The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-07-17
Gettysburg Fifty Years After
oBsERv ALTON MADE ON TIE BATTLE FIELD July l. s. lss
y BY PROF CHAS. KENT, FORMER OSkALooSA BOY.

L
bereft of their lamented Reynolds. re.
newed the struggle as soon as they
| discovered that the superb Hancock
was appointed to take up the lead,
and the fighting, which, on the first
day OF July had closed rather to the
| advantage of the Confederates, now
heightened out in an indecisive series
| OF sgirmishes, none of which, how
ever, saw the stronghold of Gulp's
Hill or Cemetery Ridge go perman,
emily out of the possession of the fed
! eral soldiers. Out where Little Round
Top lay with its great boulders and
growth of tall oaks, there was hot
and deadly combat, for Longstreet's
men were engaging the Union left,
and both sides felt the terror of a
death struggle, leaving thousands at
the DEVILS Den, the "Wheatfeld," the
Peach Orchard" and whereabouts,
men loading and firing for hours
among boulders, trees and hillocks, or
in the blazing sun, the while their
sufferings and hunger pangs unre-
Quilted or unassuaged, save that by
the terms of picket truce, Spangler's
! Spring afforded pure cold water to
thirsty throats from both sides at
periods of lull in the carnage. Little
Round Top was taken and retaken
again and again. till the going down
/ of the western sun on that glorious
July second saw yet a, drawn battle,
with neither Lee nor Meade confident
as to the final outcome. But Long
, street had failed to turn the Union
left. -.-..n
The third day opened ominousIy.
bright, with nature almost breathless
in. expectancy. the great events of
history and the welfare of the war
for the Union hanging tremblingly in
the balance, narrowing suspense of
hours, broken by intermittent cannon
aiding and musketry engagement at
various remote quarters of the war
region Whereabouts. The final scene,
the closing chapter, was now about
to be enacted. All forenoon the two
great armies lay faving what each
must have reckoned as the great
hours of preparation, decision and
destiny. Lees men occupied lower
ridge along the Emmitsburg Road,
roughly leading in the direction of
the Seminary to the northwest of the
town of Gettysburg; the Union men
were on a line since called Cemetery
Ridge, leading from the city south
ward, through the cemetery, on out
to Little Round Top and DEVILS Den
Ia little higher eminence than that
possessed by Lee and with slightly
| more troops nearer to availability
Each side waited. seemingly hesitat
ing to attack.
Suddenly Lees one hundred and
thirty cannon opened up terrific
cannonading. ranged all along from
Seminary Ridge, filling the air with
shot and shell. till the very skies
seemed vibrant with the whistling,
screaming, bowling thunder, mingled
with smoke soon too dense for the
eye to penetrate, and heat too intense
| apparently, for human endurance
! The firing had been directed at Han
cocks artillery posted on Cemetery
Ridge. The compliment was return
ed with tremendous cannon attack
| by the Union artillery of one hundred
and fifty guns from Meade's batteries
| hr;c oil ho nf
Ridge, from Little Round Top, still
| held by the boys in blue, and all the
way back to Gulps Hill, saved in the
great two days struggle, for the. tide
of victory and laurel of .conquering
by the feat of northern arms-all told
a mile and a half of belching, below
ing death.
All at once the Union batteries
stopped their terrific roar; the skies
partially cleared, and Lees mer
thought the halt due to the exhaus
ton of Meade's men by heat OF
shortage of ammunition, or both Or
ders had been given by Meade to COO
off the guns!
should hazard guess thai
Meade's silencing of his guns was the
shrewdest kind of an indirect move
to bait" his adversary and confuse
him; that he figured that lull woult
be taken as a sign of exhaustion o.
weakness by Lee, and that the inter
i'm could prof1tably be spent on furth
er preparation to final artillery due
he hoped to draw Lee into. The plan
if not really premeditated, worked
out almost miraculously, it would
seem, for Meade must have felt thu
security of his higher position ant
slightly superior forces.
Then the thing happened that turn
y. ed the fortunes of the day, and, as Il
generally taken by military students
the tide of the campaign and final re
suit of the war. A costly mistake
made by Lee, and against the advice
of Longstreet and other of his corp
commanders was developed whel
Pickett, with the very flower of tn
southern army, was asked to charg
across the intervening plain with hi
infantry 1t would look as II Lee
! mistaking the silence OF Meade's al
tillery for exhaustion or retreat, fel
that he could storm Cemetery Ridg
at Meades center, carry the breast
| .Iz.o n,,t Iha fndaralo n AiOhl