The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-20

slope, near the Emmettsburg road. Law a
farm stealing, spring house and peach or
chard, defended by a 4-guu battery. on
the open ground of the ridge top TO our
ieft some forty guns were massed. COM
manding the approach across the valley
IN the woods on our front We're masscd.
unknown 10 us, Sckles Third Corps, post
ed behind stone fences aud other obsiruc-
tons, making very strong position We
were ordered to cross the valley. attack
and drive in whatever troops might occupy
the wooded slope, and carry, IL possible
the Nights beyond. A battery near us tried
10 shell The ground in front. but suffered
heavily from the return fire of the enemy's
heavy batteries. It was understood that
the attack by our right against the enc
my's left was ordered al 10 a. m but for
some unexplained reason il was delayed
until p m. In the interim the enemy
We're heavily reinforcing their lines on Ii
Tie and Great Round Top Al 4 D. m. the
advance began in two lines. Gen. Ker-
shaw's South Carolina Brigade supporting
ours As we went out in the open we
were directly exposed TO the fire of the
enemy's guns, they got our range at once,
the first shell killing two men on the left
of my regiment; a little later a shell ex-
ploded in front of the center of the SIX
teenth Georgia, killing and wounding
twenty-nine men out of thirty-three of the
color company. l could see great gaps
blown through the lines, five, eight or ten
men falling in heaps here and there, but
the line closing up the gaps. moved stead
lily on to the attack. At the Emmettsburg
road, one-half way across. we encountered
the skirmish line of the enemy, which was
instantly driven In. and their artillery
changed to grape and canister. and so ter
rible was the fire that nothing but the
rapid movement of our line saved II from
annihnation.
Cheering. and CALAMITY led by their Of
ficers, the line dashed at the edge of the
woods in front Barksdale's Mississippi
brigade being opposite the clear ground 10
our left, swept on up the ridge, leaving Nis
as we entered the edge of the woods, when
a dense mass of the enemy rose up, de-
livered heavy fire right in our faces, and
charged us with bayonets fixed. The shock
was terrible. so swift was the advance of
The enemy down the hill that they broke
our line by sheer impact of weight and
numbers, the first line was driven back
on the second, inextrcably mixed, and the
struggling fighting mass was broken
into squads and groups and slowly driven
back before the almost irresistible advance
of the enemy. And any other troops In
existence would have been irremedlably
broken and scattered under the terrible
shock. But these troops were the pride
and flower Of the South the men who had
conquered at Manassas and Seven Pines
at Fredericksburg and Charlottesville.
and rallying by groups and squads they
calamity faced their assailants. loading
and firing with a rapidly had never seen
eQualled The splendid craftsmanship of
the Southern soldiers, men raised from
childhood with a gun in their hands, told
fearfully on the ranks Of the enemy cap.
tains, lieutenants, sergeants and corDor-
ais seemed to vie with each othar-in rally
ing and leading their men, climbing up
on the large boulders strewn all about,
with swords aloft encouraging their men,
to be instantly shot down. falling in glor-
ious death. Generals Benning and l<er-
shaw and Wofford ragged up and down the
line like lions al bay while gallant Paul
J. Semmes with a red skull capS on his
head, his fighting cap we used TO call t.
dashed along the line like a maddened
tiger, shouting Look 10 the front men,
look TO the front forward, forward" Gal
liant Col. Kearse leading his regiment and
shouting like a demon actually charged
sword in hand through the enemy's line
and gloriously fell shot through the body,
to be terribly avenged by his maddened
men. Gen. Semmes, shot through the
thigh, fell beside a large boulder whence
we dragged him out and sent, him TO the
rear, with captured flag. Gen. McLaws
cool and imperturbabie as II on parade,
rallied his line, inspiring us all Back
wards and forwards through that peach or
chard we struggled and fought a battery
of four guns was taken and retalen four
or five times until finally left in our hands,
its defenders all slain.
The carnage was beginning to tell on
Sickles' men, our lines, We're solidifying
and advancing they We're wavering and CIV
ing way under that deadly fire, and a
mass of fugiuves was seen streaming up
the hill. Just then glancing 10 the Left l
saw the most magnificent sight that ever
greeted my eyes during the war Barks-
dale's Mississippi brigade with some of
Anderson's Brigade had swept UP the
ridge, while well to the front rode old
Barksdale, holding his hat high in air,
while his long white hair streamed behind,
his men marching lines unbroken, stead
lily behind, while forty guns ragged and
Numbered in front. The sun was setting
In the West, tinging the clouds OF smoke
from the guns with golden red. while the
ridge top with its laundering cannon and
masses Of troops, stood out In bod re-
lief. as Barksdae rode right into the
smoke of the guns; one moment and the
line with a charging shout that rang in
my ears for long Afterwards. swept
through and over the guns, and they stood
silent and forsaken behind our lines: a
little farther and Barksdale fell as a hero
falls, face to the foe
Meanwhile Sickles' line. decimate9 and
pressed hard, broke and rapidly retreated
up the hill, followed by our men; in their
retreat they encountered a flank fire from
Anderson's Division on the left and part
Of Hoods men on the right, before which
they seemed to lose an organization, and
streamed over the ridge towards :, little
Round Top in great confusion. Oue-half
way up the hill our line was stopped for
a few moments to reform regiments, the
exhausted men throwing themselves pant
ing on the ground when / noticed young
Federal officer, a mere youth, lying severe
LA IL II q.