The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-03-16

replied to the rebel fire. But each one was
crammed to the muzzle with fire and death.
Woe to the brave men who broke their fire
Yelling ike incarnate demons the rebels charge.
Six gigantic brigades-tht flower of the confed-
eracy-the old imperial guard of Lees army.
Their courage was worthy q nobler cause and
deserved better fate. They rushed down
Cemetery Ridge and We're coming across the
plain that intervenes between the two ridges.
The rebel artiery-two hundred and fifty
guns-was pouring their terrible fire above the
charging columns, and pounded our line Of
battle with terrible vengeance Not a Union
gun replied. The enemy evidently concluded
that our guns had been silenced by their terrific
cannonade, and with renewed courage rushed
on to dislod9e the supposed Yankee militia
from their rifle pits. 1t was grand spectacle
that long line of gray clad soldiers, in Il semi
circular form charging under the crashing shells
of their own comrades, upon line of breast
works that appeared to be only tenanted by the
dead. They are 50 near that you can almost
toss q biscuit within their lines. The sig
nal is given to ftc. Instantly zgzag flames
leap along our lines 4 horrible roar and fright
fui wells for moment drown all other sounds.
The rebels hadr advanced so near 10 our lines,
and We're coming with such force that in many
places they We're not checked until they reached
our brcaStWorks. And when our infantry
arose to receive them, they, to their surprise.
saw instead of militia, bronzed faces and
old familiar badges. "The Army of the Potomac
they exclaimed, as they went down in defeat
and death. such conflict could not be pro-
longed. Inabref time the rebels were defeated.
1t was not Il retreat of six brigadc>, rushing
Lack to br rporganiz.d. They had vanished
gone like leaves of autumn before the tempest.
4 few officer, went da>hing wildly back on
fleet .horSeS-hcre and there broken and shat
tered battalion of brave soldier, went march
ing back to tell the awful story of death. Onc
color Sergeant manfuIIy bearing his colors, the
only flag that went back from that charging
column to rhr rebel army. 10 you ask where
these men have gone If 50 look at the four
thousand prisoners within the Union lines, and
the great vinrows of dead piled upon the bloody
plain
The battle of Gettysburg has been fought and
won for tn" Union cause. General Lees army
of one hundred Thousand men with which he
entered Pennsylvania has been reduced by
death, wounds and prisoners toSiXty thousand.
Leaving hi, dead to be buried and many of hi,
wounded to bc cared for by Aj- enemy. he
gathers up his bleeding and defeated forces and
retreats rapidly for Virginia.
The confrdrracy had received it, death blow.
New armies could be raised, munitions Of war
purchased, campaigns planned. and scores of
bloody battles fought, bur all this was to be but
the herosm Of despair. The prestige lost i'll the
Pennsylvania campaign could not be rcgancd.
The fate of the ronlcdrrary Was but a question
Of time. The Union army must have lost in all
twenty-five thousand men. General Meade was
thJr, fore at the head of an army of fifty thou~-
and who were foot~ora with long weary march
cS and completely exhausted with the hardship,
of the terrible campaign. Had General Lee
been vigorously pursued hr could never have
reached his native Virginia. Whether the army
of General Meade was in condition TO make
that pursuit OF not is q disputed question. Bat
it did appear to the men in the ranks that if the
troops in the defence around Washington at
that time had been pu>hodbctWcen Lee and the
Potomac and then with General Meade to at
tack him in rear, that it would have been i'm
possible for Lee to have made his escape. But
Of course l.r,rots sabt1,~ had no right 10 think.
our officers knew what must be donr. The
city of Washington remained Safely guarded by
thousands of fresh soldiers. Lee safely rrcro>,-
ed the Potomac and cntrcuchcd himself in the
Wilderness of The Rappahmnock River. The
Army yof the Potomac followed slowly after him.
The great North rpjocrd over the defeat Of