The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-06-11

As the days lcnglhen the annivcr
sary Of Gettysburg, July i, = and 3
draws near. Soon survivors and mill
tary experts will be fighting the battl,
over aLaln.
Today a forest Of monuments, tn,
most beautiful in the world. cover.
the miles Of battlefield, overlooking a
vast panorama Of landscape, where
American history began new chapter
Tor free government.
Mrs. La Sale Corbcll Pickett. widow
Of General Pickett, tie hero Of Pick
cit S charge ct Gettysburg, when re-
qucstcd to make Il brief statement Of
her husbands lcroism in connection
with that memorable charge, said.
81 have written Il book about Cen
cral Pickett and his men, and do not
think | can improve upon what | said
in the chapter on the Third Day at
Gettysburg.
The final charge was described by
Mrs. Pickett thus:
"Dauntlessly Pickett men pressed
forward, the grandcst col Of he
roes that ever made battlefield glo-
rious. They reached the post and rail
fence, upon the other side Of which
and parallel to it, an ordinary dirt
road ran straight through the field
across which they we're advancing.
"Tne fence was but a momcntary
obstruction. 1t was but the work of
few seconds to climb over it and in
to thr road, while hundred blazing
can IN poured death dealing missiles
H. ,.:;r devoted ranks.
NV and here was given to the
world the grandest exhibition of disci-
pline and endurance, Of coolness and
courage under withering FIRE ever
recorded in military history-a scene
which has made the story of Pickett 8
charge the glory of American arms.
There in the road, with the dcafening
explosions of unnumbered shells filing
the air, their ranks ploughed through
and through again and again by the
fiery hail which the batteries from the
heights beyond were pouring into
them, amid all this terrific roar and
the not less d:sconcerting cries of the
wounded and dying, they heard the
command of their company officers ::
Halt, men Form line Fall in !
Right dress !
"Now they broke forward into a
double-quick, while canister and
grape whirred and whizzed through
the air. On, on they rushed toward
the stone wall where the Federal bat
teries were pouring forth their deadly
missiles. A hundred yards away a
fanking force came down on run,
halted suddenly and fred into the line
deadly storm of musketry Under
this cross-fire they reeled aud stagger-
ed between falling comrades, and the
right came pressing down upon the
center, making the line at this point
twenty to thirty deep. A few, un-
able to resist temptation, without or
ders. faced the enemy on the right,
though the latter were sixty to one
"The fighting was terrific. Musk
cts seemed to cross Men fired to.thc
right and to the front. The fighting
was hand to hand. The firing was into
the cnemy's faces.
The Federals in front fell behind
their guns to let them bclch their
grape and canister into the oncominy
ranks, piling up the dead and wound
ed almost in touch of them. When
within few feet Of the stone wall the
artillery delivered their last fire frc,n
the guns shotted to the muzze.
Victory was within their grasp.
Alas. where were the promised sup
ports? Worn and exhausted by the
tension of the bloody fighting of the
day before. in which they had suffered
terribly, their leaders dead or wound
ed, they had crumbled away under
lhe deadly hail Of the artillery fire.
"Of the 5000 who had followed
where the fash Of Pickett $ sword led
The way to glorious victory or not less
glorious defeat, $500 had gone down
to the soldiers triumphant death, to
live forever in our hearts and on the
fame-crowned pages of their country's
history"
WHAT GEN. sIcKLEs SAW.
OF Picketts famous charge General
Sickles writes for The Republic
What is commonly called "picketts