The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-08-15

thdt siHgic utNiSftA WINS goiuS up
alone in battle a8siDss the Southern
Confederacv, and was being pounded
to pieces. 1t continued to go 40,
nevertheless, towsfds the stone wall,
toward the crest above. With lips
more firmly pressed together. the
men closed up thtir ranks AID pushed
forward The storm OF battle in-
creased its fury upon them; the
crash Of musketry mingled with the
roar Of ordinances from the peaks.
The stone wall and the rifle-pits add
ed their terrible treble to the deep
base Of the believing riage The
rapid discharge OF smalI-arms poured
continuous rain of bullets in their
faces; they fell down by tens, by
hundreds When they had gained
large portion Of the distance, the
storm developed into hurricane of
rain. The division was blown back,
as if by the breath of bells door sud-
denly opened, shattered, di. ordered,
pell-mell, down the decliyities, amid
the shouts and yells Of the enemy.
which made the horrid din dcmcniac.
Until then the division seemed to be
contebding with the wrath of brute
and material forces bent on It's ami
hilation. This shout recalled the
human sgency in ell the turbulence
and fury Of the scene. The division
of French fell backElbat is to say,
one half ,fi, 1t sniI. red loss Of
near half its M msmters
Hancock Immediately charged
with FIVE thousand men, veteran reg
iments, led by tried commanders
They saw what bad happened;
they knew " bat would befall them.
They advanced up the hill; the
bfave-t were inund dead within
twenty 1--WE PAGES Of the stone wall;
it was slaughter, havoc, carnage in
fifteen minutes they were thrown
back with loss of two thousand
unprecedented severity Of loss. Han
cock and French, repulsed from the
stone wall, would not quit the bill
altogether. Their divisions, lying
down Oh the earth. literally clung to
the ground they had won. These
valiant men, who could not go for
ward, would not go back. All the
time the batteries on the heights
ragged and stormed at them How
ards division came to their aid
Two divisions of the Ninth Corps on
their left attacked repeatedly in their
support
AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK.
1t was then that Burnside rode
down from the Phillips House, on the
northern side of the Rappabannock,
aud standing on the bluff at the river,
staring at those formidable heights,
"That crest must he car
ried tonight" Hooker remonstra-
ted, begged, obcyed. In the army
to hear ia to obey. He prepared to
charge with Humphreys Division
be brought up every available bat
terry in the city. IL proceed." he
said, against their barriers as
would against fortilication, and en-
deavored to breach hole sufficiently
large for forlorn hope to enter"
He continued the cannonading on the
selected spot until sunset He made
no Impression upon the works, mo
more Than you could make upon the
side of II nouutain of rock" Hum
phrev's Division formed uLder shell
ter of The rise, in column for assault.
They were directed to make the at
tack with empty muskets there was
no time then to load and fire The
officers were put 10 front to lead.
At the command they moved for
ward with great impetuosity; they
charged at run, hurrahing. The
foremost of them advanced to within
fifteen or twenty yards of the stone
wall. Hooker afIerward said: mo
campaign in the world ever saw a
more gallant advance than Hum.
phrey's men made there But they
were to do work no man could do"
In a moment they were hurled back
with enormous loss. 1t was now
just dark; the attack was suspended.
Three times from noon to dark the
cannon on the crest, the msuke,ry at
the stone wall, bad prcstrated divis.
ion after division on Marye's Hill
Ard now the sun bad set twilight
had stolen out of the west and spread
her veil Of dusk: the town, the fiat,
the bill, the ridge, lay under the "cir-
cling canopy of nights extended
shadeD Darkness and gloom had
settled down upon the Phillips
House, over on the Stafford Heights,
where Burnside would after while
bold his council of war.
AMONG THE WOUNDED.
The shattered regiments of Tyler's
Brigade Of Humphreys Division