The free South. (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864, July 18, 1863, Image 4
VOL. 1.
1
THE BA1TLE FIELD AT GETT1SBIKG.
CONTINUED FKOM FIKST PAGE.
"burp; road, where General Meade held his
headquarters during the cannonade, is
most fearfully cut up. It is already known
how General Lee masked his artillery and
opened with one hundred and thirty pieces
at the same moment. Two shells in every
-second of the time fell around these headquarters.
The shells tore through the little
white building, exploding and scattering
their fragments in every direction.?
"Not a spot anywhere was safe. One shell
through the doorstep, another in the
chimney, a third shattering a rafter, a
fourth cutting oft' the legs of a chair in
-which a staff officer was seated ; others
severed and splintered the posts in front
of the house, howling tlirough the trees
lw wln'rh the dwellincr is surrounded, and
Taised deep furrows of the soft earth. At
the fence in front of the building the
.horses of aids and orderlys were standing.
A dozen of the frightened animals fell by
the rebel projectiles, and others broke
away and fled in the wildest fright towards
the rear. One staff officer, and another
and another were wounded. Strange to
say, amid all this iron hail no one of
the staff was killed. Every man stared
death full in the face, and had little prospect
of escaping unhurt. Barely in the
history of war has there been a scene to
equil this.
THE CANNONADE ELSEWHERE.
This storm of pitiless iron was by no
maeans hurled at headquarters alone. It
was Lee's grand attempt to shatter and
break our centre, preparatory to the
charge which should possess him to the
ley of our position. It was a brilliant
plan, and one in which Napoleon often
.achieved success. Wherever that array of
guns was pointed there the air was laden
irith the hurtling missils of death. Every
tree, every shrub, every blade of glass
bent before the blast. Through the thick,
Tolling smoke clcud that seperated the
contending hosts shell after shell crushed
fiery way. 'Man nor bejist could stand before
it Huge gaps were out of our lines,
and battery after battery hushed its fire,
disabled by the rebel guns. Nearly two
hours of this cannonade, and then came
the charge which was so nobly repulsed.
SCENE OF THE TIGERS* CHARGE.
Once more at the cemetery, I struck
across the Baltimore turnpike'to the hill
that forms the extremity offlthe ridge oil
which the main portion of our line of battle
was located. The hill overlooks the
town and the whole valley towards the
northwest, where it runs off into the hilly
country in the direction of th^Susqueiianna.
It was on this hill, just to the
right of the cemetery, where the battery
was posted that the Tiger brigade of
[Louisiana attempted to take by a charge.
3. 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 readilv
understand the desperate nature of such
h charge. That the tigers succeeded in
gaining the guns and actually spiking
t>ne of them argues great valor on their
part Equal heroism was displayed by
our troops in driving back the enemy after
they had once obtained the hill.
wvyvcvw/W AV TOP rPVTRE.
rvomv^
This liill wjis made artificially strong
during tlie uiglit after the first assault, by
12ie erection of several redoubts, behind
each of which a gun was posted. These
direre sufficiently high to prevent their being
carried witn ease by the enemy. In
Addition to the artillery in this position
there was a considerable number of guns
jteld in reserve. This position of the line
jreceived special, attention, as it was the
iey to our whole position. Should this
l)e carried our defeat would be certain, as
it would seperat-e our wings from each
other. The defences that were thrown up
?till remain, but the guns were in the road
. in pursuit of the retreating rebels. The
hill commands a full view of the town and
of the whole region of the fight. Far on
<he left the mountains stretch away to the
Potomac, and on the right the Susquehanna.
The green fields and daikt r for"esfcs
look as peaceful as if they had never
heard the sound of contending aimies.
3fearly two hundred thousand men met
here three days ago in mortal combat,
" A CnVvbofblibn Csfl'llnocu
jincl to-oay nitre 13 <i kWMuwutiuav, oL....1VmJt
ON THE RIGHT CENTRE.
To the right of the hill the line of battle
for almost a half mile falls bock at
Tight angles to the general course, from
Jttound Hill to the Cemetery. This is due
to the configuration of the ground?the
"Valley, through which a stream winds,
"bending sharply to the eastward. From
here the hue does not follow a regular
-ridge, but is over a succession of elevations
and depressions. The defences are
?n these inequalities along the front of the
?rest. Fortune willed it that for a portion
?f the distance there should be a strong
THE FREE SOUTH, SAT1
stone fence. This was rendered more
dense by throwing up a quantity of dirt
on both sides, preventing the bullets from
glancing or passing into the interstices of
the wall. The trees around this wall are
thickly scarred by bullets from rebel rifles,
and the same is the case with those in
front, behind which the rebel sharpshooters
were posted.
SCENE OF THE ATTACK ON THE RIGHT.
About half way from the centre of the
extreme right is the location of the scene
of the fiercest attack upon that portion of
mi.. j. i. :ui. r il.^
rue neiu. xiic iiium it'ruuic in cut mc
day lias left its marks upon the trees and
rocks. I have seen the whole of the Shiloh
battle field, as well as that where
Sherman met his disastrous repulse at the
Chickasaw Bayou. The traces of fighting
there are but slight compared to those on
this ground. I find tree after tree scarred
from base to limbs so thickly that it would
have been impossible to place one's hand
upon their trunks without covering the
marks of a bullet. One tree was stripped
of more than half its leaves by the effect
of the bullets alone, and many of its twigs
were cut half off, and were hanging wilted
and ready to drop to the ground. The
trunk of the tree, about ten ten inches in
diameter, was cut and scarred in every
part. The fire which had struck these
trees was that which was directed from I
our muskets upon the advancing rebels. I
Every tree and bush for the distance of
half a mile along these works was nearly
as badly marked. The storm of bullets
must have been as thick as hailstones in
an ordinary storm. How a man could
exist in it and come out unhurt is difficult
to imagine.
POSITIONS OF OUR SHARPSHOOTERS.
J
Our sharpshooters in some localities
occupied novel positions. One of them |
found the half of what had once been a \
hollow tree, with a hole left by the re- |
moval of a knot facing directly towards the
ground where the rebels advanced. He
was thus provided with a convenient loophole
from which he could fire upon the
enemy. Another found a nook between
two rocks about two feet wide by six or
- - ? i !.l fP1? 1 i
eight long, and as many nigu. xutr iuu j
of this nook was toward the rebels, and |
filled up with smaller stone. It made a i
line si>ot for a sharpshooter to occupy. |
It was hold to good ell'ect l>y one of our i
marksmen, as three or four (lead rebels in j
front of the position give evidence. Fvery i
conceivable corner was filled with a sharpshooter
always on the lookout for the foe.'
It was this fact that operated to slay the
rebels in large numbers. Tlieir loss on
the right was very heavy, though not so
much on the left.
THE EXTREME RIGHT. *
of the line is close upon a meadow on the
I bank of Rock creek. Here but few marks
< # il !
>' of the battle were seen, tlie moss 01 meiu j
j being from cannon shot that were proba- ;
blv thrown from single batteries on the
J other side of the creek- Lines drawn
, from this point to the extreme left, and
j again from each wing, would form a tri'
angle, with the longest side in the rear.
The readers can obtain an idea of the
shape of the line of battle by picturing to
himself a horse shoe, the toe at the cemetery
and the wings at the heeL The
horse shoe should be widened somewhat
at the heel to make the illustration approach
perfection. Officers with whom I
| have conversed say the line was very
I nearly a quarter of a circle. This position
1 gave lis great advantage over the rebels.
We could concentrate on either wing or
| on the centre by moving from two to three |
i miles. Acting on the circumference of !
! our outer circle, Lee was forced to move j
, ten miles to make a similar concentration. I
i By watching Lee's movements carefully '
1 General Meade was able to checkmate him j
1 on each occasion.
CONCLUSION.
The great battle is over. The enemy
- -- * ' J 1 r:??:?v.
is in full retreat to warn Virginia, nun
our victorious army in pursuit. Ere this
reaches you the two hosts may again
measure their strength. Flushed with its
present victory and increased by the thousands
now marching to join it, who can
doubt that army will achieve success. As
great or greater than those of Waterloo
are the results of this battle of Gettysburg.
Lee victorious, Baltimore, Washington
| and Philadelphia would liave fallen before
j liim. The rebel flag would have floated
! over the national capital. The nations of
j Europe would no longer withhold the
recognition that the rebel leaders have for
> so many months been asking. The way
I would have been opened foi* a peace which
j should embrace the downfall of our govj
eminent. Lee defeated, and driven again
to Virginia, with our army in pursuit, the
nation breathes in safety, A terrible blow
i is struck at the hopes of the rebellion.?
) More terrible may be the resu't to the
t rebel army before it shall reach the Poto:
mac. The long suspense is over. Strong
URDAY, JULY 18, 1863. ___
men, who stood with blanched cheek and
; bated breath, half dreading to hear the
! result of theiombat, are to-day tilled with
; exultation. To those whose*valor stood
i for the nation's defence we will render our
i heartfelt thanks. To Him vvho doeth
j all things well" shall eternal praise be
given.
Capt. Nathaniel W. Massey, of the
British army, who eloped from Toronto,
; Canada, with the dashing heiress, Miss
McTavish, was arrested on the 10th i^ist.,
at Avon, N. Y., and lodged in Geucsee
ja.ii. one ueggeu imra iu uc mtuncu
go with him, but in spite of her lamentations
a policeman ironed him and tore the
Lothario from her. It is stated by those
who know that Miss McTuvisli is devoted:
ly attached to the handsome captain. She
| is a grand-daughter of the McTavish who,
some 35 years ago, commenced building a
! handsome residence on the slope of the
mountain, Montreal, but, his death occuring
shortly after, the edifice was (nccordi
ing to a clause in his will) never finished.
It is now called by many who reside in
i that city the "Haunted House." His rei
mains lie in a substantial vault near the
unfinished house. This romantic young
I lady's income, it is stated, amounts to
i 800,000 a year.
i Mr. Anthony, who is Postmaster at
; Leavenworth, Kansas, and Mayor of the
, city, on the 19th of June, by the aid of a
brass band, succeeded in getting a crowd
together in one of the public streets to
witness the burning of a number of newspapers
that had been suppressed in that
district by Gen. Blunt. A formidable
pile of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Chicago
Times, New York World and other copperhead
journals was made in the street,
and when the Mayor applied the' torch
something like an Indian war dance was
enjoyed around the fire by the jayhawkers
and John Brownites, who were congregated
to witness the proceedings. The affair
was carried through in true dramatic style. J
The Grass Valley National relates the
following incident as having recently occurred
in that vicinity : 4 A lawyer in this
village was consulted a few days since by
an, injured husband, who complained of
the unfaithfulness of his spouse. Repeated
acts of inconstancy upon the part of the
wife could be clearly proved, and the man
of law told his client that there would be
no difficulty in obtaining a divorce at the
next term of the court.
44 Divorce at the next term of the court!"
exclaimed the now excited Benedict.
4 D?n your divorce. I don't want any
divorce ; I only want to get an injunction
to stay her proceedings.'
The republic of San Marino has existed
for over fifteen hundred years, under the
protection of the Popes of Rome. It was
founded in 303, by the Monk Maiinus4
whose name it bears, and who is a calonized
saint in the Catholic Church.?
Clementini says 4 4 that he was a deacon in
the church of Rimini, and fled from the
bloody persecution which Diocletian raised
against the church of that city, with the
miserable remnants of the slaughtered
Christians, to the neighboring mountains;
and thus was laid the foundation of the
republic of Sun Marino, tlie oldest government
in Europe.
A man was intending to be married the
other da}*, or rather night, in Greenwich,
Mass. All preparations were completed,
and the bride and two hundred guests
were present all ready for the ceremony,
After waiting for the bridegroom till a late
j hour, the party broke up on account of
his non-arrival. The next day the dilatory
I lover made his appearance, saying that
he had not thought it best to venture out
; the previous evening on account of the
i storm!
The daughter of one of the most rei
spected citizens of Brooklyn has tendered
her services to supply, gratuitously, the
place of any clerk who is called upon to
tro to the war, and who has relatives de- !
! pendent npon him for support. She
says : I will take liis place, and he shall
have all moneys due him from the office
forwarded to him for the six months he is
to be gone."
The Washington Stur says tlmt a rebel
prisoner in the Old Capitol prison at
Washington wrote to a Baltimore firm to
send him fifty or one hundred dollars.?
The reply was, tliat the firm would cheerfully
furnish either of the sums named if
it would be the means of providing the j
traitor with a hempen collar.
"Pa, didn't I hear yon say the other
day, you wanted a cider press?" "Yes,
daughter, where can I get one ?" " Why,
you try Zeke Stokes ; he hugged me the i
other evening at the party, an' I tell you
he made me grunt."
When is a soldier like a baby? When
he is in arms.
NO. 28.
IHiwcellaiicouti Items.
It would seem as though the ill-feeling; ,
of the Brit.'s 1 authorities at Bermuda had
! cooled, since we read, in the Bermuda
! Royal Gazette, that Admiral Wilkes had
j been entertained at a grand diuner by the
military authorities on the Queen's birthday.
Some idea may be formed of the tremendous
effects of the powder-magazine
explosion at the foot of Seventy-ninth
Street, New York, from the fact that a
steamboat travelled all the way to New
Haven on the Sound.
Man creeps into manhood, softens into*
age, totters into second childhood, and.
stumbles into the cradle prepared for
us all.
The Commissioners of Internal Revenuehas
decided that producers of coal are enj
titled to exemption from taxation wherethe
annual product shall not exceed the
J sum of i?G00.
The citizens of Wilmington, Deleware,.
have formed a club called the Butler Clubr
to advocate the claims of Gen. Butler to*
a r*_ 1
uie .rresmency.
A spiritualist paper says that Stonewall
Jackson spends the greater part of his time
in the spirit world, in playing dominoes
with Ossawatomie Brown, for drinks.
A Shaksperian grocery-keeper thus advertises
his sweets :?Like the quality oi"
mercy, my honey is not strainedI"
Is there anything in the world that ca?
beat a good wife ? Yes, a bad husband.
A consumptive man has a hollow cough,
but a bankrupt merchant has a hollow
coffer.
The happiest of pillows is not that which
Love first presses ; it is that which Death,
has frowned on and passed over.
Muffhead wants to know whether a
wooden-legged politician would not havethe
advantage of an adversary in stumping
the State.
Rebel papers state that the wash erwomen
in Macon, Georgia, are on a strike,,
killing those who do not join them, as'
'rats."
Iu Richmond a meal of beef steak, onedozen
oysters and a cup of coffee cost ?5.
Apples are 25 cents each. J j
The night of the bath is generally Sat urday
night. Shakspeare was fond of*
washing ; this we know from his celebrated
soliloquy, "Tubby or not tubby."
When is a man tliinner than a lath*
When he is a sharing.
When is a lobster like a mortar? When
it casts its shell.
A young enchantress may in time cometo
be called an old witch.
I Parson Brownlow is now special agent
for the Collector of Customs at Nashville,
for the suppression of smuggling.
There .are over seven hundred gold antf
silver mining companies in Nevada Territory,
with capitals varying from $250,000
to 85,000,000.
The State of Rhode Island offers $100
i bounty for six month's vQlnnteers, ami
$300 bounty for three years men.
| The Rrookiyn Star, after 54 years existence,
breathed its last on the 18th of Junefor
want of popular nourishment.
Isaac W. Stailey, Private, Co. E. 174th Penn. Vol*-,
aj;e 'Z> yeare, July"4. canjjestive fever.
Hermans. Ferbish, Private, Co. F, >th Maine Vote.*
July 4, typhoid fever.
Simon Pete, Civilian, from Darien, Ga-, July 4,.
chronic diarrhea.
B. Maury, Private, Co. B, 3d R. I. Art., July \ typhoid
fever.
Thomas Hart, Private, Bat. B, 1st U. 8. Artillery,
July 5, typhoid fever.
Alonzo Littlefield, Private, Co. F, Hb Maine Vol*.,
July 6, typhoid fever.
Powell Fisher. Private, Co. II, 174th Penn. Militia,
July i>, typhoid fever.
Paul Crandall, Private, Co. G. ll."?th X. Y. Vol*.,- -*
July (5, typhoid fever.
John P. Dutch, Private, Co. F, f>th Maine voteJuly
S.
George Cassidy, Private, Co. D, llr>th X. Y. Vote.,
j July 8, typhoid fever.
George Colony, Private, Co. C, lift X. Y. Vole., July.
8, typhoid fever.
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