Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-04-25
THE GREAT BATTLE AT pITTsBURG.


Of the desperation of the fight on both
sides, on Sunday, the correspondent of the
New York Tribune gives the following ex-
citing account: ly- .7sF aif Do ssaI
"Hotter and hotter grew the contest;
fiercer and fiercer the struggle. Each
man fought as if success or defeat depend
ed on his own right arm and charge after
charge was made upon the rebels to regain
the ground we had lost. They stood firm
as rock !; and though our artillery often
swept down their ranks, and left fearful
gaps in their columns they manifested no
trepidation, nor did they waver for a mo-
ment. The living supplied the place of
the dead. The muskets that had fallen
from lifeless hand was seized at once,
and the horrid strife swept on as before.
The force of the enemy appeared increas-
ing, and where the greatest havoc was
made, there the strongest opposition was
shown. Hand -to-hand contests were in
Vulnerable. Every struggle was for life.
Quarter was asked on neither side, and
the ground drank up the blood of hun.
dreds of brave fellows every hour. Men
lost their semblance of humanity, and the
spirit of the demon shone in their faces.
There was but one desire and that was to
destroy. There was little shouting. The
warriors were too much in earnest. They
set their teeth firm and strained their ev-
cry nerve to it's utmost tension. Death
lost all its terrors, and men seemed to
feast upon the sight of blood. The light
Of the sun was obscured by the cloud Of
sulphurous smoke, and the ground became
moist and slippery with human gore. The
atmosphere tremblcd with the shock of
the armies, and the earth shook with the
tramp of the thousands and tens of thous-
ands of warning foes.
"Thc balance of victory ever varied.
1t now inclined to this side, and now to
that. Here the Unionists gained an ad-
vantage there the confederates. Advance
was followed by retreat; success by re-
pulse. At this point we drove the enemy
back, but were driven back in return.
Success was always shifting, but never
settled. Hope and fear, joy and sorrow,
seized the soul by turns, and every hour
held month of emmotions. All con.
sciousness of time ceased all thought Of
the future, all recollection of the past
Everything was absorbed in the sanguin.
airy present, and external nature assumed
the hue of blood. Men glared at each
other as at wild beasts; and, when a shell
burst with fatal effect among crowd o.
the advancing foe, and arms, legs and
heads were torn off, grim smile of pleas
ure lighted up the smoke -begrimed faces
of the transformed beings who witnessed
the catastrophe. Soldiers were wounded
and knew it not, SO intense was their ex
citcment, and often a mortal hurt was an
nounced to the victim only by the cessa
tion of vitality. Men with knitted brows
and flushed cheeks fought madly ovel
ridges along ravines, and up steep asccnts
with blood and perspiration streaming
down their faces. Men with shattered
fingers changed their muskets to the lef
hands, and still fired their pieces as bes
they could. Everywhere was mad excite
ment everywhere was horror. Comman
ders galloped wildly to the front Of thei
regiments, and cheered them on, usin.
their sabres on each and every foe, ant
urging their spirited steeds wherever tn
troops were falling back, careless Of thei
own life, as if they had a million souls t
spare. Captains, majors, colonels ant
generals fought like common soldiers ant
it was not uncommon to see field Office
firing musket or charging with his re
volver upon the advancing foe.""
MARVELLOUS INSTANCE OF SYMPATHY
"A very strange example Of the infuenc