The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-09-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Foreign Selections.
Hhe Battle OF Gettysburg.
vivid Descriptive Letter f. onh Samuel Will
keson. of the NV Times.

Night, July 4th ~ can write the history Of a
battle whose eyes are ipmOvably fastened upon "a
central figure OF iranscendingly absorbing interest
the dead body Of an oldest born, crushed by a shell
in a position where - battery should never have been
seut, and abandoned 10 death In 4 building where
surgeons dared not to stay
The battle Of Gettysburg. AN told that it com
mencei on the let OF July, a mile north OF the town,
between Two weak brigaies Of infahtry and some
doomed artillery and the whole force OF the rebel
army. Among other costs of this error was the death
of Reynolds Its value was pricel So, however, though
priceless was the young and the old blood with which
1t was bought. The error put US on the defensive,
and gave as the choice OF position. From the mo-
ment that our artillery and infantry rolled back
through The main street of Gettysburg aud rolled out
of the Town to the circle of eminences south of il, we
were not TO attack but TO be attacked. The risks.
the difficulties and the disadvantag e5 of the coming
battle we're the enemy's. Ours were the heights for
artillery ; ours the short inside lines tor maneuver-
ing and reinforcing ours the cover OF stone walls,
fences and the cTests Of hills. The ground upOn
which we were driven to accept battle was wonder
fully favorable 10 rs. A popular description Of 1t
would be to say that 1t was ia form an elongated End
somewhat sharpened horseshoe, with the toe 10 Get
tysburg and the heel to the south.
Lees plan of battle was simple. He masse1 his
troops upon the east side OF this shoe OF position, and
Numbered ON IL cbstinately TO break IT. The shell
ing Of our batteries from the nearest overlooking
hill. and the uufinchiDg courage and complete dis
cipIine Of the army OF the Potomac repealed the at
tack IL was renewed at the point Of the shoe
renewed desperately at the southwest heel-renewed
on the western side with an effort cOu>ecrated to sue
cess by Egell's earnest Oaths, and OH which the fate
of the invasion Of Pennsylvania was fully put at
stake. Only a perfect infantry aud an artillery
educated in the midst Of charges Of hostile brigades
could possibly have sustained this assault. Han
cocks corps did sustain il, and has covered itself
with immortal hJnOrs by its cOnstancy and courage.
The total wreck Of Cushing's battery-the list of its
killed and wounded-the losses OF officers. men and
horses COwen sustaiued-and the marvellous out
spread upon the buard OF death Of dead soldiers and
dead animals-of dead soldiers in blue, aud dead
soldiers in gray-mOre marvellous 10 me than any
thing I have ever seen in WARFARE a CHASTITY and
shocking testimony 10 the terrible hsh OF the Second
Corps that none will gainsay. Tha' corps will ever
have the distinction Of breaking the pride and power
of the rebel invasion.
Now for such details as | have the heart for The
battle commenced at daylight, on the side OF the
horseshoe position, exactly opposite TO that which
Ewell had sworn TO crush through. Musketry pre-
ceied the rising Of the sun. y thick wood yelled
this tight, but out Of its leafy darkness arose the
smoke and the surging and swelling of the Ere, from
intermittent to continuous AM cru5hing, told of the
wise tactics Of the rebels OF attacking In free and
changing their troops. Seemingly che attack of the
day was 10 he made through that wool. The demons
tratiOu was protracted-it was absolutely preparative,
but there was no artillery fire accompanying the
musketry, end shTewd officers In o IT western front
mentioned, with the gravity due TO the fact, that
the rebels had telled trees at intervSls upon the edge
of the wood they occupied in face; OF our position.
These were breastwOrks for the prore;tiOn Of artillery
men.
Suddenly, at about ten O'Clock IN the forenoon,
the hiring on the east side, and ever where about our
lines, ceased. 4 silence as Of det-o sleep fell upon
the he!d OF battle. Our army coOkey, ate and SUM
berei. The rebel army moved oSe hundred and
twenty guns TO the west, and ma ;sed there Long
streets corps and Hills corps. TO hurl them upon
the really weakest point of our entIse position.
Eleven O'clock-twelve ~o'clock-'one o'clock. In
the shadow cast by the tiny farm. house 16 by 20
which General Meade had made his headquarters,
lay wearied staff officers and tired eporters. There
was not wanting to the peacefuIness of the scene the
singing OF a bird, which had "a nest IN n peach tree
within the tiny yard OF the whitewashed Cottage.
In the midst OF its %warbling a shell screamed over
the house, Instantly followed by another, aId another,
and IN "a moment the air was full of rhe most complete
artillery prelude to an infantry battle that was ever
exhibited. Every size and form CT shell known 10
British and to American gunnery, shrieked, whirled,
mOaned, whisrled and wrathiully huttered over our
ground. AZ many rs six in "A second, constantly Two
ia n second. bursting and screaming over and around
the headquarters, made q very nell of fire that
amazed the oldest officers. They burst in the yard
burst next To the fence on both sides, garnished as
usual with the hitched horses of Aids aud OrderlIes.
The fastened animals reared AMI plunged with terror.
Then ole tell, then anOther-six cen laid dead and
mangled before the FIRE ceased, still fastened by their
halters, which gave the expression of being ~wickedly
;ied up TO die painfully. These brute victims of a
cruel war touched all hearts. Through the midst Of
the storm OF screaming and exploding shells an am-
bulance. driven by its frenzied conductor at full
speed, presented TO all Of Us the marvellous spectacle
OF "A horse going rapidly on three legs. A hinder
one had been shot of At the hook \ shell tore up
AhE AANAG up " hN fN'h6N fha AAHEN1
bags If oats rs with a knife. Another soon carried
of one OF its two pillars. Soon n spherical sase burst
opposite the open dOOr-anOther ripped through the
low garrett The remaining pillar went almost i'm
uediately to the howl If a fixed shot that WhItwOrih
must have made. During this fire the horses ut
twenty and thirty feet d slant were receiving their
death. and soldiers in Federal blue were torn 10
Eieces in the road and died with the peculiar yells
that blend the extOrted cry of pam with horror aud
despair Not an orderly, not an ambulance. not a
straggler was TO be seen upon the plain swept by this
tempest Of orchestral death thirty minutes after II
commenced We're not one hundred aud twenty
pieces Of artillery trying 10 cut from the held every
battery We had IN position TO resist their purpOsed
infantry attack. and TO sweep AWAY the slight de-
lenses behind which our infantry were waiting
Forty mInutes-hfty minutes-cOunted on watches
that ran : on, 20 lauguidly. Shells through the two
lower rooms. A shell into the chimney that daringly
did nOf explode. Shells In the yard. The air thicker
aud fuller and more d~eafening ;th the bowling and
whirrIng OF these Internal missiles. The chief Of
staff sJruck-Seth Williams-lCyed and respected
through the army. separated from instant death ny
two inches Of space vertically measured. An Aid
bored with n fragment Of iron through the bone of
the arm Another cut with an exploded piece. And
the time measured on the sluggish watches was one
hour and forty minutes.
Then there was a IulI, AMI we knew that the rebel
infantry was charging. And s~pIendidly they did
this ~ork-the highest and severest res' Of the stuff
that soldiers are made of. Hills division, in line of
battle, came first on the double qlick-theIr muskets
ut the - right shOulier-shifr." L"ng>treet's came
rs the support, at the usual distance, with war cries
and a savage insolence a yet Untutore1 by defeat.
They rushed in perfect order across the open seId up
10 the very muzzles of the guns. which tore lanes
through them a. they came. But they met men
who were their equals in spirit, and their supeTiors
IN teuacity. There never was better lighting since
try and artillery. The rebels were over our deienses.
lneY had Cleaned caDuOuleTs ami horses from one OF