Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-07-23
RES CITY, FLOYD COUNTY, IOWA, THURSDAY JULY 23 1863

i'uc VI udttic Ou tbc OeiDeteTy HIIi al
evening, having withstood during the
entire day the assaults Of an enemy
outnumbering them three to one.
The havoc in the lst Corps was 81
frightful as to decimate it fully one.
halt, and that in the llth Corps-nobly
rescued from the suspicion which rest
cd upon it before-was scarcely less
great. Yet the little army finched
not, but stood ready to fall as others
had fallen. even to the last man
With what thrill of relief Gen. How
ard, who had sent messenger after
messenger during the day to Slocum
and Sicklcs, saw in the distance, al
evening, the approaching bayonets Of
the Sd and 18th Corps, only those can
tell who fought beside him. Those
corps arrived ard assumed position
on the right Of the lst and llth on the
nights about Cemetery Hill at dusk.
The enemy made no farther demon
stration that night. General Meade
and staff arrived before IL O'Clock
The commander then examined the po-
sition, and posted the several corps.
THE BATTLE ON THURSDAY.
Firing opened early in the day, but
not until 4 o'clock p. NJ. did the enemy
give voice in earnest He then began
heavy fire on Cemetery Hill. Our
artillery began to play within few
moments, and hurled back defiance
aud like destruction on the rebel lines.
Until 6 o'clock the roar of cannon,
the rush Of missiles and the bursting
of bombs filled all the air. The clang.
or alone of this awful combat might
well have confused and awed less
cool and watchful commander than
Gen. Meade. 1t did not confuse him i.
With the calculation of a tactician
and the eye of an experienced Judge,
he watched from bis headquarters on
the hill whatever movement under the
murky cloud which envelopcd the reb-
ell lines might first disclose the inten-
tion which it was evident this artillery
firing covered. About 6 o'clock P. NJ.
silence, deep, awfully impressive, but
momentary, was permitted, as if by
magic, to dwell upon the field. Then,
as the smoke beyond the village was
lightly borne TO the eastward, the
woods on the left were seen filled with
dark masses Of infantry, three col
umns deep. who advanced at quick
step. Magnificent Such charge by
such force--full $4,000 men,. under
Hill and Longstreet--even though it
threatened to pierce and annihilate
the Sd corps, against which it was
directed, drew forth cries Of admira-
tion from all who beheld it. General
Sickles and his splendid command
withstood the shock with determine
tion that checked, but could not fully
restrain it. Back, inch by inch, fight
ing, falling. dying, cheering, the men
retired. The rebels came on more fu-
riously, holding at intervals, pouring
volleys that struck orr troops down
in scores. Gen. Sickles, fighting des-
perately, was struck in the leg and
fell. The Cd corps came to the aid of
his decimate column. The battle then
grew fearful Standing firmly up
against the storm, our troops, though
still utnumbered, gave back shot for
shot, volley for volley, almost death
for death. Still the enemy was not
Down he came upon our
left with momentum that nothing
could check. The rifed guns that
lay before our infantry on knoll were
in danger of capture. Gen. Hancock
was wounded in the thigh. Gen. Glib
bon in the shoulder. The 5th corps,
as the lst and I'd wavered anew, went
into the breach with such shouts and
such volleys as made the rebel col
umn tremble at last. Up from the
valley behind, another battery came
rolling TO the heights. and flung it's
contents in an instant down in the
midst Of the enemy's ranks. Crash
crash ! with discharges deafeniDg, ter
rible. the musketry firing went on /;
the enemy, Reforming after each dis
charge with wonderous celebrity and
firmness, still pressed up the declivity.
What hideous carnage filled the min
utes between the appearance of the
9th corps and the advance to the sup
port Of the rebel columns of still anoth-
er column from the right, l cannot
bear to tell. Men fell as the leaves
fall in autumn, before those horrible
discharges. Faltering for an instant,
the rebe. columns seemed about to re-
cede before the tempest. But their
officers, who could be seen through
the smoke of the conflict, galloping
and swinging their swords along the
lines. rallied them anew, aud the whole
line sprung forward as if to break
through our own by mere weight Of
numbers. A division from the 18th
corps, on the extreme right. reached
the scene at this instant, and at the
same time Sedgwick came mp with
the 9th corps, having just finished q
march Of nearly thirty-six consecu-
tive hours. To what rescue they
came, their officers saw and told them.
Weary as they were. are-footed, hun
CRY, fit to drop for slumber as they
were, the wish for victory was SO
blended with the thought of exhaus-
tion, that they cast themselves in
turn en- masse into the line of battle,
and went down on the enemy with
death in their weapons and cheers on
their lips. The rebel line staggered,
reeled and drifted slowly back, while
the shouts of our soldiers, lifted up
amid the roar of musketry over the
bodies Of dead and wounded, pro-
claimed the completeness of their
victory. Meanwhile, as the division
of Slocum's corps. on the extreme
right. left it's post to join in this tri-
umph, another column Of the enemy,
under command Of Gen. Ewell, had
dashed savagely against our weaken
ed right wing. The fight was ter
rife, and for fifteen minutes the at
tack to which the three divisions Of the
18th corps were subjected was more
furious than anything ever known in
the history Of this army. The 9th
cnrns fnllo,uod aoA fro., In.L :.,tn