of
Aldie. It was late on the evening of the first of July, that there
came to us rumors of heavy fighting at Gettysburg, nearly forty
miles away. The regiment happened then to be detached, and its
orders for the second were to move in the rear of Sedgwick's corps
and see that no man left the column. All that day we marched to the
sound of the cannon. Sedgwick, very grim and stern, was pressing
forward his tired men, and we soon saw that for once there would be
no stragglers from the ranks. As the day grew old and as we passed
rapidly up from the rear to the head of the hurrying column, the
roar of battle grew more distinct, until at last we crowned a hill,
and the contest broke upon us. Across the deep valley, some two
miles away, we could see the white smoke of the bursting shells,
while below the sharp incessant rattle of the musketry told of the
fierce struggle that was going on. Before us ran the straight,
white, dusty road, choked with artillery, ambulances, caissons,
ammunition trains, all pressing forward to the field of battle,
while mixed among them, their bayonets gleaming through the dust
like wavelets on a river of steel, tired, foot-sore, hungry,
thirsty, begrimed with sweat and dust, the gallant infantry of
Sedgwick's corps hurried to the sound of the cannon as men might
have flocked to a feast. Moving rapidly forward, we crossed the
brook which ran so prominently across the map of the field of
battle, and halted on its further side to await our orders. Hardly
had I dismounted from my horse when, looking back, I saw that the
head of the column had reached the brook and deployed and halted on
its other bank, and already the stream was filled with naked men
shouting with pleasure as they washed off the sweat of their long
day's march. Even as I looked, the noise of the battle grew louder,
and soon the symptoms of movement were evident. The rappel was
heard, the bathers hurriedly clad themselves, the ranks were formed,
and the sharp, quick snap of the percussion caps told us the men
were preparing their weapons for action. Almost immediately a
general officer rode rapidly to the front of the line, addressed to
it a few brief, energetic words, the short sharp order to move by
the flank was given, followed immediately by the "double-quick"; the
officer placed himself at the head of the column, and that brave
infantry which had marched almost forty miles since the setting of
yesterday's sun,--which