The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-07-22
SIDE-L|GHT ON GETTYSBURG
Capt. Frank \. Hubbell, Formerly
Wayne County Man, Tells How
Gen. Milroy's Men Helped the
Union Army to Success by Their
Work at Winchester, Virginia.

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Work at Winchester, Virginia.
Capt. Frank A. Hubbell, who spent
his boyhood days in .Honesdale, and
went to the front in the Civil War
from Old Wayne, gives an account in
the Yakima, Washington Repub-
lie, of an important side-light on the
battle of Gettysburg. The Republic
article follows:
That not all of the credit for the
great victory in the battle of Gettys-
burg, which began 80 years ago to-
day, is due to those men present on
that field, but should be shared by
those who participated in the con-
tests preliminary to the battle which
was the turning point of the civil
war, is emphasized by an incident
recalled by Capt. F. A. Hubbell of
this city.
In Capt Hubbells thrilling story
of the escape of himself and COM
rades from prison, related before
the members and friends of Mead
Post, G. A. R., in this city few
weeks ago, the captain thus tells of
how Gen. Milroy, father of R. B.
Milroy of this city, with $500 men,
of whom Capt Hubbell was one, de-
tanned Lees advancing column and
assisted in giving Gen. Meade time
to prepare his troops for the Gettys-
burg battle.
Conflict at Winchester.
1t is the morning of the battle of
Winchester. The long roll has sound
ed over the tented field. The bugle
sounds the command to form for
action; the lines are quickly formed;
the quick touch of elbow with man
to man. The bayonets glisten in the
sunlight down along that swerving
line; the richochet of the flying
shells scream through the air; the
earth trembles with the roar of ar
tillery; the thousands of muskets
add smoke and fury to the blazing
cannon. The lines waver forward,
then back; over the dying rush the
living; friend and foe together fall.
Later the smoke clears itself
away towards the FURNISHED sepul-
chers of sunset; the blood-stained
grass marks the last resting place of
hundreds of comrades. The faded
leaf falls to soften his last earthly
bed; the nightingale, sings requiem
to their souls as we bury them under
moonlit sky to rest through all
eternity.
''The morning dawns; the red
I crested sky reflects the rising sun
as it's rays fall upon our flag high on
its staff over the Star fort. Half
way down that staff, in his coming
tower, stands our beloved General
Milroy, his towering frame and sill
ver-tipped locks brushed by the
waving folds of Old Glory.
Taking his glass in hand, he
looks across the bloody field of Sat
urday and Sunday. Then farther on
beyond the heaps and mounds of
slain to the skirt of the woods,
where stands 5000 men in gray,
equally as brave as his own, ready
to renew then the fight of the pre-
vious two days.
knowing, with his magnificent
military experience, that to stand
| longer in the way of Lees marching
gathering columns toward Pennsyl-
vania would eliminate in the loss of
the greater part of his $500 worn
and decimated veterans, he retires
from his hazardous position, fraught
with shot and shell; orders our still
waving flag lowered to the color
guard, and leads in that great, grand
last charge through Lees encircling
lines; cutting his way through to
Williamsport with the greater part
Of his columns, while some go to
death and some to Libby prison.
THUS he detained Lees advance
on Gettysburg for nearly three days,
while Meade's marching columns on
the other side of the Shenandoah
were hurrying towards the north,
gaining the advance when, at Culp' S
hill, he threw out the serried ranks
of the army of the Potomac, estab-
fishing the battlefield at Gettysburg
and hurting Lee back toward the
South, giving the boys in blue the
great victory that is being celebrated
this week"