/// //.//. /// '/
to the brave and gallant division of General Harry Heth and its fiithfnl commander, upon whom rested the responsibility of opening tin- battle. As chaplain of 47th Regiment nf Virginia Infantry, I!nu kenbrough's Brigade. first A. P. Hill's Divison, Jack.son'sCorps, and afterward*. Heth's Division, of A. P. Hill's Corps, I witnessed tin- events leading to, and the opening of the fight on the morning of July ist, and the final charge of the remnant of Heth's Division, under Pettigrew. who charged, under Pickett, on the 3d of July, at Cemetery Heights. As no one else has done so, I proceed to give a circumstantial account of the 3oth of June and ist of July, to do justice to a general and division I honor and love. About 2 o'clock P. M., on June 30, 1863, Heth's Division, Hill's Corps, leading the advance of the corps, reached Cashtown and went into bivouac around that village, on the eastern slope of a ridge, the continuance of the Blue Ridge, but here much lower than in Virginia. Dr. E. B. Spence, division surgeon, came to me about 4 o'clock, and re- quested me to ride forward with him into Gettysburg as he wished to procure some medical supplies. I mounted my horse, and started at once with him, proceeding forward on the pike eastwards, for five miles. I saw no troops moving, but was assured by the Doctor that some of our division were ahead. We reached Gettysburg about 5 o'clock P. M., and tied our horses at the first drug-store, where we had been but a few moments, when we saw a regiment of Confed- erates (I have since read that it was one of Pettigrew's North Caro- lina regiments), coming from the eastern part of the town at the quick march. We two non-combatants at once mounted, and join- ing the colonel at the head of the column, moved steadily back to Cashtown. The colonel was a stranger to me, although I knew Colo- nel James Marshall and Colonel Burgwin, commanding two of Gen- eral Pettigrew's regiments. I knew General Pettigrew well, having served under him at the battle of Seven Pines, but I did not see him that evening. The Doctor and I were told that a superior force of the enemy were moving on Gettysburg. We were not followed nor did any Federal cavalry attack, or even show itself in rear or flank during the one hour and a half, to two hours that this regiment took to proceed in orderly march back to Cashtown. So far as we could see at night-fall on the 3oth of June, there was no Federal force between Gettysburg and Cashtown. Very early on the morning of July ist, Heth's Division fell into line, and debouched into the pike, marching towards Gettysburg in the following order, viz: Archer's Brigade of Tennesseans leading; next, Colonel John W. Brocken-
