PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-680
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 680
JULY 2009
28
PS 680
JUL 09
29
PS 680
JUL 09
confederate private
ned anders groaned
as the sergeant
called them back to
the road. who would
have guessed the
summer sun could be
as hot and vexing so
far north of virginia?
he’d always thought
pennsylvania was a
cool
place.
but they’d been
marching all
day and his feet
were sore and
hot and dusty.
“quiet down now!”
bellowed
the sergeant.
“y’all surely
been walking on feet as sore
as mine.”
the sergeant paused
to give the men time to mumble
their true thoughts on the
matter.
“fact is,”
he continued,
“most all y’all would up and
walk another
hundred miles
to get a
decent
pair of
shoes
.” again he paused for
the general complaints and
agreeable comments
of his men.
“tis a fact the
colonel just got
word there’s a
warehouse full
of shoes not
another 10 miles
east of this here
spot!”
he paused,
letting it sink in.
“y’all want to go
get those shoes?”
the response
was even more
boisterous than
he expected.
“well, what are
y’all waiting for?
move out!”
the 10-mile march started out
as exuberantly as the men’s
tired feet would allow.
…private anders
fell exhausted
when mg henry
heth decided his
men needed rest
before raiding the
small town for
shoes and supplies.
sergeants
did what they
could to evenly
distribute food and
ammunition, but the
supply wagons were
miles away, and even
they didn’t have full
ammunition stocks.
meanwhile…
sergeant peter
lonigan held the
union cavalry’s first
division colors as he
sat his saddle. his
commander, bg john
buford, and the two
brigade commanders
were watching the
confederate troops
stumble into bivouac.
“there’s power
behind that
column,”
said
buford.
“I believe
their whole
army is going to
concentrate here.
in the morning,
we’ll deploy a
brigade here
as dismounted
infantry
and we’ll
put the other
brigade north
of town. we’ll
hold until we get
general reynold’s
infantry.”
so the evening began.
some exhausted rebels
could barely find the energy
to eat and to care for
blistered and worn feet.
many soldiers, used
to hunting, saw to
their weapons, but
others, like anders
were just too
drained to care.
but they’d already done
15 miles since daybreak and the
afternoon sun sapped the men’s
strength until, at length…
680.28-29.indd
1-2
6/2/09
6:04:02 PM
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