The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-06-11
PICkE1I'S CHARGE
SWEPT ACROSS A PLAIN AMID
SHOT and SHELL
COULD NOT Be CHECKED

ed Its Red Curtain Over a More
Spectacular Scene Than When the
Confederates Made Their Heroic
Charge at Gettysburg.
The third days battle at Gettys-
burg was the fercest and most des-
perate conflict of modern times. 1t
inspired prodigies of valor and reap
ed a harvest of awful death. Those
fifteen immortal minutes at the stone
wall on Cemetery Ridge marked the
high tide of the Confederacy. An
eyewitness, an officer who served
with the Northern army, tells of the
nightmare of that long, awful silence
that preceded the beginning Of the
artillery duel as the two armies faced
each other before the final death
grapple. Then came the signal and
Lees 120 guns on Seminary Ridge
opened with a roar that shook the
hills from base to crest. And the
reverberating thunder of the guns
was heard 14O miles away.
"No sound of roaring waters, nor
wind, nor thunder, nor of these COM
bined, ever equaled the tremendous
uproar, and no command, no order,
no sound of voice, could be heard at
all above the ceaseless din Of thou
sands of shrieking shot and shell
falling thick and fast on every side
and bursting with terrific explosion,
while others by thousands came
bounding, skipping, racing and chas-
ing each other over the hill and
down the slope, Kissing, scofing,
splitting and moaning like relentless
demons as they dashed through the
detachments and went onward to
crash among the reserves far back in
the rear. The air was filled with
clouds Of dust, and volumes Of sui
phurous, suffocating smoke rolled up
white and blush gray like frightful
storm clouds, and hung like pail
over the field, through the riffs and
rents of which the sun with dim light
looked down upon the ghastly scene.
All the world knows what follow
ed. 1t is written in letters of fame
on the annals of war-the charge of
Pickett's division, the flower of the
Confederate army, against the Union
left center held by the tried veterans
of Hancock's corps. The grim drama
of war never lifted it's red curtain
over a more spectacular scene than
when 'Pickett's devoted regiments
crossed the plain to storm amid a
hell of shot and shell the heights of
Cemetery Ridge. A third of the dis
tance had not been covered before
the Federal guns to right and left of
them opened with terrible fury, tear
ing fearful lanes through their ranks.
But on they came yelling like de-
mons. Across the Emittsburg pike,
driving in the Union skirmishers, at
lull SpSSu, Ol luOy OdSuS0
Then from 10000 Union muskets
came binding, zig-zag burst of liv-
ing fame that moved down the
charging Confederates like a death
scythe. But on they came, their tat
tered battle flags nearer and nearer
to the coveted stone wall, while from
the Federal artillery, double shotted
with grape and canister, burst volley
after volley in squirting flames so feet
long, blazing into the very faces of
the assailants, cutting horrible
swaths through the ranks of the Con-
federates, while from both hanks
death and destruction was hurled in
to the desperate charging column.
But on the crest Of this fierce tide of
invasion still came the gallant Armis-
ted with some hundred of his men.
Up to the wall and over it with the
cold steel of the bayonet they dashed
in the exultant madness Of the flush
of victory and for brief moment
Armistead's battle flag waved over
the guns of a captured Union bat
terry. For a moment only. Halls
splendid charge through Wedd's
shattered lines ended in hand-to-
hand struggle with clubbed muskets.
Armistead fell slain "a the gun he
had captured, and when Pickett
reached the crest he saw at what aw-
full cost he had pierced the Union
line. From every side troops we're
rushing up to aid the beleaguered
Second corps. He saw his men sur
rendering in masses and with his
heart breaking in anguish he ordered
a retreat of the few that remained Of
that magnificent column that so
shortly before had left the lines Of
Seminary Ridge. The charge had
failed and from that fateful moment
the Confederacy became the Lost
Cause.
Had it not been for the activity
and splendid courage of the Union
cavalry upon both flanks, the story of
Pickett's charge might have had
different ending. Lee had planned,
with the assault on
the left center, attacks by Longstreet
on the Union left and by Stuart on
the right where the Confederate sa-
bres had been posted in position to
break through the Union right and
strike the Federals in the rear. But
kept Longstreet busy and
prevented aid from reaching Pickett
at the critical moment. On the Union |
right ensued one of the most desper-
ate cavalry engagements of the war,
in which Gregg and Custer and Nc
Intosh held in check and finally drove
back Stuart's dashing riders.
1t was here that sixteen men Of the
Third Pennsylvania cavalry made
heir famous charge-a heroic but
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