Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-10-04

rfGht, dtfsp<1Bg hI0e<n afn:nss me enemy
nfsn.ry With dosbIs- shessed canisses. The
ronsess becaSse too snegsal 70 continue.
gained apoa BY artillery and maskssry Hall
sifharsv all bis guns, the enemy 70 ciose mp
oa bin that M horpes Of the FEAR piece we're
bsyoaeses1 and the gan veutd have besn lost
bet for the timely s3vsnee Of infantry.
Eighteen men wounded. thirty eight horses
Killed, the consmaedeT's own horse shot under
him. and three pieces disabled, proved more
eloqsensiy than any words how veil they held
lf.sir post !. the forefront Of the desperate
light on that brave day When the gallant
Key noids met . soGdief's dsa-h, and the Firss
Corps sssbborniy held the Aeid assinst over
. heiming numbers, confident that their com
raaes Of the army Of the Potomac sere
pr ssing forward 70 AID them.
The Sixteenth Maine vas on the extreme
right Of the line Of the First Corps. Such
posliios 10 sufficiently trying ander ordinary
subject - il 10 70 being over.
ispyed By The enemy and shus TO be exposed
10 FIRE in ashk and reverse. The Stxteenth
nos only had this danger to encounter from
uliFs forces in front, but when Eweii came
on the field from the north his forces bore
down directly upon its nank with the fre of
thirty pieces Of artillery supporting his at
tack. The Eleventh Corps. formed 1t .
right saxIe to the line Of the First, left gap
betsesn i've left Aad the right Of the First
and through il E~eirs men poured in The
devoted regiment. thrust ike q lance head
into the very midst Of the enemy svMmins
from the vest o 4 the north, remained stead
fast az IL post. TiIien and his men were
surrounded and swept asAy TO undergo the
horrors Of Southern prisons. Retreat. when
practicable. you'd have been dishonor.
Who viii deny to the m generous share 10
the final victory over an enemy fhinned by
their yoIieys and taught discretion oy thsir
hrmnesss
When the shattered battalions Of the First
and Eleventh. Corps were driven back
through the tovn. HAifs battery delivered q
PArthian Are from time TO time A. il retired
through the streets add kept the pursuers at
respec tfat distance. At the same time
Stevens Fifth Maine Battery which had
been posted near the seminary, found tie
opportunity Il had been waiting for and
wrought fearful execution upon the lines OF
the sdvancins enemy, saving precious time
for the formation Of the new line on Gene
terry Heights. though a. a great cost 70 Itself
The Fifth Battery Withdrew through the
town and ascending Cemetery Hill was met
by Hancock Who called out for the captain
Of this brass battery" AMI ordered him to
plant his guns where he could stop the
enemy from coming up the ravIne. His
az Napol ons were NOT long in opening IRE
and they maintained it 90 diligently and
eff ctigeiy ~ TO cheek the advance Of the
enemy In that quarter. Col. Bachelder has
properly recognized the great service done
BY this battery on the first and second days
BY bestowing the name Of its commander on
the gr und 1t occupied the spot now known
a. Stevens Knoll "
On the second day the long expected blow
fell heavily on Birney's division OF Sickles
Corps comprising the brigades Of Graham
Ward and DeTrobriand. Name was nobly
represented In that fighting line though our
State had but a single regiment In each
brigade Lakeman with his kennebeckers,
The Third Maine, the regiment which How
ard took To the front and Heath was pro-
NOTED from 10 meet, as lieutenant colonel
Of the Fifth. an early and iAmented death
at Gaines Mlil-wss temporarily detached
from comrsdeship with the Fourth in Ward
brigade, and assigned to Graham. win
him they held the Peach orchard. the
famous angle OF Slckles much criticised
line, until crushed by eonverging and cross
fires. snapped in A vortex of fire. says the
Comte de Paris 0utfspke5 and overwhelmed.
the remnant Of the defenders of an untebable
position was driven back, scattered and CON
fused, to r. cover the touch Of elbows on the
true line of battle The center Of Blrney 8
line was held by Beforehand, with whom
sas the Seventeenth under Merrill; and
Ward, brigade completed the line 10 the
foot Of Round Top, the Fourth Maine
constituting the extreme left. No intel
ligent follower of the events of the battle
can fat u concele to these two brigades
the high praise accorded to them with
unanimous voicr by every historian of the
fight II Longstreet hal succeeded At his on
set In breaking Birney's line, the way was open
to him 10 a Judgement 10 the centre of Meade =
position But he had to do with kearneys
men, and the ~eArers of the red lozenge were
not accustomed to break At the touch of the
enemy. II vas their line and they proposed
~ stay by It, though there was not regiment
in reserve TO shich they might look for help
The coat leut onssughter Of Hooi's brigade
was as confidently met. Not until the rebel
reserves were brought forward did those
staunch brigades give away, and then only as
they were compelled by sheer weight of out
sssaiiants, who were made to pay
dearly for every inch of ground gained. SO
stubborn was their resistance that Meade, who
hsd not looked for the attack to fall upon his
left and therefor had no provision to meet It.
vas afforded time TO bring up reinforce ments.
our two regiments did their full share of the
good work of their brigsdes. Ia the annals of
the seventeenth the wheat field which they
oceupied until AIKEN in the flank and reverse
and grie vously torn. has a conspicuous place.
The regiment which hal been trained by
Berry, that capable soldier whose merits had
gained him high command. and would have
advanced him To greater distinction had not
cellorsville numbered him among its
the Fourth Maine. formed the left
Of the liae and wrought havoc with their blaz-
ing rifles among the gray clad swarms that
sought to dislodge them from the weird rocks
aud hollo~s Of Devils Den.
There are sometimes in the affairs of men
occurrences which so tend to favor some end
Of supreme moment, ~ to forbid the thought
that they are merely accidental, and to cause
hem to seem the direct offspring of super
human Intelligence. signal Manifestation OF
a divine purpose, and are therefore styled
+" providentisl." In this high sense of the
word the series Of happenings on Little
Round Top on that eventful second ut July
was providentiai, Human foresight and
promptness of action, soldierly srdor and
bravery, and patriotic devotion were indeed
srsndiy displayed on that erninence which
offered itself that day as the prize OF valor
but all these would not have svsiled II the
peculiar prosperity attending them hal failed
OF been msrred in any respect Fortunate
tor our arms WAS il that timely succor saved
a too raj
his lef, vas guarded by so sturdy a regimen,
a. the Twentieth Maine under a commander
90 gallant and able A. Chamberlain, For
tunate," do say? Is it not easier to believe
that the interposition of 80 many happy
chances at = luncture so pregnant with grave
results vas heaven directed rather than for
tuitously bestowed by blind fate The
twentieth tinds that besides the numerous
q a persistent foes that press upon it in front
others are continually arriving on its flank So
that the left has to be refused more aud
more in order to oppose front to them
There 10 something malignant in this ever
encircliug attack, -something far more
than the humiliation or capture of
the little baud defending the height; it is the
deadly clutch it seeks TO fasten upon the
thros, of the Army Of the Potomac and thus
upon the life of the nation. The sons OF
Maine feel that the sterrest command of
duty is laid upon them. The defense of their
comrades, the welfare of their country rests
with them. Nobly do they respond to the
call. The Pine swings against the Palm.
At Chamberlain's command they leap for
= ard tiger-like to the charge and Little
Round Top is saved.
When the disaster which the character Of
SickIe's line invited had oefslen it, and the
ansle ut the Peach Orchard was broken in.