St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-10-01

to the right Of the fighting.
Our objective point was Bethesda
Church, situated at the junction of
the Katharpin with the Jerusalem
Plank road, and General Lees pur-
pose-as now known-was to strike
that blow in Grants left real which
Moreau gave the Duke Charles at
Hohenlinden.
If some general had not Numbered,
as | have remarked, Longstreet would
have reached Grants headquarters at
Bethesda with two veteran divisions
and the consequences would have
been disastrous to Grant. But God
had disposed, and | am to tell Of how
I saw General Lee as he rode at full
speed across the front Of our brigade,
then leading the division, in column
of attack, and hugging mother earth
in support Of the Canton, Mississippi
battery, firing desperately into the
pine thicket a few hundred yards
away. These thickets were crowned
with the tops of Federal battle flags,
showing a large force, and further
evidenced by musketry fire wither-
ing in the extreme.
Some few yards in front of the
Canton battery was that Alabama
brigade, which that day added fresh
laurels to their imperishable renown,
Wilcock's. These men held the brunt
of Grants attack until Longstreet
could be brought from the Katharpin
road and formed.
In this mighty din, with Fields and
McLaw's divisions of Longstreet's
corps stripped to the buff and pant
ing in leash, General Lee, accom-
panied with a single courier lad
just beyond his teens, and a friend |
have since learned to love, Brown,
yet living near Canton. Missouri
red up to the battery commander and
from a caisson keeper I heard his
order. From my position General
Lees voice could not be heard.
Around me were dead and falling men
and horses and above me the inces-
SAINT and deafening hiss of a storm Of
bullets.
The Canton battery was to give the
enemy a round or two of spherical
case and then the Texans would
charge! Near me, lying on a rubber
blanket, was the body Of a handsome
young lieutenant of the artillery COM
pany, and his name was told US by a
gunner. | have forgotten it. but his
features, beautiful in death, will be
with me always. OF this moment
much has been claimed by Others, tut
here it was that Lee rode out to led
his army in a charge for the first
time!
We were called to attention, and,
in moving forward, arm at right
shoulder, guide center" | saw Cen
eral Lee somewhere near the center
Of the brigade front formation, when
the cry went up, Lee to the rear!
The General to the rear" and the
brigade halted. This was just about
where Wilcox's line was, and | re-
member that many of them fell in
and charged with US. Ordinance
Officer RsnsdalI of Rusk, Texas,
seized General Lees bride and was
hilled dragging his horse to the e
The enemy was at point blank dis
lance and the firing upon us was
very, very heavy.
Then came that trumpet voice Of
General Gregg, our brigade comman-
der: Men, the eyes of your General
are upon you: forward and give them
hell"
Into that zone Of death headlong
went the brigade.
Coming out wounded, some twenty
or thirty minutes later, | saw Cen
eral Lee near where Lieutenant Ran
dali had fallen, and as | passed with
q group Of others hurt, I heard him
say: Men, everything is prepared
for you at the field hospital. All
goes we'll" And the wounded. even
unto death, cheered him.
1t was the moment that General
Lee sought to lead Hoods brigade
that the young artist caught, and
the loss Of that picture was a calam-
ity, for the faces in the painting
were taken. 50 far as he could find
them, from life.
To gaze upon a beloved commander