Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-02-10

This briefly constituted the frs
days fight at Gettysburg, as far a
our corps was concerned, and com
pared with the fearful destruction
of life that occurred subsequently
was an insignificant affair, yet il
reality it was a most desperate con
fiict. The two attacks were mad,
with great sacrifice of life, and tn,
approach to the town was stubborn
| ly contested neither party wa
aware of the strength of the other
and each underestimated the force O.
his opponent. Mai. Gen. Heth
writing in 1877 in the Southern
Historical Society Papers in regarC
to the first days fight, says:
Gen. Rhodes, commanding di
vision of Ewell's Corps, en- route tC
I Cashtown, was following road
running north of Gettysburg
Rhodes hearing the firing at Gettys.
burg, faced by the lett flank and
approached the town. He soon
became heavily engaged, and seeing
this sought for and found Gen.
Lee, saying to the general: t'Rhodes
is very heavily engaged, had 1 not
better attack ?'' Gen. Lee replied
mo, am not prepared to bring on
a general engagement to-day.
Longstreet is not up" Returning
to my division | soon discovered
that the enemy were moving
troops from my front and pushing
them against Rhodes. / reported
this fact to Gen. Lee, and again re-
quested TO be permitted to attack.
Permission was given. My divis-
ion, some 1000 muskets strong, ad-
vanced. l found in my front a
heavy skirmish line and two lines
of battle. My division swept over
these without halting. My loss was
severe. In twenty-five minutes |
! lost 300 men killed and wounded.
The last / saw or remember of this
days fight was seeing the enemy in
my front completely and utterly
routed and my division in hot pur-
suit. was then shot and rendered
insensible for some hours.
The report of the enemy in force
at. Gettysburg was the first intima-
tion Lee had of the first federalS
striking their tents at Millersburg,
distance about thirty miles. Be
this as it may the above quotations
plainly show that the beginning of
this battle was accidental and. also
that the struggle of the first day
even was a fierce affair. At least,
from my point OF observation, /
was unable to see any, one on our
side who had the leisure or inclina-
tion to get ;'those Shoes" AL
though we had driven the enemy
from his position and pressed him
through and beyond the town, for
some cause not known by me we
bivouacked near the ground we
had occupied early in the day. The
battle of the first day resulted in a
victory for the confederates, with
the federals driven from their posi-
ton and beyond the town, having
lost heavily in killed and wounded,
as well lis five thousand prisoners.
The struggle for victory WAS not
confined TO the centre, for part of
EWell's corps met the federals
north of Gettysburg and after alter
nate success and repulse dislodged
them from their position, capturing
many prisoners. But the scene on
this part of the field has been so often
pictured that it would now be tire
some repetition for me to again re-
hease it.
The second day opened a serene
and beautiful July morning. AT
daybreak the smouldering camp
fires sent up here and there slug
gishly ascending smoke the peace
full looking farIn-houses, bespeaking
thrift and industry, dotted the sur
rounding country, whose occupants,
as well as the vast armies surround
ing them, were little aware of the
impending destruction of life and
property. AS soon as dawn came
Hill's corps, forming Lees centre,
was in line OF battle, with Heth'S
division in reserve posted on a
slightly elevated point about two
hundred yards from Willoughby
run, about the centre of our army,
position that afforded an unob-
structed view of the action of Long
streets corps, and within hearing of
EweIl. Here we remained all day,
ready and expecting at any mo-
ment to be ordered to assault the
enemy in our front or to advance to
the support of Longstreet or Ewell.
We witnessed the magnificent
fighting of Longstreet's corps and
gaZed with amaZement upon the
destruction belched forth by the ar
tilIery on and around Little Round
Top. 1t bristled with cannon and
at times seemed to be ablaZe. From
where we were stationed we could
hardly realize that so many field
pieces could be placed and operated
on so small a space ...
Lee had now tested the strength
of Meade on the right and left, with
results familiar to all. The centre
yet remained to attack, to decide
the fortunes of the invading cam
paign. On the morning of the Sd
the contending armies were face to
face, each occupying one of the two
elevated and nearly parallel ridges.
The space between was undulating
and consisted chiefly of fields in
cultivation, inclosed with plank
and rail fences. The federals occu-
pied the crest of the ridge with
their right centre projecting TO the.
Emmitsburg road, nearly, IL not
quite mile south of Gettysburg. on
what is known as Cemetery Hill.
Heth's division, now commanded
by Gen. Pettigrew, was ordered to
report to Gen. Longstreet, and
about 10 AIM. we formed upon the
left of Pickett's division, with Or
ders to rest at ease in line of battle.
These two divisions were selected
to make the assault upon Cemetery
Hill, and by brigades were formed
in the following order: On the ex-
treme right, Kemper; next, on his
left, Garnett these two of Pickett's
division. On the left of Garnett
was formed Heth's division i'm the
following order: Archer's Tennes-
see brigade, commanded by Col.
Frye; on the right and next, Petit
CREWS North Carolina. brigade, and
then Davis Mississippi brigade,
and on the extreme left Brocken-
borough's Virginia brigade. Pick
ett's two brigades were supported
by Armstead's brigade and Pick
ett's and Wilcox's brigade of An