Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-23
SeDnneS.

Wright's brigade, 1000 strong, its leader
with his cap poised on his glittering blade
pressed on past the flank of Porter's men
on Crews Hill, and wheeling, reached the
foot of the BLUFF under the batteries. Here
they met the Fourteenth New York vol
unteers and were repulsed with heavy
loss. With remnant of only 800 Wright
hung on under the muzzles of Porter's
cannon until dark. Semmes' brigade adj
vanced against the angle between Wright
and Armistead and mingled his dead with
those of our own line around the buildings
of the Crew farm. Armistead's men
charge six times upon the deadly batteries
through storms of bullets, canister and
grape. One of his regiments, the Thirty
eighth Virginia, lost its color sergeant
and corporals killed, and 8 corporals
severely wounded, as each in turn seized
the falling colors. Finally the lieutenant
colonel seized the staff and was wounded,
and 4 captain who next took them was
soon hit by three balls. The colonel next
seized the staff, but it was knocked from
his hand and shattered, and the flag was
caught by the remaining color corporal
and carried through the fight, flying from
a bayonet. So deadly was the fire at this
point that the Confederates in their des-
paration made barricades of their fallen.
On this field, also, Confederate daring had
its match. Here were the Forty-fourth
New York, "Ellsworth's Avengers" and
the Eighty-third Pennsylvania, two regi-
ments that afterward scaled the sleeps of
Little Round Top at Gettysburg and held
it gloriously to the triumph of our cause.
The Eighty-third had lost 81 killed at
Gaines Mill, June 81 and now suffered
further loss of so dead. The Forty fourth
and Eighty-third charged together on the
advancing enemy and captured regi-
mental flag. The Forty fourth had four
color bearers shot, and the fifth, though
twice severely wounded, refused to give up
the staff until he could do so to tine colonel
who had intrusted it to him. Another SOL
der of this regiment was absent during
part of the fight on special duty, and when
the command was relieved after emptying
its cartridge boxes, he refused to be re-
ieved because he had few shots left. In
the ranks of the Sixty-ninth Irish regi-
ment he fought on until his empty box en-
titled him to join his comrades in the rear
The world reads volumes about the glo-
rious achievements of the Army of the Pc
tomac in after years, but the story of those
battles of 1862 show that it vas during
shattered the grand armament of the Con-
federacy in 1875. Malvern Hill was
fought on our side by empty stomachs,
many of the men having had no food for
twenty-four to thirty-six hours, and then
only hard bread and water Fortunately
their wants were relieved next day when
the supply transports ordered into James
river by Mcclellan on June is, in anticipa-
ton of his change OF base, unloaded their
stores into the laps of the heroic soldiery
The Confederate loss at Malvern Hill
was about 5000 killed and wounded This
sweiled their casualty list during the
Seven Days" to 1900 against the Union
loss of about 1900.
Lee was fairly outwitted by his boyish
opponent, for he should have known that
Mcclellan was heading for James river
and seized Malvern Hill ahead of him. As
1t turned out, Malvern Hill secured to the
Army Of the Potomac a new lease, with
gunboat cooperation and free water COM
municasion with the north.
GEORGE l. KILMER.