The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-05-12
A LOST PICTURE.
The Horrible Reality of Lees Last Effort
Given In Words.

picture as that or gettysburg When Lee
made his last great effort, but neither art
ist nor photographer was present. Pick
ett's charge has been illustrated for a hun
dred publications, and it is the battle pic
ture of today, but all the Illustrations are
ideal. Twenty thousand Federal soldiers
saw that advance, and it was the first and
last time in war they saw anything like 1t.
Lee massed Is, 900 of his choicest troops
to drive at the Federal center. That CEN
ter was Cemetery Hill and held by Han
cock. It was, humanity speaking, an i'm
pregnable position. The crest of the ridge
was covered with artillery, which had a
plunging fire, and the stone walls and
stone piles lower down offered the infantry
perfect shelter. No more than 10, 600 men
could be massed for the assault, and they
would be exposed to u shot, shell,
grape and canister before coming within
range of the musketry. When the terrific
c%annonade began, everybody knew that it
was the preface to a grand move, but it
was also the idea that the whole Confeder-
ate army would move at once. When the
awful din suddenly ceased and the living
wedge was seen in motion, thousands OF
Federal soldiers leaped to their feet to
view the spectacle. Pickett's Virginians
were the wedge. The brigade on either
| flank were simply to protect his TANKS as
he drove straight ahead. The Confederate
front was a mile across; the length OF the
solid column, nearly three. 1t moved right
out into open ground, flags flying, bands
PLAYING and the drums giving the step.
rs it a review? Is it a parade? h
are they going to do?"
A thousand men asked the questions,
but no one could answer. 1t was not until
our artillery opened fire above us that we
realized what the movement Signiied. we
were below the smoke and had a clear
view. 1t was a cruel sight to see round
shot and shell plow into that solid column,
but it was grand to see the men close up
right and left and catch step and move on
again. They were marching at common
time under the hottest kind OF a tire, ana
they did not change quick until Uney
came within range of grape and canister.
1t seemed as if every man must be swept
form the face of the earth before we fired a
musket, but they suddenly rushed forward
with cheers, and then our smoke shut
them out of sight. Battered and blunted
and bounded, that wedge never halted I'm
til il had driven itself through our first
line and shouted for victory. Then 1T was
assailed on three sides and checked ana
driven back-nO, not driven Dack, DuU
killed, wounded, slaughtered. some OF
the wounded were hit three or four tunes,
some of the dead tive or SIX times. InCrV
was no one left to go ahead, no one lett to
fall back. Farther down the slope the
!, Virginians reformed and tried 1t again
and again, but each effort was a failure,
They could die, but they could not pierce
our center.
And the sight which met our eyes as the
: remnants fell back and the smoke lifted
would have made a picture to bring world
!, wide fame to the artist on the spot. There
were more dead and wounded on that fron'
than elsewhere during the war. Ihere
| was more of battle wreck than on the
whole field at Antietam. Dead and wound
I ed horses, dead and wounde men, muskets
bayonets, haversacks, canteens, blankets
< the outfit of an army corps with the eG
\ ception of wagons and provisions was hud
: died together on that narrow space. In
: dead were horribly mutilated. The wound
t ed died as we raised their heads and helt
d our canteens to their parched lips. Ot TIT
hundreds of prisoners over half Wer'
wounded. AS they were gathered In am
passed to the rear some cursed, some Wept
all had the haggard look and wild eyes o
q man who has faced death without mop
of escaDe. The wounded of a battle shou
and groan and wall out. On this field tn
wounded were silent, so strangely sllen
that we hesitated to approach them. The,
had walked in the shadow of death an
lost their speech. For a mile and a hal
the ground was so numbered that Wagon
.-.za;,o tho ctrip muSt have rolled 1t