The Log of the Empire State

d every morning at four, with orders to pack up and be ready to march at a moment's notice,

at in those "summer quarters," as they might be called, we went on with our endless drillin

and be ready to move immediately!" only to unpack as regularly about the middle of the afternoon. We could hear our batteries pounding away in the direction of Fredericksburg, b

terly direction. My journal says: "Very warm, dust plenty, water scarce, marching very hard. Halte

ollowed, steadily on toward the north, pausing only

t is to say, from daylight to daylight,-we were hurried along under a burning June sun, with no halt longer than sufficient to recruit our strength with a hasty cup of coffee at noon and nightfall. Nine, ten, eleven

f a sudden, coming to a halt, he brought his piece to "order arms" on the hard road with a ring, took off his cap, and, in language far more forcible than elegant, began forthwith to denounce both parties to the war, "from A to Izzard," in all branches of the service, civ

edly on to Manassas, which we reached at three o'clock A. M., June 15th. I can assure

ant for camp guard! James McFadden!

d lie down for a rest of probably two hours before starting again, and then

grass? But just then I was in no humor to tell. The camp might well go without

and poor McFadden, bursting into tears of vexation, answer

e orderly went where there is neither

n pontoons, and march, perhaps with a lighter step, since we are nearing home, through the smiling fields and pleasant villages of "Maryland, my Maryland." At Poolesville, a little town on the north bank of the Potomac, we smile as we see a lot of children come trooping out of the village school,-a merry sight t

ss, and singing "Rally round the Flag, Boys!" The excitement along the line is intense. Cheer on cheer is given by regiment after regiment as we pass along, we drummer-boys beating, at the co

nce between five hundred men and one hundred,-is there not? So, that second time, we drooped our tattered flags, and raised our caps in silent and sorrowful salute. Through Middletown next, where a rumor reaches us that the enemy's forces have occupied H

greater part of the way over a turnpike, we reach Emmittsburg at nightfall, some of us quite barefoot, and all of us footsore and weary. Next morning (June 30th) at nine o'clock we are up and away again, "on the road leading towards Gettysburg," they say. After crossing the line between Maryland and Pennsylvania, where the colonel halts the column for a moment, in order that we may give three rousing cheers for the Old Keystone State, we march perceptibly slower, as if there were some i

ing about a fire, cooking supper. Joe Gutelius, corporal and color-guard from our company, is superintending t

a little dubious, don't i

o look a little as if we were about to stir the Johnnies out of

have the post of honor, Joe, and 'if any man

r-guard will look out for the flag. For my part, I'll stay a dea

r colors, then," says Sam. "If the Louis

and take supper with us, Harry! We are going to have a feast to-night. I have the heart of a be

with mock apology for the fare, "but we couldn't catch any lions. They seem

behind the stone-wall, that it is our last supper together, and that ere an

ur men, and move on a

with the scent of the new-mown hay, and the sun shines out of an almost cloudless sky, and as we gaze away off yonder down the valley to the left-look! Do you see that? A puff of smoke in mid-air! Very small, and miles away, as the faint and long-coming "boom" of the exploding shell indicates; but it means that

no time to save breath. On we go, now up a hill, now over a stream, now checking our headlong rush for a moment, for we must breathe a little. But the word comes along the line again, "double-quick," and we settle down to it with right good-will

gardens as we go; we pass a battery of brass guns drawn up beside the Seminary, some hundred yards

shouts some one down the line to our

napsacks, boys; i

ks of his horse, as he takes the stake

e flags, C

rward, d

we're not

ic, and at once the word is given, "Forward, double-quick!" and the line sweeps up that rising groun

-boy to beat his drum all the time the battle rages, to encourage the men or drown the groans of the wounded! But if they will reflect a moment, they will see

and help off the wounded. I expect you to do this, and you are to remember that, in doing it,

there is evidently somebody else watching that advancing line besides ourselves; but they have elevated their guns a l

after a Har

n't shell the building so hard! We get stretchers at the ambulances, and start out for the line of battle. We can just see our regimental

hear it plainly enough, and straight between the two our road lies. So, up we go, Daney and I, at a lively trot, dodging the shells as best we can, till, panting for breath, we se

k after some poor fellow whose arm is off at the shoulder; and it was just time I got away, too, for immediately a shell plunges into the sod where I had been sitting, tearing my stretcher to tatters, and ploughing up a great furrow under one of the boys who had been sitting immediately behind me, and who thinks, "That was rather close shaving, wasn't it, now?" The bullets whistling overhead make pretty music with their ever-varying "z-i-p! z-i-p!" and we could imagine t

close around the corner of the log-house, I can see the long lines of gray sweepi

no use exposing yo

ing our line through the orchard in the rear. He is dressed in a long blue

like me have a chance to fi

ot?" inquire

n shoot, I re

are your

ys the old man, slapping his

his place in the line and loads and fires with the best of them, an

emy's batteries have excellent range on the poor fellows serving it. And when the smoke lifts or rolls away in great clouds for a moment, we can see the men running, and ramming, and sighting, and firing, and swabbing, and changing position eve

rs the First Da

. Our colonel, Langhorne Wister, assumes command of the brigade. Our regiment, facing westward, while the line on our right faces to the north, is observed to be exposed to an enfilading fire from the enemy's guns, as well as from the long line of gray now appearing in full sight on our right. So our regim

sweep down on our flank, our brave colonel, in a ringing command, orders a charge along the whole line. Then, before the gleaming and bristling bayonets of our "Buck-tail" brigade, as it yells and cheers, sweeping resistlessly over the field, the enemy gives way and flies in confusion. But there is little time to watch them fly, for that new line on our

For the new line of gray is upon us in a mad tempest of lead, supported by a cruel artillery fire, almost before our line can steady itself to receive the shock. However, partially protect

all along the line as it swayed backward and forward over

the enemy have seized the colors and are making off with them in triumph, shouting victory. But a squad of our own regiment dashes out swiftly, led to the rescue of the stolen colors by Sergeant John C. Kensill, of Company F, who falls to the ground before reaching

hamberlain and Adjutant Richard L. Ashurst both lie low, pierced with balls through the chest; one lieutenant is waving his sword to his men, although his leg is crushed at the knee; three other officers of the line are lying over there, motionless now foreve

t we are being flanked. Somehow, away off to our right, a half-mile or so, our line has given way, and is already on retreat throug

nd the narrow strip of woods behind it, with our dead scattered

ry of a dying man yonder in the

I ask, kneeling down beside him; and I se

e, Harry. Tell-

ore. His head falls back, an

; infantry in the centre, the colors flying and officers shouting; cavalry on the right, with sabres flashing and horses on a trot; artillery on the left, with guns at full gallop sweepi

away from us. There is a tempest of shrieking shells and whistling balls about our ears. The guns of that battery by the woods

alks to right and left, leaving a long lane down the centre of the street, through w

itement and grief, having lost the day through the overwhelming force of numbers, and yet somehow having gained it too (although as yet we know it not), for the sac

of it left. Of the five hundred and fifty men that marched under our regimental colors in the morning, but one hundred remain. All our field and staff officers are gone. Of some twenty captains and lieutenants, but one is left without a scratch, while of my own company only thirteen out of fifty-four sleep that