132 Days to Opening Day 2008

Today’s excerpt is from The Gettysburg Campaign by Albert A. Nofi.

This is a quick story about how a rabbit affected day two of the battle.

A rabbit played a minor role in Gettysburg on the second day. As the 3rd South Carolina passed among the buildings of the Rose farm that hot afternoon a terrified rabbit fled before it. Seeing the animal, one of the troops called out, “Go it, old fellow; and I would be glad to go with you, if I hadn’t a reputation to sustain!”

Unfortunately fleeing before the troops meant heading the same way they were going, towards the enemy. Within minutes, the terrified rabbit ran right into the men of the 118th Pennsylvania as they were lying in wait for the Rebels in some woods on the southeastern edge of the Wheatfield.

As the South Carolinians behind were making more noise than the Pennsylvanians before, the bunny plunged on, momentarily landing on the neck of one of the troops before bounding away. As the rabbit fled to the rear, its moment in history at an end, the soldier jumped up, crying, “Oh! I’m shot! I’m a dead man!” much to the amusement of his comrades, at least until the Rebels were upon them.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.