Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-08-29
FRIGHTFUL CARNAGE.

ArNuery-Otsc0mdtu OF Lee, Jackson
and Iongstrees. .I s.
Letter to Washington Republican. e
In q former letter, published in The
Republican, the writer stated that the
brigade to which he belonged (Kemper's
of Longstreet's grand division) had been
defeated and more than decimated in
killed, wounded, and captured the day
before at Frazier's farm. Accordingly,
in order to give the brigade, achance to
get together all it's available men, strag-
glers, cooks, and even baggage guards
who had been left behind--all were to
take their places in the ranks, for the
coming battle-it was placed good dis
lance in the rear of the right wing,
which early in the morning began to
take position as rapidly as the dense
pine and scrub oak forests would permit.
So that the men Of the brigade had a 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 forth--that is to
soy, on our right.
Finally, gin the afternoon, the Or
der for the assault was passed along the
right wing, and the deadly work began,
with the preliminary cannon shots and
thowing forward OF skirmishers, and
instantly crash and yell arose
''As If the fiends from heaven that fell
Had pealed the banner CITY Of help
swept forward in the charge.
In order to properly appreciate the
desperation of this battle it is necessary
briefly to describe the position held by
Gen. McClellan's army. The River
road, which at that time was very we'll
built and wide road for that part Of the
country, for couple miles runs along
Malvern hill, which is a high bluff of
hundred feet or So 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 we're refused, in military parlance,
toward the river, and were protected
by gunboats so anchored as to obtain
partial enflading fire on al assault
ing force. In fact. the position TAX
en- up by the federal army was
8 natural fortress. so to speak.
When, as above stated, battle was
joined on the right Kelnper's brigade
was moved up to be within supporting
distance Of the fighting line, and here
it remained, sheltered by a point Of
woods through which only m 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 a
view Of the scene OF action. A good
view of the plain above described was
here obtained, and it was easy to per-
ceive that the batteries on the heights
were having things all their own way.
The cannon fire of the confederates was
fitful and feeble at that point, while tho
batteries on the heights were in o.
accentuated by the deeper boom
of the heavy artillery of the gun-boats
as they pitched their "camp kettles" in
to the opposing lines. Line after line
of confederates swept across the plain
with the charging step, but they seldom
attained the foot of the blazing volcano
whose fire they were endeavoring to
quench, and when they came running
back defeated in confused mass, their
retreat was even more disastrous to
them than their orderly advance. And
this useless hurting of these devoted
brigades against a position even more
tl,or te, -
Fredericksburg continued at intervals
until the sun went down. The confed
crate batteries, which succeeded in de-
ploying from the woods onto the plain,
we're invariably knocked into smithe-
reens by the time they had fired twoor
three rounds.
From time to time flying aid de-
camps, rs they dashed by us, would
shout, cali going we'll on the right.
"Their left wing is doubled up" "Jack-
son is driving them" and so on, but for
the life Of swe couldn't see, if all this
were true, WHY the sacrifice Of men
plainly visible in the center was necess-
airy. Thus matters went On until sun
down, when the brigade was ordered
Alteration, 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 II foot of
ground and were much used up, we au-
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 80 to
sleep. Save now and then s. rattling
voaley at various points Of the line, the
musketry had ct this time ceased, al
though the batteries shelled the woods
and each other until 8 or 10 o'clock,
when they too were hushed.
We passed into sleep that night with
the unpleasant consciousness that our
arms had sustained a bloody repulse, and
that in all probability we should have
another sanguinary battle on the morrow
with the issue thereof very doubtful. It
will not be doubted that this feeling was
somewhat camper upon our martial
enthusiasm. l e
' The next morning at sun up we received
the welcome intelligence that the federal
army had reiterated: from it's strong
position in the night. As our brigade
was il reserve the day before, it was or
dered into what might be termed a tech
nical pursuit--yery technical, indeed, it
proved to be, MS no very energetic at
tempt was made SO far as i could see to
tackle the rear guard Of the retreating
army. In order to gain the line of re-
treat the brigade, followed by the other
brigades Of the division, made deto11r,
Z passed over the road through the
j pines leading into the plain. Here