Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-12-23

o
man ordered two regiments sf Gel Rsun'B B
gsae Of john D Smiths division 20 move up I
the lott and rear Of Msthiaa' brigade, In order I
sePpsrtlt. These Tsginenta, l5Lh ohio snd lzs
Iowa, nsFed Esrsara and took 10 a Htrong q
Eilou ABOUT hallway up the hin. Ee had 2
sooner gott5n fnts positiea than Losnis an
Matthias aaoyod frena their position aad begaR t
/ GGgauea up -Lha bill, wits loud shants of snoouI
| sgsmeRt Tbs enemy sprEng 20 thetr guns, an
/ ffsm six pieces Of artillery and y long line 0
mEsiIatry heavy and destructive FIRE IA
poured upon thon. instantly Raum, thoHgl
sut Of breath in climbing half up he hill
pEsaed forward is supPort Of this perhaps pre-
/ mature assault The ali ct this time ftfulll
Rashsd and arsd eilh fame, snd the columns
the hsgs, tie 6g9res Of beta foe and lr.ent
being PlsinlV visible, there Was presented ihs
most magnificent vision Of war which has ye
been veuehsafsd ne. Issanos and dare not at
tempt to describe It. If ihe Tssdsr can imsgins
two hesss thus struggling, his Imagination, hsw
ever weak, cannot lalt e draw su5linler pIa
tuTs shan ny per; and however bright that IN
egination nay be, il cannot fan far short Of Abe
sablins reality.
Through a half hour OF slow, tgilsome ascent
did this ssniinaa Ths enemy son!inued with
out intermissisa 70 pour canister and Eausket
bslls into the column EhGss sRcsess they ap-
peared so much 10 fear Oar men toiled on
slowly, making bat sne wild dash at the gaas,
from which they cams back maddened With rsgs
at their failure. Ffom their line the aFa leaped
upward 20 almost meet that OF the eHeRy they
we're approaching. Success seemed Within our
very grasp, and when-
Il was partial rspuise, but that meRlsnisry
episode Of the battle will reAsot lndyiRg honor
on the Ermy Of which those repu.ssd troops
f5Tmed part. I know not the caHss-t Q rabsI I
hee
but Matthias bTske-broSe in utter confusion
thought, as / saw It, and the IRea eRms Tusaing
down. the ALL Loomis still stsed, RAzm still
meEel forward. Bat MathiRs did not ay 70 the
foot OIL the hill. Just 30 the retrsatins troops
reached snd were passing Rsum's line an 0fi-
cor spTaag forward among tAem, saiEsa the
standard OF one Of the rsgin snts and stuck il
in the ground. saw bin wave bis sword once
sver bis head and point up The hill. could nes
hear his voies, bat tho Rsn did, end IS If By
mRgic--Which viii be forever mystery TO ne
That reuled eolumn turned, turned instantly,
and in a single second W2s marching up he hill,
as zrRly and strongly tormad ss was tia. Of
Rzam, and apparently fsrmiag 4 part Of it.
Not nan want fuTtheE than where Raam's BIZ
gads was met and thoTe all turned and ie-
charged az If il wsrs a movement they had been
prsetisisg for years
And then this whole line pashsd forward
sgaiH-cerssinly tho most Ysndsrful display Of
human nature under thorough discipline have
evsr bchela or imagined. Both Ll8mis sHd Ma
thias, marx you, had breken oass3 Jet now, Ef-
ssr half al hours Eghi, they again EeiarRoa TO
the 6ght By the side Of Ram. Il 10 70 me,
writine Il, perfectly ineomprehensible, and I
tarn 30 sry hsses 10 SEQ if my memory Is not at
FAULT But ne ths ToRderful schisvsneRt is
here in black aad white-tAeveTy hour marked
aad a0tei, GAd Just beneath it Is q sill more
W0Hderitl achievement in the last ehs-gs and
Fepalse
Il ass inst at quarter to clock thGt the
forces thea in iiT~ made 4 last grand charge al
tho rabel works, fly yards in front Of them.
The line gas perfect now, though the stream of
wounded that struggled to the rear made . lock
ragged. The order vas given and ihey pushed
forward Il ia bus short walk befers break
fast, that City yard1, but it Is no chiids
play TO charge ever L. DOUble-sh0tted with
canister, the rebel guns thauSsr upon cur men,
and, slss, We could sec i was les-sullY thLanIn
our still advancing racks. But sill cur beys
Eaesa oa--sterg, rigid, beldly, grzsdly. l saw
thsua with my glass draw the blue eiOih SAP
d0vTa ever their eyes, 81 If seeking e aide tina
fearful aams that daveured them 4 few more
yards azd few morn lives, and tha rebsl bat
lsry and 'hs rebsI position are 0urs.
We Gid not wie is hsTs. The sneRy was
t0rEEQ 10 elfl faF Hbip--t1 ltaM Eela E4s Ge-tte4
-zad st this moment, WIEN al! was ouTs, they
poured II ron tEeir left sI0und the hili, aud got
in upon Cur beys a dzmnable flank and cross
fire. chat il was FcTfsstly imeossibls to eppsse-
This furcs proved 10 be voIy heavy, saa came
inc the engagement 1t double qaiek. Our line
crumbied almost iHstantaneopsly. a few hum
drsd faced about and fought running 6ght to
The rear bus the main body turned and retreat
Cd. Bet heTe was no panic, no despair. They
saw they had failed ARd Wezs 9yersone. Fhey
rslreated, but not rushing wildly and fuEiously
far to the reEr. The powerful aided the weak,
ana the strong bore OF the WenRdod.
The ssst slds Of the hill Was s0an cleared Of
al but our Wounded and the Iebels. These lat
Ter pushea around the hill under tho Aro Of cur
guns until hey suddenly, and sPpAE0ntly IN
szpoatsdly, came upcn Lighiburn, who had du-
riEg al this remained perfectly quiet, but VIA
now sent them hswliHg TO their holes.
At this moment was standing near the brsDze
fgHIe Of sheImsn As our neu TeiIea!ed down
tbs hill I saw MIN bite of ths end Of q cigar,
light IT, take puff or two, and then, turning 70
enc Of bis aids, said, Tell LighibuTn ts in.
iTaneh and 60 iRto position" Ha then sat down
to write dispatch. I knew the hatte Of Tu1-
neil bill was ever.
We had ssen Tepaissd. I may say blooahY
rspnlsed Bat the enemy had been forced to
sommit he fatal error.