The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-07-30

| The Last Charge AT OettysDufSs
Correspondent Of the Cincinnati Gazette,
In writing OF the last days battle, l
was so cramped, both in shape and
time, as to be compelled to hurry over
most important matters with scarcely
word. / had particularly desired to
describe, somewhat at length the last
desperate charge at four o'clock in the
afternoon, in which the rebels seemed
to have gathered up all their strength
and desperation for one fierce, convul-
sive effort, that should sweep over aud
wash out our obstinate resistance; but
there was left me scarcely single par
agraph in which to do it, and it was
now too late. Less than justice, how
ever, was done to the splendid fighting
of the Second Corps. 1t was there
that the flower of the rebel army was
concentrated, there that the heaviest
shock bent upon and shook, and even
lifted up and pushed back our line.
| We had made some shallow rife pits,
with barricades of rails from the fences.
The rebel line, stretching away miles
to the left. in magnificent array, but
strongest here. Piokett's splendid di-
vision of Longstreet's Corps in front,
the best of A. P. Hills veterans in sup
port, came steadily, and, as it seemed,
resistlessly sweeping up. Our skir-i
mishers retired slowly from the EN-
mettsburg road, holding their ground
tenaoiously to the last. The rebels re-
served their fire till they reached this
same Emmettsburg road, then opened
with terrific crash. From hundred
iron throats, meantime, their artillery
had been laundering on our barri-
cades.
Hancock was wounded, Gibbons sue
ceeded to the command-approved
soldier, and ready for the crisis. As
the tempest of fire approached its
height, he walked along the line and
renewed his orders to the men to Fe-
serve their fire. The rebels, three
lines deep, came steadily up. They
were in point blank range.
At last the order came! From
thrice six thousand guns there came
sheet of smoky flame, crash, rush
of leaden death. The line literally
melted away but there came the
second, resistless still. 1t had been
our supreme effort-on the instant we
were not equal to another.
Up to the rifle pits, across them,
over the barricades-the momentum of
their charge, the mere machine strength
of their combined action swept them.
on. Our thin line could fight, but it
could not oppose weight to momentum.
1t was pushed behind the guns. Right
on came the rebels. They were upon
the guns, were bayonstting the gunners,
were waving their flags above eur
pieces.
But they bad penetrated to the fatal
point A storm of grape and cannis-
ter tore its way from man to man, and
marked its track with corpses straighs
de,cn their line +! They had exposed
themselves to the enflading fire of the
guns on the western slope of Cemetry
Hill that exposure sealed their fate.
The line reeled back-disjointed al
ready-in an instant in fragments.
Our men were just behind the guns.
They leaped forward upon the disor-
dered mass but there was little need
for fighting now. A regiment threw
down its arms, and with colors at its
head, rushed over and surrendered.
All along the field smaller detachments-
did the same. Webb's brigade brought
in eight hundred, taken in as little time
as it requires to write the simple sem
tence that tells it. Gibbons old divis-
ion took fifteen stand of colors.
Over the fields the escaped fragments
of the charging line fell back-the bat
tie there was over. A single brigade,
Harrow's (of which The seventh Mich s
igan is psrp came out with fifty-four
less officers, and 79s less men than it
took in So the whole corps fought
so they fought further down the
line.
Yet, we were very near defeated.
Our ammunition grew soant the re-
serve ammunition train was brought
up and drained; bu, for that we should
have been left to cold steel. ris
Brigade after brigade had been
thrown forward to strengthen the line;
as the rebel attack driited back over
the fields, there stood in the rear just
one single brigade that constituted the
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