342 Nort Caro.ina Troops, 1861-65.

where the gallows on which the notorious John Brown was
hanged, was pointed out to us. Our Colonel was one of the
cadets at the Virginia Military Institute at the time, and one
of those who had guarded John Brown while awaiting his ex-
ecution.

We crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown and continued
our march and rested beyond the little town of Fayetteville,
Pa., on Sunday, 28 June, 1863. At this place the Chaplains
held services.

Alas, the last Sunday on earth to many a noble soul then
beating with such high hopes and aspirations. At this place
some of the men of our brigade robbed a farmer of a few of
his bee hives. This was regretted, for strict orders had been
given that on this great march into the enemy’s country, noth-
ing should be taken except such provisions as the ae
ries might require to be issued as rations and for which t 7
were willing to pay. It being suggested that some of the
men of the Twenty-sixth got some of the honey, Colonel Bur-
gwyn and Lieutenant-Colonel Lane sought out the owner and
paid him for it. The farmers along our line of march were
quietly reaping and housing their grain. They did not gor
to be in the least frightened or dismayed by our presence, ~
were left by us in the quiet and undisturbed possession 0

y .

a th tins we halted at a little village named Cashtown,
on the Chambersburg Turnpike, about nine miles ~_ haha
tysburg, and were mustered preparatory to payment, an ae
in the afternoon proceeded to within about three and one-ha

miles of Gettysburg, just this side of a little creek, —— by
a stone bridge, where we filed to the right and bivouacked in a
beautiful grove. That night Lieutenant-Colonel Lane was
entrusted with the charge of the picket lines. After the -
tablishment of the line, two ladies, much distressed an

alarmed, because they were cut off from their houses, ap-
proached Colonel Lane who, assuring them that the ence?
ate soldier did not make war upon women and children,
ever esteemed it his duty and privilege to protect them, : 5
vanced the picket line beyond their homes, which lay close =

The same day General Pettigrew, with three regiments 0

Twenty-SixtH REGIMENT. 343

his brigade, kept on to Gettysburg to procure shoes and other
army supplies for his men; but meeting a strong force of the
enemy’s cavalry (two brigades of Buford’s Division), and
instructed not to bring on an engagement, General Pettigrew
retraced his steps and rejoined the rest of the division in
bivouac on the Chambersburg Turnpike, about three and a
half miles distant from the village of Gettysburg. That
night the men of Heth’s Division quietly dreamed of home
and loved ones in blissful ignorance of the momentous fact
that Meade’s great army was almost within their hearing.

GETTYSBURG, 1-3 sULY, 1863.

A warning carbine shot from a vidette of Buford’s Cavalry
Division on the bridge over Marsh Creek, fired in the early
misty morn at the head of a column of infantry marching
rapidly down the Chambersburg Turnpike, was the opening
of the battle of Gettysburg This infantry column was the
head of Heth’s Division, marching to “feel the enemy” of
whose presence the skirmish of the afternoon before, had ap-
prised them. At once the leading brigade (Archer’s) was
filed to the right, formed in line of battle, its left resting on
the turnpike and advanced to the front. Davis’ brigade,
forming in a similar manner on the left of the pike, with its
right resting on the pike, also advanced. Pettigrew’s and
Brockenborough’s Brigades, for the present, were held in re-
serve. Says a member of the Twenty-sixth Regiment: “Ag
the head of the Twenty-sixth Regiment reaches the summit
of the hill beyond the bridge crossing Marsh Creek, the enemy
opens fire, sweeping the road with their artillery. There
is some little excitement, but it soon disappears as Colonel
Burgwyn riding along the line in his grandest style, com-
mands in his clear, firm voice, ‘Steady boys, steady.’ ”

The regiment filed off to the right about a hundred yards,
when General Pettigrew and staff appeared on the field. He
was mounted on his beautiful dappled gray. Never before
had he appeared to greater advantage. His command was
“echelon by battalion, the Twenty-sixth Regiment by the left
flank.” Colonel Burgwyn gave his Regiment the command,
March! Then, as each regiment of the brigade marching to