Chapter 47 - The Gettysburg Campaign

CHAPTER XLVII

THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN

We continued our march leisurely, passing farm-houses and old Pennsylvania barns, snugly nestled amidst the luxuriant fields of grain, ripe and waiting for the reaper, all around them betokening the wealth and prosperity which smiled upon the owners of the orderly domain.  Ever and anon as we passed the residences of these well-to-do tillers of the soil, handkerchiefs would be patriotically waved by fair hands, bespeaking the sentiments of the noble hearted ladies who resided in them.

At about 12 o’clock, N., we arrived at the Twin Taverns, midway between Littlestown and Gettysburg, here we filed into a field on the left of the road, and prepared our noon-day meal.  We were now about five miles from Gettysburg and little dreamed ­of the bloody drama which was being then enacted there and of the great struggle which during the next two days would be decided.

Having finished our meal and as there appeared to be no disposition on the part of the officers to move us imm­ediately, the boys hastily prepared shelter from the scorching rays of the noon-day sun, which was done by fixing bayonets and inverting the gun and fastening one end of the shelter tent by means of raising the hammer and then leaving it down on the tent, after which the other end was fastened to the ground by means of a wooden pin, thus forming a simple and complete shelter from the sun.

Whilst most of the boys were lazily engaged in lying under cover, several of the boys had wandered down a ravine in search of water in which to bathe, and while thus employed, they heard the rapid discharge of musketry.  Hastily returning to where we were unconsciously enjoying ourselves, unawares that an engagement was in progress, they gave us the unwelcome tid­ings.

We here experienced the strangest phenomenon of the war, being less than five miles from the scene of the engag­ement, and looking in the direction of the town of Gettysburg, we could see the smoke of exploding shells, but were not able catch the slightest report, whilst upon going a short distance south of where we were lying the sound of musketry and artillery was plainly audible.

At first when the boys brought the news to the company, we were loath to believe them and had it not been for the serious faces of those who gave us the information we would have been tempted to treat it as an attempt at a scare.

Quite a number of the members of the company started down the ravine to ascertain for themselves and soon returned with a report confirming the tidings ­already received.  Soon afterwards a number of rebel prisoners, about 300, were marched past where we were resting.

As soon as we saw them we crowded up close to the road to get a good look at them.  They all seemed to be in the best of spirits, evidently glad to escape the pending battle.  Quite a number of very pertinent remarks were made by the “Johnnies,” among w­hich we distinctly remember:

“The Stars, we met you at Chancellorsville,” “We ain’t all, theirs a right smart chance left back for youen’s to capture,” “here goes Lee’s advance for Baltimore,” with many other similar expressions, which were good natured­ly answered by our boys.

At about half-past two, Frenchy, the Division bugler, sounded the advance, which was quickly followed by the Brigade’s “Fall in.”

We were soon put in motion headed for Gettysburg.  Those who have been in similar circumstances, are fully able to realize with what thoughts our minds were busy.  Well we knew what might be our fate, we were surrounded by brave and noble-hearted men, soldiers who had taken their lives in their hands, and who now were in the full enjoyment of health, one and all might be cold and stark in death, ere the setting of the sun.  Thinking of the absent and loved ones, and the probabilities of the battle, caused many a brave and lion-hearted man’s cheek to pale, not with the fear of cowardice, but from a full and calm canvass of the situation.

That we were approaching the battle-field, soon became apparent from the fact that we were being met by the stragglers and the slightly wounded, who were working themselves back to a place of safety.  Anxious to ascer­tain how the fight had gone we ques­tioned the wounded as to how the fight had gone?  From some of them we re­ceived favorable replies whilst from others we received replies of a contra­ry nature.  It did not take us very long to discover that the wounded be­longed to two Corps, the 1^st and the 11^th, and that the members of the 1^st gave us favorable reports, whilst those from the galloping 11^th reported otherwise.  This discovery was a great source of comfort to us, and taking ad­vantage of it, we never asked anyone belonging to the 11^th Corps.

Soon the indications of the battle be­came more apparent, the houses along the road were being used as hospitals, and at several of them the Surgeons were busily engaged in performing op­erations on the porches on the outside of the houses.

When within a mile of Cemetery Hill we witnessed a sight that drove every other thought out of our minds save a desire to meet the enemy and give him a sound flogging.  It was a sight that none of those who witnessed it will ever forget.  A lady, probably twenty-four or five years of age was coming towards us, carrying a small child and a small bundle, by her side walked a little girl under five years of age, her long curly hair hanging down over her neck and shoulders, whilst in her tiny, hand she clutched a doll and a little bundle tied up in a red ban­danna.  As the lady met us one of the boys inquired whether there were many rebels out front? “Yes, its full,” was her reply.

“We’ll make them git,” responded the boys in a chorus.  “That’s right, whip them until they run,” added the lady while her eyes shone brightly with the excitement she was laboring under.

We were now pushed rapidly ahead and marched to the extreme left of the line.  Here our regiment was formed by division in echelon.  After the command was given to “load at will” and the order executed, we were moved forward into line, this a short distance South of Little Round Top.  By this time the sun had disappeared in the West and the shades of night were settling and hiding everything behind its sable curtains.  Everything around was quiet save the occasional rumbling of artillery as it was moved into position.

A number of the boys of the company, among them M. S. Schroyer and James P. Ulrich, started out in search of water, and started towards a house when they were met by General Geo. W. Greene, who ordered them back, telling them that the Rebels had possession of the house.  Thus a number of boys were saved from going to Richmond.

In the early part of the evening the regiment was about-faced, and we were moved to the rear, in a small pine thicket and placed on picket, with instructions to fire upon any thing that should advance upon us.

Thus we passed the long night, and the dawn of the morning of the 2^nd of July found us moving from the left of our line towards the center, where we were placed in the rear of the main line on Wolf’s Hill, as a reserve to await the developments to be made by the enemy during the day.

A greater part of the Union Army had now arrived upon the field and they were being rapidly placed in position and General Lee had allowed a golden opportunity to slip through his hand, instead of following up his successes of the 1^st, he allowed Gen. Meade to perfect his plans, as well as mass his Army ere he renewed the contest.