The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-07-12
The gplendid Battle of Get
tysburg.
BRILLIANT ~yICToaY.
Letters to the New York Papers.
From the Eorald.

from the torold.
BIvoUAo on THE FIELD,l
West Of Gettysburg, July1 Top. m.
General Buf0rd's cavalry had preyi-
ously driven the rebels to the west of the
town, beyond the seminary, and between
nine and tea o'clock a. N. the rebels gave
the pickets a pretty sharp brush, and
drove them in. Gen. Reynolds. with the
lst corps, was on the road from Emmetts-
burg to Gettysburg, en- route TO the latter
place, which the road approaches through
the very scenes of the conflict.
Gen. Reynolds at once threw forward
the Ist Division, under General Wads-
worth, which began TO drive the enemy
from the start. Very soon after the I'd
Division Of the same corps went on the
right of the 1si Division, the Sd Division
on the left of the LIST. and the whole line
began to advance. Nearly west of tho
town, Just in the outskirts, near the M
mary, of which | have spoken, is a lsr.e
brick ediice. Southwark from this runs
a piece of woods, and the seminary
stands on . ridge which slopes to the
west into a little open valley of plowed
fields and meadows, rich with grass aud
grain. Beyond the valley is a ridge of
higher land, thickly wooded. The val
ley runs in a southwesterly direction,
and at it's lower extremity is a large
farm house, near which the 9Th Illinois
cavalry was drawn up in the field, and
formed our extreme LETT Several farm
houses dotted tho same rich little valley.
Across this valley General Reynolds
line advanced somewhat hastily, almost
before il was well formed, and in that
condition did not go far until against il
a heavy force of the rebel infantry was
Immediately thrown, and Gen. Reynolds
was in turn driven. But his troops re-
tired step by step, and in excellent Or
der. Forward, with the utmost enthu-
sissm, pressed the rebel line, eager now
to turn Reynolds retirement into a rout.
Some OF the rebels had too much energy,
and got too far for, while they pressed
too closely on the right of the centre d.
vision, the left of the same division was
suddenly swept around, and then in
closed in the handsomest manner an en-
tire rebel brigade under General Archer.
General Archer and his whole staff
were taken. About fifteen hundred of
the enemy's men thus fell into our hands
and went TO the rear. Small regiments
were thon ordered in this brigade and
when an Alabama Colonel was asked
where the rest of his regiment was, he
responded laconically, leone to hell,
sir" @
Ont Of these prisoners said 10 another,
with some astonishment, " Heb Jakeys,
we're fighting the Army of the Potomac
now" They seem TO have thought they
had hold of the militia. The regiments
which made this capture were the 9th
Wisconsin, the Brooklyn Nth, and the
95th New York.
Though the lot Corps still continued
20 retire, the rebel advance wal broken
soon after this, and Gen. Reynolds now
prepared to go forward in earnest. APP
parently forgetful Mat he had at first
only gone in to support cavalry, be was
very likely to bring on a general engage
ment with only one corps. Formed as
before, his line went forward and drove
the enemy across the valley and over the
ridge at the further side but il was at
great expense 20 us, as the ERE with
which they received our fellows was ter
ribly severe. From the hill the line of
skirmishers was thrown out some dis
lance, and Gen. Reynolds went out 10 the
line TO re%connoiter, when he was hit by a
musket ball in the back Of tho neck, and
killed instantly.
In rather less than an hour after the
light began, the 1lth Corps came up the
same road by which the LIST had an
preached, and Gen. Howard at once as-
sumed command of the whole field. while
Gen. Schultz assumed command of tbe
llth Corps. Gen. Doubleday had al
ready assumed command Of the LAT
Corps. Across the North side of NM
town runs n creek, on which, shortly
after noon, il was reported that tho reb-
els were massing troops, apparently to
take the LIST Corps On its rear. 70 guard
against an advance from that direction,
Gen. Howard sent forward the LIST and
Sd Divisions of the 11th Corps, which
moved across the rear of the 1st Corps
and through the town, and took up posi-
ton with the Let Division On the right.
Gen. Steinwehr's Division, the I'd, was
held as a reserve,
Meantime two or three of our batteries
held a sharp parley with the rebel bat
teries posted on the hills that encircle
the town, and the balls overshot our bat
teries somewhat, and threw several bhot
in among the solid people Of Gettysburg.
Whether Il frightened them or not, / can
hardly say. | doubt if they could ex-
perienoe an emotion 80 lively as that OF
fear but they began 10 get out Of the
way, not the women and children par
ticularly, but stalwart, a~ble-bodied
wre'ches in mems garments, were what
i principally saw on the road to the
rear.
AZ about halt.past two o'clock, while
the batteries exchanged a heavy fire and
T some sharp musketry woke up the echoes
on the right, the rebels advanced Ia
heavy force against the lst Corps, which
sl0WlY reirealed from tho hnia hnunnA