Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-09-11

| ly speculating how their echoes woul awake and
| respond TO such thunderous din.
| Precisely at one O'Clock, responsive to the
warning summons of two signal guns, the 40
pieces IN the Confederate centre and right OPEN
cd FIRE; nor were their voice, flushed till 40 min
utes after >. Then came Gen. Picketts turn
and nobly did he spring TO the head Of his un-
daunted men, and marshal them to the attack
With long floating locks, with a seeming reck-
lessness, which is, perhaps, partly assumed. but
which stamps him of the Murat type, Gen. Pick
cit Of more demonstrative courage than other
generals, but not less uniinching than his own
sword, seemed as he advanced to lead his men into
the very jaws of death
Slowly emerging into the open ground, with
shells (singularly ineffective, it seemed to me,
considering the apparently murderous precision
with which they all burst) cracking and snap
ping over them at every stride, Gen. Pickett s
men seemed to take hours to surmount the mile
of interval which divided them from the federal
batteries At length their destination Is reached
with wild yell they spring into the YANKEES Garth
works, astride of each Federal gun rides Con-
federate soldier; the group around Gen Long
street congratulates him that the advance is a
complete success, and for a few moments breath
is drawn more freely. But the quick eye Of Gen
Longstreet dscerns that Pettigrew's division
upon whose almost simultaneous advance de-
pends the retention by Pickett Of the captured
guns, Is in confusion.
Upon their left Pettgrews men, when close
up TO the Yankee batteries, perceive a large
column of Federals descending the hill to flank
them. Retaining that fatal habit Of thinking
for themselves, which Is so pernicious TO a sol
der. the Confederates first halted, then got into
confusion, then broke and fell back. The fright
80 g. i vsgs.r al.
shrinking at this perilous poment, they could
not but sustain, was compared by an eye-wit-
ness of both scenes to the punishment inflicted
on the feierals from the heights Of Fredericks-
burg in December last In vain did Gen. Long
street send Major Latrobe 10 Gen. Pettgrew,
shortly before the latter's troops broke, urging
him in military language " 10 refuse his left''-
that is to meet the hanking column by line
thrown obhquely out to meet it.
Major Latrobe's horse was shot AS he sped on his
message. and on foot he could not get up to Cen
eral Pettigrew IN sufficient time 10 instruct and
guide him When Pettigrew and his men fell
back the nanking column Of Yankees, meeting
with no resistance swept round until they ap-
preached and overlapped Pickett. Then and
not till then he commenced 10 give way. Glide.
blushing glory. hide the cost of that retreat.
Out Of a division Of 1900 men he brought out,
in the first instance, about 1900, though be-
lieve that another 1900 struggled in the next
dav III, three Brig. Generals lay dead or des-
perately wounded upon the field out Of all his
feld-oficers only one major came out unwound-
ed: l out of the l3 colors which he carried
into action were lost.
Since the commencement Of this war know of
no division on either side, which has ever made
so resolute an advance, or been so rudely and
murlerously handled. Long viii the Sd Of July
be remembered in angushed Virginia, from
which State almost all Pickett's Division was
drawn Gen Pickett and his staff. all Of whom
miraculously escaped, were torn by grief at the
loss Of friends known for lifetime, but doubly
and trebly cndeared by the common Perils and
sufierings Of these last two years
After the repulse Of Gen. Pickett's Division
the struggle was virtually over 1t is true that
on the extreme Confederate left, Gen. Johnston.
of EweIl's Corps, captured hill whioh would
have been important had complete success attend
ed Longstreet's attack. A. it was, both armies,
fearfully exhausted by their losses, fell back on
the night Of the Cd, to commence on both sides
preparation for retreat on the 4th.