Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-06-03
broken columns and occupied strong

| broken columns and occupied strong
| position.
The next day Meade. who had re-
mained ignorant Of the action at Get
tysburg. came up with the bulk of his
army, Hancock having decided that
there WAS the place to give battle. Lee
confronted us with the mass Of his men,
and the pounding was harder than ever.
Our forces occupied most of Cemetery
ridge, and Lee held Seminary ridge
opposite. Between the ridges in the
valley and on the slope of Cemetery
ridge the battle ragged that day and the
next. In the center of Cemetery ridge,
wnere tne iand was low, Slckles lost
his leg and his division was fearfully
cut up. Warren occupied Round Top,
which by accident we had overlooked,
and repeated though unsuccessful at
I tempts to expel him We're made until
dark. The day was spent in series Of
desperate assaults and repulses, and the
carnage was great, but nothing definite
was gained by either side.
1.-The third day Lee continued his at
| tack on our right and left, but evidently
moderated our strength and deter
mined to make his strong assault on our
center. Meade very early took the in
itiative and drove Ewell from the place
he had gained on our right. But as this
important result was never communi-
Gated to Lee, his movements suffered in
consequence. There is no rational doubt
that a series Of Confederate mistakes
caused his retreat and the sacrifice Of
the southern cause. Pickett's charge
was the crowning blunder, and Lee was
avowedly responsible therefor.
Much of Cemetery ridge, which we
held, is so rough that we could not employ
artillery to advantage, SO that, with 200
guns, only eighty were used. Seminary
ridge. on the contrary, was very favor
able for artillery, and the enemy placed
12O guns there and directed them
against us; but our infantry was so well
protected by the crest that they mostly
kept out of harms way. Our chief of
artillery after awhile stopped firing,
except occasionally, awaiting the next
movement of the enemy. Lee inter
preted this as the silencing of our bat
teries, and ordered Pickett to charge
with his 10000 Virginia veterans, who
had not been in action. Lee intended
to support them with his artillery; but
discovered too late to remedy the de-
feet that ammunition was lacking.
"Pickett's division moved down the
slope and across the valley, only to be
met with fatal fire from our batteries
all along the line. Never did men show
more intrepidity. They went steadily
on in the face of certain death. They
were enfiladed; great gaps in their ranks
were rade by the awful fire. They
gradually melted away. Enemies as
they were, pitied and honored the gal
liant fellows-unfiinching to the last.
They charged over low stone wall, be-
hind which Gibbons men lay, into the
mouth of our batteries, and fought for
some time with pistols and clubbed
muskets. But our troops concentrated
upon them and drove them down the
slope, completely commanded by our
fire. Unable either to advance, retreat
or stand still, the poor fellows threw
themselves down and held up their hands
as sign of surrender. Very few escaped.
1t was a piteous sight, a horrible car
mage. l forgot myself in that dreadful
hour, thinking only of the needless
slaughter. That was the last great
action.
''On the second night the Confederate
70.
storm. While we held councils of war
the enemy slipped away. We might
have crushed him completely and short
ened the conflict by two years Gettys-
burg sealed the doom of the south"
Burley had confided to me his broken
engagement with Clarisse Dunoyer,
which made him very unhappy, but
which the stirring events of the long
strife prevented from preying on his
mind. The surrender at Appomattox
came. and he had received but two flesh
wounds; both soon healed.
He went soon after into business in
Chicago, where | encountered him seven
years later in Wabash avenue. He told
me he was married, whereupon spoke of
Clarisse. and the close of the comedy,
which might have been tragedy.
"You cant expect a man." he said. "to
be loyal to a woman who has virtually
thrust him out of doors" To which l
agreed.
He invited me to visit him, and ac-
cepted. found his wife gentle and in
teresting, and his two small children-a
boy and girl-intelligent and attractive.
They appeared to be most harmonious
family, and l ventured the remark that
he was probably as happy as if he had
married Clarisse.
by the by" l continued, 'your wife
must somewhat resemble your Louisiana
sweetheart from what you have told Inc