Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-10-24
PIOKETT'S CHARGE.
AcoNFEpERATE,s RECOLLECTION OF
THE THIRD DAY AT GETTYSBURG.
opening the BaIl-Forty Minutes Of
Dreadful Din-"Column
Guide Observation-Disclosures on the
neutrality-suspicious..


fCol. W.. M. Owen in United Service Magazine
Longstreet had fought up to the Emmitts-
burg turnpike, and the fields were streWn
with the dead of both armies. PIcketts
division had just arrived from Chambers
burg, where it had been left to destroy q
railroad, and was : now in line. A strange
silence prevailed in both armies. The
erals occupied the crest of Cemetery hill
and Little Round Top, and the officers upon
each line of battle looked at each other
across the intervening space through their
field glasses. We were with the artillery
officers, sitting upon our horses, In q little
oak grove near the peach orchard, await
ing the opening of the fray, when a
courier rode up and handed Col.
Walton a dispatch. 1t was from Gen. Long
street, requesting Col Walton to come
to him where he had established headquar-
ters on the field. We put our horses to a
gallop, and when We reached the spot lndl
Gated met there several division com
manders and Gen. r. E. Lee.
A plan Of attack was being discussed,
which was finally concluded as follows: AT
a given sigual-which was to be the firing
Of two guns by the Washington artillery at
the peach orchard-all OF the Confederate
guns III pOSlbkOu WclO W. OPOh uPSA tAo
enemy's position, to prepare the way by
battering them for our infantry to advance
to the attack. The assaulting column was
to consist of Pickett's division, supported
on its left by Heth's division of A. p. HILLS
corps, and upon its right by Wilcox's
division.
OPENING H BALI.
Returning to the position of the Wash
ington artillery, we all quietly awaited the
order to open the ball. At 1:31 p. m. a
courier dashed up in great haste. holding in
his hand a little slip Of paper. torn evil
IDENTIFY from q memorandum-book on which,
written In pencil and addressed to Col. Wal
ton, was the following:
HEADQUARTERS, July s. 1853 COLONEL:
Let the batteries open. Order great care
and precision in firing. II the batteries at
the peach orchard cannot be used against
the point we intend attacking, let them
open on the enemy on the rocky hill Most
respectfully, j. LoNGSTREET,
Lieutenant General Commanding.
The order to fire the signal guns was i'm
mediately communicated to Maj. Eshleman,
commanding the Washington artillery, and
the report of the first gun rang out upon
the still summer air. There was a moments
delay with the second gun, a friction primer
having failed to explode. 1t was but a little
space of time, but 100, 900 MOI were listen
ing. Finally a puff of smoke was seen at
the peach orchard, then came q roar and q
flash, and 1873 pieces of Confederate artillery
opened upon the enemy's position, and the
deadly work began with the noise of heav-
lest thunder, echoing and re -echoing among
the hills and valleys of Pennsylvania.
The Federal artillery, numbering almost
as many guns as the Confederates, replied
Immediately, and the battle of the 81 of
July had opened. Shot and she'll tore
through the air and plowed great burrows
in the fields, and crashed through batteries,
tearing to pieces men and horses. Lee,
with the flower of the >outhern army, flushed
with the late victories at fredericksburg
and Charlottesville, looked on and calmly
awaited the dreadful shock.
PIcKETT'S vIRGINIANS.
For forty minutes the dreadful din con.
tinued, until the ~cannoneers exhausted
with their work, and almost fainting from
the heat of that July day, being ordered to
cease firing, slackened the fire, and finally
hardly q gun was heard from either COM
batants. Then Pickett's brave Virginians-
heroes of many battles-stood up and formed
for the assault, their gallant commander
riding up and down their lines, talking
calmly to his officers and men. But Long
street could not bear to give the order to
throw these me- across the plain and
against the breastworks of the enemy, and
when at last Pickett said: "Shall I go for
ward, sir?" Longstreet turned away his
head. Then Pickett, proudly and impetu-
ously, said, with the air Of an old crusader,
"Sir. 1 shall lead my division forward"
The loud orders from the officers now
rung out, "Attention! attention." and the
brave fellows, realizing the hot work before
them. could be heard calling out to friends
and comrades a few files from them, "Good-
bye, boys! good-bye!" Suddenly the final
order came from Pickett himself, who, SUI
perbly mounted, and his long hair waving
under bis kept, seemed the very incarnation
of war. "Column forward! guide c~enterl"
and the brigades Of Kemper, Armistead and
Garnett moved forward in common time,
their gay battle flags fluttering over their
heads as they passed over the greensward.
1t was neatly a mile they had to charge,
and the enemy's artillery, again opening,
made great gaps in the ranks, which were
closed up as fast as made.
Heth's division. under Gen. Pettigrew,
now emerged from the timber, and followed
Pickett on his left flank and in echelon.
Wilcox moved out upon his right. Pickett's
lines were seen to halt, and under a tre-
mendous fire he changed his dire ction by an
oblique movement, beautifully, coolly and
deliberately made. They then advanced
again, and the Confederate artillery re-
opened upon the enemy, firing over the
heads OF the advancing lines.
FEDERALS ON THE FLANK.
Forward the brave Virginians went until
et 1acf fhau - xuifhty, m 80 A. ExJ
eral infantry behind the stone walls on
Cemetery hill. Then the blue line arose.
and with loud cheers poured q deadly fire
into the Confed crate ranks. The Confed-
crates responded with q wild yell and
pushed on unfalteringly. Now a body of
Federals were seen emerging from a clump
of trees on the left of Pettigrew's North
Carolinians. Taken by surprise, they fall
tered, staggered and fell back, as the best
troops will do when realizing they are taken
at disadvantage.
Picketts men had crossed the Federal
lines and had laid their hands upon eleven
OF the enemy's cannon, and were in the full
flush OF victory, when ne W. came to Pickett
from Longstreet, conveyed by Col. Latrobe,
OF his staff, whose horse was shot under him
as he crossed the field, of the disaster that
had befallen his supports. He galloped back
to try and rally the fugitives, but all in
vain--they could not form under that storm
OF shot, she'll and bullets. Then. finding
himself unsupported, each of his TANKS
assailed, his generals. Kemper, ArmiAtead
and Garnett, and all of his field officers
killed or wounded, his men falling by scores
around him. he threw away his empty pistol,
and, with his great soldier heart almost
breaking. he gave his orders for his remain
ing braves to fall back.
The Dukes Accomplishments
The duke of Edinburgh is a yery fair
fiddler. but a very poor farmer, having lost