Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-03-23

batteries-there were dozen signs to
indicate what was coming
From daylight to nine o'clock there
was a sputter of musketry along the
front as the sharpshooters and skir-
mishers fired at long range. From nine
to ten the cavalry on the wings had the
fight all to themselves. From ten to
eleven a gun here and there shelled
the confederate skirmishers out of the
bitches in which they were hiding, but
there seemed to be no fighting any
where. From eleven to twelve Lee
was massing enc hundred and twenty
field pieces in front of Longstreet and
Hill to open on Hancock. Meade posted
one hundred guns to reply, but the or
ders were to fire slowly.
AT noon a few couriers were riding
furiously in different directions, but
not gun was being fred The men
in line ate from their haversacks and
the artillery horses nibbled at the
grass as they were unchecked by their
drivers. Scores of men had pocket
telescopes. These were passed from
hand to hand and every gun on the con-
federate side was located.
"They are going to batter us with
shot and shell and then charge. Lie
close to the ground. The shot will fall
short or go over US.
So came the word along the line. 1t
was d wise precaution. But for the
caution no one could tell what would
have happened. From half-past twelve
to one o'clock seemed an age At one
o'clock sharp the boom of a single gun
echoed over the battlefield, and a she'll
came screaming over our heads and ex-
ploded two hundred feet in the rear
This was the signal. Before one could
have counted twenty there was a roar
which can be compared to nothing one
has ever heard. In two minutes the
earth was trembling. The stones in
the wall in front of US gritted together.
Mud had been used as plaster, and
pieces of it fell out with climbing
One would have said that nothing
could add to that awful roar, but the
federal guns opened in reply, and then
men lying down gasped as they
breathed and clutched sod or stone as
if perched on some dizzy height and
afraid of falling.
For the first fiye minutes the roar
shut out all sounds-swallowe them
up as a great ocean would another gill
of water, Thousands of men closed
their eyes and clinched their teeth.
Officers who had been standing up dis
appeared to hug the earth. Now the
roar is split and slashed and penetrated
by the missiles from the confedera tie
guns. They are throwing round shot,
steel bolts, fuse shell, percussion
every form of missile which portable
guns can take in and belch out again.
They shrek and scream and whir.
They come from in front and from the
right and left. Some fall short and.
exploding in the dry soil, throw cloud
of dust heavenward TO sift down on our
backs, Others sail high above us and
carry death into the ranks of the re
serve, while now and then one burst
just right to wound or kill in our own
ranks
No living man will ever hearken to a
more terrific cannonade. No battle
field of the future will hold men for
two long hours under such a cross
a dead cloud in the air until one
thought that night was coming down.
Fiery serpents darted in every direc-
ton. Exploding shells created sudden
great flames, as if kegs of powder had
been tossed up to destroy the heavens.
There was no lull-no interval Only
those who became unnerved sat up ia
look around them. Here and there one
rose up and ran away. He was not a
coward-he was simply unnerved by
the situation. Sometimes lie came
creeping back white faced and weep
ing, and sometimes he was struck
down as he CROPPED about in the semi
darkness TO find shelter from the rain
of death.
Two hours, they sfterward said We,
lying there, made no note Of the pas
sage Of time. Il was nightmare and
yet we did not sleep Death rode all
along our front-he leaped over us-hs