The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-06-04
AND DEMOCRAT, BLOOMsBURG COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA. /,

the hill in long dark lines and broad dark
masses. A blue flash Of smoke bursts now
and then among them, "A horse or a man,
or a half dozen go down, and then the
whirlwind sweeps on. The hill is carried
but can 1t be held The rebel guns from
an adjoining and higher hill pour down an
angry tempest OF shell among Burnsidc's
guns and men.
A rebel battle line is formed on the crest
of this same hill and moves down its side
on bayonet charge, in regular orders;
though met by incessant discharges of
musketry, it charges straight for the Union
troops. But before plunging into those
hostile masses there is halt-the left
wavers, breaks and fees. A confederate
reinforcement comes up, and then those
two contending masses surge to and fro,
on that hill side, in angry turmoil. The
glass of Nc Clellan, the commander-in-chief
is riveted to the spot. He sees Burnside
is pressed. His face grows dark with
| anxious thought. In response to an appeal
for aid from Burnside, he turns to the
messenger and slowly says "Tell Gener-
al Burnside that this is the battle Of the
war. lie must hold his ground till dark,
at any cost. l will send him Miller's bat
terry. can do nothing more. have no
infantry" The sun had already gone
down. But half an hour of daylight re-
mained, and in that half hour, the vindictive
cannonade of the rebels died away, and
the Union forces slept that night on field
won by their valof and covered with the
dead and wounded OF the enemy.
The first decisive blow had been given
to the army of the rebellion in its attempts
| to invade the north. This battle has there
fore been called the "forerunher of Gettys.
burg"
1t was here that 'panic and desperation
seized upon the leaders of the rebellion
which resulted In overwhelming defeat on
Pennsylvania soil"
And it may be interesting to us to-day to
| know that two of the most decisive blows
| struck at rebellion, were delivered by two
Pennsylvanians, George B. Mcclellan at
Antietam and Winfield Scott Hancock at
Gettysburg, serving under that other and
greater Pennsylvania, Geo. G. Meade.
But however gratifying 1t may be to
know these facts it is none the less sad to
contemplate that to-day, for the first time,
the graves of these two distinguished
soldiers will be decorated along with the
many thousands of their, less illustrlous
| companions in arms.
But the memory of "Hancock the sup
erb" and "Little Mac" beloved of the CON-
| mon soldier, will ever be cherished in the
hearts of Americas faithful citizens.
But there is one other soldier of the re-
belion whose life-blood slowly ebbed.away
within the past few months, whose name
and fame extends far beyond all other
generals of the war. He, the coequal OF
Napoleon in deeds of arms, will go down
| into history as the Caesar of the, e,nineteenth
century.
And to day the fond thoughts of many
| sorrowfully turn to that lonely sepulchre
| in Riverside Park, on the banks Of the
Hudson, the last resting place of all that is
mortal of Ulysses s. Grant.
Thus it is the soldiers OF the rebellion are
passing away, and with them the old
sectional jealousies.
AS many garlands are woven to-day for
the gray as for the blue, and justly so.
For they were all Americans equal in
deeds of valor-equally beloved by wife
and mother-and equally missed from the
quiet firesides of home.
And to-day on Northern and Southern
battle fields impartial hands will pay low
ing tribute to the memory Of all.
And all these things took place, and this
broad Union was preserved, and the light
and the shadow of earth changed places,
because two million Union soldiers said
Go this way and not that"