The National tribune., 1908-09-24
PICKETTs GREAT CHARGE.
Remembrances of an ex-COnfederst
Courier.

Editor National Tribune: AS you are
publishing the history of the Chancel-
lorsville and Gettysburg campaign, l
will give you few incidents connected
with and including the worlds re-
nowned charge of Pickett's Division on
that memorable third days battle at
Gettysburg.
The morning of the third day was,
as 1 remember, ushered in rather
bright and with great expectancy from
the two great armies facing each other.
The previous two days had decided
nothing, but had brought the two
armies face to face, and with greater
determination than ever before to win.
The morning hours had been spent on
both SIDES in maSSing the troops and
arranging for decisive effort about
the noon hour or a little after. Quiet
had reigned for long time, which
seemed almost painful. AT A. p. Hills
headquarters a courier was called, and
your correspondent answered, and the
General said, Here is a circular mes
sage to the commanders of the artil-
lery which you will deliver" He hand
ed me an open order to the officers of
the Third Corps artillery, which / at
once proceeded to deliver. This order
was short. directing the artillery Off
GERS to open fire upon the Union lines
at a signal which was to be given at a
certain time from the Washington ar
tillery. At the appointed time the sig
nal gun was fired, and the whole line
took up the fire, and as a result the
Union batteries replied vigorously, SO
that for time the quiet that had
reigned during the earlier part of the
day had been turned to pandemonium
by the laundering of cannon and the
crash and shrek and scream of the
shell bursting in air and plowing up
the earth and tearing the trees in the
neighborhood.
The great duel had been going on
for time, when all of sudden the
scenes changed on the canvas, the fir
ing grew little more quiet, and there
was great activity with the infantry of
the center of our lines, when Gen. Pick
etts Division started for the Union
lines upon the nights under a calling
fire of musketry from the Union lines,
which was kept up until Pickett's men,
many of them, reached the Federal
works, and fought like demons for a
time Then from loss of great num-
bers and facing an unequal number of
the enemy they were forced to fall
back across the same open field over
which they bad so gallantly advanced
a short time before. They were still
| under a whitening fire from the hilltop.
This charge of Picketts Division, so
gallantly made and with such sad re-
suits, that our army was badly demor-
allied, and from thenceforward our de-
| feat seemed inevitable, as our arms
met with disaster$all along the line.
A Union soldier said to me one day
not long ago he could not see why
Gen. Meade did not follow up his great
| victory and crush and capture Lees
army and be done with it. A Union
soldier just after the great battles of
Gettysburg told in answer to this same
question that Gen. Meade's army was
ijust as badly crippled and demoralized
| as was that of Lees, only Lee took ad-
vantage of the old saying that "he that
| fights and runs away may live to fight
another day" 1t seems from this re-
verse of our armies until the close of
the great struggle that we were doomed
sooner or later to give up the great
| strnggle--W. FL. jenkins. Ladoga, Ind.