The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-07-15
The Last Charge at Gs,,ysburg


Correspondent Of the Cincinnati Gazstte
In writing Of the last days battle, was 50
cramped. both in shape aud time, a. TO be com
PEELED % hurry over most Important matters with
scarcely a word ] had particularly desired 10
describe, sOmewhat at length the last desperate
charge at four o'clock in the afternoon, DO which
the rebels seemed 70 have gathered up aii their
strength and desperation for one fierce, cOuvul
sve Effort, that SHOULD sweep over and wash out
our obstinate resistance, but there was leit me
scarcely single paragraph Ia which 70 DO 10, aud
il vas poS too late. Less than justice, how,v yer,
was done 70 the splendid ishiing Of the Second
Corps. IL was there that the flower Of the rebe.
army was concentrated, there that the heaviest
shock bent upon aud shook, and even lifted up
and pushed back our line
We had made some shallow rifle pits, with
barrlcades Of rails from the fences The rebel
line, stretching away miles 10 the left, % mag
nihcent array, but strongest here. Pickett's
splendid division Of LOugslrcet's Corps iu front
the best Of A Z Hhls veterans ia support, came
steadily, aud, as IL seemed. resistlessly sweeping
up. Our skirmishcrs retired slowly from the
Emmettsburg road, holding their ground reua-
ciou-ly 10 the last. The rebels reserved their
IRE til they reached this same Emmett-burg
road, then opened with a terrific crash From
uuALttu uNu tAitAtot iutrAAiAAts A-NAt 1tAtlttA
had been laundering on our barbados.
Hancock was wounded, Gibbons succeeded
to the command-approved soldier, anA ready
for the crisis As the tempest Of FIRE approach
ed its height he walked along the liue aud re
newed his orders 10 the men 10 reserve tAeif fire
The rebels, three lines deep, came steadily up.
They were III point blank range.
At last the order came From thrice SIX
thousand guns there came sheet OF smoky
fame, a crash, rush Of leaden death. Tue llue
literally melted away but there came the second.
resistess still. Il had been our supreme effort
on the instant We were not equal 70 another.
Up 10 the rife pits, across them, over the bar
ricades-the momentum OF their charge, the
mere machine strength Of their combined action
swept them on. Our thin line couI fight, Dut
1t could not oppose weight TO momentum. Ii
was pushed behind the guns. Right Oh came
the rebels. They were upon the guns, were
bayonetting the gunners, were waving their flags
above our pieces.
But they had penetrated to the fatal point A
storm of grape and canister tore is va. from
man 20 man, and marked It's track with corpses
straight d0rr their line They had exposed
themselves 90 th- enhading fire of the guns on
the western slope OF Cemetery Hill; that expo
sure sealed their tate.
The line reeled back-di-joinied already-in
an instant 10 fragments Our men we're Just be-
hind the guns. They eapcd forward upOn the
disOrdered mass; but there was little need tor
fighting now. a regiment threw down its arms,
aud WIN cOlors at It's head rushed over and sur
rendered. All along the field smaller detach
ments did the same. Weobs brigade brought
in eight hundred, taken IN az little time as Il re
quires 70 write the supple sentence that tells h.
Gibbons Old division took fifteen stand OF col.
Ors.
Over the fields the escaped fragments OF che
charging line Tell back the battle there was
over. A single brigade, Harrow's, (of which
the seventh Michigan Is part came out with fity-
four less officers, aud 1913 less men than il took
in SO the whole corps iOught-so they fought
further down the line.
Yet, We were very near defeated. Our ammu
nitOu grew scan; the reserve ammunition tram
was brought up aud drained but for that We
should have been lett TO cold steel.
Brigade alter brigade had been thrown for.
ward 10 strengthen the hue; as the rebel attack
driited back over the fields, there stood in the
rear just one single brigade that constituted the
entire reserve Of the Army OF the Potomac -
Forty thousand fresh troops TO have hurled Tor
ward upon that retreatug mass would have en-
ded the campaign with the battle but for forty
Thousand We had that one wasted brigade The
rebels we're soon formed again and ready for de-
fsnse-the opportunity was lost