The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-07-16
The Battle of Gettysburg.
THE Conspletest account Of That Vic-
tory Yet.

4nC DossAO Va UcgSyRDUIRs
THE Conspletest Account Of That Tic-
tory Yet.
Sam. Wilkeson, in letter TO the
New York Times, gives the following
account of the great victory at Gettys-
burg:
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 unflinching cour-
age and complete discipline of the
army of the Potomac repelled the at
tack. 1t was renewed at the point of
the shoe-renewed desperately at the
southwest heel-renewed on the west-
ern side with an effort consecrated to
success by Ewell's earnest oaths, and
on which the fate of the invasion of
Pennsylvania was fully put at stake.
Only a perfect infantry and an artillery
educated in the midst of charges of
hostile brigades could possibly have
sustained this assault. Hancock's corps
did sustain it, and has covered itself
with immortal honors by its constancy
and courage. The total wreck of
Cushing's battery-the list of its
killed and wounded-the losses of Off
GERS, men and horses Cowen sustained
and the marvellous outspread upon
the board of death of dead soldiers and
dead animals-of dead soldiers in
blue. and dead soldiers in gray-more
marvellous to me than anything have
ever seen in war-are ghastly and
shocking testimony to the terrible fight
of the Second 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 have the heart
for. The battle commenced at day.
light, on the side of the horseshoe
position, exactly opposite to that which
Ewell had sworn to crush through.
Musketry preceded the rising of the
sun. A thick wood veiled this fight,
but out of its leafy darkness arose the
smoke and the surging and swelling of
the fire, from intermittent to con tinu-
GUS, and crushing, told of the wise tac-
tics of the rebels in attacking in force
and changing their troops. Seemingly,
the attack of the day was to be made
through that wood. The demonstra-
tion was protracted-it was absolutely
preparative but there was no artillery
fire accompanying the musketry, and
shrewd officers in our western front
mentioned, with the gravity due to the
fact, that the rebels had felled trees at
intervals upon the edge of the wood
they occupied in face of our position.
These were breastworks for the protec-
ton of artillerymen.
Suddenly, and about 10 in the fore
noon, the firing on the east side, and
everywhere about our lines ceased. A
silence as of deep sleep fell upon the
field of battle. Our army cooked, ate
and slumbered. The rebel army
moved 12O guns to the west, and
massed there Longstreet's corps and
Hills corps, to hurl them upon the
really weakest point of our entire posi-
ton.
Eleven o'clock-twelve o'clock-one
o'clock. In the shadow cast by the
tiny form house l6 by 20, which Gen.
Meade had made bis Headquarters, lay
wearied Staff officers and tired report
ers. There was not wanting to the
peace fulness Of the scene the singing
of bird, which had nest in a peach
tree within the tiny yard of the white
washed cottage. In the midst of its
warbling, shell screamed over the
house, instantly followed by another,
and another, and in a moment the air
was full of the most complete artillery
prelude to an infantry battle that was
ever exhibited. Every size and form
of shell known to British and Ameri-
can gunnery shrieked, whirled, moaned,
whistled and wrathfully futtered over
the ground. As many as six in a
second, constantly two in a second,
bursting and screaming over and
around the headquarters, made very
hell of FIRE that amazed the oldest off,
GERS. They burst in the yard-burst
next to the fence on both sides, garn-
ished as usual with the bitched horses
of aids and orderlies. The fastened
reared and plunged with ter
ror. Then one fell, then another-six-
teen laid dead and mangled before the