The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-07-12

thought with additional emphasis, with SIN
gleness Of heart and OF purpose, in the name
OF common country and OF universal
human liberty, and by the blood Of
our fallen brothers, we unite in the solemn
conservation of those battle hal flowed hills as
a holy eternal pledge of fidelity to the life
freedom and unity OF this cherished repuh
| lie.
ricKErT's FAMOUS CHARGE.
The sublime feature of Gettysburg has al
ways teen conceded to be the almost match
less charge OF Picketts division of Long
streets corps, One OF the best descriptions
OF this eliminating shock is furnished by Mr..
Halstead
1.-THE great, desperate, final charge came
at 4. ThereLels seemed TO have gathered up
all their strength and desperation for one
fierce, cpnvulsive effort that should sweep
over and wash out our obstinate resistance
iney swept up as before-the flower OF their
army to the front, victory staked upon the
issue. In some places they literally life I
up and pushed back our lines but that terrible
position of oursl Wherever they entered it,
entilading fires from half a score Of cresls
swept away their columns like merest chaff,
Broken and hurled back, they elslly fell into
our hands, and, on the centre and left, the
last half hour brought more prisoners than
all the rest. SO it was along the whole line;
but it was on the Cd corps that the flower of
the rebel army was concentrated. 1t was
then that the heaviest shock boat upon and
shook, and even sometimes crumbled, our
lines. We had some shallow rifle pits, with
barricades OF rails from the fences The rebel
lines, stretching away miles TO the le t, in
magnificent array, but strongest here
Picketts 81 lendid division Of Longstreet's
corps in front, the best of A. P. Hills veter-
ans in support-came steadily, and as it
seemed resistlessly, sweeping up Our
skirmishers retired slowly from the Emmitts-
burg road. holding their ground tenaciousy
to the last. The rebels ieserved their fire
till they reached this same Emmetisburg
road, then orened with a terrific crash.
From hume, eI iron throats meantime
their artillery had been laundering on our
barricades
"Hancock was wounded; Gilbon succee led
to the command-approved soldier, and
ready for the cr.s sis. As the tempest of fire
approached its height, he walked along the
line and renewed his orders to the men to
reserve their fire. The rebels-three line s
deep-came steadily up, They were in
point blank range. At last the order came.
From thrice 5000 guns there came sheet of
smoky flame, crash a rush Of leaden death.
The line literally melted away, but there
came the second, resistless still. 1t
had been our supreme effort,
on the instant, and we were not
equal to another. Up to the rifle pits,
across them, over the barricades, the NOM
entum of their charge, the mere machine
strength OF their combined action swept
them on Our thin line could fight, but it
had not weight enough to oppose this NOM
entum. 1t was pushed behind the guns
Right on came the rebels. They were upon
the guns, we're bayoneting the gunners-
waving their flags above our pieces. But
they had penetrated to the fatal point A
storm Of grape and canister tore its way
from man to man, and marked its track
with corpses straight down their line. They
had exposed themselves to the enfilading
fire of the guns on the western slope of
Cemetery hill; that exposure sealed their
fate. The line reeled back-disjointei al
ready-in an instant in fragments. Our men
ward upon the disordered mass; lut there
was little need for fighting now. regi-
ment threw down its arms and, with colors
at its head, rushed over and surrendered.
All along the field smaller attachments did
the same. Webbs brigade brought in 500,
taken in as little time as it requires to write
the simple sentence that tells it, Gibbons old
division took Is stands of colors
over the fields the escaped fragments of
the charging line fell back-the battle there
was over. A single brigade, Harrow's (of
which the 9TH Michigan was part came out
with 81 less officsrs 1893 less men, than it
took in! So the whole corps fought--so, TOO,
they fought further down the line. 1t was
fruitless sacrifice. They gathered up their
broken fragments, formed their lines and
slowly marched away. 1t was not a rout-
it was bitter, crushing defeat. For once,
the army of the Potomac had won clean,
honest acknowledged victory"