Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-06-09
BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1881

luTklsu carpeU.
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 whirring sound
made by the sudden flight of q flock Of
quail. 1t was grape canister, and the
column broke forward into O double
quick and rushed toward the stone wall
where forty cannon were belching forth
grape and canister twice and three q
minute. A hundred yards from the
stone wall the thanking party on the
right, coming down on q heavy run,
halted suddenly within fifty yards and
poured deadly storm of musket balls
into Picketts men, double quicking
across their trent, and under this terri
bic cross fire men reeled and staggered
between falling comrades and the right
came pressing down upon the centre,
crowding the companies into confusion.
But all knew the purpose to carry the
heights in 'front.' and the mingled mass,
from fifteen to thirty deep, rushed to-
ward the stone wall while a few hun
dred men, without orders, faced to the
right and fought the thanking party
there, although fifty to one, and for q
time held them at bay. Muskets were
| seen crossed as some men fired to the
right and others to the front and the
| fighting was terrible--far beyond all
other experience even of Pickett's men,
who for once raised no cheer, while the
welkin rang around them with the Gun
ion triple huzza' The old veterans,saw
the fearful odds against them and other
hosts gathering darker and deeper still.
The time was too precious, too seri-
Gus for a cheer; they buckled down to
the heavy task in silence, and fought
with feeling like despair. The enemy
were falling back in front, while off
GERS were seen among their breaking
lines striving to maintain their ground
Picketts men were within few feet of
the stone wall when the artillery deliv-
cred 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 ovel
and onward, rushed up the hill close af
ter the gunners, who waved their ram
mers in the face of Pickett's men and
sent up cheer after cheer as they felt adj
miration for the gallant charge. On
swept the column over ground covered
with dead and dying men, where the
earth seemed to be on fire, the smoke
dense and sutfocating, the sun shut out
flames blazing on every side, FRIEND
could hardly be distinguished from foe
bnt the division, in the shape of an in
verted V, with thepoint tlattened, push
ed forward, fighting, falling, and melt
ing away, till half way up the hill they
were met by powerful body of fresf
troops charging down upon them, ant
this remnant of about thousand mel
was hurled back out into the clover field
Brave Armistead was down among thu
enemy's guns, mortally wounded, bu
J was last seen leaning upon one elbow
slashing at the gunners to prevent then
from firing at his retreating men. Ou1
in front of the breastworks the mel
: showed disposition to reform for an
other charge, and an officer looking a
the frowning heights, with blood trick
ling down the side Of his face, inquired
of another: "What shall we dot" Thu
answer was: eff we get reinforcements
soon we can take that hill yet" Blu
no reinforcements came, none were il
sight, and about thousand men fed tt
: the rear over dead and wounded, man
gled, groaning, dying men scattered
thick, far and wide, while shot and shel
tore up the earth and minnie balls flew
around them for more than Thousand
yards.