The Portland daily press., 1889-10-09

"a reserve 70 wnlch they might look for help.
Inc confident onslaught of Hoods brigade
was as confidently met. Not until the rebel
reserves were brought forward did those
staunch orlgades give way, and then only as
| they were compelled by sheer weight of out
| numbering ASSISTANTS, who were made to pay
dearly for every inch of ground gained. So
stubborn was their resistance that Meade, who
mad not looked for the attack to fall upon his
| let and therefore had no provision to meet it,
was afforded time to bring up renforeements
Our two regiments did their full share of the
| good work of their brgades In the annals of
the seventeenth the wheat field which they
occupied until taken in the flank and reverse
ana grievously torn, has conspicuous place.
The regiment which had been trained by Berry.
that capable soldier whose merits had gained
him high command, and would have advanced
him to greater distinction had not Chaneellors-
vile numbered him among its uetims-the
Fourth Maine, formed the left of the line and
wrought havoc with their blazing rifles among
the gray clad swarms that sought to dislodge
them from the weird rocks and holows Of
Devils Den.
There are sometimes in the affairs of men
occurrences which so tend to favor some end
of supreme moment, as to forbid the thought
that they are merely accidental, ana to cause
them to seem the direct offspring of super
human intelligence, signal manifestation
OF divine purpose, and are therefore styled
"providential." In this high sense of the
word the series of happenings on Little
Round Top on that eventful second Of Julv
was providential. Human foresight and
pIomptness Of action, soldierly ardor and
bravery, and patriotic devotion were indeed
grandly displayed ON that eminence which
offered itself that day as the prize Of valor;
but all these would not have availed IL the
peculiar prosperity attending them had failed
or been marred in any respect. Fortunate
fnr nnr ~ pms tvo fhaf lN eau
Vincent's right. Fortunate was it too that
his left was guarded by so sturdy regiment
as the Twentieth Maine under a commander
so gallant and able as Chamberlain For
! tunate," do | say? Is 1t not easier to be-
lieye that the interposition of so many
happy chances at a juncture so pregnant with
grave results was heaven-directed rather than
fortuitousy bestowed by blind fate? The
twentieth finds that besides the numerous
and persistent foes that press upon it in front
others are continually arriving on its flank
so that the left has to be refused more and
more in order to oppose front to them.
There is something malignant in this ever
encrcling understanding far more dread
| full than the annihilation or capture of the
| little band defending the height; 1t is the
deadly clutch it seeks to fasten upon the
throat of the Army Of the Potomac and thus
upon the life of the nation. The sons Of
Maine feel that the sternest 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 forward
tiger-like to the charge and Little Round
| Top is saved.
When the disaster which the character of
SickleS line invited had befallen ii, and the
angle at the Peach Orchard was broken in,
making an opening for the advance of Long
streets brigades, some of which fell upon
the flank OF Birney's division and the divis-
ions of the Fifth and Second corps which had
come to his assistance, while Barksdale moved
| directly forward upon the centre Of Meade's
position when Humphreys. threatened in the
reverse by L0ngstreet's forces and attacked
upon his right by division ofHllps corps was
forced back, there was no continuous Union
line in position to relieve the broken line
falling back and receive its oncOming pur-
suers. The situation was a critical one.
Meade and Hancock were making the most
| strenuous efforts to bring troops from the
right TO complete new line In this emer-
gency the artillery is energetcally and eff
fectively at work to dsconcert the attack.
McGilvery has placed the remnants of his
batteries brought off from the vicinity of the
Peach Orchard in an advantageous position,
| and, in the words of Gen. Hunt, with these
| and BOWS Sixth Maine Battery, fresh from
the reserve, the pursuit was checked"
The Sixth Battery was not the only Maine
| organization that took part in the repulse of
this dangerous attack. The Nineteenth
Maine, Col. Heath, had been placed by
as he perceived that Sickles' line was begin
| ming to give way. The rearward movement
| of Humphreys division carried portion of
| his line over the men of the Nineteenth who
| were lying down until their turn should come
| As soon as these hard-pressed men had
| passed, the Nineteenth was on its feet bar
| ring with solid and undaunted front the way
| to the rebel line. Scarce fifty PAGES from
| them is it when the Nineteenth, with fire
| by battalion, brings it to halt. A deadly
interchange of firing ensues in the midst of
| which Heath's attention Is called to a rebel
| regiment on his left, and only a score of
| yards from it, deployIng from double column.
| A part of Capt Starbird's left company is
| thrown back and opens an enfilading fire be-
| fore which the surprised column melts away.
| The Nineteenth falls back short distance
upon the false report that its right is being
turned; learning its mistake it goes forward
beyond its former position, captures many
prisoners, RECEIVERS several guns, and occu-
pies an advanced position through the night
Change now the scene to the right. The
Fifth Maine Battery is posted at the head of
| the ravine separating Cemetery Hill from
| Culps Hill. Ewell's attack on these positions
| was intended to be simultaneous with that on
Hill falls later, when but little daylight is
left. Col Alexander, Longstreet's Chief of
Artillery, writing Of the charge of his bat
teries after the crushing Of our line at the
Peach Orchard says, IAN Artillerist's
heaven is, after tough resistance, to follow
the routed enemy and throw shells and CAMS
ter into their disOrganiZed and fleeing
Masses" fancy Stevens could rejoin that
there is sterner joy in rakihg with canister,
at short range, hostile battalions exposing
their TANKS as they make their slow way up
a steep activity, climbing to the attack; for
then the artillerist feels that the insulting
enemy is delivered into his hands, and that
as the ranks go down under his fire, he Is not
merely destroying the foe but defending his
menaced comrades. Such an opportunity
had the Fifth Battery when the brigades of
Hoke and Avery assaulted Cemetery HILL
and well was it improved.
AS the evening gloom crept over the field
and the fragments of the baffled regiments
of assault having done all that brave men
could do, had fallen back from their attempts
against our right left, and CENTRE the rebel
commanders scanned the ridge they had
vainly sought to gain, to find encouragement
inviting to them. From Round Top to Culp's
Hill dark lines and masses OF men and rows
of grim batteries betokened a composure and
readiness they did not deem 1t advisable to
of that array they did not know. Sedgwick
was there. and the Greek cross was aligned
with the disk, the trefoil, the diamond, the
cross of Malta, the crescent and the star.
The Sixth Corps, summoned at midnight,
had marched through the night and steadily
on through the long, hot summer day and
formed upon the field, thirty miles from their
bivouac, just in time to aid in repelling the
dtLdck udu LueI6 Dt6Q 0e6u. lLS presence
gave cheer and renewed courage to the whole
army. The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Maine
regiments were proud to own the badge of
that corps
With the dawn of the third and last day Of
the battle the struggle is renewed by Slocum
and his Twelfth Corps The enemy had
taken advantage of the opportunity to estab.
lish themselves in that portion of the position
which the Twelfth had left to go to the sup
port of the centre. After four hours Of
musketry as incessant as the rolling of drum
the Twelfth reoccupied its works. In the
meantime Slocum requested Neill, whose
brigade of the Sixth Corps was on Powers
Hill, to send troops to protect his right and
the Baltimore Pike east of Rock Greek, from
the enemy moving in that direction Neill
entrusted that service to the Forty-third New
York and the Seventh Maine under COM
handing officer Of the Seventh. Those regi-
ments met with some loss from the brisk fire
of skirmishers as they advance at run over
the crest and down the slope of an open field
to stone wall which affords an advantageous
position; and here, forming the extreme
right of the infantry line of the army, they
remain throughout the day, under orders to
hold the position but not to bring on fighting.
their skirmishers exchanging an occasional
shot with those Of the enemy.
The Nineteenth was the only Maine regi-
ment which had an opportunity to participate
10. AIa.as aHaAw.