The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-10-26

SohtihuSu etIuESle the ammunition OF
the men was all expended. but the rcso.
luton Of Gen. Gregg to hold the posi-.
ticn was unchanged. When Gen. Hill
sent to inquire if he could hold out, he
modestly replied that he thought he
conld-ad.ling, as if casually, t!ia: his
ammunition was abont exhausted, but he
still had the bayonet.'
1T was now o'clock p. NJ, and there
was no abatement in the fury of the at.
tacks, when the brigades Of Branch and
Fairly, having been sent to our assistance,
came in gallantly and opportuuely. Af.
ter these reinforcemcnts had arrived and
passed to the front Gen. Gregg collected
the remnants of his shattered regiments,
and placing them in line behind the
troops now engaged gave then, ins,ruc-
tions to lie down, and if our friends were
overpowered and had to fall back over
them to wait until the enemy came very
near, then rise and drive them back at
the point of the bayonet. The men lay
down as instructed, resolved as the last
resort to try the virtue of cold steel; but
happily the necessity did not arise. The
enemy was finally driven back at all
points, just as the sun went down and
night closed upon us, occupying idcnti-
cally the same spot which in the morn
ing we were ordered to hold"
SLEEPING ON THE BATTLEFIELp.
Thus ended that terrible day to us.
Friday, August 29, 1862. and surrounded
by the dead aId dying the soldiers sank
upon the ground overpowercd, "the weary
to sleep and the wounded to die" The
brigade had obeyed orders aud ,,eld the
extreme left at all hazards, bu. j. sasl no
holiday duty. In doing 80 it had lost
many Of its best officers and bravsst men.
Every field officer but two was either
killed or wounded. This is not the place
for full list of the casualties, but |
shall be excused for stating that the
number of killed and wounded (there
were no prisoners) rose to the aggregate
OF GLIB, about one.third of the number
actually engaged. The distinguished
Brig. Gen. Gregg, who commanded and
who was everywhere during the day ex-
erting himself to the utmost, was him
self spared, only to fall soon after upon
another glorious field, fredericksburg.
Or this desperate struggle Mr. Davis
says: The enemy was repeatedly re-
pulsed, but again pressed OH the attack
with fresh troops. Once he succeeded in
penetrating an interval between Gen.
Gregg's brigade on the extreme left and
that of Gen. Thomas, but was quickly
driven back with great slaughter ty the
Fourteenth South Carolina Regiment.
The contest was close and obstinate The
combatants sometimes delivered their fire
at few PAGES. Gregg had successfully
and most gallantly resisted the attack
until the ammunition of his brigade was
exhausted and NIL his field officers but
two killed or wounded. Rise and EaU
OF the Confederate Government, 81 rol.,
page 1926.
1t added greatly to the gloom Of the
situation TO learn in the midst of the
struggle that the enemy had occupied
Thoroughfare Gap and cut of all hope of
succor. Pope actually telegraphcd to
Washington that Jackson WAS isolated,
routed and driven to the mountains; but
fortuna jdref jortibus. At that very mo-
ment Longstreet's corps, following in the
track of Jackson, having swept away all
opposition, was pouring through the
Gap, and their gallant leader, animated
by the instinct Of true soldier, was
pressing forward towards the heavy
firing, which told too plainly that Jack
son was hard pressed and fighting with
desperation.
LONGsTREET TO THE RESCUE.
During the evening and night they ar
rived upon the field and formed on Jack.
sons right, not extending his line in
straight direction, but making an angle,
like big v, opening towards
the enemy. The forces were forming for
the final struggle, but for some reason
or other the fight Oh Saturday, the 3Oth,
did not commence until after meridian.
The wounded of the day before had been
placed for comparative safety iu ravine
just in rear of Jackson's line, and not
far from the apex of the aforesaid angle.
Lying there we could distinctly hear
every thing that took place. Somewhere
about 3 o'clock p. m. the awful silence
of the morning WAS suddenly broken.
The Federals in three heavy lines Of
battle made dashing charge Oh Jack
sons position-the same he held the day
before-but the old hero received them
gallantly. He stood, indeed, like a
"stone WALL" and was greatly assisted by
o battalion of artillery In Longstreet's
line near where itjoined that Of Jackson,
which. of course: took the charging col
umns in flank, and by an enfilade fire
did immense execution. Thus, resisted
in front and fiercely assailed in flank, the
Federal lines, after very gallant strug-
gle, one after the other hesitated, stag
gered and rolled back in confusion. I'm
menee efforts were made by their officers
to rally them, but the" never returned
to the charge. In res. ing this charge
the artillery on Longstreets left, before
referred to, seemed to be served with
great energy, skill and gallantry. There
must have been at least twenty pieces,
for the FIRE was incressant, advancing at
the gallop from hilltop to hilltop as the
enemy was driven back. The discharges
were peculiar-very regular, but in
very near each other, and
then a longer interval, like the deep
strokes OF cathedral bell. The whole
performance made deep impression.
The music of those guns rung in my
ears during the whole war, and even now
l rarely hear a church bell, with its
double peals, without being reminded nf
the battery which played upon the ene-
my from the Sassafras Hill at the second
battle of Manassas. It may not be un.
interesting TO know that this artillery
was commanded by our own Stephen D.
Lee, who, in reward for his gallant ser.
vices, was made q General upon the
field. In this charge the balls OF the
Federals passed over the little dell where
the wounded were lying, and seemed not
TO respect the yellow flag. The idea of
being blown up by Parrot shell while
and in the hospital was not
very comfortable, but under the direc.
tions of our commanding officers, the
we clay low" No new casu-
alties occurred, however, and after the