The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-09-05

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killed. wounded, and captured the day s.
before ct FraxisFs farm. Accordingly;
in order to give the brigade, ! chance %
get together all it, available men, stray
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
tance in the rear Of the right wing,
which early in tho morning began 70
take position ~ rapidly - The dense
pine and scrub oak forests would permit.
30 that the men Of The brigade had . 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
say, on our right.
Finally, late in the afternoon, the Dr.
der for the assault VIZ tiassed along the
right wing, and the deadly work began,
with the preliminary cannon shots and
thoving forward Of skirmishers, and
instantly , crash and yell arose
Gas II the 6ends from heaven that fell
Had pealed the banner cry Of hell"-
o. the first line Of the oonfederatea
swept forward in the charge.
In order to properly appreciate the
desperation of this battle Il is necessary
briefly to describe the position held BY
Gen. McClellans army. Tho River
road, which at that time was . very well
built and wide road for that part Of the
country, for couple miles runs along
Malvern hill, which Is = high bluff of 4
hundred feet or 90, and which abruptly
drops into the plain below. Along the
crest the federal general he'd planted
cannon as thickly as could be done Ia
work them effectively. Both OF his
wings were refused, in military parlance,
toward the river, and were protected
| by gunboats so anchored - to obtain q
partial en6lading fire on an assault.
ing force. In fact. the position tax.
en- up by the federal army WA
. natural fortress. 80 to speak.
When, as above stated, battle wa,
joined on the right Kempers brigade
was moved up to be within supporting
distance Of the fighting line, and here
IL remained, sheltered by = point o.
woods through which only an occasional
she'll crashed during the battle. A,
the roar of the battle increased thu
curiosity Of the men to know what wa.
being done became almost frantic,
and numbers, the writer among them
sought permission to "shin up" til,
tallest trees in the vicinity to obtain 9
view of the scene Of action. A goot
view of the plain above described wa,
| ham Nt,kosrnH and - rnsu - ~~.~
ceive that the batteries on the height,
were having things all their own way
The cannon fire Of the confederates wa,
ftful and feeble at that point, while tn
batteries on the heights were in ,
continued roar, which was rapidly
accentuated by the deeper boon
of the heavy artillery of the gun-boat,
as they pitched their "camp kettles" in
to tho opposing lines. Line after lin,
of confederates swept across the plail
with the charging step, but they seldom
attained the foot of the blazing volcano
whose fire they were endeavoring t,
quench, and when they came running
back defeated in confused mass, thei
retreat was even more disastrous (,
them than their orderly advance. Ani
this useless hurting Of these devoted
brigades against q position even NOR
impregnable than Marye's heights a
Fredericksburg continued at interval
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 fred twool
three rounds.
From time to time flying abide
camps, as they dashed by US, woult
shout. "All going we'll on the right.
"Their left wing is doubled up." "Jack
son is driving them, and 80 on, but To-
the life Of us We couldn't see, If all thu
were true, why the sacrifice of mer
plainly visible in the center was necess
ary. Thus matters went on until sun
down, when the brigade was orderet
attention, and we supposed that VI
we're to be ordered into instant action
and from the streams of wounded going
to the rear, and their statements thai
our troops had not gained foot o.
ground and were much used mp, we au.
CURED most unfavorably for the result
should Mcclellan throw forward his LEFT
wing in full force. However, he didn'
do so, and when darkness closed in ".
were ordered to stack arms and go Il
sleep. Save now and then . rafting
volley at various points of the line, tho
musketry had at this time ceased, al
though the batteries shelled the wood
and each other until 8 or 10 O'Clock
when they too were hushed.
We passed into sleep that night will
the unpleasant consciousness that oul
arms had sustained q bloody repulse, ani
that in all probability We should hsv.
another sanguinsry battle on the morrow
with the issue thereof very doubtful. /,
will nOk ha donhkn1 that This fool,nr, ,r,o.