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Show PROPHECY OF LINCOLN ... RECALLED BY SICKLES "You Will Get Well and Serve Your Country in Years to Come," Said President. ; By Major General Daniel E. Stckles. By International News Service. GETTYSBURG. Pa,. July 3. To-day, To-day, for some reason, perhaps per-haps for the reason that I was closer to him this day a lialf-crmtury lialf-crmtury ago than I ever had heen before In my life, there Is but one man's Image printed upon tlie plate of my memory. He Is the man who came this day, fifty years ago, to a" union officer lying dangerously danger-ously wounded, and looked down In his face and, .smiled, and smiled as only he. amid smile. 1 refer lo that great well-spring of human sympathy, Abraham Lincoln I'll tell you why Lincoln came so close to mc that day. I had lost my leg tho preceding day, as I narrated in my dispatch yesterday. The surgeons sur-geons in the field hospital, after a consultation, had to amputate, and they did so almost Immediately about 7 o'clock on the evening of July Legless Hero Smokes Cigar Placidly. Xextday. bright and early, before the day's fighting began, 7 was placed hi an ambulance and sent down to the railroad to bo taken to Washington. Wash-ington. One of my boys told mc today to-day that he saw me In the ambulance being taken down the Emmltsburg road and that I had a cigar between my teeth and remained absolutely emotionless. Well, 1 nm glad I impressed him that way. It wns good for discipline. But 1 had just been Informed that my chances of recovery were about one In live hundred, It was not a pleasant prospect, but I said to myself: my-self: "Dan, you know your own constitution constitu-tion better than anybody else docs. You are going lo win this battle just as you won the battle yesterday." Lincoln Tells How He Prayed for Victory. And It was In that spirit that I started for Washington. The trip was a trying one, but the visit from the president, who came to. see mc as soon as he was informed of my arrival, cheered me. and I renewed the pledge to myself. Lincoln's eyes were moist with sympathy as he bent ovor my Invalid bed. Every word that Abraham Lincoln Lin-coln said to mo that day remains firmly engraved In my memory- I am going to put his words In my book of memoirs which T am writing, but I will give them here because they arc good words for persons to read on Independence day. "Sickles," said the president, with one of his rare melancholy smiles, "I couldn't help coming to see you as soon as I heard of your arrival. I never prayed so fervently for anything any-thing In my life as for the success of our arms at Gettysburg. As I prayed a feeling of peace came over me and I rose sure of victory, for I knew that God had answered 'Yes' lo me and would bo with us on the field," Lincoln Propnecy Is Recalled. "Now, 1 am In a prophetic mood," continued the president cheerily. "Tho doctors say you have one chance in five hundred to recover. I say you will got over this trouble, that you will outlive the war and Will be able to serve your country in. years to come." Can you imagine what, a marvelous marve-lous effect these words had on a man battling for his life? I suppose you will want mc to say something about tho third day's battle bat-tle at Gettysburg. I wasn't Jn the third day's battle for a well known reason, but I received reports concerning con-cerning its progress both on the way to "Washington and at the national capital. The reports wero encouraging encourag-ing as I expected. Because from the moment of the second day when I threw out my advance line after Warren at my command had occupied occu-pied and held Little Round Top, T was confident that tho battle was I won. So was practically overy fed- oral general with the exception of Meade. That third day's duel set a new standard In warfare for all time. For two hours from 1 o'clock Leo with 1-0 guns mounted on Cemetery ridge, kept up a furious cannonade. Monde replied with ninety guns. After two hours the guns of Meade were silent temporarily, Lee thought they had been silenced, lie ordered that famous charge of Pickett's men that earned Pickett the title of the "Xcy of the Southern army," and that has made men thrill ever since. Tliird Day s Duel Sets Standard. Pickett's charge was the last attempt at-tempt to retrieve a cause that was lost. Pickett's charge wns foreordained foreor-dained to failure. Bui that does not detract from Its magnificence. In throe lines, one behind the other, with a front of more than a mile, Plckell's IS, 000 the flower- of the southern army emerged from tho woods and made for Meade's left center. Suddenly the Union batteries hclchcd forth once more- On and on the lines came. Death whirred and .sung in thoir ranks. Despite tho thinning thin-ning lines they steadily pressed on toward to-ward the Union lines. Two regiments slightly in advance of the main Union line poured a murderous fire into the men In grey. The column swerved a little toward its left, exposing its flank. Hancock's men bore the brunt of the charge and bore it well. The rattle of muskets further thins the ranks of the charging forces; a pari of tho column breaks and flees wildly, wild-ly, anywhere to get away from that murderous fire. A regiment reaches the low stone wall which serves for a Union breastworks. A few leap the wall and penetrate the Union center. The brave Armistoad of Virginia is one. He has hardly time to shout encouragement to his men when he drops dead. All three Confederate brigade commanders arc killed or fatally wounded. Says Reunion Puts New Life in Htm. The battle is over and the scarred banner of victory floats over the Union camp. Pickett's charge Is prophetic of the rapid fading of the southern cause. Soon a not-to-be-denlcd voice is to be heard at the gates of Richmond demanding Us surrender. Jt was a great battle. It meant much to me. But this reunion means more. This reunion has put new life and vigor Into me. Dosplte the intense in-tense heat, I feel stronger, youngor and more vibrant each day of my stay. Today was my busiest. T greeted personal!' shaking hands with and speaking words of felicitation to more than 1!000 men, women and children. That has been my dally average since my arrival. I tell you it does the heart of an old man good when one of his old boys tells him ho has como miles to greet his old commander. com-mander. The hundreds of "rebs" have walked the weary and dusty three miles to and from their camp to shake mc by the hand and assure me that all sectional difficulties were burled at Appomattox. This morning morn-ing tho Eleventh Massachusetts carried car-ried me out to the road to be photographed photo-graphed with them. Old Cry Is Heard at trie Bloody Angle. This afternoon I heard the old, familiar fa-miliar cry "The rebels are .coming" at tho bloody angle. There were some famous Johnny rebels there. All cheered this sentiment when I put It in words: "Brothers. I was too busy fighting you fifty years ago to make speeches. But now I want to say to all of you who have come to this hallowed spot that I am proud of you, proud of your section of the country, and proud to bear the title of 'American', with you." |