Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-09-05
That some weighty design was in prcpara-

1
tion by the enemy was throughout the morn
ing evident for after the struggle had .ased
on the light there was Tor some hours a deep
silence. During all this time the Confederates
were placing in position heavy masses of ar
tillery. Lee, less sarguine than the day be-
fore, knew well that his only hope lay in his
ability, fret of all. to sweep resistance from
the slopes before the assaul,ing columns moved
forward. By noon a hundred and forty five
guns were in position along the ridge occupied
by Longstreet aud Hill At one o'clock the
ominous silence was b,oken by terrific out
burst from this massive concentration of the
englnery of war. Ample means for reply in
kind were at hand /; for General Hunt, the
chief of al tillery, had crowned the ridge along
the lett and lett centre, on which it was man.
Hest the attack was to fall, with eighty guns
"a number OF as great as that of the enemy,
but 1t was all that could be made effective in
the more restricted space occupied by the
army. Withholding the fire until the first
hostile outburst had spent itself, General
Hunt then ordered the batteries to open !; and
thus from ridge to ridge was kept up for near
two hours Titanic combat of artillery that
caused the solid fabric of the bills to labor and
shake, and filled the air with fire and smoke |
and the mad clamor of two hundred guns. |
During this outburst the troops crouched bt |
hind such slight cover they could find but
the musket was tightly grasped, for each man
knew vel. what was to follow-knew that
this storm was but the prelude to less noisy,
yet more deadly shock of infantry. When,
therefore, after the duel had continued for
near two hours, the chief of artillery, finding
his ammunition running low, and that it
was unsafe to bring up loads of it from the
rear (tor many calssons and limbers had been
exploded), directed that the firing should be
gradually stopped the en- emy also slackened
fire, and Immediately the Confederate columns
of attack were seen forming on the edge of the
woods that cover the Seminary Ridge
As Pickett's division of Longstreet's corps
mad reached the ground during the morning
and as Longstrcet wished to use the divisions
| of Hood and McLaws in covering his right. it
was appointed to lead the van. Pickett
formed his division in double line of battle,
with Kemper's and Garnett's brigades in front
and Armistead's brigade supporting while
on the right of Pickett was one brigade of
Hills corps, under General Wilcox, formed
in column by battalions and on his lett,
Heths division (also of Hills corps), under
General Pethgrew. The attacking force
numbered about fifteen thousand men, and it
advanced over the intervening space OF near a
mile ir such compact and imposiug order,
that, whether friend or Zoe, none who saw 1t
could refrain from admiration of it's magnih-
cent array. The hostile line, as it advanced.
covered front of not more than two of the
reduced and incomplete divisions of the Sec
ond Corps, numbering, it may be. some six
thousand men. W Whie crossing the plain, 1t
received severe FIRE of artillery, which, how
ever, did not delay for moment its deter
mined advance go that the column pressing
on, came within musketry raDge-the troops
evlncing a striking disposition to withhold
their fire until it could be delivered With
a as.dI eff Tha tirst
was from two regiments of STANDARDS Yer
mont brigade of the Frss Corps, which had
; been posted in a small grove to the lett OF the
Second Co.ps iu front of and at considerable
angle with the main line. These regiments
opened upon the right flank OF the enemy s
advancing lines, which received also an OBJ
llque fire from eight batteries under MsJo'
McGilyray. This caused the Confederate
, troops on that flank to double in q little
towards their left, but it did not stay theil
onward progress. As, during the passage o
the enemy across the intervening plain, The
rIded guns had fired away all their canister
' lhey were withdrawn or iefi on the ground IN
. active, To await the Issue OF the Impending
shock between the two masses of infantry
shock momeniarIly expected, for the assaii
] ants approached steadily, while the Unior
1 force held Itself braced TO receive the impact
q w hen at length the hostile lines had az
yards, the divisions of Hays ard Gibbon of tbs
Second Corps opened destructive hre, ant
, repeated 1t In rapid succession.
+ This SALLY had the effect to instantly revea
a the unequal metal OF the assaulting mass, ant
proved what of it was iron and what clay
1t happened that the division on the lett o
9 Pickett, under command of General Petugrew
II was, ID considerable part, made up of Nortl
i Carolina troops comparatively green. 10 az
;, innate them, they had been told that the.
:, would meet only the Pennsylvania militia
u, But when, approaching the slope, they re
Il ceiyed the feu 'enfer from Hays line, ther
II ran through their ranks cry, the effect o
which was like to that which thrilled a Gree
army when it was said that the god Pan wa
n among them" The Army of the Potomac
- Thus suddenly disIllusionized regardin
IL their opponents, Pettigrew's troops broke Il
lie disorder leaving two thousand prisoners an
n fifteen colors IN the hands of Hays division
Now, as Wilcox's brigade had not advanced
Pickett's division remained alone solid lance
W head of Virginia troops, tempered IN the III
n of battle. Solitary this division, buffeting th
,e fierce yolieys that met it, rushed up the cres
of of Cemetery Ridge, and such was the m'
mentum of It's assault that it fairly thrust il
= self within Hancock line.
1t happened that the full strength of tn
s. attack tell upon Webb's brigade OF three re,
q, iments. This brigade had been disposed l
ie two lines two of It's regiments, the Sixt,
ut ninth and Seventy-frst Pennsylvania, posts
- behind a low stone wall and slight brea.
- work hastily constructed by them while IL
Ut remaining reg lment (the Seventy-second PEN
IL sy!vania) lay behind the crest some SIX
of PAGES TO the rear, and SO placed as to fire Ov
., the heads of those In front " hen the swi
advancing and yelling array of Pickett's for
had, notwithstanding the volleys it met, a
n preached close up TO the stone wall, many
RI those behind it seeing their hre to be no
~ VAN, abandoned the position and the Coz
:, iedera,es, detecting this waverlng, rush'
~ over the breastworks, General ArInIste;
ch leading, and crowned the stone wall Wi
in their standards The moment certain
no az critical as can well be conceived but ha
+ PLY, the regiments that had been holding Il
" front line did not, on falling back, do 30
rs. panic 80 that by the personal bravery
n- General Webb and his officers. they were il
= " medatey rallied and reformed on the r
- mainder of the brigade, which held the Sc
de ond line behind the crest, and Hancock, wi
lg- had the day before turned the fortunes of Il
nd battle in a similar emergency, again d
20, played those qualities of cool appreciate
and quick action that had proved him one
ON the foremost commanders on the actual fe
Dg Of battle, and instantly drew together troo
.sh to make bulwark against any further a
III vance of the now exultant enemy.
,hs As the hostile front of attack was qu
tho narrow, it left Hancock left wing unassaiit
From there be drew over the brigades of II,
&c. and Harrow and Colocel Dsvereux cO