The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-07-14
How.rd's rieht where Il

IRE.
On Friday morning, at 4 O'Clock, slo-
sums line opened a terrific lire on
E wclPs men. The enemy responded in
q most furious charge, for which mode OF
lighting they are Justly celebrated. The
lighting on Thursday on the left, whore
Longstreet and Hill fought With most
terrible desperation for three hours, and
the subsequent battle on the right by
Ewell, were regarded by The Oldest ofb-
GERS 10 the army as The most obstinate
and deadly contests Of the war. Officers
and men lay dead in fearful numbers.
But the enemy's charge in response TO
Slooum's Gre seemed ten times more
furious.
With Gendish yell aud contempt
of death during six full hours, they
hurled their solid masses against the
we'll = defended lines The National
troops stood like a wall Of fire, whose
flaming tongues e%nwrapptd in death
whatever came near, whose foundations
we're firm as if one with the primal rock
on which it rested.
Nothing during the war has equalled
this six hours of carnage. In front of
Grang's position were more rebel dead
than the number Of the entire list Of
casualties in the 18th corps. The dead
were lying literally in heaps, many hit
in all manner of degrees, from a clean
shot through the head to bodies torn TO
pieces by exploding shells.
At 10 O'clock Slocum had repulsed and
driven back the enemy at every point,
and %reoccupied his original position. The
battle ceased at III o'clock, and there was
a pause like to the stiffness Of death
rested for three hours on the living and
dead.
No matter how long pressed by the en-
envy, the Union troops felt, even in the
front rife pits, that the Commanding
General was conversant with their situa-
zion, and would not suffer them to be over
whelmed. The officers would say 10 the
men, and the men to each other, MEADE
will send you belp-just hold on a little
longer"
Nor were they disappointed. The
General in command was possessed with
q degree of calm deliberation truly won
derful, and seemed intuitively TO know
what was necessary TO be done, and 60
be endowed with q superior genius in
the distribution aud handling of his
forces u-1
At 2 O'clock on Friday afternoon Lee
opened a line Of artillery fire from about
one hundred gins, concentrated against
Cemetery Hill and the position along the
centre held by the Cd and 3 part of the
LIST corps. .
The firing wos responded 70 By all the
batteries on the hill, and ,tpn ensued
| three hours az caanonading unsurpassed
in incHssant iisreenoss by ANY artillery
battle on this continent, The sight and
sound were a~fdllF sublime. The hills
trembled beneath the percussion. The
sound filed the heavens, and Nature,
as il were, stood still TO contemplate the
scene.
Horses were shot down by scores, gun
carriages were demolished, pieces dis
mounted, caissons exploded, whole bat
teries were swept away, and c%annoniers
and officers killed aud wounded ia num-
bers almost incredible. No less than If
teen caissOns were exploded on the
heights, aud two regular batteries on the
right of the cemetery were completely
demolished.
Much Of the enemy's firing was wild,
and scattered near aud far over the field.
Gen. ,Meade's headquarters we're forced
TO take refuge behind the rocks near
Gen. Slocum's headquarters. The nom
combatants were especially alarmed, but
the fighting members thought il o good
joke to see their associates Zee the wrath
TO come, pent up in Rebel shells.
a. II,r.-IfY ln.l.4a- -. =
the Cemetery, and were raked 10 q fear.
full manner; men fell all round him but
himself and stat escaped.
The silent abode Of the dead wac made
the theatre Of deadly conflict. Tomb
stones and beautiful monuments were
demolished great holes were torn In the
earth by the explosion OF shells, and the
surface checkered with furrows.
The artillery fire continued till 4 o.
clock, when the solid columns of RebeI
infantry were again seen moving in the
wood in front of the center, held by Che
1st and I'd corps.
During the herce c~annOnading the mer
and officers were ordosed 60 shelter
themselves behind tho hills and rocks
When, however, the Rebel infantry wat
seen in the woods, several officers cam,
to Gen Doubleday, volunteering TO carry
message to Meade aud ask that The cen,
ter be strengthened. "a m
Doubleday replied TO the officers tina
they might trust TO Gen. Meade; tina
he would keep his eye on movements o
the enemy and have his forces ready I,
meet his attacks, Out they came, an,
rushed rapidly over the field in soil,
mass, but evidently with less fury thai
before.
The head of the column was directed
against a position held by Gen. Webb
commanding I'd Brigade, I'd Division, 2,
, Corps. His troops were old, and steadily
aud bravely withstood the charge. Tn
steady fire of tho National troops stag
gered the enemy, and tho Rebel Genera
Armistead, who lead the charge, wishing
TO steady his column, halted il for q mo
ment ct a fence.
Gen. Webb seeiug, called out 10 hi
brigade, "Chargel the enemy ia ours.
And true enough be was. The com
mRnding Gen. Armistead and $500 mel
were captured by tho closing in of tn
| Second Corps on the right and the FRS
on the left.
The enemy Was driven back over Oh
. fields with great slaughter The enem,
then withdrew from the field, and III
battle ended.
I During the battles Of Friday, Genera
Hancock, though severely wounded, la.
under tree aud gave orders, 1ghtin
. until the battle was ended.
M MIDI w.aIA a.. $500 a.