The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-07-24

tie of Gettysburg was written by Mr..
j. Russell Wright of Johnston, S. c.,
a survivor of the famous battle and
brother of Mr.. j. F. Wright of
Parrott:
AS the wife of the immortal Gen.
Pickett, who led the charge at Gettys-
burg is TO be at Johnston in a few
days | want to let her know that
there lives one in this vicinity who
witnessed that charge in open fields.
On the third day of the battle of
Gettysburg Gen. Lee called a council
of his generals at Longstreet's head
quarters and the plan of attack was
there formed, for Gen. Pickett to
storm Cemetery Ridge with his di
vision. The attack was to be open
ed with artillery fire to batter and
demoralize the federal line, and was
to be opened by a signal of two shots
from the Washington artillery. At
1870 the report of the first gun rang
out on the still summer air, followed
a minute later by a second, and then
came the roar and splash of one hum
dred and fifty-eight confederate can
non. Almost Immediately one hun
dred federal guns responded. Shot
and shell tore through the air crash
ing through batteries, tearing men
and horses to pieces, and the very
earth seemed to shake and the hills
to reel as the terrible thunder re-
echoed among them. For nearly an
hour every conceivable form of ord
nance known to gunnery Kissed and
shrieked, whistled and screamed as
it went forth on its death mission,
till exhausted by excitement and heat
the gunner slackened their fire ami
silence reigned again.
1t was then the immortal Pickett
and his brave legion stood up and
formed for the death struggle. Rem
nants of Garnett's brigade-the 8th,
18th, 10Th 28th, 56th, Virginia; Ar
mistead's brigade, the 9th, 14th,
53rd, 57th Virginia; Kemper's brig
AIDE, the LIST, 3rd, 7th, 18th and oath
Virginia. Their tattered flags bore the
scars of a score of battles and from
their ranks the merciless bullets had
already taken two-thirds of their
number In compact ranks their
front scarcely covered two Of Han
cok's brigades, but that did not
brighten them, and with flags waving
as if for a gala day they stood. Gen.
Pickett saluted Longstreet and ask
ed; 'Shall l go forward, sir?" But
it was not in Gen. Longstreet's heart
to send those heroes of so many bat
ties to certain death, and he turned
away his head, when Gen. Pickett,
with that proud imperious air which
had earned for him the title of the
Ney of the Rebel Army, exclaimed:
Sir, shall lead my division for
ward" The order now rang out:
attention. Attention." and the
men realizing the end was near cried
out to their comrades Goodbye,
boys, good-bye!" Suddenly there
rang out on the evening air the final
order from Pickett himself, and his
sabre flashed from its scabbard:
Column forward, guide center" and
the brigades of Kemper Garnett and
Armistead moved toward Cemetery |
Hill as one man.
Soon Pettigrew's division emerged |
from the woods and followed in eche-
lon on Pickett's left flank and Wilcox
with Alabama division moved out to
support his right fiank-in all about
/ 3, 900 men. 1t was nearly mile to
the federal lines, and as they advanc-
ed over the open plain the federal
artillery opened again blowing great
lanes through their solid ranks, but |
they closed up to guide center as
if upon dress parade. When half
way over Pickett halted his division
amidst a terrible fire of shot and shell
and changed his direction by an
oblique movement, coolly and beau
tifully made. To those who have
never faced artillery fire it is mar
velous and inexplicable how human
beings could have advanced mile !
under the terrible fire of a hundred |
cannon, the atmosphere was laden
with missiles of death, but in splen-
did formation they still went bravely
on till within range of the musketry,
where the blue line of Hancock's |