They saw plenty of hard
fighting, and their total losses in
action exceeded the cavalry losses
of any other State"
IN LEAD For GLORY
The eminent soldier who command
ed the army, Genl Geo. Gordon Meade,
was son of this State General Jonh
Fulton Reynolds, the first great soldier
to crimson the ground with his blood
and give up his life in its defense, was
a Pennsylvania, and General Winfield
Scott Hancock, Hancock the Superb"'
he who galloped to the front at the
first sound of the strife, and who, from
that hour until in the moment of vic.
tory he fell, crushed and bleeding on
the line of the Second Corps, did so
much to win the fight, was a native of
this grand Commonwealth
The first regiment to fire a shot was
the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry. The
first brigade to especially distinguish
itself was Roy Stones, all Pennsylva-
mans.
When the second days fight opened
at the peach orchard almost the first
f troops to meet the advancing host of
Longstreet We're the men of Graham's
brigade, nearly all Pennsylvanans
Later, on that same afternoon, when
r Hoods Texans climed the slopes of
Little Round Top, they were met by
the sgd rennsylvanians, and the splen-
did soldier who fell there, General
Strong Vincent, fell on his native
heath.
Still later on that same day, when
the terrific fighting was waging over
the wheat field and ''Valley of Death, y
, McCandless, with the Pennsylvania
=, Reserves, swept over the bloody
, ground and made one of the most sue
cessful charges of the afternoon. And
! when the day was far spent and dark
ness settled over the field one of the
M ost brilliant feats of the whole battle
was the splendid fight of the heroic
Ricketts, and his Pennsylvania battery,
when with iron hand he held the crest
of Cemetery Hill against the rush of
, the louisiana Tigers"
The morning of the third day was
ushered in by the charge of the White
Star Division, commanded by another
son of the. State, General John w.
+ Geary and in the cavalry fight at
, Rumme's farm, the greatest cavalry
fight of the century, the Union forces
\ were commanded by another, General
f ID. Nc Gregg. In the last scene of all,
when Pickett crashed on the left cen
E tre with his $4,000 men, p, nnsylvania
: was everywhere on the line to meet
o him, and the Philadelphia Brigade
! stood at the most important point on
;. the field and gathered in the greenest
laures of the day.
q The fighting of both armies at Get
, tysburg was severe, and the sons OF
$ Continued on sth page