Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1863-07-23
pected to be there - forty thousand


men.
The Second corps is like thin blue
ribbon-a single line. The men are
kneeIing in the rife pits-not in rev.
erent acts of worship, but to shelter
themselves from the fire of the foe.
Forty pieces of cannon cut and cash
the line as it comes on. It does not
waver. Neither does the line of men in
blue.
General Gibbon-in command of the
Second, now that Hancock is wounded
walks composedly along the ranks.
"Hold your fire, boys-they are not
near enough yet, is his command Still
nearer, and then with bayonets at the
charge, they sweep up to the rife pits.
A line of fire flashes suddenly from the
ranks of the Second Scores, hundreds
of rebels so down, but they do not faT-
ter. They charge over The pits. Gibbon
orders his men to fall back to the rear
of the batteries. 1t is done, without
confusion, to allow the artillery tho
privilege of using grape. Still on, mp
to the muzzles of the guns, They are
blown away-mangled, torn, piled in
heaps.
They move to their right. The flank
is perhaps fifteen rods distant from
Howard The time has come for de-
cisive blow. Forty pieces of artillry
pour grape and canister into the ranks.
They melt away. You cannot burn a
straw in candle fame with greater
rapidity. Their courage, determination,
bragadocio and bravery do not triumph
They fee. The plain is a mass of dis
comftted rebels. The ground is thick
with dead, They lie thick as fallen
leaves of autumn.
TAKING PRISONERS.
The enemy were repulsed-now was
the time for action. Webb's brigade,
without waiting for orders, dashed into
the flying mass and came back with
eight hundred prisoners. Stannard's
brigade of nine months Green Noun
tain boys, their uniforms clean and new,
improved the opportunity and took as
many more.
The Massachusetts, 10Th, reduced to
two score of men, rushed into the melee
and came back with four stand of colors.
Halls brigade, including the 10Th and
29th Massachusetts,, the 9TH Michigan
and Pennsylvania regiment, captured
eleven colors.
When the fight was most terrific,
Col. Hall, commanding the brigade,
quietly ordered the color bearer of the
18th Massachusetts to advance upon
the enemy alone. It was like an cleo
trio impulse It thrilled the entire line.
Men forgot that they were on the de-
fensive, and without an order from q
commanding officer the line, as if bent
on one common purpose, surged ahead.
Thousands of bayonets flashed in the
setting sun. Then came wild hurrah,
and the mass of rebels melted away over.
the plain.
THE RETREAT.
The invasion of the North was over,
the power of the Confederacy broken
There at that sunset hour I could dis
cern the future-no longer an OVERCAST
sky, but clear, unclouded starlight-a.
country saved, baptized, eonsecrated~
anew to the coming ages.
All honor to the heroic living, ALL
glory to the gallant dead They have
not fought in vain, they have not died
for nought. No man liveth to himself
alone. Not for themselves, but for
their children, for those who may new
er hear OF them in their nameless
graves, have they yielded ife-for the
future-for all that is good, pure, holy,
true, just-for humanity, righteousness,
peace-for paradise on earth-for Christ
and for God-they have given them
selves willing sacrifice. Blessed be
their memory forevermore. CARLETON.