River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-04-10
REBELLION ECHOES.
Longstreet's Desperate Charge at the
Battle Of Gettysburg-Described by a
Soldier Who Witnessed it from Behind
the Scenes.

the Scenes.
From the Boston Journal
The famous charge of Longstreet's
corps on the third day at Gettysburg
has been often described, and it is bet
ter understood, probably, than any 9th
er great battle scene of the civil war. It
IS therefore not my purpose in this arti-
Gle to give anything like general de-
scription of the movement, but simply
to speak of it as seen by little party
of men belonging to the first corps,
who were wounded in the first days fight
among whom it was my fortune to be
cast. We were placed hors de
combat on the crest of Semi
nary Ridge, afterward the key of the
confederate position. When our troops
fell back we were left where We fell, and
were therefore obliged to accept the
Inequalities OF the enemy. OF their
abilities as entertainers / do not care to
speak. Neither will it prove agreeable
to awaken toe many of the recollections
of that terrible experience. 1t would
require the pen of Dante to cover the
whole ground. Therefore, as was once
said by one doubtless more familiar with
the writings of Dante than am, eve
will lave all that go.
On the third day, when preparations
were being made for the coup de main,
our little party occupied house within
tho rabaI I;pne q eborf 1iofapoa from tho
spot where Longstreet formed
his attacking column. Not having
had our wounds properl.' attended
to, and being almost wholly without
food, it can readily be seen that our
situation was anything but pleasant.
And yet, bad as this was, we we're COM
PEELED to endure something a 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 were simply passing and re-
passing in the line of duty. If so, to
them | make the amende honorable, but
toward the skulkers, felt then and en-
terrain still nothing but the deepest
contempt Among the buster to which
we were 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 a half, while his regiment,
the eighth Georgia, was preparing to
advance with the attacking column.
sob, give us a restl" cried an indig-
nant boy in blue, lying helpless upon
the floor: what do you know about it ?"
AZ know this about it, Yank. In a little
while you'll hear big gun. That's on
" the 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
left 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.
"What does the reb mean?" we whis-
peEed to one another.
"Can it be possible there is any truth
In what he SAYS? Do you suppose he
knows anything about it, or that if such
movement Is contemplated their whole
army knows tt" asked a sergeant who
was lying beside me-
Yes" / replied. sit may be true.
Perhaps he has got his news from some
courier or staff officer. / have read of
one battle in Europe l have forgotten
where, in which the commanding gen
eral announced to his army in a general
order that one of his divisions would be
called upon for desperate charge"
We felt certain, anyway, that the
rebels were up to some mischief, so
many hints of it had been given and it
was so still every where. Occasionally
we heard the chatter of hoofs, but this
was all; and we regarded this, even, as
ominous of amove of some kind. Those
of us who could crawl got to the doors
and windows. We were sorry look
ing set offellows-tornb by shot and she'll
covered with blood and dirt, our faces
haggard with WEAKNESS and suffering
but the grand old army of the Poto-
mac contained no men who were more
anxious for success. Between us and
our comrades was an imp assable
gun nearly TWO lllieS WlUt, billCAiS
strewed with the dead and diving of both
armies, bordered with angry lines in
blue and gray-impediments to progress
more formidable than the waves of the
storm-swept sea-yet in spite of this we
Ionged to fly to them or in some way to
warn them of the coming storm. In
anxiety, in agony even, We watched and
waited for hours.
At last the signal for onslaught came.
Is was the sharp report of a WhitwOrth
gun, and as It's echoes died away in the
distance we could see thousands of men
everywhere scTambling for their places
in the ranks and behind the breastworks.
Batteries came galloping up from the
right and left, taking position ON the
ridge and Immediately opening fire, and
staff officers were CARRYING orders in
every direction. 1t was an exciting mo-
ment The portentous silence OF the
morning had been oppressive, and we
were glad it was now broken. Any
thing was better than uncertainty. The
rebel captains story was beginning to
be verified. In short time, emerging
from struggling forest in the distance,
we distinctly saw the heads of three col
Tmns of infantry. Our ewes were now
strained to their utmost to watch the
movements of this new force. Slowly
it came out into the open ground, it
halted and dressed its lines.
Here and there slight wayering. as
if shaken by the wind, showed they
were stripping for action. Officers
were riding up and down and in and
out among them, and their wild cheers
showed they were determined to do or
die. They waved their hats and caps
above their heads, rs if in answer to
the appeals of their leaders. All this
time we did not speak to each other, so
intently were we Watching the enemy
Se. held our breath and waited, each
bt,t with his own thoughts. After a
vii y the great entering wedge"
moS'N forward Then cheers and wells
broN,but all along the line of battle. 1t
was scene which for grandeur and
herolc'nterest was never before equaled
on this ointment, and how mighty were
the int-ests involved The fate of the
republic itself-aye, more. the progress
of mankld-hung trembling in the bal
ance.
I had ften seen great bodies of
troops In loSion. but never anything
like that itAdily with the regularity