Early 20th Century Typescript Details Battle Of Gettysburg, Lee's And Hooker's Movements -- Prose And Poetry

Offering an original typescript, part ribbon copy, part carbon copy, 101 pp [rectos only], of an apparently unpublished book of prose and poetry by CLYDE CHESTER BALSTON of Point Lookout, New York, entitled “A Heroine of ’63: The Battle of Gettysburg, a Romance in Verse, c. 1937.  We haven’t been able to locate this book in any bibliographies and it is not recorded on OCLC. The title is gilt stamped on the parchment cover with what appears to be Balston’s signature, and the book is tied together. Pencil additions, corrections and deletions on many pages. 

The book includes a wonderful 11-page highly detailed introductory history of the battle. Gettysburg, which occurred on July 2nd, 3rd and 4th of 1863, was considered the most crucial battle of the Civil War. It gave the Union a victory that carried it eventually to a successful conclusion. In his introduction, Balston states, “It has been said...that the great victory gained at Gettysburg made Appomattox [General Lee’s surrender] possible. 

“In the latter part of June, the Union...under Gen’l Hooker was in the northern part of Virginia, east of the Confederate Army, which was under Gen’l Lee. Leaving Gen’l Stuart with his forces of cavalry to prevent the Union forces from crossing the Potomac, Gen’l Lee crossed the river with his army and invaded the state of Pennsylvania from the South, moving toward Harrisburg as an objective point, and levying tribute on the towns enroute in the form of money, provisions, clothing and horses, incident to such an invasion...But Hooker out-generaled Stuart and crossed the Potomac farther downstream in pursuit of Lee’s army. This compelled Lee to fall back from Harrisburg and concentrate his forces about Gettysburg...

“The Battle of Gettysburg covers an area of twenty-five square miles, presenting a beautiful pastoral, trending north and south ...

“Beginning at Round Top and the woodland opposite, about two miles south of and extending up to the town of Gettysburg, two ridges, foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, run for this distance parallel to each other, forming between them fertile valley...

“The Union or Federal forces under Gen’l Geo. G. Meade, occupied on the second and third days of the battle, the entire stretch of Cemetery Ridge facing west, from Round Top on the south, northward to, and then easterly and south easterly around Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill to Wolf’s Hill; occupying also, on the second day, Devil’s Den, comprised of a mass of immense boulders clustered together in the valley to the west of Little Round top...”

Balston includes a page entitled, To the American Nation and writes, “In memory of the deeds of our heroic Dead, I tender this small volume, as a modest tribute to those who fought in the war of the Rebellion to uphold the principle of human liberty, their adherence to which I have judged, I hoe with an impartiality that does justice alike to the North and to the South...”

The remaining pages consist of Balston’s poetry relating to the battle.

In very good condition with some soiling to the cover. 

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