The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-02-16
Inandci.,
AT

town, the place where his grandfather, one
hundred years before, had started to escort
one Thousand Hcss'an prisoners Of BurgOyne's
army to Valley Forge, when Gen. Meade sent
him an order to hasten to :he front and as
sumo command Ut tho troops there. The
report had reached Meade nf the fall Of Gen.
Reynolds, and the check and rcpulse of the
advance, ana his mind ut once turned to Gen.
Hancock us the man above all others best
qualified to replace Reynolds and restore
order t" the head OF the army. Hancock was
not the ranking General, but in the critical
state of affairs Meade, knowing him to be
the best man, did not hesitate to assign
him.
On his way from Tarrytown to the battle
field Gen. Hancock met the ambulance con-
tanning the dead body of Gen. REYNOLDS.
When he arrived on the field he found the
army il contusion, and Il retreat had already
begun. Planting some infantry and batteries
on Cemetery Hill, he threw his whole e:reryv
into the battle and checked the retreat.
Schwrrin and Sake were said to be worth each
Il reinforcement CT 10000 men to an army ::
TorstcnScn WAS rated ut equal to $500, and
the Duke of Wellington said the Arrival of
Napoleon on q battlefield was better reinforce
mcnt ct the French army than :hr accession
Of 10000 frcsl troops. What, then, shall we
say Of Gen. Hancnck's arrival ut the critical
moment on the battlefield OF Gettysburg a
battle that by common consent is DOW adj
mittcd to have decided the fate of the Union
and fixed the final result of the war:
OF Gen. Hancock's individual action at
gettysburg it would require IL volume to tell.
His was really the action of the army. and
Round Top, Culp's Hill and Cemetery Heights
were his creations. He sent word to Gen.
Meade that was the place to fight, and scizing
the favorable positions, with the eye of i con-
summatc general, hung on to them with the
advance until Meade brought up the whole
army and delivered his battle.
THE ARNAT1oS OF WAR.
Hancock was grand and magnificent in the
battle OF Gettysburg and seemed the very in
carnation of war. On the second day he was
at Cemetary Heights during the frigh,iul
cannonadc when Gen. Lee concentrated the
fire OF one hundred and fifty guns on the
Union lines. The air was full of missiles !;
streams of shot and shell screamed and Missed
everywhere it seemed as though nothing
could live under that terrible ire-mcn and
horses were torn limb from limb: cai<sons
exploited one after another in RAPID success
sion, blowing the Eunncrs to pieces. The
sought every shelter that the light cartlworks
afforded. 1t was literally il storm of shot aud
she'll, like the fall of rain drops or the beat of
hailSloneS. Those who had taken part in
every battle OF the war never had seen ANY,
thing like that cannonadc, and the oldes,
soldiers began to be un Easy for the result.
Hundreds and thouS: nd were stricken down ::
the shrrlkS of animals, and screams of wound
ed men were appalling; still the awful rush
ing sound ot lying missiles went on and
apparently never would CEASE. It. was then,
when the iirn'est hearts had begun to quail,
the army Witnessed one OF the grandcs, sights
ever hchcld by any army on earth. Suddenly II
band began % play ''Thc Star Spangicd Ban
ner,' hnd ten. Hancock, with his s:u.f--Mnjor
Mitchell, Capt. Bingham, Capt. Parker and
Capt. EronS"i-witi corps nag ilving in tho
hands of Private Wells, appeared on the right
OF his line uncovered and rode down the
front OF his men tn The left. The soldiers
held their breath, expecting every mumrnt to
see him fall from his horse pierced by IL dozen
bullets, but sill! he rnde on. while the shot
roarcd and crashed around him. every
moment touring great gaps III the ranks By ms
side.
Stormcd at by shot and shell,
boldly he rode, and we'll.
Every Union soldier felt his heart thrill a
nc witnessed the magnificent courage of his
General, and he resolved to do something that
day which would equal it in daring. Ju t AS
Hancock reached the left of his line the Con-
fcdcrate batteries cea> cd to play, and their
infantry were seen emerging from the woods
aud advancing up the hill. Hancock knew the
artillery fire had been Intended TO demoruliy.
his men and cover the advance nf the infantry
which was to make the real attack. Turning
his horse he rode slowly up his line from left
to right, holding his hat in hand, bowling and
smiling t." the troops as they lay fiat on the
ground. Hardly had they reached the right
of the line when the men, who, inspired bv
the courage of their General, could hardly
restrain themselves, received orders tn attack
the advancing ContederatcS. Eighty gun,
which HANCOCK had concentrated opened their
brazcn mouths and streams of blue bullets
flew from the muZzlcS of Union rifles to the
breasts of the COnfederatcS. 1t was an
awful day., and Longstrcet's cold Guard of
the South" melted away like wax under that
terrible fire. Thirty stand of colnrs and an
immense number OF small arms were taken.
Hancock WAS everywhere, riding the storm of
battle as if he bore n charmed life. At last.
just IN the moment of victory, he WAS seen tn
reel III his saddle and would have fallen to the
ground had he not been helped from his horse.
y ball had pierced his thigh, and for a time it
was thought the wound was mortal.
"Tcil Gen. Meade" said Hancock, address
ing his aide, Col. Mitchell, "that The troops
and gained Il great victory. The cnrln. arc
now lying in all directions III my 'front.'"
When the aide delivered this message To
zen. Meade and added his General was dan
ger"lsly wounded, Meade said: "Say to Gen.
Hancock that 1 am sorry lie is wounded aud
that | thank him Tor mysrlf and for the
country Tor the services liz has rendered to-
day"
Gen. Meade afterwards, in commenting on
the battle of Gettysburg, said to Gen. T.. G..
Drum: \ commanding general ever had
a better lieutenant than Hancock. lie was
always faithful and reiiabl :"
In 1867 be was sent by the President to New
Orleans to NINA the States OF Texas and
Louisiana: 1t was this in field OF labor that he
distinguished himself by getting the example
of an othcJr Of the army, with extraordinary
powers, strcnuously insisting upon the entire
subordlnati0n ct military TO civil authority
in time OF peace. Among The military com
manders during the Reconstruction ncriud ne
was conspicuous in this regard, and the posi-
ton then laid down in his general orders and
corresp2ni cnce did more, perhaps, than any
thing else to make him the ideal soldier i'm the
minds of Constitutional Democrats. In 1868 he
tUac rnIiaH-nG NJ hIS ,,yr ,,,,1 .-l =. 1Ucn