The National tribune., 1898-03-24

retreat, but TO fight it out right there, al
all hazards. No better position than that
could be found, and If it should be yielded
a swift and disastrous retreat would be in
evitabe. True, he had been fearfully
weakened; so had the enemy-his army
was worn out with its long marches; so
was the enemy sand here he would
stand, and let God help the right.
THE BATTLE OF FRIDAY.
Early next morning, the troops stood TO
their arms, while crashing volleys, all
along the line, foretold another day Of
struggle and of slaughter On our right.
the battle ragged furiously from early dawn.
Ewell was determined to advance from the
nfle-pits he had taken the night before,
and Slocum vas equally resolute to re-
cover them. Geary and Birney here met the
first assaults firmly. For six hours the strug-
gle was desperate on both sides. The rebels
seemed to laugh at death, and again and
again charged through the smoke OF artil-
lery, with shouts that Swelled above the
uproar. Wheaton's Brig de, of the Sixth,
was hurried up TO the rescue; and our line,
which had been forced back for moment,
again advanced. More troops were pushed
forward-artillery brought up on a gallop,
and posted so as to enfilade the hostile
ranks; and though Drawer men never stood
upon a battlefield to die, than did Ewell's
veterans here, our right had become a wall
of adamant, against which the heaviest
surges broke in vain. At II O'Clock, the
enemy gave it up, and his shattered, bleed
ing battalions fell back in despair. Silence
now rested on the field, and Lee, baflled in
his first design, pondered what next to at
tempt He had tried both wings, and
failed to break them, and on the right had
lost all he had gained the night before;
while lire of earthworks had sprung up,
as if by magic, all along our front. The
weakest point still seemed 10 be the left,
and he determined on a last desperate
effort to crush it. For this purpose, he
brought forward a hundred and twenty
seven cannon, and concentrated their ter
rife fire on our center and left AT
o'clock they opened simultaneously, and
there commenced one of the most awful
cannonadeS ever witnessed on this CONT
nent On Cemetery Hill the storm fell
with such fury that the earth was scattered
in showers over the graves, and the tomb
stones shivered to atoms. Shot and she'll
fell and burst without moments 'cessa-
ton, and with power that seemed able to
start the very hills from their firm founda-
tons. Our batteries responded, and for
three hours more than three hundred
cannon exploded on each other, with re-
verberationS that shook the field, and
wrapped it in white, rolling clouds, which
tossed, and drifted, and settled between
the contending lines, till they were hid
from view, and the heavens were daTkened
as i'm an eclipse.
About 4 o'clock Lee ordered grand
charge. In splendid order, and with ban
ners high advanced" and courage that
seemed to foretell success, the columns
came steadily on. The chief attack was
on the point occupied by the Second Corps.
Moving forward with grand, imposing front
and confident bearing, they entered the
desOlating fire, without flinching 1t was
a magnificent charge. A tempest of shot
and shell, bowling above their heads from
the artillery in rear, swept the nights; and
was soon borne wounded from
the fight. Gibson succeeded to the COM
mand, and, walking along the lines, told