The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-04-27

At the close of the second days fight,
Ewell had secured position on the Federal
right, from which Meade determined To drive
him at any cost. While he had Judgment
among the Federal breastworks and rifle-pits
he had base from which to drive further
wedge. He knew what would come with day
light, and he had reformed his lines and made
all preparations.
IN THE GRAY OF MORN. ~
| Daybreak was stealing softly over the hills
and valleys, and it was not yet light in the
woods when Ewel pushed forward to assault
the Federals. He found them forming in line
to assault him, and the blaze of the first mus
ket was followed by rush from either direc-
| ton.
| Neither Hill nor Longstreet was advancing
but Ewell had not been engaged five minutest
before the crash of musketry and the roar OF
cannon sounded all along the line, and the
awful work of the third day had begun. But
the real fight was between Slocum and Ewell
The one was determined to crush the other
and the bravery exhibited by blue and gray
on that flank that morning was never excelled
IN wars history. Lines of gray rushed for
ward through the smoke to find lines of blue
standing as firm as the hills under them, and
whole companies fired into each other at such
close range that the flames burned the cloth
ing of the dead and wounded. When the
gray lines rolled back the blue lines followed
and there would be another shock and another
hand to hand struggle. Ewel's first advance
lrove the Federal lines. In the rebound he
lost more than he had won Then Ewell was
pushed a quarter of mile, when he rallied
ind crushed slocum back. So it was for hours
"a wave Of war rolling back and forth in its
efforts to beat down the walls which impris-
oned it, At in the morning Ewell put
forward fresh troops, and then the climax
came. Above the steady crash of musketry
and the roar of artillery the shouts of the ad-
vancing Confederates could plainly be heard
as they advanced to the last grapple.
CLOSING IN.
On came the gray lines massed for assault |
some singing, some cheering-all ready to die |
The blue answered cheer for cheer, and then |
came the shock. Slocum said it was the cool |
est, tiercest fighting he ever saw. Brney said |
he never saw such reck less fear of DEATH
Geary said the Confederates charged into his
lines again and again land no fire could push |
them back. Ewell said as his men closed in
for the climax: Such fighting must soon de-
eide the day or leave no one alive to fight"
DRIVEN BACK.
Slocum stood firm for half an hour. Then
as the fire of several regiments began to
slacken for want of ammunition, the Confed
crates began to push him. Reinforcements
were sent from the Sixth Corps, artillery adj
vanced, and then Ewell had to give way in
turn. He had done his best. Slowly the gray
ines were pushed back over the wlnrows of
lead and wounded-fghting grimly-dying
sullenly and an hour before noon Slocum had
recovered all the ground lost the day before,
and Lee had played another card and lost Ht !
mad only one more left.
DRAWING BREATH
From II until O'Clock there was treach-
'rous armistice, broken now on the right by
the boom of a cannon-in the centre by the
ire OF sharpshooters-on the left by ripple OF
lacked both wings, and both attacks had been
repulsed. He was now to attack the centre.
Every man in both armies knew where the
blow was to fall and one had but to cast his
eyes over that centre to realize at what COST
Lee would attack. Every exposed situation
bad been fortified, hundreds of rfle-pits ex-
cavated, and every ravine would be packed
with Federal infantry. There were stone
walls, hills and ridges as natural covers for the
defenders, and no field OF war offered better
positions for artillery. The Federal artillery
on Cemetery Ridge could pour in its fire over
the heads of the infantry on the slopes, and
the grim cannon in position on Cemetery Hill
would enfilade all the front at grape and can
lister range. Meade was ready at noon-Lee
not until o'clock. One by one his guns were
massed in the centre. his choicest troops put
forward as a. wedge, and when he took last
survey of his lines he knew that the climax OF
three days of terrific fighting was at hand !
Every order had been carried out-eyery sug-
gestion considered If he could penetrate the
Federal centre Meade was beaten If he failed
to do it, he must fall back to the Potomac.
AS BY EARTHQUAKES.
At 2 o'clock while there was almost perfect
silence over that great battle field, the sudden
boom of a gun was heard from Lees centre
Its echoes were yet rolling back and forth
from hill to hill when there came crash as if
the heavens and the earth had met. Lee had
opened with nearly $50 pieces of artillery.
Meade had massed eighty Or more guns in the
centre to reply, and now 300 cannon began
their awful din.
WHAT IT WAS LIKE.
An officer standing within thirty feet of
three six-pounders which are being rapidly
fired must shout his orders. One standing as
near as that to full battery could not hear a
thunder-clap in the sky above. The roar OF
twenty pieces OF artillery will drown ordinary
voices half mile away. Mcclellan had sixty
or seventy guns massed at Malvern Hill. and
dishes were shaken down in houses six miles
away. The cannonade at the first Bull Run
was nothing compared to subsequent battles,
and yet the reverberations were distinctly
heard in Washington, twenty miles away.
The cannonade at Fredericksburg toppled
uoWu ldTm HOUSE cniHneyS ely III LILIES ulStanI, |
and was heard twenty-five miles. Think, then,
Of $50 pieces of artillery, many of them Par
rot guns, massed on the crest of hills and all
firing as fast as men could serve theml An
earthquake could not thus have shaken the
earth. Men became giddy and staggered, and
houses seemed to lift off their foundations
In ten minutes after the first gun was fired,
one could no longer distinguish single reports.
All reports were consolidated into one terrible
roar, which alarmed cattle IN the fields fifteen
miles away and was plainly heard by human
ears forty miles away Regiments on the
TANKS of that awful cannonade could not be-
lleve that any one would live through it.
WHAT 1T EFFECTED.
In talking with Confederates who were in
the center that day have many times asked
for the particulars of the damage done by the
Federal fire. All answered alike. Its effect
was terribly demoralizing, but not 30 destruc-
tive as one would amagine. Hundreds of shot
and shell flew oyer their heads and hurt no
one. Others struck into bodies of men getting
into position for assault, and opened lanes
through whole brigades. Here and there
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