River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-02-28
Monterey and Gettysburg.

From the Washington Post.
s'Iadies and gentlemen" said Gen
Van Viliet at Hon. Horatio Kings re.
ception, recently, 81 think our kind hos
has made faux pas in asking me to tel
you about Monterey and bow it was cap
tured. am very bashful man and
never before stood up before SO many
| ladies. / can manage one very well, al
though even small one will beat me al
10 pieces. They are the best critics 9
man ever he'd, though they can't vote,
and my friend here, the solicitor Of the
treasury, says they can't command q
steamboat. Arms have always had a
great fascination for LADIES' mean feats
of arms.
You all know, or have read, that on
September 10, Gen, Taylor sat down be-
fore the fortified City of Monterey with
$500 men while inside there were 10,00l
men undar Gen. Lemdudie, besides
thousands Of citizens who were quasi
soldiers. Gen Worth, in who e division
was, was sent to cut the Saltetlia road
road, thus hemming in Monterey. Then
the serious work began. After stormins
Federal Hill and taking the Bishops
palace, which was done by Gen. Childs
we took the Plaza del Carna, about 800
wards off the Grand Piazza, where Lam
pudia was. We who had been storminf
| the batteries, were ordered off to join
| Gen. Childs in the grand attack. A
heavy fire was kept up by the Mexicani
| from the housetops, and the streets Were
very narrow. So we had to enter the
houses and make our way through
the partition walls. While making
| this difficult entry we were Joined by
| Col. Walker with 200 Texans, who
crossed the street under the heavy fire
and no one hurt but mule. With nay
company / had crowbars and pick-axes
and with these we made a hole in the
wall; if anv one appeared to be on the
other side we Just threw shell in. Then
we went on the ROOFS which were two
stories from the ground and had par
apets about two feet high, pierced with
holes for letting the rain out. AT each
hole a Mexican had been stationed, and
there they lay, most of them shot dead
by the Texans, who fred up through
the opening. When one was found
wounded the Texans would Just pitch
him over into the street.
"When we we're within fifty yards Of
the citadela Mexican major jumped over
the walls with a white flag IN his hand.
| ordered firing to stop and asked him
what he wanted He said they were
ready to surrender Ten thousand men
laid down their arms. and that was the
end of the battle of Monterey.
''You want TO know something about
the last charge of the confederates at
Gettysburg Well, | was not there, but
I heard little piece OF inside history
from the man who led that charge. After
7 aref. arffa a
confederate officers sent home. Many
came To me at New York, where ] was
stationed to get passes. Among them
was Gen. Pickett, who was an old friend
of mine at West Point
'sHe compounded the famous charge
at Gettysburg, and went on to tell me
how it came to be made. Lee ordered
it. and the troops We're picked and de-
tailed. Pickett formed them in solid
column and rode about them, seeing
that everything was just as 1t should pc
for critical work He could not make
the charge without direct orders. Gen.
Iongstreet was in command. and TO MN
Pickett went. He found him sitting on
the top of a rail fence, with slouch nat
on and whiting stick
ssCieneral, my command Is formed
and / only await my orders NO
answer being returned he returned 70
his troops, rode about them and back
again to his commander. Longstreet
had not moved and gave no reply to his
request for orders to charge. a third
time he came and said: General, /
come again TO report my command
ready for duty shall J make that charge
The only reply was q bow ir5m Cen.
Longstreet.
I'll knew the result "a tnat charge,
the flower Oft lie Confederate srmy Wa
cut to pieces. The reason for Long
streets delay was. Gen. Pickett thought,
that he did not approve the movement