Year: 1863

The Sacramento Urion gives the following ac-
count of the great battle at Gettysburg which
took place on Friday, July Sd: The popular
description of the ground held by our forces on
the morning of that day would be to say It was in
the form of an elongated and somewhat sharp
ened horseshoe, with Gettysburg heel to the
south. The battle commenced at daylight on the
east side Of the horseshoe position, opposite to
that which Ewell had won. The crash of musk
etry preceded the rising of the sun. A thick
wood vailed this fight but out of its leafy dark
ness arose the smoke and surging swelling of the
fire, from the intermittent to the continuous and
crushing told of the wise tactics of the rebels at
tacking in force and changing their troops
Seemingly the attack of the day was TO be made
throughout that wood. This demonstration was
protracted, bat was only preparatve. There was
no artillery fire accompanying the musketry.-
Suddenly, about ten in the forenoon, the firing
on the east side and everywhere about the lines
ceased. A silence as of deep sleep fell on the
field Of battle, during which the rebels moved
their artillery to the number of one hundred and
twenty pieces, and massed the troops of Long
streets and Hills corps in front of our center
About two in the afternoon the rebels opened on
our center with all their artillery. Every size
and form of shell known to British and American
gunnery, shrieked, walled, moaned and wrath
fully flutered over our ground; as many as six in
a second bursting and screaming over and around,
making a very hell of fire, which amazed the old
est officers. They burst in the yard next to the
fence on both sides, garnshed as usual with the
hitched horses of the aids and orderlies. The
fastened animals reared and plunged with terror.
Sixteen were killed before the fire ceased. A she'll
tore up little step ofthe headquarters cottage.
Another carried off one Of its two pillars, and the
other followed almost Immediately, carried away
by shot from Whitworth gun. The spherical
iron burst opposite the open door. Another
ripped through the low garret. Forty minutes
passed and the air grew thicker and the bowling
and whirling of the Internal missiles grew more
deafening. Not an orderly, ambulance or strag-
gler was to be seen upon the plain swept by this
tempest of orchestral death, twenty minutes ai-
ter it commenced.


At the expiration of an hour this ceased, and
Hills corps, in line of battle, moved forward at
the double-quick, Longstreet following in sup
porting distance. The position of our center
where the Second Corps under Gen. Hancock
was posted-was very stu ong, one portion resting
on the crest of Cemetery Hill, protected in front
by breastworks of rails taken from neighboring
farms, and on the right by stone wall. The
rebels rushed in perfect order across the open
field up to the very muzzles of the guns, which
tore lane through them as they came but they
met men who were their equals in spirit and their
superiors in tenacity. Never was better fighting
seen since Thermopyle than was done that day
by our infantry and artillery. The rebels carried
our defenses, cleared the cannoneers and horses
from one of our guns and were whirling it around
to use upon us, when bayonet charge drove
them back At one time it was found that the
ammunition of every battery upon the principal
crest attacked was exhausted, and they were ST.
lent, except Crowen's. His service of grape ard
canister were awful. 1t enabled our line, out
numbered as it was two to one, first TO beat the
rebels back and then charge upon them, taking a
great number of prisoners. Previous to this, so
terrible was our musketry and artillery fire that,
when the rebel Armstead's brigade was checked
in its charge and stood reclining, all its men
dropped their muskets and crawled on hands
and knees underneath the stream, close to our
troops, where they made signs of surrendering.-
They passed through our ranks scarcely noticed,
and slowly went down the SLOPE TO the road
The rebels were repulsed; but they renewed the
assault half dozen times during the afternoon
and were as often repulsed and driven back with
loss unparalleled in any previous battle. AT the
end of two hours the rebel artillery opened new
storm of shot and shell, under cover of which
their infantry retreated in wild disorder from one
position and then from another, throwing away
everything that might impede locomotion. At
FIVE o'clock last evening (3d) they had Withdrawn.
The ground all around was red with blood and
covered with msngled bodies. The field was