New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-01

undet him; some OF them two ana
three. In thirty minutes not horle
was left to general or staff, save one
and that one-as If the grim mockerv
Of war there sought to Guido itself
had his tail shot off, General Cutler
himself had three horses shot under
him.
Few troops could stand IT, All OF the
! First Corps could not. Presently the
thin line of fire began to waver and
bend and break under those terrible vol
leys from the dark woods above. The
officers, brave almost always TO a fault
| sought to keep them in. One--his name
deserves TO be remembered-
Richardson, of the 7th Wisconsin
seized the colors of retreating Penn
| sylvania regiment and strove to rally
| the men around their flag. II was in
vain. None but troops that have been
| tried as by fire can be reformed under
such a storm of Death; but the can
tain, left alone and almost in the rebels
hands, held on to the Haunting colors
Of another regiment. that made him so
conspicuous a target, and brought them
safely off.
The right Of the corps gave way.
The fierce surge of Ewells attack had
beaten up to their front, and. added to
Hills heavy fire, forced them slowly
| back.
Wadsworth still holds on--for a few
! minutes more his braves protract the
carnival of Death. Doubleday managed
TO get three regiments over to their
support Colonel Biddle's Pennsylva-
MIA regiment came in and behaved
most CALAMITY. Colonel Stephenson,
who all the day had been serving In
the hottest Of the fight as aid to Mere
dith. relieved a wounded colonel and
strove to rally his regiment Meredith
| himself, with his Antietam wound
hardly yet ceasing TO pain him, Is
| struck again-a mere bruise, however
ON the head, with a piece of shell;
at the same instant his large, heavy
horse falls MORALLY wounded, bears
the general under him 10 the ground,
and beats him there with his head and
shoulders in his death commissions.
It is idle fighting Fate. Ewell turned
the scale with the old, historic troops;
brave men may now well retire before
double their number equally brave.
When the Eleventh Corps fell back the
flank of the First was exposed; when
the right Of the First fell back Wads-
worth's flank was exposed; already
| flushed with victory, rebels were pour
ing UP against front and both TANKS OF
the devoted brigades. They had twice
cleared the front OF rebel lines, mortal
men could now do no more. And so.
Slowly and solemnly firing" the last
Of them came back.
+, Meantime the fate of the army had
been settled. 1t was one Of those great
crises that come rarely more than once
in lifetime. For Major General How
ard, brave, cle-armed, Christian fight
ing hero, the crisis had come.
His communicative corps Of the
| Grand Army of the Potomac-were re-
pulsed, and coming back in full re-
treat. few sturdy brigades in order,
the most in sad confusion. One cav
airy charge, twenty minutes well d.
rected cannonading, might wipe out
nearly a third Of the enemy. and leave
! Meade powerless for the defence Of
the North. These corps must be saved
and saved at once.
General Howard met and overmas-
tered the crisis. The Cemetery Hill
was instantly selected. The troops
were taken TO the rear and reformed
under cover. Batteries hurried up, and
when the rebel pursuit had advanced
half way through the town a thunder
bolt leaped out from the whole length
OF that line of crest and smote them
where they stood The battle was
ended, the corps was saved.
The last desperate attack lasted no.
where along the line over forty min
utes; with most of it hardly over half
so long. One single brigade, that iron"
column that held the left, went in $50
strong. IL came out with 700 men. A
few were prisoners; a few concealed
themselves in houses and escaped
near 1000 Of them were killed and
wounded. Its fellow brigade went in
1.J00 strong: it cams out with 40 Of
fcers and $40 men killed and wounded,
and six officers ard 5S4 men missing
and their fate unknown. Who shall
say that they did not go down into the
very valley Of the Shadow OF Death
on that terrible afternoon!
As I write the skirrnishing goes
briskly on in front. We are awaiting
the rebel attack. Old officers insist
that they will. as usual. after feeling
our lines all day, attack on what they
think our weakest point about four in
the afternoon. Others maintain that
there will be no buttle till tomorrow.
When IL does come, IL the rebels know
as much about our position as think
they do 1t will come on the left.
AGATE.
49,. AxM..<