Year: 1863

the First and Eleventh Corps contends


with Ewell and Longstreet on the first da


of the engagement. Afterward. iindin


that the rebels were too strong for them


they fell back and took mp a new position


including this building in the line.


Here the loss was very heavy, and tn


Seminary shows the fearful nature of tn


struggle. Its walls are pc iorated will


shot and shell. and the bricks are linden


ted by numerous bullet marks Its win


dows show the effects of the musketry


and but little glass remains to shut ou


the cold and rain. The building is no


now in use according to its original de


sign, but is occupied by the rebels as


hospital. From school for the educa


tion of ministers of the Gospel To Il re


ceptacle of rebel wounded is chang,


indeed. The Pennsylvania College hai


been similarly occupied, and the instruc


tion of the students is neglected for the


present.


In passing from the cemetery along the


crest of the ridge where our line of battle


stood. first came upon the position oc


cupled by some of the batteries This il


shown by the numerous horses living un,


buried, and by the large mounds which
mark where others have been slightly


covered. There are traces Of IAN artil


lery fight. Here is a broken wheel of a


gun carriage, an exploded caisson, a hand
spike, and the numerous peculiarly color


ed paper covers that accompany fixed am


muhltlon. In the forks of a tree found
a testament, with the name Charles


DurrAle, Company G" written on the fly


leaf. The guns and gunners have disap-
peared. Some of the latter are now with
the column moving in pursuit of the en-
emy, others are suffering in the hospitals,
ana still others are resting where the bu-
gle,s reveille shall never awaken them.


Between the cemetery and the town,
and at the foot of the ridge where | stand
runs the road leading to Emmettsburg-
1t Is not a turnpike, but a common dirt
road, and as 1t leaves the main street lead
ing into town it makes diagonal ascent
OF the hill. On the eastern side this road
Is for a short distance bordered by a stone
wall. Elsewhere on both sides there is
nothing but a rail fence.


A portion of our sharpshooters took posi-
ton behind this wall. and erected tray
erses to protect them from a thanking
fire should the enemy attempt TO move
up the road from Gettysburg. These
traverses constructed at right angles TO
the wall by making crib" of fence
rails, two feet high and the same distance
apart, and then filling it up with Dirt
Farther along on the road find the rails
from the western side of the road piled
against the fence on the east, so as TO form
a breastwOrk two or three feet in hight;
a few spadesful of dirt serve TO fill the in
terstices. This defense was thrown up hy
the rebels at the time they were holding
the line of the roads.


Moving to the left find still more Sc
we're traces of artillery fighting. Twenty
seven dead horses on a space of little
more than one acre is evidence of heavy
work. Here are few scattered trees,
which were evidently used as screen for
our batteries. These trees did not escape
the storm OF shot and shell that was ram
ed in that direction. Some OF them were
perforated by cannon shot, or have been
completely cut off in that peculiar splin-
tering manner that marks the course of a
projectile through green wood. Close by
where this fighting took place are piled a
large number of muskets and cartridge
boxes that have been collected from the
field. Considerable work has been done
in thus gathering the debris of the battle,
but 1t Is by no means complete. Over all
the ground are scattered muskets, bayo-
nets and sabres, our own being indiscrim-
Inately mingled with those of the rebels.


My next advance 10 the left carries me
where the ground is thickly studded with
graves. In one group | count Il dozen
graves OF the 10th Massachusetts, near by
those of the 18th New York, and close
at hand an equal number from the 18th
New Jersey. Care has been taken to
place headboard at each grave, with Il
leglble inscription thereon, showing whose
remains are resting beneath. The head
board is usually made from the remnant
Of box that may have served its pur-
pose and become useful as q box no long
er. In few instances they appear 10
have been made from fresh lumber, with
special reference to their present use. On
one board the comrade of the dead SOL
diers had nailed the back of his knapsack
on which his name was painted. On
another was brass plate, bearing the sol /
dier's name in heavily stamped letters.


The line of breastworks continues
From the center of our position, far away
to the extreme left, our men threw up
hasty defenses, from which 10 resist the
rebel attack. Wherever stone fences were
found they were taken advantage OF 10
form part of the line. Where these
were not at hand the rails from fences
were heaped up and covered slightly with
dirt. Where these did not run in the
proper direction works of earth and trees
were thrown up, behind which the men
were to fight. They extended nearly TO
the base OF Round Hill and into the TIM
Der that skirts the elevation. They were
thrown up on Wednesday night, after the
lst and llth corps have been driven Lack
through the town. 1t was Gen. Meade's
plan to compel the enemy to make an at
tack, and for this purpose the works were
thrown up. At the same time the rebels
were not idle. They threw up a line ai
over four miles in length, in some cases
constructing it with great care. For much
of the way their works partake more of
the nature of permanent defenses than
they do: ::of fertilization that is designed
to be merely temporary. 1t was evident
their supposition on Wednesday night
that they could compel US to make the
attack. They looked for an assault with
inferior numbers upon their army in a
strong position OF their own choosing
Their expectations in this paticular were
not fulfilled.
- Moving still to the left, l found an ORCH
ard in which the fighting appears to have
been desperate in the extreme. Artillery
shot had plowed through the ground in
every direction, and the trees did not by
any means escape the fury of the storm.
The long balls of iron, said by officers
present to be modification of the Whit |
worth projectile, lay everywhere scatter
ed. The rebels must have been well sup
piled with this species of ammunition,
and they evidently used it with no spar
ing hand. AT one time l counted twelve
of these bolts lying on space not fifty
feet square. was told that the forest in
rear of our position was full of these shot
that passed over our heads in the time of
the action. The rebel artillery fire has
heretofore been excellent, but am told
that on the present occasion it was not
accurate Why il was so is difficult to ex-