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Show SICKLES TELLS HOW HE LOST HIS LEG . . Also Relates How He Disobeyed Meade; Holds He Was Justified. By Major General Daniel E. Sickles GETTYSBURG. Pa.. July 2. My heart bcate fastor tonight. The thronging hordes wlio havo motored and walked and trolleyed to my camp today have swept their hats off and hailed k, as. "Sickles day." .And ho. 1. have . always regarded July 2. Tt was on this day a half century ago that God pave me strength to serve my country and my Maker better than 1 had over been able to serve them before. It was upon this day in 'H3 that I lost my leg and did my little part, by the mercy of God, to preserve . the Union. July 2, 1S63, broke hot and clear. Just as In the early hours today, a molten sun poured out of a sky but a trifle overclouded. I hnd retired shortly after midnight the previous evening and slept the quiet, dreamless dream-less sleep that Is generally attributed to Innocent babes. Disobeys Meade's Order For a Conference Last night I enjoyed Just the same kind of sleep. But that Is to bo expected ex-pected of a young fellow who at 9.1 is still able to read without his glosses, eh? Many men, who came today to sliake my hand told me they were too bsuy to do so tttty years ago that their -whole hearts and minds were -wrapped up In the conflict to come. I -knew that a conflict of tho utmost importance to our country was at hand. And something told me the tight would begin about 3 o'clock. So It proved. A few minutes before 3 o'clock, General Meade, In command, sent word to me that ho desired to seo me Immediately. I replied that I could not come, as the enemy was about to attack. Meade had never been In favor of giving battle at Gettysburg and I knew, that he would order me to leave my position- and move to Pipe Creek, where ho intended in-tended to battle. At UiIb time I held the advance line extending from Devil's Dev-il's Den to the peach orchard. I had also forced out a further line on the Emmltsburg road, which passes in front of the Rogers house here. Hell Broke Loose All Along Line I had hardly given spurs to my horse in resuonse to my superior's summons when the enemy's attack opened. I immediately sent word to Mcadq that I could not obey his com-, com-, m.ands because I was actually being attacked. In a few moment's hell had broken loose along my line. My 10,-000 10,-000 men were attacked with devilish fcorlcity by two of L-onerstreefs divisions di-visions and Anderson's division of Hill's corps 20.000 men in all. Let me call attention right hero to the fact that if I had not taken tho Initiative our left would have been lost. Longstrcet said I won tho battle bat-tle by my advance move. Sheridan said so and Grant indorsed the former's for-mer's opinion. The fight was the most desperate, the most severo of my life. It was ' far moro intenHe than Chancellors- villo. My total losses were 4200 men, while the enemy's was approximately approximate-ly 7000 or S000. Tile cannonading was 'the heaviest 1 have ever heard, f think nothing in tlift world's history could approach tho second and third days' battles ,at Gettysburg:. And now I come to the description of t lie second day's battle, In which f am more poignantly interested. I refer to the Ions of my right leg. As 1 'roll hack tlic tablets of my memory every detail of tho Incidents surrounding sur-rounding that loss aro present in my mind. It occurred between l and 7 In the evening. Owlnp to the small number of my men compared with that of the enemy I knew that it waa only through force of personal leadership lead-ership that T could hold them together, to-gether, so T rode constantly up and down on my horso, up and down my line of battle. I have been criticized for this, but. It was the only way I could prevent my men from being overpowered. And so I paid no attention at-tention when they cried: "Sickles to the rear! Sickles to tho rear!" The loss of a, limb or the loss of a life meant nothing to me then. Nor has it since. T had but one thought to win the battle. At First Unconscious of Shattered Ler rt was after the victory had been practically won that the pieces of shrapnel that almost cost me my life came along. At first I did not know I was hit. My thoughts, as 7 said before, were solely on the battle, and so I am unable to tell exactly at what point I was struck. It was somewhere between the peach orchard or-chard and the wheat field. I made the discovery that I had been hit as I was riding back from the immediate front to my headquarters flag. I felt my foot was wet and damp. I looked down and found that my knee and leg were also wet and damp. I slipped my leg over the back of my horse and saw that. I was bleeding1 bleed-ing1 a gTcat deal. Then I knew my lee; was badly fractured. Instantly T slipped from my horse's back and sent for a surgeon. I was still bleeding bleed-ing a great deal and T saw that I would bleed to death beforo the arrival ar-rival of a surgeon unless something was done. So I ordered one of my start to take a small strap from his blanket and buckle it about my leg. The strap was pulled Into a tight tourniquet and the rapid flow of blood was stayed. The doctors said before they amputated the leg that not even one of my sturdy constitution could have stood the terrific loss. of blood. Meade 'Still Duo lOUS At End of trie Day At the end of the second day General Gen-eral Meade was still pessimistic. He still believed It would be better to retreat and fight at Pipe Creek. The council of war, however, would not hear of It. Slocum's ringing resolution, resolu-tion, "Stay and fight," was unanimously unani-mously adopted. Results proved Its wisdom. 1 personally have always entertained doubts whether Lee would have followed us to Pipe Creek and offered battle. |