The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1863-07-21
III.
THE BATTLE OF WEDNESDAY.

.tH THE BATTLE OF WEDNESDAY.
One who has been in the presence, who
now sits among the echoes aud whose brair
teens with rushrg memories Of a conflict sc
recent and SO vast, may well pause before at
tempting to indicate its magnitude or describe
its progress Rash as the advance of Gen
Reynolds has been pronounced by many
brother officers who now lament his death,
question whether II was not after all for the
best. 1t served at once as reconnoiss ,nce
showing the enemy's exact position on Gem
etry Hill from which the battles of the two
succeeding days were chiefly fought, and
which, bad the rebel commander anticipated
an engagement, he would doubtless have se-
cured for himself. Not less, perhaps, than
the skill of the generals who directed the
battles on our side, gave us the victory -
When, therefore, the heroic First corps and
its iated commander placed themselves in the
terrible dilemma of Wednesday morning,
they won knowledge by their sacrifice worth
all the world to US thereafter. The corps
marched in the following order: First divis-
in under General Wadswort Thrd division
under Gen. Doubleday; five full batteries
under Colonel Wainwright; Fourth division
General Robinson.
portion Of our artillery took position haf
a mile south of the Seminary. The enemy
opened fire upon it with such fierceness as
forced the batteries to retire, which they com
menced doing in goo order General Wads
worth came To their aid; two of his regiments
the Second Wisconsin and the Twenty-rourth
Michigan, charged The rebel Infantry, forcing
them to retire. The batteries assumed an
excellent position further in the rear, which
they held during the day. Gen. Reynolds
now rode forward TO inspect the field aud
ascertain the most favorable line for the dis
pcsal OF his troops. One or two members Of
his staff were with him. The ei emy at that
instant poured In a cruel muskctry fire upon
the group Of officers; bullet struck Gen.
Reg nolds N the neck, wounding him mortal.
ly. Crying out with voice that thrilled his
soldiers, Forward! for Gods sake, forward p
be turned for an instant, beheld the order
obeyed by line of shouting infantry, and
falling into the arms Of Capt. Wilcox, bis aid,
who rode beside him, his life went out with
the word "Good God, Wilcox, / am killed."
The command OF the corps dovoved on
Gen. Doubleday, who hurried to the 'front.'
placed it in position, and awaited charge
which it was seen the rebos were about to
make. An eminen'e VIII reupon stood a
piece OF woods was tie important point
theuceforth TO be defended. The rebels ad.
vanced and opened fire from their cr the line.
They were instantly charged upon by Mere
diths Western brigade, who, without firing a
shot, but with tremendous cheer, dashed
forward with such swftness as to surround
nearly 600 Of the foe who were taken prison.
ers. A strong column Immediately advanced
against us from the woods, and though voIIey
alter yolley was poured into them, did no,
waver. Their proximity and strength at last
became so threatening that the brigades Of
the Second division were ordered to make
another cha ge, which was even more success.
ful than the first. Their momentum was like
an avalanche; the rebels were shot, bayonet-
ed and driven to partial retreat, more than
two reg ments falling into our hands alive
Our ranks suffered fearfully in this demonstra.
ton, and it was evident that such fighting
could not long go on. The Eleventh corps
now made its appearance, and its general
Howard) assumed command Of the forces.-
Steinwhr was ordered to bold Gettysburg and
Cemetery hill-all bis artillery being placed
in the latter position. The other two diyis.
ions of the Eleventh corps under Shultz and
Barlow. then supported the First corps, on
the right, in time to resist two desperate
charges by Ewell's troops. A third charge
was now made bv The entire rebel force in
front, which comprised the corps of Hill aud
Ewell sixty two thousand strong. The shock
was awful. The superior numbers of the foe
enabled them to overlap both our flsnks.
threatening US with surroun ing aud capture.
Their main effort was directed against our left
wing, and notwithstanding the gallant fight.
ing done by our soldiers at that point, they at
last obtained such an advantage that Gen.
Howard was forced 10 retire bis command
throug the town to the east, which was done
in good order, the compliments of the rebels
meanwhile falling thick among it, in the
shape Of shells, grape and canister. The two
corps were placed in line of battle on Gene.
terry Hill at evening, having withstool during
the day tho assaults Of an enemy oatuumber.
ing them three to one. Not without grief,
not without mi sgiving, did tie officers and
soldiers OF those corps contemplate the days
engagement and await the onset they believed
was to como. Their comrades lay iu heaps
beyond the village whose spires CLEANED
peacefully in the sunset before them.
Reynolds, the beloved and the brave, was
dead, aud Zook slumbered beside him. Bar
low, Paul Mayfeld, and scores Of line officers
had been killed. The mer of the lst Corps
alone could in few instances turn to speak to
the ones WHO stood beside them ia the morn.
ing without meeting with vacant space
The havoc in that corps was so frightful as to
decImste 1t fully Que balf, and that of the
TN Corps-nobly rescued from the suspicion
which rested upon before-was scarcely less
great. Yet the little army flinched not, but
stood ready to fall as Others had fallen even
70 the last man. With what thrill of re
lief Gen. Howard, who had sent messenger
'fser messenger during the day to Slocam
Ind Sckles, saw 10 the distance at evening
he approaching bayoneis Of the Sd aud lat6
Jorps, only they can tell who fought besi de