The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-04-11

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Boston JounGL
famous ch1rgs OF Longstrect's
: nj on the third day at Gettysburg
6ssn often described, and il is bet
4 4 anderstood, probably, than any 9TH
Teat battle scene Of the civil war. II
M i therefore MT my purpose in this arti.
ssStsSto give anything like . general de-
acfiption ofT4he movement, but simply
~ speak ctit d seen by little party
sof men belonging to the first corps,
Who were wounded in the first days fight
among whom il was my fortune to he
cast. W. were placed hors dc
! combat % the crest of Semi
nary Ridge, afterward the key Of the
!. confedersts position. When our troops
!, fell bxck We were left where we fell, and
were therefore obliged to accept the
hospitalities Of the enemy. OF their
ailitaes rs entertainers I do not care to
aSaks Neither will it prove agreeable
6awaken too many of the recollections
~ that terrible experience. It would
require che pen of Dante to cover tho
whole ground Therefore, as was once
I'D BY one doubtless moro familiar with
~ writings of Dante than am, 1--WE
win lave all that CO."
On the third day, when preparations
I we're being made for the coup de main,
/ our little party occupied house within
i tho rebel lines, a short distance from the
pot where Longstreet formed
his attacking column. Not having
had our wounds properly attended
p, and being almost wholly without
food, it can readily be seen that our
: situation was anything but pleasant.
3 And yet, bad as this was, we were COM
PEELED to endure something great deal
: worse. in the shape of rehabilitation and
insult from the hordes of sneaks and
bummers who were continually prowl-
ing about the building. Some of our
tormenters may have been genuine SOL
diers, who We're simply passing and re-
passing in the line Of duty. If SO, to
them i make the amende honorable. but
toward the skulkers, I felt then and en-
terrain still nothing but the deepest
contempt. Among the bluster to which
wewere compelled to listen came the
following;
You 'uns will hear plenty of music
pretty soon; Longstreet's going to
charge" said blatant rebel captain,
who had hung about us like leech for
day and half, while his regiment,
the eighth Georgia, was preparing to
advance with the attacking column.
esOh, give us rest!" cried an indig-
nAnt boy in blue, lying helpless upon
the floor: "what do you know about it?"
~ know this about it, Yank. In little
while you'll hear big gun. That's on
lyithe signal, though; the fun is to fol-
low. Then the artillery will open all
along the line. Then Longstreet will
charge, and if any of your fellows are
lett alive when his men get there, they'll
have to git" And our Falstaff, having
delivered himself of this bombastic ut
terence, strutted back and forth with
the air Of one who had settled the whole
business with wave of his hand.
sss Z = That does the reb mean 2" we whis-
nefed to one another.
ggs Can it be possible there is any truth
stlswhat lie says? Do you suppose he
knows anything about it, or that if such
e. movement is contemplated their whole
army knows it 2" asked sergeant who
swAs lying beside me.
Yes, !" I replied, sit may be true.
courier or staff officer. I have read of
one battle In Europe, I have forgotten
where, in which the commanding gen.
oral announced to his army in a general
order that one Of his divisions would be
called upon for q desperate charge"
We felt certain, anyway, that the
rebels were up to some mischief, so
nany hints Of Il had been given and it
wasSoAtilf every where. Occasionally
We hAaxd the clatter of hoofs, but this
NsNali and We regarded this, even, as
omtspQSof move of some kind. Those
o1 who could crawl got to the doors
nuosyndows. We were o sorry look
3G1etof fellows-torn by shot and shell,
xDS1s with blood and dirt, our faces
nd with WEAKNESS and suffering
I; bpt the grand old army of the Poto-
Aontained no men who were moro
|anxions for success. Between us and
our qomrades was an imp assable
gnlf nearly two miles wide, thickly
;atrawed with the dead and dying of both
1ni1, bordered with angry lines in
|lllhe1nd gray impediments to progress
;nore formidable than the waves of the
sseorm-swept sea yet in spite of this we
1pnged - dy to them or in some way to
nan them: of the coming storm. In
xiety, IN agony even, we watched and
waited for hours.
AZ last the signal for onslaught came.
&Mas the sharp report of Whitworth
gun, and as It's echoes died away in the
3iptance We could see thousands of men
efyMhere scrambling for their places
~ theranks and behind the breastworks.
Z Batteries came galloping up from the
right and left, taking position on the
aIdgelAnd Immediately opening fire, and
stat officers were carrying orders in
avery direction. It was an exciting mo-
lent. The portentous silence Of the
morning had been oppressive, and We
we're glad it was now broken. ANY
thing was better than uncertainty. The
rebel captains story was beginning to
be'yeriAed. In short time, emerging
from . struggling forest in the distance,
sss1e, distinctly saw the heads of three COL
nmns Of infantry. Our eyes were now
trained to their utmost to watch the
movements Of this new force. Slowly
4 ~ came ont into the open ground, it
halted and dressed it's lines.
Here and there slight wavering. as
- shaken by the wind, showed they
.zKera afrinninn for action Of6aosa