Evening star., 1938-07-03
BY HELEN DORTCH LONGSTREET.
Widow Of the Confederate General, =

to strike him"
Decided to Await Attack.
At council Of war at Meades
headquarters, the evening Of July 2,
the Federal Corps commanders dis
cussed the advisability Of retreating.
The unanimous decision was to stay
ana night. They also decided to wait
for the Confederate attack, but could
not agree on how long to wait.
Lee ordered Pickett's division, rein.
forced by Heth's brigade of Hills
corps. to make the attack under Long
streets command.
The I'd and Sd Federal Corps were
massed at the left center to meet the
first shock of assault.
Longstreet Pens Order.
At pm. Longstreet penned the
order:
Let the batteries open; order great
precision in firing"
From the west, southwest, north
and northeast 172 Confederate cannon
roared. answered by similar number
Of Federal cannon.
Horses and men fell, swept like chafY
before hurricane.
The groans Of the dying. minsling
In sad crescendo under the thunder
OF cannon, bursting shells, screaming
projectiles, kissing bullets. infantry
flame and gun smoke, from both
battle lines, filled the air for an hour
and half.
It was the prelude to Pickett,s
charge.
Too overcome for speech at the
prospect Of the useless slaughter Of his
men. Longstreet nodded his head to
Pickett, who was waiting for orders.
Il shall move my men forward, sir"
said Pickett, and drawing . letter
from his breast pocket addressed to a
young girl who was waiting for him
tn distant Virginia valley, he wrote
across the envelope:
II Longstreet1 nod means death.
sweetheart. scod-by, aud Odd bless
you" =
Confederates Attack.
Then from the woods of Seminary
Ridge the Confederates moved to the
assault
The mighty Army Of the Potomac,
on elevated, intrenched ground, waited.
Across the open field marched
Pickett's men to certain death.
The brilliant Alexander salloped
furtously With his batteries to Packett,s
support. Horses and riders went down
and checked his progress. Heroic
gunners cut the dead horses loose and
seinng the wheels and whirlins the
guns into position poured deadly IRE
Into the Federals.
Gen. Gibbon, riding on the battle
'front.', desperately to reform the ranks
OF retreating Federals, was seriously
wounded.
Gallant 1t. Haskell galloped across
the neld to bear . message to Meade
In the name of the wounded Gibbon:
The enemy is advancing his in
fantry In force on my front"
All the Federal cannons were in
action. From fire Of shells they
changed to shrapnel and from shrap-
mel to canister.
While Pickett's men marched into
the jaws Of death Confederate can
non were silent.
Confederate ammunition was nearly
exhausted, but Pickett,s men moved on.
Advanced Into Shot and Shell.
The thinning ranks advanced into a
plowtng fire Of shot and shell. His
men closing on the enemy line, Fed
eral breastworks became Q peak of
fire.
Pickett's men paused and level
barrels answered the enemy, volley on
volley.
Gen. Hancock, seriously wounded,
was borne from the field.
Woodruff was mortally wounded.
Noble 1t. Cushing. in death agony,
with . lanyard around his wrist,
called to Gen. Webb:
General will give them one more
shot," and fell dead across his own
gun, the weight Of his body firing the
last canister.
Suddenly the Blue line wavered.
Webb's brigade Of Pennsylvanians
broke, fell back In terror and con-
fusion. 1t. Haskell, sword In hand,
galloped against the retreating bri-
gade, shouted, HALT, face about, flre,"
and the retreat was checked.
Pickett's men reached the stone
wall.
Armistead. holding his hat on the
point Of his sword, crossed the wall
shouting:
"oive them the cold steel, boys"
and fell mortally wounded near
Federal cannon.
0arnett was dead; Kemper and
Trimble were desperately wounded.
Coler Sergeant Falls.
Sergeant, forward with your colors,
let the rebels see them once more,
close before their eyes, before they
die: was the battle-cry Of the colonel
Of the 72nd Pennsylvania Regiment.
The color sergeant, holding his regi-
mental coloEs high, with the severed
lance srasped in two frm hands,
rushed to storm the WALL Halt way
to the wall bullet pierced his heart.
and he fell In death, with the nag
draping his body.
The Confederates held Federal
battle-ground at the old stons wall.
= Cash !, !,