The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-10

PAW 0ANA oNA uOO OhA AVAocSo WVuAU tSc1uAVs
SO that the men Of the brigade had Q good
chance to guess, by noting the bulk of
the troops passing and the direction
taken, where the storm of battle would
be most likely to burst ferth-that is to
say, on otr right.
Finally, late in tho afternoon, the Or
der for the assault was passed along the
Fight wing, and the deadly work began.
with the preliminary cannon sltots and
thowing forward 6f, skirthishcrs, and
instantly crash and yell arose
Gas il tho fiends from heaven that foil
Had pealcd the banner cry Of hell"-
as the first line of the confederates
swept forward in the charge.
In order to properly appreciate the
desperation Of this battle It Is necessary
briefly to describe tho position held by
Gen. McClellan's army: the River
road, which at that time was d very we'll
built and wide road for that part ii the
country, for couple miles runs along
Malvern hill, which is high bluff of q
hundred feet or 10, and which abruptly
drops into the plain below. Along the
crest the federal general had planted
cannon as thickly as could be done to
work them effectively. Both OF his
wings wore refused, in military parlance,
toward the river, and were protected
by gunboats 40 anchored as to obtain .
partial enfilading fire ON ON assault.
ing force. In fact. the position taxi
en- up by the federal army was
q natural fortress. SO to speak.
When, as above stated, battle was
joined on the right Kemper's brigade
was moved up to be within supporting
distance of the fighting line, aud here
it remained, sheltered by i point of
woods through which only IN occasional
shell crashed during the battle. As
the roar of the battle increased the
curiosity of the men to know what was
being done became almost frantic,
and numbers, the writer AMONG them,
sought permission to "shin up" the
tallest trees in the vicinity to obtain q
view of the scene of action. A good
view of the plain above described was
here obtained, and it was easy to per-
ceiye that the batteries OH the heights
were having things all their own way.
The cannon fire Of the confederates was
fitful and feeble at that point, while the
batteries on the heights were in q
continued roar. which was rapidly
accentuated by the deeper boom
Of the heavy artillery of tho gun-boats
::s they pitched their "camp kettles" in
to ths opposing lines: Lins after line
Of confed-rstes swept across tho pldiii
with tho chargiifg'.:.''. but they seldom
attained the foot of tfi6-b.azing v5ll
whose fire they were endesv6lfht il
quench, and when they came ru.ujng
back defeated in confused mass; thliS
retreat was even more disastrous tg
them than their orderly advance: And
this useless lurling Of these devoted
brigades against a position even moro
impregnable than Marye's heights at
Fredericksburg continued at intervals
until the sun went down. The confed-
crate batteries, which succeeded in de-
ploying from the woods onto the plain,
were invariably knocked into smithe-
reens by the time they had fired twoor
three rounds.
From time to time flying sid-de-
camps, rs they dashed by us, would
shout, "All going well on the right.
"Their left wing is doubled up" "Jack-
son is driving them, and so on, but for
tic life of tbs wc couldn't see, If all this
were true, why the sacrifice of mon
plainly visible in the center was necess-
ary. Thus matters went on until sun
down, when the brigade was ordered
attention, and We supposed that we
we're to be ordered into instant action ;
and from the streams of wounded going
to the rear, and their statements that
our troops had not gained q foot OF
ground and were much used up, We ALL
CURED most unfavorably for the result,
should Mcclellan throw forward his left
wing in full force. However, he didn't
do so, and when darkness closed in we
were ordered to stack arms and go to
sleep. Save now and then o rafting
volley at various points of tho line, the
musketry lad at this time ceased, al
though the batteries shelled the woods
and each other until or 10 o'clock,
when they too were hushed.
We passed into sleep that night with
the unpleasant consciousness that our
arms had sustained q bloody repulsc, and
that in all probability We should have
another sanguinary battle on the morrow
with the Issue thereof very doubtful. 1t
will not be doubted that this feeling was
somewhat dsmper upon our martial
enthusiasm.
The next morning at sun up we received
the welcome intelligence that the federal
army had retrcated from its strong
position in the night. As our brigade
was in reserve the day before, it was or
dered into what might he termed tech
nical pursuit-very technical, indeed, II
proved to be, as no very energetic at
tempt was made 80 far as I could see to
tackle the rear guard of the retreatine
army. In order to gain the limo of re-.
treat the brigade, followed by the other
brigadcs of the division, made q detour,
passed over the road through the
pines leading into the plain. Here
the effect of the concentrated fire
of the federal batteries was aw.
fnl to contemplate. On either side OF
the road for hundred yards the trees
wore moved down and splintered up as
if tornado had passed. Overturned
guns, exploded caissons and ammuni-
tion wagons. dead horses and dead ar.
tillerists, were heaped in promiscmous
confusion, and it was with great diff
Guilty that tho infantry could force a
pathway to the open space beyond.
Here again on either side was verita-
bic wreck of dismounted guns, broken
wheels, timber chests, horses mashed
up, and men crushed out Of all sem.
blanco to humanity. The morning was
bright and BEAUTIFUL, with fresh breeze
from the river blowing, but its downy
wings were laden with the odors of .
slaughter house, seized upon in passing
over tho fatal plain below. have seer
many battlefields, but never one so hor
rible and repulsive to the sight a
this same one of Malvern Hill.
never had a nightmare for month";
aftcrward when all its features wer,
not recalled, and the semblance in tn
dreams could not intensity the horror
of the waking reality. From the thick
cts to the foot of the heights wher,
McClellan's batteries were planted it i
no exaggeration to say That for mil
and half one might have walked o,
dead men without putting foot to earth
And such dead men! Heads cut of
limbs Topped. bowels torn out, legs tor
from the trunks, trunks crpshed int