Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-10-21
PICKETT'S CHARGE.
A coNFEoERATE's RECOLLECTION OF
THE THIRD DAY AT 6ETTYSBu &c
Opening the Bali-Forty Minutes OF
Dreadful Dlp-" Column Forward
Guide Centeri"-Fetlsralso on the
Flank Disaster Retreat.

Ilahh
lCol W. w. owen IN United Service Magazinsl
Longstreet h al fought up to the Emmitts-
burg tur ipike. and the tells we're strewn
with the dead OF both armies Picketts
division had in / arrived from Chambers
burg. where it hal been left to destroy
railroad, and was now in line A strange
silence Or vailed in both armies. The Fed
erals occupied the crest Of Cemetery hill
and Little Rpuul Top, and the officers upon
each line OF battle looked at each other
across tue intervening space through their
field glasseS We were with the artillery
OIL erS, st ing upon our horses, in q little
oak grove near the peach orchard await
ing the opening If the fray. wlen n
courier role up AMI hanled Col.
Walton a dispatch. II was from G'n l. 'ug-
street, reque sting Col Walton to come
TO him where he hal established healquar-
ter, ON tue fell. We put our horses 20
gallnp, ani when we reached the spot indi-
cat.i met there several division com
nun Ter, AMI q IL K +. Lee
A plan Of alta was bein. discuSso |,
which was finally concluded rs follows; At
given ,gual-which was to be tue firing
Of two gun by the Washington artillery at
the peach orchard-ill q, the COME ierate
guns IN position were t. open upn the
tnsmy's 10 itiou. t. prepare the way by
battering them for our infantry to advance
ID the attack. The assuring column was
to cUn.i,t OF Prckett's division, supported
on il, lett by Hath', division 4 A. T. Hilrs
corps, and upon it, right by Wllcox's
division.
OPENING THE BALI.
/ Returning to the p sit IN 81 the Wash
ington art lIery. We al queriy awaited the
order opsn tn b.lL A l,3i p IN. q
courier la,u,I up il great IA - A,Uliug in
his han a little lip of paper, toru evil
/ IDENTIFY from a memorandum Iuk. IN which,
written In pencil anl adore, el T. Col. W al
ton, wa, the following;
hEADQrARTERs. July s. 1873 -CoLONEL:
/ let thu atJerIe, upst. Orler great care
aud precision IN t,rlug. Ii the bait 'rieS at
the psAcl rcuRrd cannot be usei against
the point we intent attacking, let them
open II the enemy on the r. XIV hlll. Most
respectfully, j. LoN">TkEEr'
Lieutenant General Commanding
The order TO lire the signal guns wa. i'm.
meiiately communicated To Maj. E'hleman,
commanding the Washington artillery, an
the rep ut Of the first gun rang out upon
the still summer air There was m msnts
delay with tue second gun a trlcti n. primer
having failed to expo !e. IL wa but a little
space OF time, but lOJ 900 men were listen.
Ing. Finally n puff Of SUI Ike wa zen al
the peach orchard. then came roar AMI
fash, anl l3S pieces Of Confederate ar illsry
opened upon the enemy's position, anl the
deadly work began with the noi"e OF heay-
lest thunder, echoing and re -echoing among
the hills and valleys Of Pennsylvania
The Federal artillery, numbering almost
as many guns as the Confederate, replied
immed ately, and the battle Of thu "a Of
July nri opened. Shot and she'll tore
through the uir and ploweI great furrow.
in the tisl IL, aud crashed through batteries,
tearing 10 pieces men All horses Lee
with the flower OF the outhern army flushed
with tie ate victories at elerlci,burg
and Charlottesville, looked on All calmly
AWAITED the dreadful shock.
PICKETT'S yIRGINIANS.
For forty minutes the dTsa lIul din con-
tnuei, until the canuonsers. exhausted
with their work, aul almost fainting from
TIE heat OF that July day, being orderet 10
cease firing, slackenel the ire, ami finally
hardly a gun was hearl from either cm.
batants Then Pickstt's brave NIrginians-
heroes Of many battle TODD up anl form d
for the assault, their gallant commsn Ter
riding up and down their lines, talking
calmly to his officers AMI men But Long
street could not bear TO give the order u
throw these men across the plain ald
against the braastw0rks of the enemy and
wnen at last Pickett said "Shll 90 fpr
ward, .ir,' Longstreet tprnl away hi
head. Thon Pickett, prou lily and impetr.-
ously, said, with the air OF an old cru ader,
"Sr, / shall lead my division forward
The loud orders fr, the Ulcers now
ruug out Attention. attention. and the
brave fellows realizing the hyt work before
them could be Leirl calling out 10 friends
AMI c1lnra les a few files from them 60 NJ
bye, bOy,l gool-by Sud ienly the final
order came from Pickett him,ef, who, u.
perbly mounted, AMI his long hair waving
under bis kept, seemed the very incarnation
OF war, Column forward guile center!"
and the brigadss OF hsmpeT Armstead and
Garnet moved forward in common time.
their gay battle flags huttering over their
heads As they pl,ssd over the greeuswarl.
Il was neatly a mile they had to charge,
and the enemys artillery, again opening.
made great gaps in the ranks, which were
closed up as fat as made
Heth's division. under Cen Pettigrew,
now emerged from the timber. and FOLLOWED
Pickett on his left flank and in echel n.
Wilcox IN wed out upon his right Pickett.
lines were seen TO halt and under a tire.
mendous fire be changed his direction by an
oblique movement, beautifully, coolly an
deliberately made. They then advanced
again, and the Confederate artillery r..
opened upon the enemy, firing over tine
heals o the advancing lines
FEDERAlS on THE FLANK.
Forward the brave Virginlans wsnt until
at last they were within range u the Fed.
eral infantry behind the stone walls on
Cemetery hill Then tho blue line arose,
and with loud cheers poured a deadly fire
into the COnfsd crate ranks. The COnfO1-
crates responded with a wild yell and
pushed on unfalteringly. Now a body OF
Federal, 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 a al advantage
Pickett'- men hal crotsel the Federal
lines Rnl had lad their hands upon eleven
Of be enemy's cannon, and were In the full
flush II victory, when news came to Pickett
from Lon sstrcet, conveyed by Col Latrobe,
of bis staff, whose horse was shOt under him
as he crossed the field, OF the disaster tina,
had betslen his suppOrtL lie ghllope1 back
| To try uni rally tue fuyitiyrs but all Ia