The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-01-17

battery Of riied guns from the position b
occupied on Little Round Top. And thu
forewarned. General Meade awaited tn
grand assault.
| THE COLUMN OF ATTACK.
| In the meantime to Lieutenant Genera
Longstrcet had been assigned the duty o
| forming the column Of attack. for which
the only fresh troops available was Pickett's
Division, which had come upon the fielt
that morning. Heth's Division, which wa
Also selected, opened the battle on the frs
day. General Hcth had been wounded
General Archer captured, and tile division
generally was badly ''cut up Pender's
Division had also participated in the same
engagement, in which Scales Brigade lost
every regimantal officer save one in killed
or wounded, including its commander. This
division was also without the magnetic pres
enee Of its gallant young commander, Gen
eral Fender, who was wounded unto death
on the second day. Two brigades OF PEN
der's Division were in the assaulting column,
Scales and Lanes, under the command Of
General Trimble; the other two,- Thomas
and McGowan's, from an advanced position.
covered its left flank while Wilcox and
Perry's brisadcs, of Andcrson's Division,
were ordered 10 cover the right, and
Wrisht's Brigade was held in q convenient
position to act as reserve. But these three
hn, a.
the day before, nearly severing the line Of
General Meade's army, during which all lost
heavily. Hence it was upon Pickett's Di-
vision, fresh in the field and sanxions for
the fray that General Lee depended to
make tue directing movement in the assault,
and to it was given the advance position.
The main lines of battle Of the two armies
occupied respectively Cemetery and Semina-
ry ridges, distant from each other thirteen
hundred and sixty-six yards, more or less, las
the brigades diyerged from parallel lines.
Between these two ridges is an intermediate
ridge, which, commencing near Cemetery
hill, runs sonthwesterly, interseeting Sem
mary ridge at distance of two and one
half miles; along the crest Of this ridge runs
the EmmettshnrS road, which was enclosed
with stout post -and-raa fences, and on les
browning summit was the famous peach Or
chard tile salient of General Sickles' line
or the I'd, and from which his troops were
driven after desperate engagement. This
commanding position was seized by General
,ir,t,f ;o1 i,xy
his artillery on the Sd; while Pickett's Di-
vision, supported by Wilcox's and Perry,s.
brisades, was brought up under its cover to
within nine hundred yards, of the. point to
be assailed, where it lay during the cannon
ade. This ridge falls off as it runs towards
the north until, failing to give shelter to the
troops, Armistead's Brigade was placed in
the second line. In the charge which fol-
lowed, the right Of Pickett's Division, after
passing through the artillery, almost imme-
diately changed direction to its left and
crossed the Emmettsburg road, the fences
Of which, however had been generally pros
trated at this point during the previous
days engagement.
AN EMBARRASSING CIRCUMSTANCE.
Several houses, barns and other outbuild-
ings lay in its line Of march, while nearer the
point OF attack number of small rocky
knobs, covered with scrub.oak bushes, were
eagerly sought as cover by the men. The
left Of the division moved to the north Of
the buildings. Al this time the most en-
horroce:ro. n; p,eto mn r,oourroj Vha or
der had been given the column to ''dress on
the centre,' but, either the terrific fire Of
canister and musketry so thinned the ranks
that, or from some other cause, in order to
s'close to the Left a large portion of the
right OF this command was compelled to
move by the left flank and this, too, within
easy musketry range of the enemy's lines.
Had the direct march continued the right
Of the column would have struck Stannsrd's
Brigade of Vermont troops-but when Pic
kett's line closed to its left, two Of STAN
nard's regiments also moved by the flank,
and when Pickett resumed the direct as
sault,by direction of Gen. Stannard and Gen.
Hancock, who were in the tlickest of the
fight, these regiments changed front for
ward on first battalion" and opened fire
on Pickett's flank, while Gibbons Division
still kept up the fire from the front. Turn
ing to the movements OF the left wing of the
column-in the formation of the troops it
was found that the same typographical feat
ures which caused Armistead's Brigade to
be placed in the second line made it neces-
sary to post Heth's Division, Gen. Pettigrew
commanding, on the posterior slope Of SEM
mary ridge. in rear Of tile general line of
artillery while Scales and Lane sbrigatles,
Gen. Trimble commanding, lay in Pitti-
CREWS rear. In the charge which followed,
these troops, after passing the artillery and
the fringe Of timber OH Seminary ridge, adj
vanced over thirteen hundred yards without
obstruction or cover, save Short distance
through the valley, joining or the left Of
Pickett's line as they moved, and together
crossed the Emmettsburg road, within an
average Of five hundred feet OF the enemy's
line. Here the fences proved serious OBJ
struction. They broke up the alignment,
which, under the heavy fire, it was difficult
to correct. 9a
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHARGE.
The advance of the column was not
characterlzedIby that dash and enthusiasm
which usually attends an infantry charge OF
short duration. All seemed impressed
with the Importance Of saving their strength
for the final struggle. Slowly but deter
minedly they moved forward, notwithstand.
ing each man knew that every step brought
him nearer sthe jaws Of death. - 1t was
not until half across the plain that the col
umn encountered serious artillery fire
but against which, as a man presses agains
binding storm, they moved steadily on,as
il impelled by will greater than their own
-some mighty unseen power which they
could not resist. Solid shots plowed through
their ranks, spherical case ratified in thei
midst. and canister swept them by hun
dgeds from the field. Yet on they pressed
unfiinchingly. AS they rose the acclivity
and crossed the road, they met whitening
fire of muSketry--a perfect shower of lead