The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-04-25
A Thrilling Incident.

A contributor to theAtlanta hteHiqeacer
concludes his "reminiscences of the War
No. 3, y with the following incident of tn,
battle of Gettysburg:
When General Longstreet advanced
upon the Federal left, its first line was car
RED, but, the enemy being heavily reinforc
ed, rallied, and, in turn, drove our position
of the line anderson brigade) from the
position, as well as other brigades on oul
right and left, Again We charged, and
again were driven back. This was critica.
moment for us; nearly all of our general off
GERS were killed or wounded. Our heavy
line had crumbled to mere handful and
the flower ct L0ngstreet's corps lay welter
ing in blood. We were slowly retreating,
leaving many of our dead and wounded in
the hands of the exulting foe. The hosts OF
the enemy came on like the mighty tides OF
the ocean, and the peans of victory were
already rising from their naughty Hps. :
The blue hills in their rear were bristling
with bayonets down their winding slopes. -
Now, when we should have been reinforced
man to send us. Officers broke theirswords
upon the rocks and many of them wept.-
Our dead and wounded comradesay around
us by thousands, and it seemed as if there
was no hand to save the shattered remnant
from destruction. But aid did not come
A mana solitary man-threw himself be-
fore the juggernaut of Federal power, and
alone and unaided sought to stay its onward
progress. | remember, as if it were but
yesterday, the zouave cap and ircn gray
beard of the stranger. None knew him.
but all idolized him for his bravery. He
moved through the awful storm with stea-
dy step, and his uplifted sword seemed to
say to the advancing foe thus far shalt
thou come and no further. y He said moth
ing, but his godlike example made hero
Of every man who saw him. Soldiers look
ed iG the face of their comrads, and the
question came simultaneously to their black
ened lips, ''Who is hep echoed right and
left; far up and down the line. The enemy
came on like a tornado, and thc proud hero
stood enyeloped in the smoke of their mus
kets like a lion at bay. Men forgot to re-
load their pieces or conceal themselves be-
hind the rocks, but stood stupefed with
wonder. Who is he?" men groaned-
''who is he?' officers repeated, until the cry
became fearful. General Lee," some one
shouted, and the word ran along the lines
like an electric flash. General Lee forev-
err! rang loud above the battles roar, and
as one man our gallant soldiers rushed like
a thunderbolt upon the astonished foe; fol
low General Lee!" cried our wounded com-
rades as they lay upon the trampled earth
and tossed up their bloody caps. No body
OF men on the broad green earth could have
withstood the terrible impetuosity of this
onset. The Federal troops, though they
fought desperately, were compelled to give
back, and at last to retreat in confusion to
the nights, leaving their dead and wounded
in our hands.
But where was the stranger? 'Alas
the paths Of glory. LEAD. but Aeshe, grave. -
The war is over now, and The brave men
whom we met that day as deadly enemies
We now meet as friends. We would not de-
tract one ray from the crown of military
glory that adorns each of their heroes, but
would do justice to our lamented dead; and
if by this imperfect sket,h, I can add one
flower to the chaplet of a fallen hero's fame,
/ shall feel myself amply rewarded And
that hero-"who is hep The answer
comes up from the graves of Gettysburg
General Paul j. Semmes.