The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-09
PICKFTT'S CHARGE.

PICKFTT'S CHARGE.
The Last Grand and Awful Charge of the
Rebel General Piclets Command at tho.
Battle Of Gettysburg. sa
Capt. H. r. Owen in Phil Times q
The command now came along the line
"Front, forxardl L" and the colxmn resumed
its direction straight down upon the centre
of the enemy's position. The destruction
of life in the ranks of this advancing host
was fearful beyond precedent, officers going
down by dozens, and the men by scores
and tifties. Kemper has gone down terri
bly, mangled, but Garnett still lowered un-
hurt, and rode up and down the front line
saying in strong calm voice: Faster,
men! faster! Close up and step out faster,
| but don't double quick!" 49,:
| The stone fence was carried without
| struggle, the infantry and the skirmish line
| swept away before the division like trash
before the broom. Two-thirds: of the dis
lance was behind and the one hundred can
| mons in the rear we're dumb and did not re-
ply to the holly worked guns in our front.
| We were now four hundred yards from the
| foot of Cemetery Hill, when away off to the
| right, nearly half a mile, there appeared in
the open field line of men at right angles
with our own, long dark mass dressed in
blue, and coming down at double quick"
| upon the unprotected right flank of Pick
| right shoulder shift, their battle flags dane
ing and futtering in the breeze created by
their own rapid motion, and their FURNISHED
| bayonets glistening above their heads like
forest twigs covered with sheets of spark
ling ice when shaken by blast. Garrett
galloped along the line saying: ''Easter,
men! faster!' and the front line broke for
ward into double quick, when Garrett
called out: Steady, men! steady! Don't
| double quick. Save your wind and your am
munition for final CHARGE" and then went
down among the dead, and his clarion
voice was no more heard above the roar of
| battle. The enemy were now seen strength
ening their lines where the blow was ex-
peeted to strike by hurrying up reserves
from the right and left, the columns, from
opposite directions passing each other
double along our front like the fingers of a
mans hands locking togethe : The dis
| lance had again shortened and officers in
the enemy's line could be distinguished by
their uniforms from the privates. Then
muf1ied tread of armed men that roar and
rush of trampling feet, as Armisteads COL
umn from the rear closed up behind the
front line and he (the last brigadier) took
command, stepped out in front with his
hat uplifted OH the point of his sword and
led the division, now four ranks deep, rap
idly and grandly across that valley of death,
covered with clover as soft as Turkish
carpet.
There it was again! and again! A sound
filling the air above, below, around us, like
the blast through the top of dry cedar or
the whirllng sound mado by the sudden
fight of flock of quail. 1t was grape can
lister. and the column broke forward into a
double quick and rushed toward the stone
wall where forty cannon were bleching
forth grape and canister twice and thrice a
minute. A hundred yards from the stone
wall the thanking party on the right, COM
ing down on heavy run, halted suddenly
within fifty yards and pored deadly
storm Of musket balls into Pickett's men,
double quicking' across their front, and
under this terrible cross fire the men reeled
and the right came pressing down upon
the centre crowding the companies into
| confusion. But all knew the purpose to
| carry the heights i'll 'front.' and the mingled
| mass, from fifteen to thirty deep, rushed
toward the stone wall, while few hundred
men, without orders, faced to the right and
| fought the h,.nking party there, although
| fifty to one, and for time held them at bay.
Muskets were seen crossed, as some men
| fred to the right and others to the front,
and the fighting was terrifc-far beyond
all other experience even of Pickett men,
who for once raised no cheer, while the
welkin rang around them with the Union
| triple huzza." The old veterans saw the
| fearful odds against them and other hosts
| gathering darker and deeper still
| TIE time was too precious, too serious
for cheer; they buckled down to the
heavy task in silence, and fought with a
feeling like despair. The enemy were fall
ing back in front, while officers were seen
among their breaking lines striving to
within few feet of the stone wall when
the artillery delivered their last fire from
guns shotted to the muzzle- a:blaze fifty feet
long went through the charging. surging
host with gaping rent to the rear, but the
Survivors mounted the wall, then over and
onward, rushed up the hill close after the
gunners, who waved their hammers in the
face of Pickett's men and sent up cheer
after cheer when they felt admiration for
| the gallant charge. On swept the column
over ground covered with dead and diving
men, where the earth seemed to be on fire,
| the dense smoke and . suffocating
the sun shut out, flames blazing on every
side, friend could hardly be distinguished
from foe, but the division, in the shape of
a with the point fattcned, pushed for
ward, fighting, falling and melting away till
| half way upthe hill they were met by a
powerful body of fresh troops charging
down upon them, and this remnant of
about 900 men was hurled back out into
the clover field. Brave Armistead was down
among the enemy's guns, MORALLY wounded,
but was last seen leaning upon one elbow,
slashing at the gunners to prevent them
from firing at his retreating men. Out on
the front of the breastworks the men
showed disposition to reform for another
charge, and an officer looking at the frown-
ing heights, with blood trickling down the
side of his face, inquired of another, What
shall we do?" The answer was: If We get
reinforcements soon we1can take that hill
yet But no reinforcements came, none
we're in sight, and about thousand men
fled to the rear, over dead and wounded, >.
mangled, grooming, dying men, scattered
thick, far and wide, while shet and shell
tore up the earth aud mimic balls flew
around them for more than q thousand
yards.
The Maiden and the Grizzely.
From the San Francisco Post.