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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 1908)
" " ' ' I ' I ' 1 1 ' '. . i'',' ! ' . r'. 1 1 i I..H. ...lii j , .ii .' 77 . i i i.i. . -, .,, - ' "" ' - " 1 ii.ii i I , , ' , , ' , . . , . , , - ,' , s , I t . . II 1 ' ' .p ' ' " ' " y'i'"'"'''''''''',M crv"''' Spot Where the Con federate Wave Threw its Highest oprav e! By Robert B. Vale T t T7"rHEN during ' the summer of '63 ilf " there rolled up from the South- ' land a great wave of gray, which broke on the jidges of Gettysburg, it hurled far ahead flying clouds of spray. ' And: where this spray fell on Pennsylvania sail, Almost within sight of the i do me on the Capitol at II arrisburgy marks the farthest north reached by Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. , " An old red brick dwelling house at Camp Hill, on the broad white highway which runs its course from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, is the only monument which serves to indicate the spot where, forty-five years ago, a Virginia ravalrytnan, seated on his tired mount, gazed a few moments across thi hills which line the Susquehanna and then; wheeling, turned his face toward the, South, toward Gettysburg. c j o me. left oj mis nouse is a iane lime kiln lane, they call it in Camp Hill and this is another striking lanSmark, for on the after noon of Sunday, June 28, 1863, there was drawn up in the sunken road the most ad vanced fighting line of he Forlorn Hope. I T'S A IXDNO time since those days nearly half a -century. Not many of the men ana women wno had reached the adult .go ana ivea jn somnern ppTinsvlvmiia as the curtain unfolded on the field of Gettysburg are UU alive. The boys ana giriswno tlua their barefoot toes into the creamy dust of the limestone roads as the Confederate columns swept by are old men and women. Camp Hill in history is for- S"tAs0'Bobd old Squire H. N. Bowman savs: "How In the name of all creation the irovernment and the pa triotic societies of tbe land have neglected to appro priately mark the nigh-water, spot of the Civil War beats me!" 1 . Hut it Js unmarked, not a mound or a. stone on thiB historic ground. - Camp HHJ, Pa., is a pretty little town, the first but one that you meet in t!ie broad valley which winds hundreds of -miles from the Susquehanna to Chat tanooga, Turin. Not a mile of this valley, which is known in Its different sections as the Cumberland, t-hertandoah and Valley of Virginia, but has been trod by the armies of the Blue and Gray, , Great battles were fought iu the valley Winches ter, Antietain, South Mountain. Across the Potomac ilver, in Virginia, towns were destroyed, farnis laid waste and buildings razed. To the north, Cham- titrsburg was" burned and Carlisle shelled. It lias' been said that when Lee mado his Invasion lils objective point was Philadelphia, Certainly he planned to capture Harrlsburg. LEEkNEW THE LAND WELL 'r '."r.obert 15. Lee knew the galley well. As a young -a'Mry officer he had been a visitor st the barracks in Carlisle, -arid he was familiar with the picturesque . mountain that lie to the north and to the soxith. There was no inkling In . the Nprth that the Con federates intended to make the daring dash until June li, when General Ewell's corps attacked General Mil roy and the Union forces at Winchester Va. In less-than two hours the Federal detachment was torn to pieces and in flight ' The valley to the north was clear, save for fleeing Union soldiers. It was - then that Oeneral Lee ordered Kwell to sweep up this broad and fertile land and capture the capital of the Keystone State.- . Jubal Barly led the advanee, With him was Gen- rral Jenkins, cavalry commander, and Jt was Jenkins' command that reached the high-water mark. The mmaier was one of the moat beautiful In years. It was 'haymaking time, the season of the jear whi" ihe loeust blossoms perfumed the air, when the-red and black cherries, liung iu.-. geuilike clusters ' from -; overloaded trees .' . ". :-, .- . k . Coming from a land ' that for two 'years- had been1 clcaulated. the well-tilled fields. the wavinir grain, the I tiye, well-filled barns and the sleek cattle of the :ui uiiaid stirred the Confederates with atrango eiuo- tilHlH.- ' ' - ...:' ' :, .. . . ; ne North Carolina nfllcor talked with several farmers in the valley ' He was frank. "My God:" he ' iiil i, "we rannot whir yout AH the Houth Is already n desert place ,nnl up here your resources-have not Lceti touched: Its nope.!?-" . ' . There was notbmK to stop Lee's army, Back in ' Washington President- Mniolu heard-that Early had already reached faipiienuburtf and that FitzhuKtl Lea i .ni dashed across York and Adams counties and ttut'hcU Lb a Jbuaqutthanou at "VVritfhtsville. ; THE OJUZGON 1 1. tr ,csxj Meade's army was just entering Pennsylvania. All the Cumberland valley was jammed with. the enemy. Several thousand troops, mostly New York militia, were concentrated on the western bank of the Sus- OW vrpuld you likrf to he fed on bread and water, only, for ten days ? Oi how would you like to stand on your r -feet, your hand upraised, for two or three hour, not bring permitted t- move, talk, or maka a motion, of any Bort? . J . Perhaps you would like to curry horses for -three and, four hours without cessation. -" ' ' Or how would a task of pawing wood until you ' fell over from exhaustion strike you?-v . ; These. arc among the punishmenta inflicted in ; the regular army for violation of regulations, ac cording to the statements ef men who hare been in service- Some of these punishments almost rank with Chinese tortures and the cruelties of medieval times. " '".i". ': a'';'5;'";':v;; 7;:v 7i U Tr uu -r m i - (lis .ShsMP'' ' M SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY EORSWK MAY 24, . J9D3 , " quehanna, across . from Harrlsburg, and they were augmented py 10,000 : volunteers , from the invaded state, , ; . Night and day they worked, building: Jntrenchment ICTICEiinthe A- ItMT life Is hot without its hardships, even for , the exempUry soldier. ;Fofr the soldier Inclined to "kick; over the traces,"' in the parlance of me amp tnere is frequently series of Twitter experiences, indeed, a person who has never served In the army would be surprised at what mlgrht seem too cruel punishments inflicted on men within the ranks. , Among the more ; severe punishments given for ' .'- , " : ' , 0. . : . I. on the crest -of the heights. These mounds of earth are standing today and are known as Fort Waahing- ton and Fort Couch. Military men knew that neither the undrilled troops commanded by General Baldy Bmith nor the hill of loam could stop Lee If an attack were mude. Kegiment after regiment of fleeing Union soldiers . came into Harrisburg. They told of the thundering horde at their heels. So swiftly did Early move that his advance was almost constantly engaged with the rear of the enemy from Hagerstown to Mechanlcs burg. Hundreds of Union prisoners, weak from lack of food and exhausted by flight, were picked up along the roads. There wai panic' Farmers abandoned their homes and, gathering together their families, their valuables, their cattle and their horses, Joined in the mad rush to escape across the Susquehanna. The roads were packed with a weird Jumble bf soldiers, cows, chickens and wild-eyed men, women and children, rumbling wagon trains, and ambulances filled with sick and wounded men. . It was on Saturday evening, June 27, that Governor Curtln, at Harrisburg, telegraphed President Lincoln that the Confederates had reached Carlisle and Har risburg would fall on Monday. No sign of Meade, who was to check the invasion. Sunday morning Jenkins led his tired but Jubilant cavalry up to Oyster's Point. .This Confederate leader carried with him two pieces of artillery, and he posted these on a little mound, about half a mil from Camp Hill. He could see the hills to the south covered .with a. vast holiday crowd that came out to witness the advance of the Southern armies. Due ahead were the' heights manned by the small Union force. All along the road were scattered Union sharpshooters, and now and then they took pop shots at the dusty gray enemy. .raj . lift issmi ' : " 1 , various offenses are standing at attention for periods of twd and three hours, grooming horses for several, hours, washing dishes for several days, or condemned , to the "awkward squad" and compelled to drill for one or two hours a day. . - "A person who has not served In the tegular army rannot conceive the punishments' often prescribed,", declared ajman who had been an enlisted soldier for a number of) years - y . "Of course, -most-soldiers who are punished have committed "some offense. - But one cannot help feeling that many officers like to rub It in, and that the pun ishments often parallel the heartless army cruelties . which have raised such a furore in Germany. .. v-. . "Possibly one of the most wearisome punishments. Is to stand at attention for several hours. When a sol- " dier will not give the proper salute to a superior, this Is the usual sentence. While a sentry passes by with a gun in hand, the other fellow must stand at atten tion. They will not let him change position, move or.. ' talk. - I have seen men stand during the hot .days of ' summer until they fell over from exhaustion. , ; "In the guardhouse poor food is usually given. But - taiyji-i living on bread and water . for: five to ten A "hort distance pp the THndle Spring road from the Point a Confederate soldier was hit in the leg and hi horse carried hint toward the Union lines. The young Southerner toppled off his mount into the dust. and to him is given the honor of the "High Water" prisoner of the war. Who he was is not known today, but he -was well cared for and was treated by the surgeons at Harrisburcr. v . - Across the road where, now stands the old red , house there stood in '63 a tollgate. One or two of Jenkins cavalry rode up to the harrier until their horses noses rested on the thee side. Mot one soldier passed the gate. : v.. . Meantime, the InteWrrtttent' cracking of rifles kept up. Afternoon came. The Confederate- line took its place in Limekiln lane. The artillery to the rear be gan shelling the country in front. Several buildings were struck and the Union skirmishers retreated into the in trench ments. - Far down th valley the clouds of dust told Of the never-stopping Infantry. The preliminaries wore through with, the attack on Harrlsburg was about to begin on the coming of the morrow. Once the capital of the state fell and railroads destroyed, Lee could place his forces on the southern slopes of the moun tain, ,ace Meade and give battle. Then -one of the strange things which sometimes settles the fate of nations took place. A small force of Lee'e army. Just outside of Gettysburg, got into-a skirmish with some Union troops. Meade, who had just succeeded to command,- had arrived.. More troops came up and the fighting grew. Lee saw that he must have it out right there. He was then in Chambersburg. He ordered all the divisions to leave the Cumberland valley; he drew Fitzhugh Lee and Jenkins away from the shores of the Susque hanna; he himself started across the mountains to Gettysburg and to crushing defeat. That Sunday night the glare of fire down Ihe river " told that Fitzhugh Lee had fired the bridge to Colum bia: Federal troops advancing from Harrlsburg saw Jenkins' cavalry retiring on Gettysburg. These Union troops came up with Jenkins near Sporting Hill, a short way from Camp Hill, and there was a small engagement. But Jenkins did not hurry, and some of his rear guard remained in the vicinity of Camp Hill for a day r two. holding back the Federal forces. ACTS OF DARING During those few exciting days not one, but scores . of acts of daring were performed by the people of the Cumberland valley. So swift was the march of Lee that the authorities In Washington did not understand the maneuver. Everybody in the North was stunnnd. Information was needed, the whereabouts of the Con federates, the numbers of the forces all these facts were vital. Spies volunteered, their services. Two men, Will lam Coffey and Samuol McKinney, disguised as farm ers, penetrated the Confederate line. . They learned much, and then turned . toward Harrlsburg and the Union lines. Walking along until a clump of shrub bery concealed, them, the spies made a dash for the mountains. . Soma of Kwell's men saw them running, and opened fire. The men kept on. Then, in front of them, sol diers crossed the . road, and the spies were prisoners. They were taken --t General Kwell's headquarters, nooses were slipped over their necks and they were being elevated, when Swell directed their lives to be spared. Charles Flemmlng was sent Into the Confederate lines as a spy. It was mighty easy for him to get the facts, but most unusually hard to get away with them. Down near Oyster's Point he tried to make a run through the fields. A watchful cavalryman overtook him, and Flemmlng was kept a prisoner until the bat tle at Gettysburg opened. ... Then there was Harry Smith. , He had come back to his old home at Camp Hill, wounded, He still wore his blue uniform, and it was a foolish thing for him to try to act as spy thus attired. He was caught, and had he not summoned all the people in the' neighbor hood to testify to his discharge and that he was a native of the plaice, he would have been hanged. Camp Hill today does not look as it did when It was held by the Confederate forces, put few of the old buildings In which the troops quartered, where they dined on substantial Pennsylvania fare, where the offi cers played the pianos of absent women and held dances in the parlors, are still standing. It is now a suburb of Harrlsburg. The tollgate house Is unchanged, the fortifications are there, but , soon. Willie torn down to make room for houses; the lane, i Limekiln lane, is as it was two score and five years back. The high-water mark of a war In which more than 1,000.000 men died is unknown save for the traditions of the village, the memories of the old folks and the musty documents In the archives of the Cumberland ' County ilstorlcal Society. days! One nearly dies of the monotony of this food. One actually - suffers. The soWler gets hungry and the bread tails to satisfy his 'hunger. He smells the food In the mess tent And well you can Imagine how he feels. ' ' 7. "Sawing wood Is hardly any worse than' this. In fact. If one saws wood he is usually given real food. But those in authority do work the poor rascals, all right ' In the morning they are led from the guard house .and put on the wood. They usually Work from 8 In the morningi until 6 in the evening. "Every evening after the men have groomed tfceir horses, the officer comes along and rubs his hands over tho horse s coat to see whether it Is clean or not x ".pne night I was on sentry duty. A chap near me had Just finished currying hi horse. The officer came by, passed his hand over the horse and grunted, 'Now you can groom that horse until I come back' It was a common thing; in fact, the usual punishment. "The fellow began grooming the horse, and he groomed it for three hours before the officer came back. How does the horse like it? I don't know. . . "Thia happened repeatedly. -Of course. It may be said that a soldier should keep his .horse clean. But it seems pretty hard on the man when he Js compelled v to rub a horse's back several hours. , To say nothing of the horse. , ( : . "A soldier's life Isn't a snap. It isn't any wonder that some-of the most careful men at times enter guard mount with dirty equipment. I have seen some of the best men do it- - ; ... , ' - .' NO MERCY SHOWN "The soldier starts out for guartJ mount at I O'clock. The adjutant comas along and sees that his - gun is dirty. The soldier is put in tho guardhouse, bomctlmes he gets - pretty long term, A severe sen tence, isn't it? After the eighth conviction he may be court-martialed. .- "If a soldier ml?ses the 11 O'clock roll call at night 1 he is likely to -be tried and to get a 'month and month.' This means, a month in the guardhouse and a deduction of pay. if the non-commissioned offlcet . should take pity on him and not report the absence, . and this is discovered, he Is liable to be deprived' of his stripes. - This Is ail routine punishment. "But tasks are assigned men which are not only . useless but torturing.. 1 have seen a soldier sentenced to dig a hole in the ground six feet deep and six by four feet square. When it was dug, he was com manded' to fill t up again, and when it was filled be - was commanded to dig it again: Such things sound incredible, but they are too common. "Sometimes a soldier may not drill properly. He may be tired, out, or again, may be new. . If the officer . Is not in a partlcular-ly good humor, he, will most' likely assign the man to what is called the 'awkward squad.' Then he is compelled to go through the drills for one or two hours. . One can Imagine nothing more tiresome than the continuous handling of a gun for such a length, of time. : , - , . , . "Ot course, order must be preserved In the army. . There must be punishmentspunishments often severe. . But any man of common -sense and human sympathy -who has been In the service cannot but feel that pun- . Ishments in a great percentage of the cases might be ' ' more humane. ..: . ,-, , - "Some officers forget that soldiers, even If they are ;. careless or disobey orders, are human, and punish ments which exhaust the strength only arouse antag op ism and Ul will. Mercy is a mother of patriotism."
