Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-11-23

| slake and the hills to reel as the ter
| rDle thunders re-echoed amongst
| item. For nearly an hour every
conceivable form of ordnance known
te modern gunnery hissed and shrek
ed, whistled and screamed, as it
w.nt forth on it's death-mission till
exhausted by excitement and heat
the gunners Stacked their fire and ST.
lence reigned again.
| Then Pickett and his brave legion
stood up and formed for the death
struggle; three remnants of brigades
consisting of Garnett's brigade =
the Sth, 18th, 10Th, 2Sth, seth Vlr-
ginia; Armistead's brigade the 9th,
14th- 3sth, SD, 57th Virginia Kem-
per's brigade the Let, Sd, 7th,
18th, oath Virginia. Their tattered
flags bore the scars of score of bat
ties and from their ranks the merci-
less bullet had taken already two
thirds their number. In compact
ranks, their front scarcely covering
two of Hancock's brigades, with
flags waving as if for a gala-day,
Gen. Pickett saluted Longstreet and
asked, 'sShall I 90 forward, sir?"
but i was not in Longstreet's heart
to send those heroes of so many bat
ties to certain death and he turned
away his head,-when Pickett with
that proud, impetuous air which has
carmel HIM the title of the ''Ney" of
the Rebel army, exclaimed, "Sir! |
shall lead my division forward p The
orders now rang out, "AttenttOn E!
Attention '' and the men, realizing
the end was near, cried out to their
comrades, "Good-by, boys! good
BY" Suddenly rang on the air the
final order from Pickett himself, as
his sabre flashed from its scabbard.
-''column forward guide centre ~
And the brigades of Kemper. Gar
nett and Armistead moved towards
Cemetery Ridge as one man. Soon
Pettigrew's division emerged from
the woods and followed in echelon on
Pickett left flank, and Wilcox with
his Alabama division moved out to
support his right fank-in all about
fifteen thousand men. The selection
of these supports shows lack of
Judgment which it would almost seem
impossible for Lee to have made.
Pettigrew's division was composed
mostly of new troops from North
Carolina and had been terribly used
up in the first days fight, and were
in no condition to form part of a
forlorn hope. Wilcox's troops had
also received severe punishment in
the second days engagement in his
attack on the Ridge and should have
been replaced by fresh well-tried
brigades. But the movement had
now begun and Lee with his generals
about him watched anxiously for the
result.
1t was nearly mile to the Unior
lines, and as they advanced over the
open plain the Federal artillery open.
ed again, ploughing great lanes thro
their solid ranks, but they closed nE
to guide centre as if upon dress
parade; when half way over Picket
halted his division amidst a terrible
fire of shot and she'll. and changed
his direction 10y an ohlique move
ment coolly and beautifully made
But here occurred the greatest mis-
take Of all. Wilcox paid no alten
ton to tins change of movement, bu
kept straight OH to the front, thu:
opening tremendous gap betweeI
the two columns and exposing Pick
ett's right to all the mishaps tina
afterwards overlook it. To those
who have ever faced artillery fire i
is marvellous and unexplainable how
human beings could have advanced {
mile under the terrific fire Of a hun
dred cannon, every inch of air being
, laden with the missiles of death; bu
, in splendid formation they still came
, hravely on till within range of th'
musketry: then the blue line of Han
cocks corps arose and poured int
their ranks a murderous fire. Will
a wild yell the rebels pushed on. un
) falteringly crossed the Federal lin
l and laid hands upon eleven cannon
: Men fired in each others faces
t there were bayonet thrusts, cuttins
: with sabres, hand to hand contests
: oaths, yells, curses and hurrahs
! The second corps fell back behint
the guns to allow the use o
/ grape and double canister, and as i
4 tore through the rebel ranks at onl,
few PAGES distant the dead ant
e wounded were piled in CHASTITY heaps
9 Still on they came up to the yer,
f muzzles of the guns; they wer
e blown away from the cannon's moutl
e but they did not waver. Pickett hat
/ taken the key to the position and tn
I glad shout of victory was heard, as
e the very impersonation of soldier
/ he still forced his troops to the cres
e of Cemetery Ridge. Kemper ant
e Armistead broke through Hancock
S line, scaled the hill and planted thei
: flags on its crest. Just before Arm
: istead was shot, he placed his fla,
1 upon captured cannon and crie'
f 'Give them the cold steel. boys !!
: but vdlor could do no more; th
k handful of braves had won immortal
l.