Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-07-10

the lhifd, when, Judic0uely reinforced with
artillery, they renewed and continued the contest
until its close. II seemed as II the gray uni.
formed troops, who were advanced and read
vanoed By their officers up to the very edge Of
the line OF smoke In front Of our infantry, were
impslled BY some terror In their rear, which they
were DO unable to Withstand as they were to
make hesdWay against the FIRE In their front.
Il Was hard 10 believe snch desperation volun-
tary. II was harder to believe that the courage
which withstood and defeated Il was mortal. :"
The enemy gradually drew forward his whole
line until In many places band to hand conflict
ragged for minutes. His artillery, answered By
ours, played upon our columns with frightful re-
suit, yet they did not waver. The battle was
in this way evenly contested for time, but at
q moment when il seemed problematicaI which
side would gain the victory, reinforcement or.
rived and we're formed 10 line at such position
as 10 enfade the enemy and teach him as last
the futility Of his efforts. Disordered, routed, !,
aud confused, his whole force retrested, and at
ii o'clock the battle ceased and the stiffness Of
death ensued. This silence continued until Q
r. M. At this moment the rebel artillery from
sii points, in ciroie radiating around our uWu,
began o terrific and concentrated fre on Gene
terry Hill, which was held, ss l have previously
stated, by the Eleventh and Second CORDS.
previous had darkened the sky above, were
scarcely thicker than the flock Of horrible mis-
siles that now, instead OF sailing harmlessly
above, descended upon our position. The at
mosphere was thick With shot and shell, The
storm broke upon rs 90 suddenly that soldiers
and oficers--Who leaped, aa IL began, from their
tents, and from lazy siestas on the Rrass-were
stricken In their rising with mortal wounds and
died, some with cigars between their teeth
some with pieces Of TODD in their fingers, and
one at least-a pale young German, from Penn
sylvania-with miniature Of his sister In bis
hands, that seemed more meet to grasp an or.
lists pencil than o muaket. Horses fell,
shrleking such awful cries as Cooper told Of,
and writhing themselves about In hopeless ago.
ny. The boards Of fences, scattered BY explo-
sion, few In splinters through the air. The
earth, torn up in clouds, blinded the eyes of hur.
rying men and through the branches of the
trees and among the grsve-stones in the ceme-
terry shower OF destruction crashed ceaseless.
ly. As, with hundreds Of others. 1 CROPPED
through this tempest of death for the shelter of
the bluff, an cid man, private In O company
belonging to the Twenty fourth Michigan, was
struck scarcely ten feet away BY Q cannon ball,
which tore through him, extorting such low,
intense cry of mortal pain as pray God may
alone devoted TO this rain of death, was clear
in nearly ell its unsheltered places within Ave |
minutes after the FIRE began.
Our batteries responded Immediately. Three
hours OF cannonadlng ensued, exceeding In |
tercenees any ever known. Probably three
hundred esnnop we're fred simultaneously until
: O'Clock, when tbs rebel infantry were aeainI
seen masapg IN the woods fronting our center.
formed BY the First and Second cops. Cen
Doubleday's troops met this charge with the |
same heroic courage that had 90 often reuelled |
the enemy In his desperate attempts. The
charge WAS made splfitsdly but less venomousIy |
than before. Gen. Webb, commanding The |
Second brigade, Second division of the Second |
corps, met the main fury Of the attack with |
steady IRE that served to retard the enemy,s
advance for moment That moment was 90, |
cupied BY the rebel General ArmistaRe I'D
steadying his troops behind the fence. General
Webb Immediately ordered Q charge, which Was
made with such eagerness and swiftness, and
By such numbers Of our troops, az
enabled us partially to surround the enemy, and /
'aptuRe General Armistsge and three thousand /
II his men. The carnage which 40 ,ompa.
1ied this charge and the terror inspired by II |
we're 20 great as to reduce numbers Of the |
loe to actual oowardice. They fell upon their |
knees and faces, holding forward their guns and |
begging for mercy, while their escaped oom-
lades, panic-stricken and utterly routed, rushed
Town across the bitches and fences through the |
delds and through Gettysburg. Not column |
'emainsd to make another start. The triumph |
'ought for during these three terrible days be- |
onged at last to the noble Army of the Peso- |
mac. ..-r.
With pan that falters, with hand and I
heart heavy even in the presence of this great /
conquest; saddened by tho death of not few
riends, and sick Of the sights and sounds that
ave 60 long shocked my eyes and numbed my
thoughts; with vison deceived, perhaps, In
nAny instances, BY the mere tumult of the con-
lict; and with ears filled by divers reports and
'stimates Of officers and surgeons, i cannot,
ls!e not .sttemps to give you an account or
opinion OF our Losses. They are great. But
compared with those of the enemy they are like
10 pebbles TO grains Of sand along the shore. |