Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1886-06-10
y1iraiaia free gress.
OharIesto,on, Jefferson County, Vest Y
June 10, 1886.
BRATEsT OF THE BRAVE.
Picketts Marrelous Charge at Gettys-
burg.

Boston Trarelcr.
Mr.. Charles A. Patch, in the Bay State
Monthly, gives an account of the Confeder-
ate attack on Cemetery He'll, on the third
day of the battle at Gettysburg, from which
we copy as follows;
Lee called a council of his generals at
Longstreets headquarters, and the plan of
attack was formed 1t is said that the lev
el-headed Longstreet opposed the plan, re-
markable so it was but in keeping with his
remarkable generalship. The attack was
to be opened with artillery fire to demoral.
ize and batter the Federal line, and was to
be opened by signal of two shots from the
Washington ARTILLERY. At l.30 the report
of the first gun rang out on the still, sum-
mer air, followed minute later by the sec
ond, and then GENE the roar and flash of
1873 rebel cannon.
Almost Immediately 100 Federal guns
responded and the battle had begun. Shot
and shell tore through the air, crushing
through batteries, tearing men and horses
to pieces the very earth seemed to shake
and the hills to reel at the terrible thunders
re-echoed amongst them. For nearly an
hour every conceivable form of ordnance
known to modern gunnery hissed and
shrieked, whistled and screamed, as it went
forth on its death mission till exhausted by
excitement and heat the gunners slackened
their fire and silence reigned again.
Then Pickett and his brave legion stood
up and formed for the death struggle; three
remnants of brigades, consisting of Garnetfs
brigade-the Eighth Eighteenth, Nine
teenth, Twenty-eighth, Fifty.sixth, Vir-
ginia Armistead's brigade-the Ninth,
Fourteenth, Thirty-eighth, Fifty-third,
Fity-seventh Virginia; Kemper's brigade
the First, Third, Seventh, Eleventh,
Twenty Fourth Virginia. Their tattered
flags bore the scars of score of battles, and
from their ranks the merciless bullet had
already taken two.thirds their number.
In compact ranks, their front scarcely
covering two of HancocEs brigades, with
flags waving as if for a gala day, General
Pickett saluted Longstreet and asked "Shall
| go forward, sr?" But it was not in
Longstreets heart to send those heroes Of
so many battles to certain death, and he
turned away his head-when Pickett, with
that proud, impeiuous, air which has earned
him the title of the "Ney" of the rebel
army, exclaimed, "Sir shall lead my di-
vision forwardw The orders now rang out,
attention Attention. and the men,
realizing the erd was near, cried out TO
their comrades, "Good-by. boys, Good-by y
Suddenly rang out on the air the final or
der from Pickett himself, and his sabre
flashed from its scabbard, Column for
ward Guide centre :" And the brigades OF
Kemper. Garnett and Armlstead moved
toward Cemetery Ridge as one man. Soon
Pettigrew's division emerged from the woods
and followed in echelon on Picketts left
flank, and Wilcox with his Alabama divis-
ion moved out to support his right flank
in all about 5000 men.
The selection of these supports shows a
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. Wlcox's troops had also re-
ceived very severe punishment in the sec
ond days engagement in his attack on the
Ridge, and should have been replaced by
fresh, well-tried brigades. But the move
ment had now begun, and Lee with his
generals about him watched anxiously for
the result
1t was nearly mile to the Union lines,
and as they advanced over the open plain
the Federal artillery opened again, plowing
great lanes through their solid ranks, but
they closed up to guide centre" as if upon
dress parade; when half way over, Pickett
halted his division amidst terrible fire Of
shot and shell, and changed his direction
by an oblique movement coolly and beauti-
fully made.
But here occurred the greatest mistake Of
all. Wilcox paid no attention to this change
of movement, but kept straight on to the
front, thus opening a tremendous gap be
tween the two columns and exposing Pick
ett's right to all the mishaps that afterwards
overlook it. To those who have ever faced
artillery fire it is marvellous and unexplain-
able how human beings could have advanc-
ed mile under the terrible fire Of hun
dred cannon, every inch Of air being laden
with the missiles of death but in splendid
formation they still came bravely on till
within range Of the musketry; then the
blue line of Hancock's CORPS arose and
poured into their ranks murderous fire.
Xv;,k a ,r;id vail the rebels nushed an nm.