News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1881-12-29
A CHARGE AT FREDERICKSBURG.
A Story Of the War as Told by NJ.
Quad.

A CHARGE AT FREDERICKSBURG.
A Story Of the War as Told by NJ.
Quad.
Sumner was on Burnside's right -
Longstreet faced him on Lees left. |
Franklin was no sooner repulsed on the |
left than Sumner was ordered to attack
on the right. The key of the Confed-
crate right was a hill which could be
defended against the world. The key
of the Confederate left was just such
another place. Jackson held the one
Longstreet the other. From the battle
lines formed under cover of the houses
and walls, men looked across the open
commons to Marye's Hill and realized
that perhaps not one out of five would
live to cross the space, but when the
order came every man was ready. 1t
was terrible blunder to push those
legions against such a position. The
Confederates charged Rond Top at Get
tysburg in the desperation of despair.
1t was gain all or lose all by that one
charge. The FederaPs charged Marye's
Hill when they could have fanked it
when defeat was assured before man
moved. The Confederate artillery had
a direct fire from sixteen different
points, and at the foot and at the slopes
OF the hill there were enough infantry
to hold it against the grandest army
ever marshaled.
Look there to-day and you can find
every point and particular. Over the
crest or top of the hill runs the old
plank road to Salem Church and Chan
cellorsville. At the base of the hill,
and bearing around it to the left, is the
Telegraph Road. Along this latter road
is stone wall four feet high, built
against the base of the hill. If that
wall had not been there the hill was yet
too steep for soldiers to climb. But the
wall was there, and behind it was
brigade of Confederate infantry. I
walked slowly along the length of this
LII md coupksd the "chips" made
stones.
- ~, On She Inside, the boys from
the town we're digging out bullets where
thousands had been found before. Had
the wall been carried the hill could not
have been, but Sumner dashed his men
at both as if single dash would route
Lees left wing. One historian locates
this stone wall midway up the hill, !"
and puts Ghosts of the enemy behind
it." It is at the base of the hill, and
hardly long enough to cover one bri-
gade. Hooker thought there were 3d.
900 behind it. Lee had only about
so, 900 men all told to defend his entire
lines. Less than 1000 Confederates
held the wall, and 1000 men can hold
it to-day against 10000.
Marye's Hill and this stone wall were
the objects of Summers dash, but his
men got no nearer than 200 feet to the
wall. The artillery on the heights Gre
ated the most terrible slaughter as the
troops rushed across the open space,
and as they came within stones throw
of the wall the musketry swept whole
companies away. At the centre of the
wall is street hundred feet wide lead
ing up from the town. Up this street,
affording no cover whatever, the FEEDER
ais charged in column of brigades.
They could not go forward and they
would not go back, and while the artil-
lery above had plunging fire on them,
the infantry behind the wall moved
them down with the scythe of death. In
ten minutes Sumner was hurled back !;
but he charged again, and it was now
that the Irish Brigade made its heroic
charges. With bayonets fixed they
dashed at the stone wall again and
again, but never to reach it. That
night when the roll was called only one
man out of three answered to his name.
The rest were lying dead in the dusty
lane. Along this lane, nearest to that
stone wall, you can sit on your horse
to-day and count over two hundred
bullet holes in sheds and houses.
81 was sergeant of a gun which was
tationed just there" said an ex. Confed-
srate to me, as we faced the height
we did not believe the Federals would
charge the hill, and when they came
the second time we cheered them. Such
bravery / never saw on q battle field.
Some of the men who were hit way
down the street hobbled and limped for
ward and were struck down within 100
feet of the wall. This road was the
worst spectacle of the whole war. Our
artillery created horrible slaughter on
the heavy lines of men at such close
range That tree down there at the
corner of the garden stood in an open
field then, and Just beyond it was q
SWELL AS CdL1O
over that swell in their second charge
fired into the lines just to the right of
the tree, and the shell killed or wound
ed nearly every man in one company.
saw grape and canister open lanes
through the ranks, and yet the blue
lines closed up again and dashed at the
base of the hill. We thought they
were mad men.
"Down where the old shed stands I
saw a curious thing that day. When
Sumner was driven back the second |
time single Federal soldier was left on
his feet among the dead there. Instead
of falling back with the rest, he stood |
there and loaded and fired as coolly as
if at target practice. He wounded one
man in my company, killed corporal
further up the hill and shot a lieuten-
ant there where the wall curves. He
fired as many as six shots, being fired
at in return by thousand men but as
he turned and walked away, our men
ceased firing and gave him cheer after
cheer"