Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-30
GETTYSBURG'S FIELD.
PERSONAL RECOLLECT1ONs d
PuCKETTs GRAND CHARGE.
HOW Coior.Denrcr blackburn Fell
william 2. Ciopt0n'S Ringing
Cheer-Intrepid Armistrad's orders.
Measuring the Distance Covered

the DiSDatCu w t'v
II Is addressed. explains Itself:
MoNAsKoN. VA. June 81. 1895.
Captain John J.. Latane:
My Dear Captain,--1 did not see your
communication to the Dispatch on Get
tysbury until a few days ago. when sevc-
raj copies we're forwarded to me ny
friends In different parts OF the STATE
I would cheerfully respond to your sug-
gest,on II I could add anything to NO
interesting subject or be the means OF
s,ucidating any facts or defending the
action or position OF those who were true
10 Va on that bloody field, but / do not
know what information Is sought not
having seen the correspondence to when
your letter was reply.
My recollection is that Blackburn VINO
was such fne-looking. well.developed
man, and brave to fault. being Sc
lccted from my company AS chief OF the
color guard. was the first one OF the
color.ruard 10 fall. He fell soon aftef
GENERAL Armistead spoke to him. ana as
we charged amidst the storm OF shot
and shell which played on US In open
view and without obstruction as soon as
We passed our batteries. The 'Fayette
Artillery was Immediately In our front.
and well do I remember the cheering
"huzzah" OF my ciasemate Of other ana
happier days at old Williamsburg. VIII
liam I. CIopton. az we passed his guns,
then hot from their constant nring.
blackburn was cut down by fragment
of shell. which exploded just In front
and wounded at the same time seVerai
Others. The colors had scarce touched
the ground when they were seized and
again borne CALAMITY to The front. three
other bearers being shot down with them
before they were finally planted with tat
tered bunting and Flagstaff shot In TWO
on the stone wall near the bloody angie
from which the enemy was routed at such
fearful cost OF life.
INTREPID ARMISTEAD.
IL was then, ne you say, that the IN
trcp!d Armistead. perfectly himself, ana
taking In at once the situation, saw una.
after fearful havoc In our ranks. and by
our almost superhuman effort the enc
my's infantry had been made to yield
their strongest position, and were being
driven pell neil from our front. ana
that we had captured or killed at this
point most OF the artillerymen, whose
guns had been doubly shotted. ana had
belched forth a perfect carnival OF DEAN
in our very faces. Even as the gallant
Gushing. whose battery we had taken.
fell dying in last effort to maintain ms
position. our Armistead. claiming the day
as ours in the exultation of our momen-
tary success, called upon the blood
stained men around him TO turn these
guns upon the fleeing foe.
But here the scene changes. Hancock
Division debouched from the sloping Nils,
and. pressing to the front, allowed the
shattered Federal ranks seeking SAFETY
from our successful charge to pass
through to their rear. and themselves.
with fun ranks and fresh from the bloody
work, bore down upon the bare remnant
Of Picketts Division. which. for the time,
though short. had captured and held the
best-defended and most advanced ground
on the battlefield OF Gettysburg except
ing only the crests Of Round Top and
Little Round Top. small mountains on
our right, which bristled with artillery
and eniladed our line with an effective
and destructive fire during our entire ad-
vance,
Hancock's Division advanced upon MS.
delivering fifty shots TO our one, and
Armistead fell MORALLY wounded, and
our gallant Colonel Martin went down
Before the storm Of leaden hail to join
Kemper, who was already similarly and
desperately wounded. General Garnett
was killed even before he knew how near
We were 10 success. Lieutenant Harvey
Bray. who bore himself most conspicu-
ously (having gone In this fight with a
hickory stick I'm lieu OF his sword. which
was. for reasons he could not control,
back with the wagon-train). and his
brother. Charles, had received their death
wounds. The brave Jones, a grandson. i
think. of President John Tyler. wounded
in head and shoulder, refused TO sur
render and threatened TO shoot the first
man who raised a white flag. We had
been driven from tho stone fence. nd,
falling prone In the cut of the county
road. were still delivering a rafting FIRE
at the distance Of about twenty PAGES
against Hancocks steady. voluminous,
and whitening blast of musketry. 1t was
then when pandemonium reigned SUI
preme. and the intermingled groGns OF
Federal and Confederate desperately
wounded and dying were being drowned
in renewed artillery duel that we
looked. wshed-yea, prayed-for rein
forcements, which never came. and, final
ly, yielded TO the rush of overpowering
numbers as Hancock's victorious division
completely enveloped us.
CORRECTLY PORTRAYED.
Colonel Mcclure, OF Philadelphia. cor
rectly portrayed the scene in saying that
here the highest tide of the Confederacy
dashed Its crested foam on bursting bill
lows OF fiery sea against the very dome
of the Capitol at Washington. and States
rights agGressively, successfully held It's
sceptre aloft for awhile. only to go down
before the collected cohorts of CEN
tralzed government" With the failure
TO support Pickett's glorious charge and
grand achievement at Gettysburg. with
many of the very best soldiers from other
States, and the flower of Virginia infantry
left on that field, unsupported Ia useless
sacrhce). the end was not doubtful, and
was plainly in sight do what we would
to refuse % recognize 1t. Could our charge
and our capture of the enemy's position.
the centre Of their army. have been fully
supported then Armistead. Garrett. KEN
per. Martin. and thousands of others
equally as brave who gladly sought duty
though taken from the hand OF death.
might not have been stricken In vain.
Ny dear friend, these are sad reflections,
In which many others share along with
you and me. I should like to have had
you on visit to Gettysburg with me
some years ago--just twenty-four years 10
day and hour from that memorable Sd
OF July. l rode over the battlefield IN
company with George Finch Chen Com
monwealth's Attorney for Mecklenburg).
who was afflicted with stiff leg as a re-
mnder of the past and Richard Fereu-
son. then minister In the Methodist
Church. and II as good a preacher as he
was adjutant and soldier then he need
not fear inspection when the long roll Is
called, for he will pass. We had also
with us Adjutant Croker. OF the Four
teenth Virginia. with whom you recollect
We summered at Johnson's Island. He
was brother-in-law to Colonel Hodges,
who was shot and died. leaving his regi-
ment during that fateful day.
MEASURED THE DISTANCE.
We measured the distance from the
starting point Of the charge up and over
the incline to where We captured the
enemy's batteries. and drove his infantry
from the stone-wall. Would you believe
It! II was thirteen hundred yards, and
without a shrub or tree Of any kind in
tervening. We must have been a beauti-
full mark for the enemy's shot and shell
and canister and shrapnel to say no