Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-07-29

The 'o.lowing graphic and thrilling de
scripiiuu of the battle of Friday, the 81
iu~,. is y, Samuel Will,eson Of the New
York Times. Mr.. Wilkeson had 4 gallant
AMI mobile son killed upon tie field:
llEADogAETERs ARMY or PoruuAc.
Saturday Night. July !.
Who can write the history of battle
whose eyes are immovably fastened upon
central figure oi transcendingly absorb
ing intcrcsI-the uaad body of an eldest
born, crushed by shell in a position
4, rre battery should never have sent,
a.ii ab1ndoAed to death in a building
where the Surgeons dare not stay
The battle of Gettysburg, am told
that 1t commenced on the lst Of July, 4
mile nor.h the town, between two weak
Grigades of infantry and some doomed ar
tillery and the whole force of the rebel
army. Among other costs of this error
was the death of Reynolds. Its value
was priceless, however, though priceless
WAS the young and the old blood with
which it was bought. The error put us
on the defensive, and gave us the choice
OF position. From the moment thaeour
artillery and infantry rolled back through
the streets OF Gettysburg and rolled out
OF the town to the circle of eminences
south of it. We were not to attack. but
to BE- attacked. The risk. the difficulties
and the disadvantages of the coming bat
tie We're the enemy's. Ours were the
highest for artillery; ours the short inside
lines for manoeuvering and reinforcing;
ours the cover of stonewalls, fences and
the crests Of hills. The ground upon
which we were driven to accept battle was
wonderfully favorable to US. \ popular
description of it would be to say that it
was in the form of an elongated and some
what sharpened horseshoe, with toe to Get
tysburg and the heel TO the South.
Lees plan OF battle was simple. He
massed his troops upon the East side of
this shoe of position, and thundered on
it obstinately to break it. The shelling
of our batteries from the nearest over
looking hill, and the unAinching courage
and complete discipline of the army of
the Potomac repelled the attack 1t was
renewed ut the point of the shoe-renew-
ed desperately at the Southwest heel re
newed on the western side with an effort I
to success by Ewelrs earnest /
oaths. and on which the fate of the inYa- 1
sion Of Pennsylvania was fully put at
stake. Only perfect infantry and artil- /
lery, educated in the midst Of charges of
hostile brigades, could possibly have sus-
tanned this assault. Hancock's corps did |
sustain it, and has covered itself with i'm
mortal honors by its constancy and cour-
age. The total wreck of Cushing's bat
tery-the list of its killed and wounded
the losses of officers. men and horses
.
spread upon the board of death of dead
soldiers and dead animals-of dead~so!-
diers in blue and dead soldiers in gray
more marvellous to me than anything
have ever seen in warfare a ghastly and
shocking testimony to tie terrible fight
Of the 2d Corps that none will gainsay.-
That corps will ever have the distinction
Of breaking the pride and power Of the
rebel invasion.
For such details as l have the heart
Tor. The battle commenced at daylight,
ln the side of the horseshoe position. ex-
,ctly opposite 10 that which Ewell had
sworn to crush through Musketry pre-
,eeded the rising Of the sun. \ thick
wood veiied this fight, but out of its lelfy
darkness arose the smoke and the surg
NJ and swelling OF the fire, from inter
If the wise tactics of the rebels of attack
ng in force and changing their troops
the attack of the day was to !
be made through tile wood. The demon
tration was protracted-it was absolute
Y preparative: but there was no artillery
iring accompanying the musketry, and I
hrewd officers in our western front men
ioned with gravity due to the fact that
1,a Il
IN the edge ot the wood they occupied in
he face of our position. These were
,reastwOrks for the protection OF artillery
men.
Suddenly, about ten in the forenoon,
he firing on the east side, and every
where abcr our lines. ceased. \ silence
Is Of deep sleep fell upon the felI &C. bat
le Our army cooked, ate and slumber
ID. The rebel army moved about l2O
guns 10 the west. md massed there Long /
trcets corps and Hills corps, to hurl
hem upon the really weakest point of
'ur entire position.
Eleven 0'clocls-twclve 0'clock-One l
'cloek. In the shndow cast 10y the tiny |
arm.house. l6 by 20, which Gen. Meade q
lad made his headquarters, lay weaIied {
taft officers and tired reporters. There I
he scene, the singing of n bird, which
iad a nest in peach tree within the tiny c
ard of the white washed cottage. In I
he midst of its warbling, a she'll scream
d over the house, instantly followed by C
mother, and another, and in n moment e
he air was full of the most complete ar a
illery prelude to an infantry battle that a
,as ever exhibited. Every size and form P
f she'll known TO British or American P
unnerv shrieked, whirred. moaned.
'histled and wrathfully futtered over the a
round. As many as six in a second con- $
tantly two IN a second, bursting and 0
over and around headquarters, [
lade very hell of fire that amazed the n
ldest officers They burst in the yard &
urst next to the fence on both garnished
5 usual with hitched horses of aids and
rderlies. The fastened animals reared il
nd plunged with terror. Then one fell 5
hen another-sixteen lay dead and man p
led before the fire ceased, still fastened il
Y their halters, which gave the express P
m of being wickedly tied up to die pain b
ally. These brute victims of cruel war p
1uched all hearts. Through the midst e
the storm of screaming and exploding RI
hells, an ambulance, driven by its fren- 81
Cu CoHuuClOI at luAl BCSuf PASSthSNN ~ II
Il of us the marvellous spectacle of a N
orse going rapidly on three legs. A hind
+ one had been shot off at the hook.
"a shell tore up the little step of the >,
Headquarters Cottage, and ripped bags Of =
ats as with a knife. Another soon car Il Il
ed off one of its two pillars. Soon ::
1herical case burst opposite the open =,
ripped through the low u
lrret. The remaining pillar went al ~ ~
lost Immediately to the howl of fixed +
lot that Whitworth must have made -
uring this fire the horses at twenty and =, :,
lirty feet distant were receiving their a
cath, and soldiers in Federal blue were ~
,rn to pieces in the road, and died with a
le peculiar yell that blend the extorted
v of pain with horror and despair. Not
1 orderly-not an ambulance-not III
raggler was TO be seen upon the plain ly
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