The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-05


Capt. Chester and after the battle of
that day was over. then went to have
a wound in the arm dressed
That night the aid learned that
Capt. Chester had not reached the hos
pital Therefore with Capt Hoxie he
set out to search the field for the
wounded officer. They found him ly-
Ing on the ground beside his horse,
which had been killed also. Near by
was the orderly, whose head had been
carried away by a shell.
About =. NJ. on July 3. according
to my recollection. the enemy's can
non opened, and was replied to by the
guns OF the Army of the Potomac No
such cannonadng as this had ever
been known in this country. Fully
200 guns or more were belChlng shells
at each other. As the assaulting coll
umn under Gen. Pickett drew near can
mister and shell with their fuses cut
very short tore the assaultlng column.
making great gaps in its ranks. Nev.
ertheless on came the column The
gaps closed, only again To be torn open.
Within short time after the ropulse
OF the enemy, orders were received di-
recting the firet. second and third CORPS
OF the army to be held ready to deliver
counter stroke, which order fortu-
nately was countermanded Had these
corps been launched IT is believed they
would have been badly punished. re-
ceiving in turn the same treatment
which had been given Pickett.
Before dark the division marched to
the right reporting to Gen. Newton
commanding the First Corps on the
morning Of the 4th before SUNRISE the
| rad ia.
position vacated the previous evening
Gen. Newton requested Gen Humphreys
to remain, explaining he expected an
attack at any moment. The enemy. see
ing the movement, opened with a gun
provided one Is in the line of the gun
which Is fired the projectile car he seen
The aid saw the shell and by intuition
knew 1t would strike a calsson. Down
he dropped. The shell struck a caisson,
exploding its contents. Gen Humphreys
was walking up and down. and seeing
the position of the aid, stopped and
looked at him without saying a word
but his meaning was obvious and the
aid assumed an upright position.
To complete the story It Is necessary
to return to the day of July / that two
incidents connec ed with the battle may
be related. These stories have never
/ oeioie dppedTeu IN PRINT.
That day the division was at Emmits-
burg. Md About l l.. NJ. the troops
received orders to hasten to Gettysburg
and set off accompanied by guide who
: had piloted the First and Eleventh Corps
toward Gettysburg early that morning.
When the troops reached March Creek
, the inspector-general of the corps, Col
Julius Hayden. Joined them. stating his
orders were to post the troops west OF
the seminary. The despatch Of Gen.
! Howard to Gen. Sickles telling Of the
, battle which had occurred that day and
, cautioning him to look out for his left
flank was produced. In view OF this
Gen. Humphreys considered that the d.
vision should move to the right and not
, to the left, but Col. Hayden persistently
urged that his orders required him to
q post the division as stated. Gen.
Humphreys gave way, moved forward
crossed Marsh Creek several times, then
struck road running east and west
8 that ran into a road running north and
4 south. Just beyond the meeting of the
. TWO roads was an inn known as the
Blackhorse Tavern. Dismounting at the
crossroads. Gen. Humphreys walked to
s the tavern, accompanied by several OF
r the stan. called out the proprietor and
| questioned him as to the movements OF
the enemy that day.
After answering the questions the
: proprietor raised his hand, pointing to
e an eminence distant about 400 yards.
: and said, "On that hill there are thirty
six pieces of artillery of Hills corps"
Gen. Humphreys and those who accom-
panied him returned to their horses
e and an aid was sent with orders to the
h brigade commanders to retire as quietly
e as possible.
The few ambulances and battery
which accompanied the troops made
, more or less noise, for the road was
q stony. The trumpeter OF the battery
IS sounded the halt. Almost Immediately
a a Confederate artilleryman came in
;. believing the troops were those of his
army. As It turned out afterward
n Pickett's division was expected to arrive
y by the road upon which the division
s then stood, and on the morning of July
"A 2 that road was used by Longstreet In
:, moving to his position from which to
attack the Round Tops.
~ Now for the sequel. In later years
s. Gen. Humphreys visited the battlefield
ID OF Gettysburg. went over the grount
n and .the roads which led to the Black
a horse Tavern, called on the proprietor
= and had an interesting talk with him
During the conversation reference was
70 smade to the interview OF the night OF
s July /. The proprietor then said:
D. "Twenty minutes after you left tina
ID night a company OF Confederate infan
t, try came down the road and established
:, a picket here
Now during the march Of July / tn
III day was warm the road dusty and m
p running streams were met with; Gen
N Humphreys was therefore sorel
Is tempted to give more than the usua
ten minutes halt for each hour. Ha
he halted more than the ten minutes
is likely that he and those who accom-
ie panied him to the tavern would hav
n arrived at about the same time as tn
t enemy's picket, and II Is more tina
s. probable that the picket seeing an ON
ne Ger of high rank would have opene
fire. killing and wounding some OF IN
IT, party before the division could hav