The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-06
PICKETT CHARGE
ATG'E {.
Graphic Story Told BY Late Col.
Joseph c. Mayo, Third Vir-
Il gii1ia Regiment.
WHY DON'T THEY SUPPORT US

Why the Unknown Private Be
yond' Had to Be Killed
That Day.
The order OF march into the encmy's
country was loft IN front; nrst Ewels
then IIiil's, and, lastly. Longstrcet's
corps, Of which Armstcads, Garnetts
and Kemper's brigadcs OF Pckett's Divis-
ion, brought up the rear. The other two
brixades, those of Corse and Jenkins,
were absent on detached service. We
reached Chambersburg early on tho even
lng Of June the 9th, and stayed there
until hastily summoned to the scene OF
hostiitios OF, the morning Of the I'd OF
July. having been employed In the inean-
time. In tearing up the railroad track
ana demolishing the depot and other
FIVE miles brought us, at about 3 o'clock
In the afternoon, to the stone bridge on
the Cashtown and Gettysburg Turnpike,
within cannon shot OF tho battlefield.
Hero General Pickett sent Col Walter
Harrison, Of his staff, to tell General Les
of our arrival ana readiness for action.
THE POST OF HONOR. JULY 1sT.
The answer came to find camp and
await further orders. Before dawn the
following morning we moved to our place
in the line, our march being carefully
concealed from the enemy's view. Soon
after we got into position. some two hum
dred yards In the rear of the batteries
on Seminary Ridge, General Lee passed
In front OF US, coming from the right
and a. little while afterwards every man
In the ranks was made to know exactly
what was tho work which had been cut
out for us. remember perfectly wdll
General, Kemper's earnest injunction to
me to be sure that the Third Virginia
was told what the commanding general
had assigned our division the post Of
honor that day. He was Virglnian;
SO were they. Then the arms were
stacked and the men allowed to rest at
will; but one thing was especially no.
ticeabe; from being unusually merry and
hilarious they on sudden had become
as still and thoughtful as Quakers at a
love feast walking up the lihe to where
Colonel Patton was standing in front OF
the Seventh. said to him, This news
has brought about an awful seriousness
with our fellows, Taz.' Yes" he re-
piled, land well they may be serious II
they really know what Is In store for
them. have been up yonder where
bearing Is, and looked across at the
Yankees" rs IRE
Then he told me good joke he had
on our dashing and debonair chief of
artillery He had ridden + out on the
slzirrlish line to get closer observation
OF the enemys position. when a courier
galloped up with message from General
Lee. Naturally he supposed Mars Robert
wished to ask him wha he had seen Of
those people chat was worth reporting;
but he was woefuly mistaken. This was
all the General had to say: Major Dear
ing.1I dog not approve OF young officers
needlesslys exposing themselves; Your
place Is with your batteries" While we
were talking an order came to move up
nearer the artillery. This was done, and
the final preparations made for the ad-
vance. Here let me say that General
Kemper's memory was at fault when he
said In his letter to Judge David e.
Johnston, dated February 4, 1886, that
he and General Garrett were tho only
officers OF Pickett's Division who went
into that battle mounted. He himself
gave Col Lewis B. Williams. OF tho
/ First, permission 70 keep his horse, as
he was too inwell to walk. and after tho
General was shot down saw two OF
Orderly Walker, still on horseback.
THE TEMPEST AT 4 O'CLOCK.
Meantime the blazing sun has reached
and passed the meridian. and the long.
painful interval Of suspense Is swallowed
up in the excruciating reality. Where
the Third and the greater part of the
Seventh lay there was a depression In
the ridge, exposing them to tho full fury
OF the tempest OF shot and shell which
soon came raining down upon them. A
faint conception of its indescrible horror
r. frny1 q, fay1r i,,oi la TO
OF which retain to this day shuddering
recollection. At tho sound OF the siH3al
guns went to the centre Of the regi-
ment In front of the flag, and sat down
upon a pile Of blankets resembling a coil
OF rope; but the intolerable heat Of tho
sun quickly drove mo back to tho sheter
Of the apple tree, under which men and
officers of both regiments were crowded
toge ther thick as herring in barrel
where managed to squeeze In between
Colonel Patton and Colonel Colcote.
PANDEMONIUM. .=6
Tho first shot or two flew harmlessly
over our heads but soon they began
to get the range and then came-well.
what General Gibbon, on the other slide.
called "pandemonium." First there was
an explosion In the top of our friendly
tree, sending shower OF limbs upon us.
In second there was another, followed
by piercing shrek, which caused Pat
ton to spring up and run to see what
was the matter. Two killed outright and
three frightfully wounded he said on his
return. Immediately after a like cry
came from another apple tree close by In
the midst of the Third. Company r had
suffered terribly; First Lieutenant a. r..
Conner, legs shattered below the knee;
Of the Arthur brothers, second and third
lieutenants, one killed and the other
badly hit; Orderly Sergeant Murray NOR
tally wounded, and of the privates, ono
killed and three wounded, Then, for
more than an hour 1t went on, Nearly
every minute the cry OF mortal agony
was heard above the roar and rumble OF
The guns, In his modest book. -Four
Years a Soldier" one who was left for
dead under that apple tree describes It
in these feeling words: "Turn you where
you would. there were to be seen at
almost every moment OF time guns,
swords, haversacks, human flesh and
Ill., 4