The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-30
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BY SIR ARTHUR JAMES LYON FREMANTLE
KcM G.. C. B.. Lieutenant- General British Army.

brigade, he insists upon coming to the
field.
At a. m. 1 rode over part of the ground
with Gen. LOngstreet, and saw him dis
posing of McLaws's Division for to-day s
fight. The enemy occupied series of
high ridges, the tops of which were COW
cred with trees, but the intervening val
leys between their ridges and ours were
mostly open, and partly under cultiva-
ton. The cemetery was on their right,
and their left appeared to rest upon a
high, rocky hill.
The enemy's forces, which were now
supposed to comprise nearly the whole PO-
tOmac army, were concentrated into n
space apparently not more than a couple
of miles in length. The Confederates in
closed them in a sort of semicircle, and
the extreme extent of our position must
have been from five to six miles at least.
Ewell was on our left; his headquarters in
a church with high cupola) at Gettys-
burg; Hill in the center; and LongStreet
on the right. Our ridges were also COW
cred with pine woods at the top and
generally on the rear slopes. The artil-
iery of both sides confronted each other
at the edges of these belts of trees, the
troops being completely hidden.
The enemy was evidently lntrenched,
but the SOutherners had not broken
ground at all. A dead silence reigned till
4:45 p. M, and no one would have inn
dSileu tfldL SUCH MASSES Oh Iutl anu
such a powerful artillery were about to
commence the work of destruction at that
hour.
Only two divisions of Longstreet were
present to-day-viZ, McLaws's and
Hood 's-Pickett being still in the rear.
AS the whole morning was evidently to
be occupied in disposing the troops for
the attack, | rode to the extreme right
with Col. Manning and Maj. Walton,
where we ate quantities OF cherries, and
got feed OF corn for our horses. We also
bathed in a small stream, but not without
some trepidatiOn on my part, for we were
almost beyond the lines, and were ex-
posed to the enemy's cavalry.
At p. m. | met quantity of Yankee
prisoners who had been picked up strag-
Cling. They told me they belonged to
Sickles's Corps, and had arrived from
Emmitsburg during the night. About
this time slSirmishing began along part OF
the line, but not heavily.
AT p. m. Gen. Longstreet advised me,
if / wished to have good view of the
battle, to return to my tree Of yesterday.
did so, and remained there with Lawley
and Capt. Schreibert during the rest oil
the afternoon. But until 4:45 p. m. all
was profoundly still, and we began to
doubt whether fight was coming off to-
day at all. At that time, however, Long
street suddenly commenced a heavy CON
nonade on the right. Ewell Immediately
took it up on the left.
The enemy replied with at least equal
fury, and in few moments the firing
along the whole line was as heavy as it is
possible to conceive. A dense smoke
arose for six miles; there was little wind
to drive it away, and the air seemed full
OF sheils-each OF which appeared to have
a different style OF going, and to make a
different noise from the others. The ord
nance on both sides is OF a very varied
description.
Every now and then caisson would
blow up-if a Federal one, a Confederate
yell would mmediately follow. The
Southern troops, when charging, or to ex-
pr SIS their delight, always yell in a man
ner peculiar TO themselves. The Yankee
cheer is much more like ours; but the
Confederate officers declare that the rebel
yell has particular merit, and always
produces q salutary and useful effect
upon their adversaries. corps is some
times spoken of as a good yelling regi-
ment."
So soon as the firing began, Gen. Lee
Joined Hill just below our tree, and he re-
manned there nearly all the time, looking
his -glass-someti talk
ing to Hill and sometimes to Col. Long, OF
his staff. But generally he sat quite
alone on the stump of tree.
What | remarked especially was that
during the whole time the firing con-
tinued, he only sent one message, and
only received one report. 1t is evidently
his system to arrange the plan thoroughly
with the three corps commanders, and
then leave to them the duty of modifying
and carrying it out to the best Of their
abilities.
When the cannonade was at its hight, "A
Confederate band of music, between the
and ourselves, began to play
polkas and waltZes, which sounded very
iad NV, no III i,,n nd
bursting of the shells.
At 5:45 all became comparatively quiet
on our left and in the cemetery; but vol
leys Of musketry on the right told us that
infantry were advancing,
and the onward progress of the smoke
showed that he was progressing favorably;
but about $50 there seemed to be a check,
and even slight retrograde movement.
Soon after Z, Gen. Lee got report by
signal from LongStreet to say Owe are do
ing WE'LL" A little before dark the firing
dropped OFF in every direction, and soon
ceased altogether. We then received in
telligence that Longstreet had carried
before him for some time,
capturing several batteries, and driving
the enemy from his positions; bat when
HIPS Florida Brigade and some other
roOpS gave way, he was forced to aban
lon small portion of the ground he had
won, together with all the captured guns,
eatSpt tfitcs Ills HcNtNtIy DlNOu-
icked during the night on ground occu
pied by the enemy this morning.
Everyone deplores that Longstreet will
expose himself in such a reckless mar
her. To-day he led a Georgian regiment
n a charge against a battery, hat in
1and, and in front of everybody. Gen.
3arksdale was killed and Semmes NOR
ally wounded; but the most serious loss
vas that of Gen. Hood. who was badly
in the arm early in the day.
| heard that his Texans are in despair.
Iawley and rode back to the Generals
amp. which had been moved to within
nile of the scene of action. Longstreet,
however, with most of his staff, bivou-
lcked on the field.
Maj. Fairfax arrived at about 10 p. m.
n very bad humOr. He had under his
,harge about coo to I 800 Yankee prison
RS, who had been taken to-day.
ITO be continned)
EDITORIAL N0TE.-In the succeeding in
tallments Gen. Fremantle will tell of the
bird day at Gettysburg including reminfs-