Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-07-14
From Gen. Lees Army.

We are still without full or satisfactory intelli-
gence from the battles of Gettysburg and Gen. Lees
army. At the latest dates he was at Hagerstown,
Maryland. We have rumors however, of battles at
Boonsborough, Williamsport and Leesburg, and
also of fighting at Hagerstown; and among the ru-
mors is one that Gen. Meade is concentrating his
forces for the defence of Washington
All these are probably unreliable What we
kn0oO is that great battle, lasting several days,
was fought at Gettysburg Pennsylvania; that the
losses were very heavy on both sides; that Gen.
Lee afterwards retired into Maryland by the same
road he had taken to Pennsylvania that he was
embarrassed by his prisoners, his spoils, and his
wounded; and that Gen. Meade was too much Grip
pied to be able to pursue him in force. We may
be sure, however, that the federals are mastering
their forces from all quarters, and that another
great and bloody battle will soon be fought
The Philadelphia Inquirer of late date says
there is no news of special Importance from the
Yankee army. Meade was closely watching his
willy antagonist, and another engagement was ex-.
pected soon. That paper estimates the Yankee loss
at twenty thousand and the Confederate at fifteen
thousand A dispatch from Gen. Meade, dated July
9th, says "the enemy retired under cover of night
and heavy rain in the direction Of Fairfield and
Cashtown. My cavalry are in pursuit. l cannot
give you the details of captures in prisoners,
colors, and arms. Upwards of twenty battle flags
will be turned in from one corps My wounded and
those of the enemy are in our hands,
We eagerly credit every report of a cheering
character from Gen. Lees army, but we must con-
fess that Gen. Lees silence is significant Hereto
fore the country has always heard from him after
great victory. We hear nothing from him now,
and cannot even get list of our killed and wound
ed. We doubted from the first the wisdom Of the
movement into the enemy's country. We so stated
at the time, but hoping for the best, we said no
more on the subject. Most happy would we be if
we could only feel that we were mistaken, and could
know that fortunate results were about to flow from
this invasion.
A correspondent of the New York Tribune says:
"On Friday morning at o'clock, Slocum's line
opened terrific fire on EwelPs men. The enemy
responded III most furious charge for which mode
oftighting they are Justly celebrated. The fighting
Thursday on the left where Longstreet and Hill
fought with most terrible desperation for three hours
and the subsequent battle the right by Ewell,
were regarded by the oldest officers in the army as
the most obstinate AMI deadly contest of the war.
Officers and men lay dead in fearful numbers. But
the enemy's charge in response to Slocum's fire
seemed ten times more furious.
With fendish yell and such contempt of death
during six full hours, they hurled their solid masses
against the well defended lines Nothing during
the war has equalled this six hours of carnage The
dead were lying literally in heaps, many hit in all
manner of degrees, from clean shot through the
head to bodies torn to pieces by exploding shells.
The battle ceased at eleven o'clock, and there was
pauSe like to the stiffness of death resting for three
hours on the living and dead.
At two O'Clock on Friday afternoon Lee opened
line of artillery fire from about hudred guns
The firing responded to by all the batteries on
the hill, and then ensued three hours of cannona-
ding unsurpassed in incessant ferceness by any
artillery battle on this continent The sight and
sound were awfuily sublime. The hills trembed
beneath the conclusion The sound filled the
heavens and nature as it were, stood still to con-
template the scene.
Horses were shot down by scores, gun-carriages
were demolished, pieces dismounted, caissons ex-
ploded, whole batteries were swept away, and can
noniers and officers killed and wounded in numbers
almost incredible. No less than fifteen caissons
were exploded on the heights, and two regular bat
teries on the right of the cemetry were completely
demolished
The summary of this battle it would be difficult
to give at this time. Both sides have lost heavily.
The country about Gettysburg IS crowed with woun-
ded men. Every house and barn is hospital
Probably, in the aggregate of both armies, fifty
thousand men have been placed hors de combat
The apportionmept of this loss would probably be
twenty thousand Union and thirty thousand rebels.
In addition to this, we have captured from twelve
to twenty thousand prisoners Which is more than
quadruple what they have taken from us, including
our wounded who fell into their hands on Wednes
day. and who were recaptured by US in Gettysburg
this morning."