Year: 1863

= trees by which the dwell n was surround
e ed, and l5isad deep burrows OF the soft
: earth vt the fence in front of the build
2 ing the horses Of aids and orderlies were
fttndinS. \ dozen OF the frightened an
: sina!s fell Toy the rebel pruiectilss. and 9th
: ers broke away and fled in the widest
/ fright ioTald the rear. One staff officer,
and another and another were wounded.


Strange 10 say, amid al this iron hail no
= one OF the staff was killed. Every man
/ stared death full IN the face, and had lit
tie prospect OF escaping unhurt Rarely
the history of war has there been a
p scene 10 equal this


This storm of pitilesS iron was by no
, means hurled at headquarters alone. 1t
; was Lees grand attempt t. shatter and
break our center. preparatory to the
charge which should possess him of the
, key 10 our position 1t was a brilliant


plan, and one in which Napoleon often


achieved success. Whenever that array
OF guns was pointed there the air was Ia


den with the hurtling missiles of death.
= Every tree, every shrub. every blade of


grass bent before the blast Through the


thick rolling smoke-cloud that separated


the cOntending hosts shell after shell


crushed on its fiery way. Man nor beast





cut in our lines, and battery after battery
hushed its fire disabled by the rebel
guns. Nearly two hours of this cannon


ade, and then came the charge which was


so nobly repulsed.


Once more at the Cemetery. ! struck


across the Baltimore Turnpike to the hill


that forms the extremity of the ridge on


which the main portion of our line of bat
{ 10 tg-ls 10
| town and the whole valley toward the


northwest. where it runs off into the hill
/ " country in the direction of the Sus-
/ quehanna. /, was on this hill. Just to the
right of the Cemetery. where the battery


was posted that the Tiger brigade of Lou


isiana, attempted to take by a charge. !
/ have elsewhere spoken of this charge, and
/ the manner in which it was met by our
/ troops. Looking from this elevation
down to the valley below one can readily
understand the desperate nature of such
a charge. That the Tigers succeeded in
reaching the guns and actually spiking
one of them, argues great valOr on their
| part. Equal heroism was displayed by
our troops in driving back the enemy aft
er they had once obtained the hill.


The hill was made artifcially strong
/ during the night after the first assault,
! by the erection of several redans, behind
each of which gun was posted. They
were sufficiently high to prevent their
being carried with ease by the enemy


In addition 10 the artillery in this divis-
ion there was a considerable number of
guns held in reserve. This position of
the line received special attention, as it
was the key to our whole position
Should our position be carried our defeat
would be certain. as IL would separate
our wings from each other. The defen-
ses that were thrown up still remain. but
the guns We're in the road in pursuit of
tine retreating rebels. The hill coin
maudS a full view OF the town
of the whole region of the fight. Far
away on the left the mountains stretcl
away to the Potomac. and on the right.
the Susquchanna. The green fields and
darker fOyests look a peaceful as If they
had never heard the sound Of contend
ing armies. Nearly two hundred thou
sand mea met mere three days lgo in
mortal combat, and tOdIy there Is a Sab
bath-lille stiffness.


To the right of the hill the line OF bat
tie for almost a half mile. falls back at
right angles to the general course, from
Round Hill 10 the Cemetery. This IS
due II the shape OF the gloInd-the val
lev through which q stream winds. bends
sharply u the eastward. From here the
line does not follow a regular ridge, but
Is over succession of elevations and de
pressiOns. The defenses are on these in
equalities along the front of the crest
Fortune wllled it that for a portion of the
distance there should be "A strong stone
fence. This was rendered more dense 10y
throwing up a quantity of dirt on both
sides. preventing bullets from glancing
or passing through the interstices of the
wall The trees around the wall are
thickly Scared 10y rebel balls. and the
same i the case with those in front, be-
hnd which the rebel sharHShooters were
posted.


Within twenty yards OF one portion Of
the works are the remains Of rebels
coat and a bloody blanket, Near it l
found Il copy of the New Testament, of
the ordinary 32mo. size, well printed and
not badly bound. On the title page is
the imprint of the Confederate States BIZ
bic Society. and it claims to have been
thrown from the press of an establish
ment in Atlanta, Ga. 1t contains the
name OF John II. Congreve, OF an Ala
baina regiment, the number being so
blurred that it cannot be made out with
certaintv On the fly leaf in the end of
the book, the owner attempted to draw
"A representation of the rebel flag above
that of the Union.


After passing the forest hill on the
right, j rocky and somewhat steep as
cent, l entered the forest. The breast .
works here are constructed of piled logs
and dirt. The engineers were III all cases
careful to keep them on the brow of the .
hill-the most difficult positions for the
rebels 10 assault. In one place Is a con- /
siderable quantity of cast Off soldiers
clothing, shelter tents and rubber blank .
cts. \ little back of the position on the
hillside, in a quiet nook, where the Garth
Is less rocky, are the graves OF several OF
Union slain. The loss does not appear
TO have been heavy on our side in this To-
cality, owing TO the excellent position .
that we occupied.


Down the slope of the first hill, nearly .
to the bank of the stream, is a long
mound of yellow earth. Approaching
this 1 find it to be the resting place of a
portion of the rebel dead. Close by 1t, .
the side of a tree has been scraped and .
neatly smoothed down. On this spot the
following inscription has been placed
'.Forty-five Rebs buried to the right. -
An index points to the mound. Further
down the valley is another mound, close
by the bank of the stream.


On the second elevation from the cenn-
etery, the line bends still more to the
right. following the brow of the hill. AT
the base of the hill is a stream known as
Rock creek, across which the rebels were
obliged TO move in their advance on the
right 1t is but few steps across, and
not large enough to hinder the move
ments of the troops. From the stream
to the summit of the hill the ascent Is
quite steep-too steep to be climbed, ex-
cept by n slow walk. The rocks along
the whole ascent are rough and irregular,
and in the face of heavy fire, must be
difficult to pass. The trees are of good


y -. {. IL L.....l.