The Portland daily press., 1881-12-21
Gettysburg.
The Destruction Caused by the Tempest
of
[Provid q, .star.l


Reynolds, commanding the First corps. The
error put us on the defensive, and gave US
choice of position, from the moment that our
artillery and infantry rolled back through the
main street Of Gettysburg and out of the town
to circle of hills south of it. We were not to
attack but to be attacked. The risks, the diff
culties and the disadvantages of the coming
battle were the enemy's. Ours thes heights for
artillery ;ours the short inside lines for manpu-
yring and reinforcing; ours the cover of stone
wall fences and the crests of hills. The ground
upon which we driven to accept battle was
wonderfully favorable to us. A description Of
it would be to say that it was in the form OF an
elongated and somewhat sharpend horse shoe,
with the toe to Gettysburg, the heel to the
south.
Gen. Lees plan of battle was simple. He
massed his troops on the east side OF this shoe
of position, and thundered on it by his artillery
obstinately, to break 1t. The shelling from our
batteries from the near est overlooking hill, and
the uniinching courage and complete disci-
pline Of the Army of the Potomac, repelled the
attack. Tt was renewed at the point OF the shoe
-rsuewed desperately at its southwest side, and
renewed on its western side with an effort con-
secrated to success by Gen. Ewell, and ON which
the fate of the invasion of Pennsylvania was
fully put at stake. Only perfect infantry ana
an artillery educated in the midst OF charges
could have possibly sustained TINS assault: nan,
cocks corps the old Second, did sustain it, and
covered itself with immortal honors by It's con-
stancv and courage. The total wrecks OF Bat
teries A, Rhode Island, and A, Fourth regu-
lars, and Cowan's New York-the killed and
wounded. among whom were Capt. Cushing OF
II. raonlarS and Lieut.. M0ll0u
of Rhode Island, detached to Cushlngis bat-
terry. and other officers and men, the ground De
ing literally covered with dead ana wounded
soldiers in blue and gray, together with norseS
urithing in death agonies-were CHASTITY tes-
timony TO the terrible fighting of the Second
corps, who will ever have the distinction OF
breaking the pride and power OF the rebel IN
yason.
July Sd the battle commenced at daylight on
the east side of the horseshoe position ,sexactly
onnosite to that which Ewell had sworn to
crush through. Musketry firing preceded the
rising of the sun, a thick wood velled the ngnt,
but out of its leafy darkness arose the smoke,
and the surging and swelling OF the nre from
intermittent to continuous and crushing TOLD OF
the wise tactics of the rebels in attacking IN
force and charging their troops, from the day
before Seemingly the attack Oh the DAY was
to be made through the woods, Tor the repeis
had the previous day, fallen trees az lnteryais
,1pon the edge of the wood they occupied, lac
ino our position. These were breastworks for
the rrotection of their artillerymen. Sudden
ly. about ten in the forenoon, the nriDg on the
east side and everywhere about our lines ceased
A silence as of deep sleep fell upon the neld Oh
battle during which the rebel-army moved 10
onns To the west and massed them. Longstreet
and HilPs corps were ready to hurl them upon
the weakest point of our entire position. Eiev-
en- o'clock, twelve o'clock and one O'CLOCK came.
vet the silence was not broken. AZ zen.
Meade, Headquarters lay wearied staff ofhcers
and tired Journalists In the midst OF the war
bling OF bird at these headquarters a snen
screamed over the house, instantly followed py
another, and still another, and IN q momens
the air was fu'l of shrieking shells Every size
ana form of shell known to British and Amer,
can gunnery shrieked, moaned and wnlstled
and fluttered over the ground. AS many as si1
each second, bursting and screaming over anu
around the headquarters, made very hei OF
fire that amazed the Oldest oincers. lucy puIsS
in the ward. near the fence, among the nltcheo
horses of aides and orderlies; the fastened
horses reared and plunged with terror; sixteen A:
horses laid dead and mangled before the hring
ased. uoroo,,,;n,,
and axnioding shells an ambulance, driven by
ito frenzed conductor at full speed, came tear
inc down the road, the horse on three legs
one of the hind ones having been snos on at
the hook A shell tore up the little steps at
headquarters cottage and ripped oags Oh oa.s as
with a knife. Soon a case-shot burst Opposite
the open door. followed closely by the howl oil
a fixed shot sent from Whitworth gun Dur
ing this time soldiers in the federal piue were
torn to pieces in the road. Not an orderly, not
an ambulance, not straggler, was TO De seen
upon the plain swept by this tempest OF iron.
Thirty minutes after it commenced tnese ~
pieces of artillery were trying to drive from tne
field every battery we had In positlon 70 resist
their infantry attack, and to sweep away the
iight defence behind which our infantry were
waiting. Forty minutes, fifty minutes, ran on
so slow: the air grew thicker and ruler, ana
more deafening with the bowling and whirling
,.f those internal missiles. Gen. Meade,s chiei
Of staff, General Seth Williams, was killed py
q bn,rstiug shrapnell; an aid was severely
wound, ,sd by a fragment of shell, another by
case-shot. This duel lasted one hour and iorty
minutes. then there came lull, which toid us
that the rebel infantry was ABOUT TO cnarge
and snlendidly did they do their work. Inen
come the first and severest test OF the stun the
soid;ers were made Of Gen. Hills division IN
line Of hattie came first on the double quick,
tbeir mnskets at the "right shoulder SHIFT. .
Longstreet came to his support; AZ tno usuai
distances, with their savage yen, they rusueu
in perfect order across the neiu up ~ .h1 surS
them as they came. But they met men VINO were
THAR eouals in spirit and their superlors IN ten
acitv. There never was better lighting tnan
was done by our artillery and iniahtry. Ino
rebels came swarming over our aelences, snoy
had cleaned cannoneers and horses from our
guns and had wheeled them round TO use on
ns. The bayonet drove them back, Dutso haro
pressed was our brave infantry that at one tlme
from the exhaustion of ammunition, every pd.-
tery upon the principal crest OF attack; was ST
lent except Capt. Cowan's New YORK Dat!eiy'
whose service of canister was sWful, II eha-
bled our line outnumbered two 10 one, nrsl 70
beat back Longstreet, and then to charge upon
him, capturing him and large NUMBER Oh
prisoners. or,;1,arr
fire that when Gen Armstead S treDei) Drlgaoe
was checked in his charge. and stood reelng,
all of his mon dropped their muskets anu
crawled on their hands and knees Deneatn the
stream of shot and shell until close TO our lines,
when they made signs OF surrendering. lasy
nassed through our ranks, scarcely pelng hoto
ed, and slowly went down the slope 10 .ne roau u
in the rear. Before they reached our lines rl cno
grand charge of Gen. Ewell had ialleo; lne
rebels retreated to their lines and opened anew
the storm Of shot and she'll from the l2O guns
Those who we're witnesses will never forget the
c,onching and lodging and running OF the but
ternnt-colored captives when they got under
This their friends fire. The fight struggled
snrlilv over the middle of the horseshoe on the
west. grew big and angry at the heel az the
Southwest, and lasted until eight o'clock IN the
aveninc. Our losses were severe, amounting
to oS34 killed, 13,907 wounded, 664S missing;
total 23. 1856. Captured three cannon, ana Ior, lc
tv.oue standards, Il, ,261 prisoners; and z4,9io ~,
small arms were collected on the held. lhe
strength of the two armies after the nrst DAY ;
fghting. was nearly equal, being computed at
ahout IO5. 600 of all arms. The enemy loss S
was $500 killed, 21,000 wounded, ana f4'VoV
prisonerS.