Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-07-16

deach ensued., This silence continued un.
til 2 p. M AT this moment the rebel ar
tillery from all points, in a circle radiat-
ing around our own, began terrific and
concentrated fire on Cemetery Hill. which
was held, as | have previously stated by
the Eleventh and Second corps. The
flock of pigeons, which not ten minutes
previous had darkened the sky above, were
scarcely thicker than the flock Of horrible
missiles that now, instead Of sailing harm
lessly above, descended upon our position.
The atmosphere was thick with shot and
she'll. The storm broke upon us so sud-
denly that soldiers and oficers--who
leaped as it began for their tents or from
lazy siestas on the srass--were stricken
In their rising with mortal wounds and
died. some with cigars between their teeth,
some with pieces of food in their fingers,
and one at least--a pale young German,
from. Pennsylvania---with q miniatuae of
h is sister in his hands, that seemed more
meet to grasp an artist'sHpencil than
mnsket. Horses fells shrieking such aw-
full cries as Cooper told of, and writhing
themselves in hopeless agony. The boards
of fences, scattered by explosion, 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 graye.stones of
the Gem etery shower. of destruction
crashed ceaselessly. AS with hundreds
of others, l groped through this tempest
of death for the shelter of the bluff an
old man, q private in company belong
ing to the Twenty-fourth, Michigan, was
struck scarcely ten feet away by cannon
ball, which tore through him, extorting
such low, intense cry Of mortal pain as
I pray God may never again hear The
hill, which seemed alone devoted to this
rain of death. was clear in nearly all its
unsheltered places within fvc minutes af-
ter the fire began. ''9'> S' nsa''''@ q -
Our batteries responded Immediately.
Three hours of cannonadtng ensued. ex-
ceeding in ferceness any ever known.
Probably three hundred cannon were fred
simultaneously until 4 o'clock, when the
rebel infantry were again seen massipg in
the woods fronting our centre, formed by
the First and Second corps. Gen, Donb-
leday's troops met this charge, with the
same heroic courage. that had SO often re-
PEELED the enemy in his desperate attempt,
The charge was made spiritedly but less
venomously than before, Gen. Webb,
commanding the Seconds brigade, Second
division Of the Second corps, met the fury
Of the attack with steady fire that serv-
ed to 'retard the enemy's advance for .
moment. That moment was occupied by
the rebel General Armitage in steadying
his troops behind the fence. Gen, Webb
Immediately ordered a charge, which was
made with such cagerness and sNiftness,
and supported by such numbers Of our
troops, as enable us to partially surround
the enemy, and capture General Armis-
tage and 5000 Of hismen.' The carnage
which accompanied this charge and the
terror inspired by it were SO great as to
reduce numbers Of the foe to actual cow
ardice. They fell upon their knees and
faces holding forward their guns and beg
ging for mercy, while their escaped com.
rades, panic stricken and utterly routed
rushed down across the bitches and fences
through the fields and through Gettys-
burg. Not column remained to make
another start The triumph fought for
during these three terrible days belonged
at last to the noble Army Of the Potomac.
With pen that falters, with hand
and a heart heavy even in the presence of
this great conquest saddened by tho
death Of not a few friends, and sick Of
the sights and sounds that have 50 long
shocked my eyes and numbed my thoughts;
with visions deceived, perhaps, in many
instances, by the mere tumult Of the con-
hict; and with ears 6llediby divers re.
ports and estimates Of officers aud sur
geons. 5Ican not, I dare not, attemptto