Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-03

Little Round Top was the key of the
position at Gettysburg 26 years ago. What,
then, was the key of the position at Vicks-
burg? General Grant achieved the surren-
der of Pemberton's command. General
Meade, aided mainly by General Warren,
FOUGHT AND WON GETTYSBURG.
The sacred soil of the Keystone State had
been invaded. On the lst day of July, that
year, General Reynolds the illustrious com.
mander of the right wing of the Potomac,
fought so valiantly that his corps forced back
the overwhelming tide of the rebellion
invasion. This was actually the turning
point of the war; but had it not
been for the acute and alert strategy of Gen.
eral G. K. Warren, the I'd of July night might
have ended in disaster. and then the Army of
the Potomac hanked and swung back so far
that even they might not have been able to
hold any position. General Warren, with his
eagle eye, mounted Weeds Hill and watched
the tactics. A few minutes observation salts
fed him that Weeds Hill, so-called now, but
then called Little Round Top. was as before
said, the key of the position. General Sickles
had then lost his leg His Third Corps were
losing men, so many at every fire of the enemy.
the wonder was that with their inferior num-
bers. they could withstand such terrific fire,
the enemy by rapid execution.
A DREADFUL DoUBLE-QUICK.
When the First Division OF the Fifth Corps
had double-quicked from the rear of Culp's
Hill to the wheat field, they lost at least halt
of their entire number in killed alone. 1t was
then that the other divisions of the corps came
to the rescue. General Weeds brigade passed
through the wheat field far enough to fire
three effective yolleys of buck and bal, and
then had to double-quick by the left flank to
hold Little Round Top at all hazards. The
first salute that brigade received was the death
of the brigadier. General Weed, on the sum-
NIT of Little Round Top; the next the death
OF Colonel Patrick O'Rourke, of the One Hun
dred and Fortieth New York. The Ninety
first Philadelphia suffered also.
The One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Pennsylva-
mia Zouave Volunteers. that had not the advan-
tage of the summit but had to submit to what
fighting could be made on the declivity, did not
lose in killed and wounded so heavily, because
CT the fact that, while fanked on both sides
and confronted by all the charges of McLaw's
Texan Brigade. they poured into the enemy so
charging and into the Devils Den and to the
right OF their regiment, so as to
RELIEVE GENERAL SICKLE's CORPS
while withdrawing. 1t was thus, by loading
and firing too rapidly for the enemy, that Lit
tie Round Top had been secured. Those who
were there know it. Then came in the gallant
Pennsylvania Reserves, headed by the Buck
tails Before that they had fought desperately
and lost too heavily; but the regulars next
filled up the gap between the valley-ending
cemetery and Weeds Hill with the Sixth
Corps.
This completed the victory of July 2 1858,
and secured the most impregnable position on
the battlefield.
On July 3, 1868, Little Round Top was not
because it could not be- assaulted by artillery.
Those Union soldiers who participated in both
nights, namely: on the I'd and Sd days of July,
1868 are generally of opinion that the most des-
rh W0 : m he hoy strais n Doff RI,
third days fight, because the right and left
hanks OF the Union army, the infantry more
especially, had to remain inactive and only
the Union artillery fired effectively while not
Pickett's, but Hills division was advancing
TO the charge, and received such a terrific and
efectual repulse.