The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-07-31
MARYES HEIGHTS.
4 IHtE STOEF OFI GLORIrES coz
fEDERI1E rIrYORr.

Burnsido's Desperate Effort at Frcd
ericksburg to Storm an ImpreSnuble
Fortress.
J,"iye Ro'cc IN Ne PH&nlelhm UCckW Thnes
From noon to dark Burnside con.
tnucd to hurl one ,tivision after
another against that volcanic-liko
cmlncncc, bclchiliy forth irc and
smoke and iron hail. Ercnch's di-
VISION was the first to rush to the
assault. When it emerged from
cover and burst out on the open
plain, in full view Of the enemy. il
YVES greeted with II frightful fiery
reception from al his batteries on
the clrchnS summit Tho ridge
concentrated upon it the convcrgcnt
fire Of all its cn%iucry Of var. You
might sec ut amilc the lanes made
by the cannon balls in thc ranks.
You might scca bursting shell throw
up into the air Il cloud OF earth AID
dust, mingled with the limbs Of mon.
The batteries in front Of the devoted
division thundcrod against it. 70
the light, TO the left, cannon were
answering to each other in trcmcn-
dous dcafcning battle chorus, the
,,urdcn Of which was
Welcome TO these madNcn about to die.
Tho advance column was the focus,
the point Of concentration, of an
arc--almost q scmi-circlc-of de-
strlction. Tt was centre Of attrac-
tlon of all deadly missiles. At that
moment that single division was
going up a one in battle against the
Southern Confcdcracy, and was
being pounded to pieces. It con-
tlnucd to go up nevertheless, toward
the stone wall, toward the crest
above. With lips. more firmly
pressed together, the men closed up
their ranks and pushed forward.
The storm Of battle increased it's
fury upon him tho crash of mus
ketry ming led with tho roar OF ord
nance from the peaks. Tho stono
wall and tho rifle pits added their
tnrriblc treble to the deep
base Of the following ridge.
The rapid discharge Of small arms
poured continuous rain Of bullets
III their faces they fell down,by tens,
by scores, by hundreds. When they
Lad gained large part Of the dis
tancc, the storm developed into Il
hurricane ofruin. The division vas
blown back, as if hy the breath Of
hells door suddenly opened. shat>
tered, disordcrod, pcll nell, down
tho doclivitics, amid the shouts and
yells Of the enemy. which made tho
horrid din lomonjacai. Until thon
the division seemed to be contcnling
with tho wrath Of brute and material
forces bent on its annihilntion. This
shout recalled the human agency in
all the turbulence and fury Of the
scene. The division of French fell
baci-that is to say, one half Of it.
1t suffered loss of near half Of its
numbers
Hancock Immediately charged
with 5000 men, veteran regiments,
led by tried commanders. They
saw what had happened they knew
what would befall them. They
advanced up the Jill the bravest
were found dead within twenty-five
PAGES OF the stono wall it was
slaughter, havoc, carnage. In fif-
teen minutes they were thrown back
with loss Of 2,000---unprccedcntod
severity of loss. Hancock and
Frcnch, repulsod from tho stone
wall, would not quit the hill alto
gothcr. Their divisions, lying on
tho earth, literally chung to tho
ground they had won. These val
liant mon, who could not go forward,
would not go back. All tho while
tho batteries on the heights ragged
and stormcd at them. Howard's s
division came to their aid. Two
divisions of tho Ninth Corps on
their loft attacked repeat in thoir
support.
1t was then that Burnside rodo
down from the Phillips House, on
the northern side of tho Rappahan.
mock, and standing on the bluff at
tho river, staring at those formidable
heights, exclaimed, "Ihat crcst