Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-08-22
CAMP FIRE
AAkT35as
CHIEF MUSICIAN AS FIGHTER
Thrilling Account of Battle at Gettys-
burg Told by Member Of 136th
New York Volunteers.

The duties Of a chief musician,
which position l occupied in the One
Hundred M Thirty-S1xth New York
volunteer infantry at the battle OF
Gettysburg, were not very different
from those of n other fighter in the
great test Of strength between north
and south. We went into position on
Cemetery hill as soon as we arrived
on h field, and made use of the stone
walls On either side of the Taneytown
road to protect us while we supported
the batteries on the hill.
AS q viewpoint to observe the &C
ton on all sides of the field we could
not have been more favorably placed.
1t was as If we had been given the
best seats tn a theater and the entire
action was going on before us on the
stage, writes DR.. R. B. fuller in the
Chicago Record-H erald. The chief diff
ference was that we occasionally had
and that the bullets that flew from the
stage weren't stage bullets.
While We. as support of he batter
les on Cemetery hill. were not, by
some fortune. in the fierce hand to
hand fighting of that charge, we were
in the center Of the most furious can
nonading Of the fight, which was the
prelude to Lees advance on that fate
full day. Cemetery hill was a pent
of concentration Of our batteries, and
of course Of the fire of the rebel guns
in their efforts to weaken our fighting
facilities. The shots from the enemy
and of our own guns passed over
heads mainly, but when a rebel shot
or shell found the stone wall used by
US for protection, the havoc was some
times greatly multiplied by flying por-
lions Of stone. Many were SO wound
ed.
In the cemetery proper, used by
Gettysburg people for many years and
being well filled with headstones and
monuments marking the graves.
scarcely one stone was left unshat-
tered and thrown to earth long before
the end Of that day, IL not the day be
fore.
Our battery men and our own men
found themselves greatly annoyed az
soon as the enemy had possession OF
the houses of the town in our prox-
unity by the we'll aimed shots Of sharp
shooters firing from windows and 9TH
er cover.
Mainly they were engaged in pick
ing of the gunners. A well-planted
sh~arpshooter capable of picking OF
the gunners of a battery one at a time,
usually taking advantage Of the can
mons smoke after first picking out his
victim and making YER sure aim, 10
n,,;<o o-< AZ ,-~or,,o hok@orxr = o~H
cause panic more than the crash and
destruction Of the shots Of the can
non of their opponents. When a man
feels that he Is being aimed at per-
sonally and with little chance of miss
ing, it is apt to create a decidedly
panicky feeling.
Such being the state of affairs
among us and the batteries back of
US it was finally decided to bring a
large gun down into the Dad and blow
some of the houses occupied by the
sh~arpshooters to pieces. The house
aimed at was brick. The result of the
big gun shots was to open more ports
then before, for several shots only
knocked holes through about the size
OF big barrel heads. As the sharp
shooting continued, shortly after noon
1t was decided to select infantrymen
to rush those places, only a few
yards distant, and capture the shoot
ers. Volunteers were sought to make
the rally and there were plenty.
They collected behind the barricade
that had been thrown up across the
road, and when all was ready at q
given signal they scaled the barricade
and rushed the brick house. Did they
capture the sharpshooters? No, not
one. 1t isn't the ethics OF Some
five corpses were laid out around that
house and when the boys returned the
sharpshooting at that point was at an
end.
SqueIching an Upstart.
Lincoln always took part in politi-
cal ca mDaipnS in Illinois and hoinU