Year: 1877

ruled by the council of war.


At l p. m. a signal shot was fired
from Confederate gun, and in two
minutcsEafterward another. 1t was
the preconcerted signal, and on hear
ing the first gun every man threw
himself flat on the ground in obe-
dience to orders. The echoes of the
sound of the second gun had not died
away when all tho Confederate ar
tillery at that part of tho field
opened fire upon Cemetery Heights
with salvo tho like of which had
nevor been heard in America till
then. The Federal batteries must
have been surprised, or else greatly
damaged by it, for it was several
minutes before they replied to it,
Yet when they did reply their fire
was worry effective and deadly, and
seemed to be fully equal to that of
the Confederates. l am not going
to attempt to describe that duel, so
to speak, between the Federal and
Confodcra'o artillery, each composed
on this occasion, so it was said. of
more than . hundred guns. To do
so would be to fail. I confess that
my pen is unequal to it, and 1 do not
believe that any pen could convey
an ade' uAte conception of it. The
smoke rom the Confederate batteries,
althou ;h they were but little ways
ii ON Lie, soon obscured them from
any sight. This smoke was lit up by
red, angry flashes of flame as tho
successive discharges left the muz-
zles of the guns. The firing WAS so
rapid and continuous that the report
of q single gun could not be distin-
guished. Over the space intervening
between the infantry and artillery
frequently passed some mounted Of
ficer and his staff-notably once
General Lee, and several times Cen
erals Longstreet and Pickett. The
Federal batteries woro returning the
Confederate fire with great vigor,
and when Gen. Lee passed over the
ground it was being swept with q
deadly hail of every missile known
to the nomenclature of artillerists.-
Ills appearance at q place of such
imminent danger both thrilled and
horrilcd the line, and the men
shouted TO him to 60 away to shelter.
Always regardless of himself when
duty called, but mindful of the lives
Of others, he had but ono attendant
with him. When the men yelled to
him to 60 away he took off his hat in
acknowledgement of their affection
ate solicitude, and then rode on with.
out quickening the pace of his noble
gray.


Major James E. Dearing, chief of
artillery of Pickett's Division, had
boasted that the flag of his battalion
should not on that day touch the
ground. Accompanied by his flag
bear CT, he gallopped necessarily from
one end Of the line of guns to the
other, cheering the cannoniers by his
presence, and giving them directions
where to direct their fire. While
gallopping along the line, at full
speed, q little in advance Of the color
bearer, round shot struck and
killed the horse of the latter, and
threw him to the ground. Maj. Dear,
ing turned and saw his flag falling,
but, 80 quick was he that, before it
had actually reached the ground, lie
seized it from the standard-boarer
and throughout tue remainder Of the
battle carried it himself. This gal
liant act, performed in full view of
tho line Of battle, was greeted with
such Confederate yell as not oven
the informal roar Of the guns could
drown. Gen. Pickett, while tarry-
ing unnecessarily long, as some of
his staff thought, at point where the