PBrunsel
Junior Chimp
Posts: 9,537
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« on: June 23, 2004, 03:12:28 PM » |
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John Burns was a village character in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He worked as a constable and cobbler, and claimed to be related to Scottish poet Bobbie. He was known as a hard drinker, but he had served with valor in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War and said he would show the rebels that he could still fight if the Southern Army came to Gettysburg. His valor was not noticed as he was the town laughing stock. One time he had walked 10 miles from Gettysburg to Bendersenville because he had heard an eclipse would happen there. It turned out that there was no eclipse, and he walked home to the laughs of the town. He grumbled about “secret societies” conspiring against him. He once hurled insults at the Society of Odd Fellows of Gettysburg, and these “conspirators” chased him wildly down the street!
Despite being a laughing stock he had tried to enlist at the first call to arms after the fall of Fort Sumter, yet he was refused a commission. He went to West Chester, Pennsylvania, to enlist, but was turned away due to his age and poor eyesight. After he was turned away he got a job driving mule trains, and he refused pay because he said that only soldiers in armies deserve pay. He returned to Gettysburg in January 1863.
On July 1st, 1863, the sounds of battle came to Gettysburg. Burns put on his Sunday best, a swallow blue coat and a tall bell-crowned hat. Although his wife scolded him, Burns left to join the 150th Pennsylvania Volunteer’s ranks and fight the historic Battle of Gettysburg.
As he joined the 150th’s ranks he borrowed a musket from a wounded soldier. The 150th’s Commander, Colonel Langhorne Wister, asked if Burns could shoot. “Give me a chance,” Burns said, “And I’ll show you I can shoot.” Wister sent Burns where the “Iron Brigade” of the 150th was stationed. One of the soldiers had memories of Burn’s travel with the Iron Brigade:
“We joshed him unmercifully. Some of the boys called him ‘Daddy’ and laughed at him, but he took it well. As soon as he started firing we seen that this here old man knew how to handle a gun.”
One of Burn’s shots had seemed to have knocked a Confederate Officer of his horse. The Union Men gave Burns the officer’s silver-chased rifle. The old man was shot at the belt buckle and given a painful cut that disabled him. As Confederate infantry approached Burns buried his gun and crawled to the door of a cellar in the village.
A Confederate doctor treated his wounds, but he still needed to get home. “Tell my old woman to fetch the wagon and get me home. I can’t move.” “Devil take him!” his wife replied,” The old fool going off to fight as old as he is, getting holes in his best clothes. And he won’t be able to work for two months. Let him stay!”
Suddenly Burns was a hero. The inventor of American baseball, General Abner Doubleday, praised him as “The Hero of Gettysburg.” When President Lincoln came to Gettysburg on November 20th, 1863, he met with John Burns. On November 22nd, 1863, Lincoln and Burns walked down Chambersburg Street and Main Square arm and arm with Lincoln.
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