Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-06-30
THE FIRST GUN At GETTYSBURG
written for the Alexandria Gazette)


1.-The combat deepens. On, We brave,
Who rush to glory, or the grave!
Wave, Munich. all thy banners wave,
And charge with all thy chivalry."
The famous Light Division, V
which gained its renown under its
ever-gallant leader, A. P. Hill, who,
like William of Delorame, was good
at need" At the battle of Gettys-
burg, this division was commanded
by Major General Harry Heth, Gen.
A. P. Hill having, after the battle of
Charlottesville been promoted to
and placed in command
of the third army corps, in which
was his old division. The third corps
infantry and artillery crossed tho
Potomac at Sheppherdstown, Virgin
ia, the last week in June, marching
by the way of Hagerstown, Md, en-
tered Pennsylvania, We moved for
ward leisurely, the light division
of artillery followed by Co. w. ]. Pc
grams battalion Of. artillery five bat
teries. We had been assured that
as We marched through Maryland
her gallent sons would flock to ou;
standards. Well, there was no lack
of standards but the flocking did not
materialize.
Here we were then on the soil
of Pennsylvania $4,000 strong il
as great ignorance of the where
abouts of the corps of Longstreet and
Ewell as we were of the movements
of the great federal army. We new
err so much as saw confederate
cavalryman from the time we left
the shore of Virginia. 1t has been
said that the cavalry are the eyes o!
an army. If that be the case the
Confederate army in Pennsylvania
had no eyes. Moving forward trust :
ing to luck. nobody seemed to care.
we lived we'll. General Lee had is
sued his orders that we pay for ev-
erything we took, so we did, putting
a gold value on confederate None
and paying when we had any. an!
giving a receipt when we had NJ
funds. Nearly a week passed in Thu
manner. until the 30th of June founr
..@ crmpcd along the Cashtown road
in and around the hamlet OF tina
name. When we lay down to res
on that night we no more realize
what was going to happen in the
next three days than did any civilian.
slumbering in his peaceful bed ffr
away in old Virginia.
There probably never was ~
army on this planet equal to Il :
army of Northern Ya.,-this time. IT.
morale and steadiness was unsur :
passed. 1t had never been defeatc
in pitched battle AS VIC march
ed along the highways the season"
veterans of the Infantry SAM Al.
danced as they marched. Trustir -
implicitly in its leaders it was IL
hlissful ignorance of tho Jiunder'
that had already begun from the
time it crossed the Potomac river
and which were destined to contin-
he until the sun went down on thu
bloody field of Gettysburg the 3r'!
of July. In the meantime the Fet
cral army through towns and vii
ages over bridges. across fields ar
woodlands was hurrying by eveI
road towards Gettysburg. II y;
the business of cavalry thcl to !;
form our commander of all TINS b.
where was the cavalry?" AS Kiplin:'
says That's another story"
At sunrise on the first we move
forward again in the following ordc
The advanced guard consisting {
Col. Pegram's battalion of artiller
the fredericksburg battery. Captai1
Edwan 4. Marye. in the lead. NnH
came the brigades Of Archer an
Davis. After an interval the rest
Heth's division. The day was love
~. 1t is all open country here. TIL
ripened wheatfields stretched ava
on either side and the soft wind Ri
pied the tall grain. Talking an
smoking we moved along this roa
to Gettysburg. until somewhere be
tween seven and eight o'clock the
column was suddenly halted. In til
distance ahead troops had been dis
,overed some thought they we're Lone
streets men. But closer inspec
ton through the glasses of o.
n ounted officers discovered the"'
70 be a body of the enemy's cavalry
Col Pegram spoke a word to CAP
tain Marye. and the leading gun.