Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-15

mettSDurg ROAD. Inelr advance was
covered by $50 of their guns, which
were raining shot upon Hancock's
lines as Longstreet charged. My bri-
gade received them with an enflading
fire, but they pressed on in spite of it,
led by Gen. Pickett's column.
"The Union artillery had at that
time been almost silenced by the dis
abling of the gunners. Pickett had
seized that favorable opportunity to
make his terrific advance. He first
made feint on the left centre, and
Immediately deployed to attack. The
rebel general, Armstead, mounted a
wall and swung his hat triumphantly
on the point of his sword, and the next
moment fell dead. Hancock rode up
and down in front of his line, cheering
his men. There they come,' he shout
ed; stand firm, my men stand firm.
His presence seemed to inspire our
troops with renewed courage. The
fearlessness with which he exposed his
own person, and his noble and resolute
demeanor, sent an electric thrill of
emulation along the line. His men
cheered him again and again, and
they did stand firm as the resolute
rebels approached, and there ensued
one of the few hand.to-hand conflicts
of the war. 1t was bayonet against
bayonet. Stannard's brigade, with the
Nineteenth and Twentieth Massachu-
sets and the Tammany regiment were
engaged in the early part of the fight.
1t is estimated that at least $4,000
troops were in the advancing columns
of the rebels. The fiercest Of the fight
was concentrated within short dis
tance, rs if the Contederates were de-
termined to break the Union lines
with one terrific effort. But they re-
maiued within the Union lines for only
very few moments. The warmth of
their reception was such that they
were compelled to retire in discomfit-
ure and soon they were retreating in
disorder that ended in a rout. The
Union gunners actual picked up from
the field the spent balls and pieces of
debris to put in their guns to fire at
the retreating foe. But the loss was
| fearful"
Col. Richard Penn Smith, of the
Seventy-frst Pennsylvania regiment,
was in about the centre of Hancock's S
line at the critical moment of the
Confederate advance. He command
ed the regiment that was first led by
the gallant Col. Baker, and subse-
quently by Col. Isaac J. Wister, now
president of the Pennsylvania Canal
company, who had been badly crippled
by his wounds and obliged to retire.
Col. Smiths regiment was stationed at
Il clump of trees that was about the
centre Of Hancock's corps. 1t was in
the Second brigade, Second division.
In the same division were Gen. Glib
bon and Gen. Alexander Webb. Col.
Smiths regiment, which captured four
of the Confederate flags, suffered Sc
verely. There were 3 officers killed
out of 16, and 10S men killed out of
254, or nearly half the regiment. 1t
was there that Captain Weed was
killed, and the spot has since been
called Weeds hill. Col. Smith said
yesterday 81 was connected with the
Army of the Potomac from its earliest
organization until mustered out at
Cold Harbor in July, 1864, and have
been throughout, directly and indi-
rectly, under Hancock's command.
His presence was inspiring always on
the Peninsula and on the Potomac.
regard him as having no superior as a
general.
"More than once after resuming
command of the Second corps, Gen.
Hancock's wound compelled him tenn
porarily to put himself in the hands of
the surgeon but the battles of Spott-
sylvania and the other desperate con-
flicts in the Wilderness of Cold Har-
Dor, Petersburg and wherever fighting
was to be done, did not fail to find
him in the saddle and at the head of
his men.
"The anniversary of the third day
fight at Gettysburg will he remember
ed by his old soldiers to-day. His
gallant conduct at South Mountain
will be recalled on the 14th of Septem-
ber, the eighteenth anniversary of that
battle; three days later will be the
anniversary of the terrible fight at
Antietam, where Hancock succeeded
Richardson. Last Thursday was the
eighteenth anniversary of Malvern
Hill, after which the general chief
urged Hancock's promotion as major
general of volunteers. The anniversa.
ries of Marve's heights, before Fred.
ericksburg, where Hancock and all
his aids were wounded of Williams
burg, after which Mcclellan sent his
memorable dispatch to Lincoln con.
cerning Hancock, and of Chancellors.
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