Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-09-15

the remainder of the battle carried it
himself. This gallant act, performed in
full view of the line of battle, was greet
ed with such Confederate yell as not
even the Internal resi- OF the guns could
drown. Generaf Pickett while tarrying
unnecessarily long, as some of his staff
thought, at point where the death
missiles came thickest, was urged by
captain of his staff to move to some
other portion of the field where the dan
ger was not so great and operations
could be equally as well directed. The
captain said to hinr General, l don't
believe that even fly could live here
two minutes" Strange to say, that
although throughout the artillery com
bat and the subsequent charge General
Pickett most recklessly exposed him.
self, yet neither he nor any member OF
his staff was struck. The General al
terwards said to me that on the day
after the battle he felt that he would
have no right to resent the insult if
some one should accuse him of cowar-
dice, because he was not among the
killed, wounded or captured. "For,
said he, "when men hear that almost my
entire division perished, and that / es-
capped harm. they will be 10th to believe
that did my duty" The charge was
never brought against him.
THE DESPERATE CHARGE BEGUN.
The combat between the artillery of
the two armies must have been two
hours in duration. Throughout all Of
it the officers aud men of that portion
of the line where l was were stretched
flat upon the ground, with their heads
toward the firing. The water in our
canteens had long been exhausted, and
no more could be had until the battle
was over. Not breath of air was in
motion, and the sun shone down on us
intensely hot The bursting of innum-
cradle shells added to the heat My
company, numbering about fifty men
present, lost four killed and some tit-
teen wounded while in this position.
The enemy's shot hurtled among us and
clipped off the clover heads by our
sides. The fire was so terrific that
when man sang out "Wounded! the
ambulance corps would not go 10 his
relief. To have taken any one to the
rear while that firing was in progress
would have been almost certain death.
At last the Federal batteries began TO
slacken their fire, and not long after
ward they ceased entirely. Soon the
Confederate guns ceased firing, too, aud
then all knew that the supreme moment
had come. Each surviving command
ant of company spring to his feet and
ordered his men into line. All who
could get into line, but there were many
dead and woanded and sunstricken poor
fellows left upon the ground. The or
der to 90 forward was given and obey
ed with alacrity and cheertulness, for
we believed then that the battle was
practically over, and that we had moth
ing to do but to march unopposed TO
Cemetery Heights and occupy them.
The ascent to the crest of the hill,
which had hitherto concealed US from
the enemy's view, was made speedily
and in good order. While making the
ascent it was seen that the supports to
our right and left flanks were not com
ing forward, as We had been told they
would. Mounted officers were seen
dashing frantically up and down their
line, apparently epdeavoring to get them
to move forward, but we could see that
they would not move. Their failure to
support us was discouraging, but it did
not dishearten us. Some of our men
cursed them for being towards, but still
our charge was kept up, and no man
fell out. Soon we were past the crest
of the hill and out of sight of them.
Before us stood Cemetery Heights, of
which we could get occasional glinlpses
through riffs in the cloud of powder
smoke which enveloped them. We
could no. see whether or not there
were troops there to defend them against
US.
Somewhat further on, perhaps a
hundred and fifty yards, beyond the
crest of the hill we had just passed,
post-and-rail fence some five feet high
was encountered. This fence was quick
ly mounted, and at little distance be-
yond it my regiment, and | suppose the
whole line of baLIle, was halted for the
purpose of rectifying the alignment.
From the time the charge began up 20
this moment not a shot had been fired
at US, nor had we been able to gee, be-
cause of the density of the smoke which
hung over the battle field like pail,
that there was any enemy in front Of
us. But directly afterwarG, just as the
line started forward again, a shot, fired
from somewhere to our lett, struck the
centre company Of my regiment, aud,
euflaning its right wing as it did, killed
and wounded large number OF men
and officers. The smoke now lifted
from our front, and there right before
us, scarcely two hundred yards away,
stood Cemetry Heights in awful gran
denr. At their base was double line
of Federal infantry and several pieces
of artillery posted behind stone walls,
and to the right and left of them both
artillery and ipfautry supports were
hurriedly coming up. We fully realiz-
ed then that Pickett's three little bri-
gsdes, already greatly reduced by heavy
casualties, was making, alone and with
out possibility Of succor, desperate
charge against the whole power of the
Federal army.