CHAPTER
XLVI
THE
GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN
Whilst resting in the field a number of the members of
the 5th Ohio Regiment, which was also attached to our Brigade, got
into a difficulty with Major Simms of their regiment. The boys attempted to drag the Major off of
his horse, and in the melee which ensued, the Major struck one of the boys
injuring his thumb, and in order to ease it he stuck it in his mouth, as soon
as the boys discovered this they commenced to “blah” in imitation of
calves. This got the Major’s dander up but
he was powerless to check his men, and they were stopped by the prompt action
by Colonel Creighton who rode up to the Major’s relief, jumping from his horse
to the ground, he threatened to knock the first calf down he heard “blah.” The boys all knew that the Colonel would do
what he said and so they obeyed him and order was restored at once.
A short distance North of Frederick we passed a very
large brewery a detail of men had taken out the liquor and emptied the casks in
the streets, and whilst passing this place a number of the boys got down on
their knees and drank up the beer out of the gutters.
During the day several times we heard rumors that
General McClellan was to be placed in command of the old Army of the Potomac,
and the announcement served to inspire the Army with the utmost confidence for
the soldiers of the gallant old Army of the Potomac had not forgotten their
formerly idolized commander little Mack the hero of Antietam.
We also during the day heard for the first time that
the Rebels had actually invaded Pennsylvania ,
and that when next we should be called upon. to give the enemy Battle ,
it would be on the soil of glorious old Keystone, and it appeared to be the
firm determination of one and all to meet the enemy and drive him from the soil
of loyal Pennsylvania , in dismay and confusion,
defeated if not utterly crushed.
We marched rapidly all day and went into camp towards
evening near a small town by the name of Woodsboro.
In the morning bright and early we were making
preparations to move and by daylight we were on the move. We halted in the town for a short time and where
we received our first mail since leaving Leesburg. To say that we were glad to receive the
tidings from our loved ones at home, but illy expressed our delight.
After the mall was distributed we again fell in and
resumed our onward march which we continued until night-fall when we went into
camp being about five miles from the Pennsylvania
line.
We broke camp on the morning of the 30th
about daylight, marching past Tanneytown, and crossing the line dividing Maryland and Pennsylvania
at about 8 o’clock , a. m.
On a post, on the line, a paper was attached, bearing
the following written inscription:
“This is the Pennsylvania
line, enter and give the rebels h—l.”
As soon as the troops stepped into the Keystone State
After we had crossed into the State and as we passed
the first house, on the porch of which were gathered a number of girls and
women. C. E. Parks asked them:
“Wie weid is es bis der neighst stettle, Mate?”
“Oh, gohr net wite,” was the ready response in
Pennsylvania German, and which was greeted by a hearty three time three.
The members of Company E soon made the discovery that
Captain Davis’ “Dutch” company as they termed us, were in clover, and
consequently were glad to have some one of our company to act as interpreter
for them, in asking for edibles.
It was on this march that Lot Ulrich made the
discovery that “Ich kon net fum wint leben.” Lot was suffering from the effects of a
violent case of chronic diarrhea and as is customary in such cases, his
appetite was inordinate and it mattered not how many pies, cakes, &c. he
devoured, he was hungry all the time, and having money, a commodity which most
of us had not, he would buy every thing to eat that he could lay his hands on,
frequently causing the mouths to water of those who unfortunately had a healthy
appetite but no money to buy, and as often as he was spoken to about the amount
of provender that he was daily working out of the road, he would universally
reply, “Well, I can’t live on wind.”
About noon on the 30th as we were marching along leisurely, an aid
came riding back from the front at a right smart trot, he halted, saluted our
Colonel, communicated something to him, and then passed on to the rear.
We were ordered to quicken our speed, and soon we
noticed the troops in our rear break files to the right and left, and following
their example, we discovered the aid returning with a section of Knap’s Battery . As soon as
it had passed we closed up our ranks and made up our minds to be ready to meet
the enemy at almost any time.
As soon as the Battery
reached the head of the column, we were ordered forward on a double-quick, and
we were kept on a full run until we reached Littlestown. As we entered the outskirts of the town, we
passed quite a number of men who were sitting on a fence watching us march
past. J. C. Long marched up to the
fence, handed one the men his gun and commenced to unbuckle his trappings, at
the same time telling the man to take his arms and go and fight for his
property. To this not very desirable
invitation, the fellow replied:
“Oh, I c-c-cant, you go Mr. Soldier.”
“Well then d---m you, give me a chew of tobacco
anyhow,” was Long’s next demand.
Almost instantly, as if by magic, a dozen of hands
went into that many pockets and a corresponding number of pieces of “Navy” were
produced. Cal selected the largest piece
and taking it in his hand, started post haste to catch up with his command,
taking enough tobacco with him to supply the lovers of the weed in Company G,”
for a day.
The citizens of the town very considerately filled
large tubs, buckets and other vessels with water and placing them along the
line of march, owing to the great and the rapid marching we had been doing for
two hours, nothing could have been more acceptable to the officers and men than
the pure fresh water from the rock ribbed bowels of the old Keystone. One of the most amusing and pleasing
spectacles of our entrance into the town was the distribution by the fair and
loyal daughters of the village, of HOT pies, cakes, rolls and bread. The town had been occupied by a battalion of
rebel cavalry and who were driven out of the town after a sharp skirmish with
our advanced troops, in which several Johnnies were wounded and captured, the
officers of the cavalry had issued orders to the citizens of the town to
prepare rations for their men. In
compliance with the order the good dames of Littlestown had filed their ovens
and stoves with pastry and other necessaries of life intended for the rebel cavalry
men, but owing to our timely arrival they did not get it. Many of the ladies hurriedly drew the
contents of their ovens forth, and carried them out to us “red hot.” To see the boys pick up a pan of hot biscuits
and drop them like “hot cakes” was really amusing. We were rapidly marched through the town in
pursuit of the cavalry and the incidents related above, took place much quicker
than it takes to relate it.
A short distance North of the town the head of the
column was turned into a field. A short
distance to our right was a newly thrown up earth-work, and for it we started.
The members of the company had never been in such a
tight box, here was a fort not over six hundred yards to their front whose
deadly guns at any moment would belch forth death and destruction, and here our
officers were moving us within easy range in column. “Why don’t they form a line of battle and
charge?” Was the question on every lip, and which no one could solve. Slowly we advanced, the regimental officers
riding at the head of the column, with the sheepskin battery following
immediately in their rear. In looking
back we discovered the pack mules and hospital department coming up, just as
though nothing unusual was going to take place.
We now drew close enough to what had appeared to us as a fort to
discover that it was only an ore bank, and that there was no danger to be
feared from this quarter at least.
We soon went into camp and made arrangements to stay
for the night. A number of the boys
went back to the town, and secured a large amount of provision which the
citizens kindly gave, refusing all pay which was offered them. The greatest anxiety was expressed by the
ladies because the soldiers were compelled to sleep out in the woods. One old lady kindly offered the boys
permission to sleep in her house, saying that she could not give them all beds,
but that she could make the floor full of beds.
Of course the boys could not accept the kindness.
There were a number of cherry trees in the vicinity of
the camp, and the way that the troops gathered in the fruit was a caution to the owner of the trees.
M. S. Schroyer was detailed to go to the ammunition
train and bring up a box of ammunition, as the train was back fully
three-fourths of a mile, and owing to its weight, 100 pounds, Mike found it a
very sever task, and upon his arrival in camp, he found it advisable to partake
of an extra supper, a feat which he never found it very hard to accomplish when
he had the rations on hand.
In the morning, July 1st, the regiment was
mustered for pay. The last time we were
mustered for pay was the 1st of May, on what afterwards proved to be
the ill-fated battle field of Chancellorsville .
A number of the citizens of the adjoining country
gathered in to see us, and from them we first learned that the Rebel Army, over
100,000 picked soldiers was being concentrated in the vicinity of Gettysburg,
about ten miles distant, and that in all probability the pending battle would
be fought near that place.
Some of the old farmers told pitiful stories of how
they had been robbed by Lee’s troops. Of
course their tales were not new to us, many a similar act of instifleable as
well as wanton act of confiscation, as we termed it, we witnessed enacted in Dixie , when the Southern Planter was the victim of the
forager or Quartermaster.
At about 8 o’clock , a.
m., the bugle sounded the “fall in.” As
we slung knapsacks, we did so thinking, “well, today we’ll get into a brush
with the Johnnies.”
We marched back to town and filed right into a road on
the corner of which stood a post bearing a hand-board on which we read the
ominous inscription, “Ten Miles to Gettysburg .”
