Year: 1863

=
emy's movements, but il was thought to be
clearly made out tnat he was massing his
forces on our extreme right In view of
this, additional preparations were madc to
meet whatever might como in that dircC-
ton. But there were some who thought
from the first that the movements of the
enemy toward our right were made only
for show, and to distract attention from
more important points ; for such was the
nature OF the country that, had the enemy
really wished to mass his forces there, he
could have done it without making man
visible.


All day more or less picket firing had
taken place on our left, and il became
pretty sharp between two and three I. VI.
Some movements were in progress behind
this fire, and to develop these General
Sicklcs was ordered to advance with his
Whole Third Corps. This advance brought
on the general engagement.


Under cover OF a fire from tho eight
brass pieces in battery on the open field,
the corps went forward in line OF battle,
corps, and division and brigade colors all
in the air, and tho men in excellent spirits.
Then the eucmy's artillery, so long silent,
began on our left ut the pieces in the field.
In turn our pieces on Cemetery Hill opened
ON those of tho enemy in tho field other
batteries OF tho enemy nearer our ccntcr
opened ON those ON Cemetery Hill and 81
it went around until our guns on the north
crn face of the hill engaged the enemies
batteries two miles across tho country on
our right. The whole valley in which Get
tysburg lies was one immense network,
with the trace of shells from battery to
battery.


"A IF fro
ton naturally neccssitated some movement
of ambulanccs and ammunition wagons, and
i'll ten minutes after this extensive duel be-
gan, the Baltimore turnpike was lined with
vehicles in motion toward safer places. All
sorts OF shaIiy fellows also improved thiI"
opportunity to effect a slight skedaddle,
and soon the column of men in motion to-
ward the rear became moro considerable
than the column of vehicles. When men
| once begin to go each additional shell that
cNplodes in the air above them makes them
want to so tastor and, owing to this pecu-
liar constitution of tho human animal, Il
stampede down the Baltimore road was
imminent, when II line of men was cstab-
lishod and every fellow disposed to retire
was forced to the front


ljy this shcling the Cemetery Hill was
cleaned All day it had been occupied 10y
lines of men, and there groups of officers
| gathered together, inspected the position
and canvasSed the possibilities Many men
sat upon tho graves, leaned against the
tombstoncs, aud recounted their various
mschancCs. Orderlics came and went in
cessantly. for there Generals Howard aud
| Steinwehr had their headquarters. Alto
gether the City of the Dead was very
lively place but very soon aftor the artil-
! lery iiro became warm, ii was deserted by
all but the generals whose headquarters
were there and the men necessary to hold
the place.


Meantime the musketry fire on our left
seemed to become every moment more and
moro fierce. Already the Third Corps had
once been driven in disorder from ground
! it had won but, rallied by General Sickles
in person, it had again gone forward and
now held its place with desperate tenacity
against very heavy force, for this advance
on our left had developed that the enemy's
force were i'll reality masscd here and
when the Third Corps took the initiative, it
! only precipIated an attempt ON the part of
tho enemy which might otherwise come
when we were not SO we'll prepared to re-
Ccive it,


Hard pressed on its whole lines the Third
Corps rallied for support, and at five p. NJ.
the Fifth corps was marched from its posi-
tion ON the Baltimore turnpike, by little
cross road right across to the little hill lust
north of Sugar Loaf Hill. and went into ac-
ton on the left of the Third Corps. This
advance developed still further the intcn-
ton OF the enemy, which was to get round
our left flank, and so to get ut the Emmctts-
burg road, and perhaps at our ammunition
wagons near it, As the division of regu-
I lars and Ciriilin's division of the Fifth COrps
went forward, and before the fire had
opened on their front, some fire swept from
their left down tho line. and the right bri.
gade of the division of regulars was wheeled
80 as 10 face that way. No sooner had (
done So, than the fire in front opened which
then Cano in the rear of the right brigade,
and threw it into confusion but it was
rallied and went on again, and the line of
the two divisions drove the enemy before
it until it had taken the position previously
occupied by one of the enemy's batteries.


Here fire was concentrated on these
two divisions from batteries further to the
rear, and al the same time the enemy was
reported on their left. At once the line was
ordered to retire, and went back steadily to
the crest Of the hill. This hill was not par
ticularly precipitous, but on tho front it
was yory rough and rocky, and the crest
was covered with growth of scrub oaks.


1t was half an hour before sunset, and
now came the final great attempt with
which the rebels usually cndeavor to close
up great ongagoments-the attempt which
certainly has in the larger number of in
ntances been crowned with success. Here,
however, it met different fate. Two d-
visions, which proved to be Anderson's
and McLaws, of LOngstreets corps, were
formed for this great attempt, and came
forward in their usual magnificent style
They had difficult ground to come over but
on they came, over rocks and through the
low wood, until within fair distance, when
they made a rush with all possible yells
roared out in one. They did not keep their
line very even, but they were scarcely less
impetuOus as Il mass than they would have
been in line. They killed men on the crest
Of the hill, over the crest, and men were
even driven well down on the other side
but these rallied ON those that held their
places, and bullets were poured into the
rebel mass by volleys. Checked, broken,
beaten back by this one Titanic effort, of
the Fifth Corps, the attacking column was
scattered down the HILL and the battle was
over on the left with the enemy completely
beaten.


BALTIMORE, July 3, 1868.


During the night of Wednesday General
Meade arrived end commenced fortifying
the nights by the construction of abatts and
throwing up earthworks for distance of
QUAR- a T,ila in tbo form, IS d, o,o,oo,,t l.