The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-01


would be. sent among them to show
that we were not inviting them over,
but the general attitude Of Gen. Lee
seemed to be: "Walk into my parlor,
said the spider to the fly, and they
walked in. 1t was manifest next day,
for Burnside could not occupy his
present. position except to fight; he
was under the guns of Gen. Lee, with
river at his back. So at daylight
the next morning (13th) Lee and
Longstreet, with their respective staff
officers and couriers, rode together
along Longstreet's line Of battle.
They stopped at residence just at the
foot Of Lees Hill, and to right, call
ed, 1 think, the Randolph mansion, .
took breakfast, and then rode up on
Lees Hill. A dense fog and smoke
covered the plateau and the enemy.
Nothing could be seen and nothing
heard, except that indescribable buzz,
like the distant and uncertain noise Of
bees, that so plainly tells the trained
soldier that an army is going into line
of battle. On the hill was Lee and
staff. Longstreet and staff, Col. Free
mantle, Of the British army, as an
observer, and about one hundred 9TH
ers, officers and couriers. Gen. Jack
son rode up and said few words to
Gen. Lee, and then went off and lean
ed against a pine, looking on the
ground he seemed to be a little
ashamed of splendid new uniform he
wore, and pretty soon he rode off to
the right. Gen. Stuart, who had been
making reconnaissance into the fog,
trotted up the hill whistling-he
would whistle, it was the only serious
crime be was guilty Of. Wilcox rode
up while, and McLaws and Col.
Walton came over from Marye's Hill,
just to our left. Lee looked at his
watch several times. Gen. Kershaw,
whose brigade was at the time in re-
serve, between Lees and Maryes 8
Ellis, came up and talked with Long
street, and SO the hours wore ON. 1t
was near 10 o'clock when suddenly
three heavy guns on our line, imme-
diately to our right, doomed out in
quick succession. ssThere she goes,
boys p said Stuart, and leaping on his
horse, cantered off to the right; and
the other brigadiers and Major Gener-
ais followed suit to their respective
commands. 1t was Lees signal Of
battle.
Gen. Lee seemed to know that the
fog would clear up in few minutes,
and that the enemy would immediate
ly attack, and so it turned out. In
less than ten minutes the fog began
to whirl upwards, and in less time
than it takes to tell it the white cloud
curtain rolled away, revealing the
grandest panorama ] have ever seen
an army of near 100000 in battle ar
ray. A dozen field glasses swept the
plateau from right to left, although
the whole field was visible to the max
ed eye. The enemy did not delay
their move their left wing (of Frank
Inns grand division) marched out
against our right wing. The word ran
around, "They are going to attack
jackson p On they went. And there
lay jackson with twenty thousand Of
the finest infantry soldiers the world
has ever seen, as silent and as terrible
as the tiger cat on the crouch. And
on they go. Suddenly a line Of smoke
about mile long ran along Jackson s
front, then another, and another, 1--WE
could not hear a sound, the wind was
blowing in that direction,) while the
artillery on both sides opened with
fearful vigor, ours playing on the in
fantry with canister. The Federal
line of battle was hurled back. They
rally and charge again, and again are
hurled back. Again they rally and
charge, and again are hurled back.
This time Jackson men charge, and
the Federal line, raked by Stuart with
twenty pieces of field artillery at half
flank, are doubled up and forced back
to the river under the protection Of
their heavy guns.
simultaneously with the defeat on
their left they commenced an attack
on their right-on Marye's Hill. A
tremendous cannonade was opened on
the hill from the Stafford Heights and
other points, and division charged
gallantly, but was repulsed with tre-
mendous slaughter. A second assault,
more formidable than the first, was