The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-13

were many to one that we would fight be-
fore we prayed or slept again. Our corps
d'armee under Gen. Sedgwick lay ON the
southern or Confederate side of the river
in the shelter of the ravines that thread
the plain below fredericksburg midway
between the rivers bank and the base of
the range of hills made famous by the
bloody struggles of two campaigns.
Sedgwick had stolen n march on the
Confederates by leading us across under
their very noses one heavy, foggy morning
and the enemy had less cause to, concern
himself about what we would do after
bouncing so close to cur game than we had
to concern ourselves about how he should
be diSlodged from his hillside rife pits and
the cannon crowned crcsts above them
We had been there before on the same err
rand. and had seen 1900 of our comrades
go down in an attempt like that to which
we were called-we who numbered but
24,M0. True, we were not entirely alone.
Five other corps constituting five-siXths
OF the then magnificent Army of the Po-
tomac and numbering nearly 100, coo men,
lay hut eight miles distant, beyond those
heights and beyond the Confederate camps
on the same elevated plane, and our days
Of wearing inactivity in those narrow and
cramped ravines had been at times enliv-
ened by the thought that the Sixth corps
had crossed the river merely to lie low and
gobble up the men in gray whom the other
five corps would drive down into the valley
on their march across the hills to meet Ms
But, no; the order came from army head
quarters ut Charlottesville about mid.
night on Saturday that the Sixth corps
should climb the heights and drive the EN-
envy out and push him on into the trap
alleged to be awaiting linn Mt the other
end Of the line.
Stealthily once more our columns
marched and countermarched up and
down the ravnes and over the plains, as
we had done every night for u week, and
at daylight rested in hiding to quiet any
alarm the enemy might have taken from
our movements. We covered little more
ground and Rugged the foot of the hills
little closer: that was all that showed on
the surface. Bat the programme for tho
day showed something more. Every regi-
ment and every battery in the line was to
crowd and harass the enemy in it's front,
while picked storming column should
make II forlorn attempt to scale Marye's
Heights, the stronghold of all that range
Of embattled hills-Marye's Heights with
their stone wall breastworks, their chain
of earth redoubts, their reputation rs
slaughter pen and their machinery for
butchery in prime working order.
ne nlBneSC posi- OF nOnOr Tell by mere &C
cident to the Sixth Maine regiment, body
of stalwart lumbermen from the banks of
the Penobscot. The storming party con
sisted Of n line of battle, deployed parallel
to the heights with heavy ends or columns
massed to form the wings. The line of
battle was led by Col. Hiram Burnham, of
the Sixth Maine, his own regiment on the
right hugging the plank road which as
cends and crosses Marycs hill. Three
regiments were on the left of the Maine
men, and one-the Fifth RESPONSIVENESS
skirmishinS in front of the whole line
The right wing column had an easy
march for the first few rods, for it moved
up the plank road. When it started ut
double quick the enemy's rifle pits re-
doubts and stone wall breastwork brought
every arm into play. The advance of the
right column was II signal for the others,
and with intervals between the right col
umn and the line of battle, and again be-
tween the line Of battle and the left col
n1nn. the entire party moved in fair unison
up the foot slopes The Confederate can
noneers on the heights took particular aim
mt the solid ranks of the wings, and few
rounds of shell checked their march per-
ceptiby. Colonel Spear, of the right col
umn, fell an early victim, and about the
same time n shot burst over the front
ranks OF the left column, killing n regi-
mental leader and several men,
The line of battle facing directly the
stone wall and redoubts swept on ut double
quick. bnyonets in hand, without firing
shot. and the connection IyoS utIickI y