Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-07-08

as he was at Savage Station on the 29th and
at White Oak Swamp on the 3Oth. His
troops fought four battles in as many days,
and in every one of them were led by Han.
cock in person. He never knew fear himself
and could not tolerate it in others. An off,
Ger, who had his men in tight place, rode
up to the General and said: General, my
men are all being killed; may not with.
draw them little out of the 6re?"
"No," replied Hancock, 81 hope we shall
be able to advance soon."
"Then we shall all be killed" despondingly
replied the officer.
livery WELL" said Hancock; "return to
your troops, and if you fall you will have the
satisfaction Of knowing you have died tor
your country"
For his services in the Peninsula cam.
paign, Gen. Mcclellan recommended Han
cock for promotion to the rank Of ma ior gen.
eral of volunteers and the brevets Of major,
lieutenant.colonel and colonel in the regular
army.
ALWAYS AT 1T.
In September, 1862, Hancock commanded
his brigade in the battle of South Mountain
and afterwards at Antietam. In this latter
engagement, when Gen. Richardson fell,
Hancock was sent to take command of that
gallant officers division. In November,
1862, Hancock received his commission as
maior-general, and on the 18th of December
was engaged in the desperate and bloody
assault on Mayre's Heights. His behavior
on this occasion was in keeping with the
high reputation he had achieved. He was,
with his division, in the thickest of the con-
Aict, leading bis men as far as it was possible,
under the circumstances, for men to 60, and
only falling back when attempt at further
advance was foolhardy and useless. In this
fight, as, in fact. in almost every one in
which he was engaged, he seemed to wear
charm on his life. He received in the
slaughter pen," as the rank and file were
wont to call the position they occupied in this
fight, slight flesh wound, coming out other
wise unharmed, though with uniform per-
forated with outlets. In this battle Hancock
lost one half of his command, killed and
wounded, and all his aides were wounded.
At Charlottesville, in May, 1863, he COM
manded his division and covered the roads
leading towards Fredericksburg, where, amid
disaster, although constantly at
tackled. his troops maintained their position
to the last, and formed the rear guard of the
army in moving off the field. The General
had his horse shot under him in the battle.
Early in June he relieved Gen. Couch in
command of the Second Corps, and later in
the same month was assigned by Mr.. Lin
coin to be its permanent commander.
In one of his battles Gen. Hancock placed
one of his brigades in a certain position and
said to the commander: General, whatever,
happens, want you to hold this ground
The brigade commander was never very
strong on the battlefield, and on that occasion
seemed to be particularly weak and anxious,
and as the General turned to ride away to
another part of the field he followed him a
short distance and called out: General,
where are my reserves ?" Gen. Hancock
turned and, riding up to where the officer was
standing, said, severely: General, it is none
of your business where your reinforcements
are; that is my business. have placed you
here to hold this ground :; that is all you are
required to do, and want it done, sir" The
brigade commander returned to his line with
a sad step and sorrowful expression of coun'
tenance.
at GETTYSBURG.
1t was at Gettysburg Hancock again loom.
ed up before The country as hero. He was
the rear guard Of the army in
its advance on Gettysburg, and had reached
Tarrytown, the place where his grandfather,
one hundred years before, had started to es.
cort one thousand Hessian prisoners of Bur-
gnyne's army to Valley Forge, when Gen.
Meade sent him an order to hasten to the
front and assume command of the troops
there The report had reached Meade of the
fall of Gen. Reynolds, and the check and re-
pulse Of the advance, and his mind at once
turned to Gen. Hancock as the man above all
others best qualified to replace Reynolds and
restore order to the head of the army. Han
cock was not the ranking General, but in the
critical state of affairs Meade, knowing him
to be the bes' man, did not hesitate to assign
him.
On his way from Tarrytown to the battle.
field, Gen. Hancock met the ambulance con-
tanning the dead body Of Gen. Reynolds.
When he arrived on the field he found the
army in confusion, retreat had already
begun. Planting some infantry and bate.
ries on Cemetery Hill, he threw bis whole
energy into the battle and checked the re-
treat. Schwerin and SAKE were said to be
worth each reinforcement Of 10000 men to
an army; Torstensin was rated as equal to
$4,000, and the Duke of Wilmington said the
arrival Of Napoleon on a battle field was
better reinforcement to the French army
than the accession of 10000 fresh troops.
What, then, shall we say of the value Of Gen.
Hancock's arrival at the critical moment on
the battlefield at Gettysburg, battle that
by common consent is now admitted to have
decided the fate of the Union and fixed the
final result of the war?
Of Gen. Hancock's individual action at
Gettysburg, it would require a volume to
tell. His was really the action of the army,
and Round Top, Culp's Hill and Cemetery
Heights were his creations. He sent word
to Gen. Meade that was the place to fight,
and seizing the favorable positions, with the
eye of consummate general, hung on to
them with the advance until Meade brought
up the whole army and delivered his battle.
THE INCARNATION OF WAR.
Hancock was grand and magnificent in the
battle of Gettysburg and seemed the very
incarnation of war. On the second day he
was at Cemetery Heights during the fright:
full cannonade when Gen. Lee concentrated
the fire of one hundred and fifty guns on
the Union lines. The air was full of missiles !;
streams of shot and shell screamed and hiss
ed everywhere; it seemed as though nothing
cnnld live nnder that terrible fre=men and