rifle. In addition they were skilled marksmen and were constantly practicing at long range, from two hundred to one thousand yards.

To their peculiar tactics, constant practice, individual responsibility and good marksmanship, can be credited the fearful punishment inflicted upon the enemy in every action in which they were engaged, without a proportionate loss to them.

DEDICATION OF MONUMENT

F

46TH REGIMENT INFANTRY

SEPTEMBER 12, 1889

ORATION OF CAPTAIN JOSEPH MATCHETT

RIENDS and comrades of the old Forty-sixth :-Twenty-six years ago this last July we stood upon this ground to defend our country from the assaults of those who in their madness would trample this glorious banner

in the dust. What grand momentous days and nights these were on this 1st, 2d and 3d of July, 1863, when the destiny of our nation hung in the balance, and the people all over our Northland had their eyes fixed on this army, trembling for fear that your courage or prowess would fail you, as your enemy, flushed with victories in Virginia, had boldly invaded our free northern homes, determined to crush this army, capture our rich cities, and plant their standard on the dome of the capitol, and there dictate terms of peace to our government. My dear comrades, it may be superfluous in me to recount to you the movements that culminated in placing us here in front of Gettysburg, on the 1st day of July, 1863.

The disastrous battles of Chancellorsville on the 1st, 2d and 3d of May is yet very fresh at this day in your memories, at least it is in mine, as well as all the more than a score of important battles in which we were engaged. They seem to be indelibly photographed on the tablets of my memory, so that, either waking or sleeping, they often pass in panoramic view to my vision.

It was after the success of General Lee in that engagement that he determined to move his army across the Potomac, and invade the soil of the Keystone State, and to carry devastation to your homes and firesides. Little did he think that by this act he would be “bearding the lion in his den," because, my comrades, you well know that heretofore, by your valor on many bloody fields, you had proven your willingness to do and die for our dear Union. Now, when your soil was desecrated with the tread of this traitorous band, your paternal patriotic blood was so inflamed that you could give a double life to free your State from the despoiler. So, as his army moved northward, you were moved along on parallel lines between him and the capitol at Washington; and late in June you crossed the Potomac at Leesburg and marched through Maryland, "My Maryland" with banners flying, and with cheerful step to music of our band, through historic old Frederick City. There "Fighting" Joe Hooker left us, but we cheerfully followed the faithful Meade, asking no questions; our cause was just the same whoever was put in command of us; we had no time for cavilling or fault-finding.

You remember the dusty hot march through Littlestown, with the ripe,

tempting cherries overhead, that you had no time to gather; some of the boys said they were sour. You had only time to grasp a cup of cold water, or a piece of bread or pie that the villagers (God bless them) handed out the gateway to you as you hastened on into old Pennsylvania, with words of cheer from our friends, and the songs of the children, as we marched to their tune of " Marching along, we are marching along, for God and our country we are marching along." You went into camp beyond the town. Next day was the 30th of June, and you were hastily drawn up in line to be mustered so as to have the payrolls sent on. You were then ordered to support the cavalry in their brush with the rebel cavalry at Hanover. Bright and early next morning, after a hasty breakfast of coffee, crackers and pork, we took up our march in the direction of Gettysburg, infantry in the fields, artillery and wagons on the road. Recklessly tramping down the ripening golden grain in your pathway, the Twelfth Corps moved along, led by the gallant Slocum, marching towards the sound of the cannon as it echoed over the hill from Gettysburg, where the ball had opened and our men had met the enemy.

My comrades, you felt then that you were approaching the momentous moment of your life, and the life of the nation, and your courage and determination rose with the occasion. You were going to redeem Chancellorsville; you got your fighting blood again flowing through your veins, and there was not a man of you who was not willing to die if need be for our grand old State and the nation. And where, in all the wide world, and in all its history, was a more appropriate time or a grander incentive for man to give up his mortal life, a willing sacrifice for God, and home, and this glorious land. Not but what your life was sweet to you, and those left in the dear old home were precious to you, and you to them. Oh, no! Your country at this time, and her honor. and your honor, was transcendently more dear, more precious (if such could be) for the time being, than father or mother, wife or children, for you stood now between them and their despoilers, their safety wrapped up in your success, as a world stood watching for the result of that battle.

True, we were only boys then, but oh! what patriotic blood flowed in your veins, in commingling of the freedom-loving races. The Celtic, German, Norman, Scotch-Irish, Cymric, the Anglo-Saxon, all combining as one around the grandest of flags, the star-spangled banner. Blest emblem of liberty. Hope of

the world.

As you drew nearer, the sound of the cannon was plainer to you; you could hear the bursting shells, then the steady roll of musketry, and you knew that death was reaping his harvest; the old Forty-sixth had been there many a time, and knew what it all meant. And the smoke of battle went up on high; you were now in the battle zone, your whole surrounding atmosphere was changed. There was less of song, and jokes in general fell flat; and playing cards-the boys had no use for them now, so they sowed them in the fields, scattered them along the highway; watches and other valuables were given to non-combatants, to be sent home to dear ones, should you be among the slain. The cavalry and the First and Eleventh corps, it seems, had met the enemy in large numbers beyond the town, and had nobly kept them in check as long as possible until at last they doubled up our men, who were compelled to fall back through the town to Cemetery Hill, after losing their noble commander, the brave Reynolds, who was shot while leading them on. Our corps moved on past "Two Taverns,” and then our division filed to the right towards Wolf Hill; we unslung knap

sacks, loading our guns, and deployed in line of battle in the woods, with the intention of making a connection with the right of the Eleventh Corps, but they had been forced to fall back, which changed the situation; but our presence there prevented an intended flank movement which the enemy attempted to make. Night coming on, caused a lull in the battle, and ended the slaughter for that day. The regiment was moved over again to the Baltimore pike and rested on their arms that night.

Hostilities commenced very early in the morning, and you were moved in here and took up this position, and hastily put up a line of works, with logs, stones and dirt, using what tools you could get, right on the line of the works you now see before you.

Late that afternoon when Sickles' Third Corps was hotly pressed over on the left-center, the brigade was hastily sent over across the fields to his relief, towards Little Round Top, coming only in contact with the havoc of the enemy's shells in that sharp fight. The enemy were checked, and Sickles' men secured their new ground. Sometime in the night we were ordered to return to our works on the right at Culp's Hill. But, alas! in our absence the enemy under Johnson, had taken our works, as there had been no troops put in our place to oppose them, and in fact he had marched his men as far over as the Baltimore pike. Then he became suspicious that there was a trap set for him, and ordered his men back again to our works, thereby losing his grandest opportunity of the war. He was right in behind our army. Comrades, there was to my mind a Providence in this. They were made afraid when there was nothing to fear. On coming back we found them in our works sure enough. In fact if it had not been for the forethought of our Colonel Selfridge, we would have marched by the flank right into their lines.

It seems Captain Selfridge of Company H, had taken some of his men's can. teens and gone on ahead to Spangler's spring to fill them, when he discovered "Johnnies" also there filling their canteens. He backed out with the best grace he could command, and reported it to the colonel. But Colonel McDougall, the brigade commander, did not believe it and got very angry, but the colonel insisted on deploying his men, and sent in a skirmish line, who found the enemy as stated and saved many lives.

We were then formed around this point, our left on Geary's Division, and our brigade connecting on the right with the Third Brigade, when we rested on our arms again until the morning. Bright and early our artillery which had been posted in our rear, opened on the rebels in the woods, the shells passing over us; we were so near the enemy that six men of the regiment were killed by the explosion of our own shells.

About 11 o'clock we opened on them with musketry, and a general advance was made, and they were driven from our works, which we again occupied, and kept the enemy at bay, while their sharpshooters on those tree tops gave us great concern, until in the afternoon when that grand event that stands out now at this day as the turning point of the rebellion took place. I refer to Pickett's charge on the center of the line.

At a given signal one hundred and sixty of the enemy's cannon opened fire on the Union line, and were answered by one hundred cannon from our side, making the very earth shake. And then came their charging column over that wide field, only to be swept away before the leaden hail of the boys in blue, which you could plainly hear. Also their shells came tearing down our lines