The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-10-16
YOUNGBLOOD GIVES
UNWR|TTEN HISTORY
Tells Incidents at the Battle of
Gettysburg
LONGSTREET'S COURIER
Quotes Memorable Words of Leaders
mt n Time When They Were Very
SOrely Tried-What Might
Have Been
LoNGsTREET's COURIER

TUT IudIly years L nave Thought ol WIFI
ing out for the public what I know OF
the battle of Gettysburg; but the polit-
ical surroundings of myself and of MIN
conspicuously interested have deferred
me. To everyone to whom I have ever
told this incident of my soldiers life he
has said that l ought to reduce 1t to
writing and give 1t to the world or TO
the people of this country-that 1t might
go into the archives. have determined
| to tell the story in this way, every word
of which is the truth, absolute and pure.
In June, 1868, Lees army commenced
the movement to Pennsylvania; I was
then private soldier in the Fifteenth
Alabama regiment, commanded by Col.
| William c. Oates. Our division crossed
the Blue Ridge mountains at "Ashby's
Cap and soon came to the Shenandoah
river, where our commander, General
| Hood, was sitting on his horse direct
ing the crossing. I approached General
Hood and asked for permission to take
off my clothes before wading the river,
but was told to go in-"No time could be
allowed for dressing and undressing"--so
in I went with the balance; and al
though 1t was hot June day the water
! was biting cold, so cold that / crawled
upon a projecting rock In the middle of
the stream until I was forced to leave
it. We moved down the river where we
camped for several days. AT Wildwood,
in the valley Of Virginia, I went to Gen
eral Longstreet and appealed to him TO
detail me to his headquarters as courier
upon his staff He sent the order to Cen
eral Lee for approval, making 1t special,
| giving me ten days leave of absence to
obtain better clothes and TO mount my
self; within the ten days I joined Long
street six miles to the north of Hagers-
| town, Nd, on the pike to Chambers
| burg, Pa, which place we reached with
| In a day.
| At Chambersburg we halted to await tho
movement of Gen. A. P. Hill, who was
| near Gettysburg. In a few days We
moved on toward Gettysburg. General
| Longstreet and his staff In advance of the
| troop. Tt was less than a days ride for
| the general and his staff. We arrived
| at, or near where the line Of battle was
| being pitched about 4 in the afternoon.
General Longstreet looked over the field
| and surroundings that evening, which was
the first day of July, went back behind
| Cashtown and pitched tents for the night
| The troops had approached to about three
| or four miles of Gettysburg, arriving
| about night, and had gone into camp
had not had time to unsaddle and feed
my horse before Colonel Sorrel called me
to his office Ia fly tent, and told me
I must go back to Chambersburg for
| General Pickett; that I would find him
on the east side of the town awaiting
orders I asked for time to feed myself
| and horse, and was given 80 minutes
| This started me on my nights ride to
Chambersburg through an enemy's coun-
| try, on a dark night. I found the ride
| as lonesome and dull as If no man was
near or had a few hours before passed
over 1t. :. AS 1 passed the -smouIdering
ruins of Thad Stevens iron works T
could smell the unsavory smoke, and 1t
seemed as IL I was passing the burial
ground of some ruined hospital with the
dead and dying all around. I found Gen.
eral Pickett as / expected. AS / ap-
preached a sentinel called out, Halt!
Who goes there?' answered, IA courier
hunting General Pickett"
crumbling stone posts from the wall In
A man lying upon the ground at the
foot of a tree arose into sitting posi-
ton and said, Here is General Pickett,
| from whom do you conner" I replied,
"Longstreet." One of his staff struck
match-the general read the dispatches
which I had brought and SAL to the
staff officer, I'VE must move at once to
Gettysburg, order the men into line
and lead the movement" There was
not 10 minutes time consumed in this
movement. Pickett and staff were
mounted and we all rode off together,
| the men following silently In steady
tramp behind. 1 had been in the sad
die from early morning till then, ex-
cept the 80 minutes referred to. 1t
was about 1 o'clock a. m. at night 1t
was about o'clock I turned my old
faded horse into a clover field, dropped
his rein upon the ground, lay down in
a fence corner, and in. few minutes
was sound asleep; walked up about s
o'clock by the tramp of the soldiers go
ing by. I hurried into long trot until
had overtaken General Pickett, told
| him of the road in front of him. and
as he was instructed to halt near Cash
town. forced my horse and found Gen.
eral Longstreet jim wheat field about
| s a. m. awaiting the coming of the
troops, some Of whom were passing into
position on the battle line. I begged
morsel of food from one of the cour-
iers; my horse ate the heads of wheat.
| In the afternoon, about 2 o'clock,
General Barksdale's brigade of Missis-
sippians having taken position, General
Wofford of Georgia, with his brigade of
Georgians, filing in on Barksdale's
right, and a South Carolina brigade
passing very near to General Lee.
Longstreet and Hood, getting into posi-
| ton upon Wofford's right, while the
put into position on facing Round Top
and upon the South Carolinans' right
this was our extreme right I was sit
| ting on my horse within hearing of
Generals Lee, Longstreet and Hood.
There were some others II don't re-
member who) nearby. General Lee was
| standing upon the ground, an orderly
was holding his gray nearby, all others
were in their saddles. General Hood
said to General Lee, my scouts
report to me that there Is a wagon
road around Round Top. at it's foot
which has been used by farmers in
getting out timber, over which can
move troops ! believe I can take one
of my brigaldes. go around this noun
tain and simultaneously attack from
the flank or rear, with the men in front,
and capture Round Top" General Lee
asked General Longstreets opinion.
Longstreet said, " have great faith in
General Hoods opinions and his ability
to do whatever he plans to do" This
was all the reply Longstreet made.
| General Lee stood with head bowed,
| looking upon the ground, in deep
thought, for, it seemed, long time.
When he raised his face to look at Gen.
erals Longstreet and Hood he said,
| "Gentlemen, cannot risk the loss of
! brigade, our men are in fine spirits, and
with great confidence will go into this
battle. l believe we can win upon
direct attack" Extending his hand to
General Longstreet said, Goodbye,
general, and may God bless you"
turned and, shaking General Hoods
hand in farewell. said, God bless YOU
General Hood drive them away from
you, take Round Top and the day is