After leaving York I noticed that the country seemed to be exceedingly dry, and the crops, which were then nearly ready to harvest, were generally very poor. As there was one of our companies from Hanover, a large crowd of men and women from the neighborhood had collected and were patiently awaiting our arrival. They had not heard and consequently could tell us nothing concerning any rebels. The barns in that section are all of the same red color which predominates so strongly in Montgomery and Berks counties and evidences the Dutch taste.
At that place the train was divided and a portion of the regiment was sent ahead, while we kept several miles in the rear. Nothing of importance occurred until we reached a point about seven miles from Gettysburg, when we learned that those ahead had met with an accident. We slowly approached as near as was safe, and there getting off the cars were marched to a wood on the right of the track where we found the other part of the regiment, and stacked our arms by companies in regular order. Leaving our traps by the muskets, all hastened over to see what had happened. It appeared that an old woman had been driving a cow along the top of a high embankment where the road crossed a deep gully and small creek. The old woman got out of the way when the cars came up, but the cow ran along the track, was caught about midway and thrown over the bank dead. The cars were forced from the track by the concussion but fortunately kept their course almost parallel with the rails, bumping over the sills until they got beyond the gully, and there all the track was torn up and they badly broken were piled together. Some of the men were somewhat bruised but none seriously — Combe, in company A, was one of the number. Had they gone over the edge of
