re and Washington--Sixth corps leaves Bristow Station--A
surprise--General Meade takes command--Position of the
army--Marching through Pennsylvania--An unprecedented
march--Exciting news--Battle of Gettysburgh--Death of
Reynolds--First and Eleventh corps fall back--Second day's
battle--The battle-field--Fighting at Round Top--On the
right--The grand onset--The battle decided--Rebel and Union
wounded.

Meanwhile, great excitement prevailed at the north, especially in
Maryland and Pennsylvania, on account of the invasion of the rebel army.
As early as the 15th of the month, more than a thousand rebel cavalry
had reached Chambersburgh, which they had sacked. Two days before, the
battle of Winchester was closed. Ewell, with overwhelming numbers had
fallen upon General Milroy's force, which had unwisely been, by order of
somebody, thrust far away from its base, and out of the reach of
reinforcements, routing the division, and in its flight capturing its
artillery and a large portion of the infantry.

Nothing now opposed the march of the invaders through the Shenandoah
Valley. In Harrisburgh, the excitement rose almost to a panic. All the
paintings, books, papers, and other valuable articles, were removed from
the capitol, packed in boxes and loaded into cars, ready to be sent off
at the first sign of immediate danger. The citizens formed themselves
into military companies, and worked day and night throwing up redoubts
and rifle pits about the city. Men unaccustomed to manual labor
vigorously plied the pick and the spade, and kept up their unwonted toil
with an earnestness worthy of veteran soldiers. To add to this confusion
and alarm, the trains of Milroy's division that had escaped capture were
rattling through the streets in search of a resting place. Throughout
the State of Pennsylvania business was suspended. The governor was
calling loudly for men to rush to arms in defense of their homes; and
General Couch was striving to organize the militia which presented
itself.

Baltimore and Washington were like besieged cities. Stuart was
threatening the Baltimore and Ohio road, and bodies of rebel cavalry had
penetrated within half a dozen miles of Washington. Bells rung out the
alarm, and the affrighted citizens rushed to arms. Loyal leagues were
now of service, forming the nucleus of many an improvised company of
defenders. All these facts we learned from the newspapers, a few stray
copies of