The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-06-09
PICKRTTS CHARGE.
The Last Grand and Awful Charre of tn.
Rsbsl GGhSral ficasts Command .t TN,
Battle 81 6sttysbakE:.

its direction straight down upon the centre
of the enemys position. The destruction
Of lifs In Tie rahks Of this advancing host
%as fearful beyond precedent, ,ofdcers going
down by do4ehs, aid the iheh by scores
and fifties. Kemper has gone down terri.
bly, mangled, but Garnett sill lowered un-
saying in strong calm voice: Faster,
men! faster! Close up and step out faster.
but don't double quiok!"
The stone fence was carried without d
struggle, the infantry and the skirmish line
swept away before the division like trash
before the broom. Two-thirds of the dis
tahee was behind and the one hundred can
mons in, the Fear we're dumb and did not re-
ply t6 the hotlY worked sths Ii our front,
We wer6 How fodt hundred yards from the
foot of Cemetery Hill; when awaj oil to the
right; nearly half mile, there appeSfed hi
the open field q line Of mon at right angles
With our own, . long dark mass dressed in
blue, and coming down at q double quick"
upon the unprotected right flank of Pick
ett's men with their muskets upon the
right shoulder shift, their battle flags dane
ing and auttering 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. Garnett
galloped along the life saying: Faster,
men! faster!" and the front lite broks for
called out: "Steady, men! steady! Don't
double quick. Save your wind and your am
punition for a final CHARGE" and then went
d8wh among the dead, and his clarion
VOICE was ne hibfe heard above the roar of
battle. Tie ehetnX wefe how Sseh strength
ening their lines where the blow wds et-
peeted to strike by hurrying Dip 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 together. The dis
tance had again shortened and officers in
the enemy's line could be distinguished by
their uniforms from the privates. Then
was heard behind that heavy thud of a
muff1ed tread of armed men that roar and
rush of trampling feet, as Armistead's COL
umn from the rear closed up behind the
front linz end he {the last brigadier) took
eomnand, stepped out in front with his
hat Hplifted on the point Of biz 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 made by the sudden
fight of flock Of quail. 1t was grape can
lstef: and the column broke forward into a
double quick and rushed toward the stone
wall where forty cann6n weye bleching
forth grape and canister twice and tht,.5 3
minute. A hundred yards from the stone
wall the fanking party on the right, CON-
Ing down on heavy run, halted suddenly
within pity yards and pored deadly
6torR st tftskst te11s into Pickett's men,
doub1s quicking acfoss the}. front, and
under this terrible cross fife the HaeH rseled
and staggered between falli z comndGs
and the right came pressing down upon
tie centre ceowding the companies into
confusion. f:ttt ali knew the purpose to
carry the heights in front, aid tie mingled
mass, from fifteen to thirty deep, ru5hsd
toward the stone wall, while few hundred
men, without orders, faced to the right and
fought the fanking party there. although
f4ts t. one, and for time held them at bay.
Muskets were ceer crossed, az some men
fired to the right aud others to the front,
and the fighting was terrific-far beyoHd
all other experience even of Picketts men,
who tor once raised no cheer, while the
welkln rang around them with the Union
triple hhsza:" The old veterans saw the
fearful odds aesinst them and other hosts
gathering darker and deeper sti1l:
for cheer; they buckled down to the
feeling 1ihe despair. The enemy were fall
ihg back III front, while officers were eeen
among their bf5ak(tg lines Striving to
maintain their ground. Pickets taet we're
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 weht th>eneh the charging, surging
host with gaping rent - the rear, but the
Survivors mounted the wall, then oFet End
onward, rushed up the hill, close after the
gunners, who waved their rammers 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
t1eh, Where the earth seemed to be on fire,
the defs6 eth9ks ard sufocating
the sun shut out, flames blazing oh every
side. friend could hardly be distinguished
from foe, but the division, in the shape of
V with the point fattened, pushed for
ward, fighting, falling and melting away till
half way up the hill they we-e 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, mortally wounded,
but WAS last seen leaning upon one elbow,
slashing at the gunners to prevent them
from firing at bis retreatinR men. Out on
the front Of the. bteastworhs the men
showed disposition to referm for another
charge; and an officer looking at the frown-
ing heights, with blood tricEling down the
side of his face, inqulted of another, What
shall We dor" The answer was: IF We get
reinforcements soon we can take that hill
yet" But no reinforcements came, none
were in sight, and about thousand men
fed to the rear, over dead and wounded,
mangled, groaning, dying men, scattered
thick. far and wide, while shot and shell
tore up the earth aud mimic balls flew
around them for more than thousand
yards,
an-o -n~