Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1863-07-09

aherded numerous splendid positions
for fortresses.
With such dispositions We awaited
the enemy's attack. Early on Thurs
day forenoon all the corps had come
up aud been placed in position. except
Sedgwick's which had been sent beyond
Westminster, under che impression
that our army would have to march to
j York TO find the enemy, and this gave
II so long 9 detour to make that il did
not get up tillThursday evening. when
il was placed in the rear oil the center
and held in reserve.
! An Thursday forenoon We had
nothing but sharp firing between the
euemy's skirmishers and our own, with
occasional discharges Of artillery thrown
IN when the enemy pressed our skirmi-
shers too hard. The enemy did not
risk their artillery at all. '
There was considerable pressure
through tho forenoon by some Of our
division and corps Generals for heavy
attack on the enemy's center. but Gen.
Meade wisely trusted that the enemy
must 6ght him on the ground he had
selected. and persisted 10 retaining the
defensive -f1' .-
J AboGs half psst eve the enemy made
the long awaited attack. concentrating
! the heaviest force on the left wing.
which was naturally the feeblest part
: Of our position, aud making des'
! tperats effort TO break Il. The result
} tof this has already been forwarded 10
{ you. It was unsuccessful at all points.
They we're repulsed in every attack.
5 and our troops lay on their arms on the
4, battlefield. On Friday morning By ten
5 minutes past four the attack opened
? furiously on cur extreme right. held By
Slocum's corps. During the nightthi
/, corps bad left the rifle pits il bad con-
e strueted on Thursday, to go to re-en-
force some weaker portions Of the lioe.
$ Daybreak showed the rebels in posf-
lion Of these riffe-pits, aud eager to
press their advantage. The fight vas
, at 6rst confined chiefly to nusketry,
, our artillery being uaable to see where
to direct their fire. From halfpast
four to six the firing was fierce. but We
> we're unsbls to gain the rige-pits.
; About hah-p eight our batteries
opened on the rebels in our old rife
pits. Fhe rebels made several charges
on our line, striving. but uusuccess-
fully, to drive US still further back
From Ihis time till half-past ten they
nfsde sharp attack on our center and
right, without accomplishing anything
: except riddlinga small house occupied
for Gen. Meade's headquarters. with
sheH and round shot. From eleven to
: one there was q comparative lull.-
Our troops held old positions along the
. whole line, and quietly awaited fur
tber attack. roo.
A little after one o'clock they open
: ed their last aud most furious attack
: along the whole line, center aud left,
: and continued it till balf-past four,
when, repulsed at every point, they
slowly retired and took up defensive
line half mile north of Gettysburg.
: Duriag this attack occurred much OF
the most desperate fighting of the war.
II was sustained on our part by the
llth corps on the center, the Cd and Sd
and part Of the 9th corps on the feft.-
The enemy made several desperate
charges, but each was broken and
forced back in confusion by our terrific
artillery Gre, which our men were for
tuna.e enough, more than once, to get
to enflade them. Fhe advancing hnes
OF the rebel troops making this attack
were A.. P. Hills and LoDgstrsets
corps. forming nearly two-thirds Of
Lees whole army. Pickets division
OF A. P. HHl's corps, regarded as their
crack fighting division. was selected for
the most exposed part Of their attack
ing lice. In one charge they made
they swept up in three iines-the FIRST,
a very heavy one OF skirmishers sta
toned before their battle line, and
three reserve battle lines. each stretch
ing for nearly q mile along our center
and left at Cemetery Hill. They got
within a couple Of hundred yards be-
fore we opened our whole fire on them.
and the line was instantly shattered.
and sent flying over the fields, while
one Of their brigsdes threw down their
arms and rushed en- masse over to our
lines and gave themselves up as
prisoners. 81. ....--
By half past four the battle was sub
staniially over. The rebels still kept
up a struggling FIRE on our left, and
from houses in Gettysburg their sharp
shooters stiIl tried to pick of exposed
officers on the Cemetery Hights, while
they kept tossing occasional shells into
head quarters, until nj ghtfall, bat from
half.pas four the bulk of their army
had retired. Our losses are less than
would have been expected from so Bit
terly contested q battle, owing TO the
fact that after the first day We acted
wholly on the defensive. From five to
seven thousand will probably cover our
entire losses in killed aud wounded
We lost about I 500 prisoners the FIRST
dsy--none Of any consequence alter
ward. On Friday evening about 8 200
rebel prisoners, by actual count, had
been turned over to the officers In
charge Of prisoners and more were still
ceming in from then till Saturday noon.
No further count was made. but it