The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-07-18
High Water Mark Of the Confederacy'
Gettysburg Of Today.
By Col. D. A. Dickert.

GERS anu ever yLH1uS pV4ld4u4uS " bH0
ease, comfort and the health of the
troop, was admirably attended to.
Did we have plenty to eat? Yes and
and spare. Beef, mutton, eggs, but
ter and every conceivable delicacy.
Munroe Harris took fright at a
spread of dressed chickens, that l
don't think he will forget during life.
He led me to it. It was table about
five feet wide, more than two hundred
feet long and piled as high as you
could reach with the fattest chickens
1 ever saw. I was leaving for home,
but Mum" said he would stay to eat
cf those chickens "if it took all sum-
mer"
The thousand acres of the Gettys-
burg battlefield is one vast field of
monuments, and it would fill volumes
70 give descriptions of them and their
inscriptions. Infantry monuments,
with bronzed statues of soldiers on
top, some loading their guns, others
as if firing, while some we're at rest.
Wherever there had been battery
stationed you found massive monu-
ments, some surrounded with con-
demned cannon and bronzed figures
Of cannoneers, surmounting the shafts.
Every position occupied by troop, just
before the deadly assault of four
o'clock, has cast iron tablets, stating
from what State and command these
troops belonged.
We were encamped somewhat to
| the left of where Pickett's assaulting
columns were formed and here we
came to the first monument or mark
er on that part of the field. 1t was a
monstrous piece Of solid granite, full
ly ten feet square and perhaps ten
or twelve feet high, with the simple
inscription, Virginia to her sons"
AS you go down the pike just in
rear of the memorable stone fence,
you come upon the markers of An
derson's troop of Hills Corps who
were on that day assigned to Long
street, in lieu of Pickett. That gen.
eral was then coming with all posi-
| BILE dispatch from Chambersburg,
twenty miles away. The first of these
was Posey's, then came Wright's, Per-
ry's and Wilcox's On circular cast
iron plate of about four feet in dia-
meter, anchored to an iron post of
foot in diameter with the inscrip-
ton, "Here fought on July the 3rd,
1868, the troop of -- Brigade,
composed the-~-regiment," p"
marks every position. They were all
alike, giving the simple fact, that such
regiments fought there. Of McLaws'
Division IF which Kershaw's formed
part, are Barksdale's Mississippians,
Wofo1d's Georgians, Kershaw's South
Carolinians and Simms' Georgians. To
the right and front we're Hoods four
brigades.
Kershaw faced Ayers regulars, the
stubbornest and most determined
troop in the Federal army, the bri-
gade which saved the army from utter
destruction on both fields of Man
assas. These troops, as we'll as Nc
Condless, who faced Simms, were
posted in the wooded stretch of foot
hills of Round Top behind great bould-
ers and piles of quarried rock. Barks-
dale and Wofford faced Willard and
Robertson, in the lower part Of the
hisotric peach orchard. Before the
fight was half over Weeds, Birmay's
Nevin's and Rogers Brigades came to
the aid of their hard pressed brethren
So you see on this part of the field
the Confederates were outnumbered
three to one. Round Top and Little
Round Top, just in our front, and
the point at which all of Longstreet's
forces were directing their efforts,
were one blaze of cannon, which could
reach and command every inch Of our
ground. Down near the foot of the
ridge in the peach orchard Sickles
had posted battery of ten guns,
with instructions to fire nothing but
grape and canister at the approach
ing infantry. Through this hail OF
shot we were forced to march against
and forbidden to fire a gun. We walk
ed over this battery with hands
down." but with a fearful loss, how
ever, was forced to give it up, when
night came on no horses to remove
It. The loss among our own artillery