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r COFRESPONDENCTEOr TUB Hi-'.i^NAH RtTOEUOAW.The Great Battle of Gettysburg.0ettt8BUBO,?a., July 416,1863.The bloodiest and most ‘desperate batUa of this bloody anfiidtsperate'wkr,^ has jast .been' fought here.cn the soli of : Pennsylvania. It commerced on the evening of Weilcesdiy; the let iast.; was renewed-on-tbe 2d, #nd agviu Jon the3J, and the’two craTes still face-each other in line of battle, Wfrfn, battle-scarred, end severely punished. The Confederates have had the best of the terrible conflict, 'yet their; success haa: been purchased,at a cost that will carry grief, to many then sand hearts Ih-onr-anf faring land. I-forwarded a full telegraphic snyopsia of the battle to Winchester, and rust it was received in dner season. Below yon have a more deUOed accennt, written under every possible disadvantage:15IS B11TLE TQELD.The two armies moved with great .rapidity from the bants of the R»ppahauneck across' the Potomsc, and through Maryland into Pennsylyanla. -Federal prisoners aay they marched, onau average,'twenty-five-miles a day, and tha? they stripped themselves of’ all1 -nr pins baggage and transportation that might im pede their movements. The two leaders seemed to understand the designs of each other ; At least, there is good reason for believing thdt Gen. Lee expected to encounter his sihtagohiet not far from the place where he finally met him. It is probable, however, that ae would have chosen a different field, and one somewhat nearer both to'Baltimore and Washington; but the rapiditywith which General Meade advanced, left him no alternative but to accept battle here or tbma mavre for a more dvan-‘ tageoua position. As it wan, General Meade had the choice'of ground, and most excellent use did he make of it. A position more favorable to’himself and more unfavorable to Gen. Lea, (should the latter make the assault,) could hardly have been selected. His line extended a'oag a range of bills jast in front, and a little to the right cf Gettysburg, and nearly parallel to the Gettysburg and EmmetUbnrg turnpike, and the South Mountain in onr rear. His right -wing rested-upon Cemetery Hill,-'opposite to • the town, and- his le’lt upon two veiy high hills or mountain spurs, .one of which was covered, with timber, and the other with Immense rocks, behind which his men were protected as under a vail of adamant.General Lee’s position was also a strong one, but la no respect equal to that of the enemy. His line extended from a point above the town, along a gently swelling ridge to the*right. The spice between the two lines; which was some four miles In length; was undulating, and, for the most part, free of timber and other obstructions, except n* occasional stone fence and farm-house. Tna distance from one llnetd the other, or rather from one line of hills to the other,1 varied from a thousand to fifteen hundred yardr; so that the. party that should make the assault,, would be’subjected' to a murderous artillery fire before his Infantry could get within musket ranee. The enemy decided to.receive the attack; and thus he tie-cured all the great advantages which his position gave him. But to the*killed, wounded md captured more men ifcsnhe had In his.whole command He bagugbioff fonrsplcndsd tt;gB, lik us by the infantry.ot Ton; Cobb’a Lr,gioo and PitsPijrs’ Legion, and pawed so many prisoners so the rear that at one rime he feared the enemy had turned liis own poai--JlIob * -yen Ivrnip •ff-id,- as.!i-ad —ETritr.ir'ally wtunfitArnr-tead. wAditfdek. exc-Vttwo rJ%L- ,h -Y*™iilid Lifn*.. C ff. Mo dov So- - ■£ -iuV-jm Latrobewm Wahoo,. ffheir horses bin^i . -1.’ H 1It was during this brilliant cbarpc that M»j r Goneral’Hood,.oneof the best officers In the oerviee,'received apainfnl, though not danger-ons,'wound in tbe left arm, whicVmsde it necessary for him to .turn the command of his division over to that rising young -officer, B *ig. 'Gen. Law of Alabama whose excellent brigade fostned a. part of the division. Brig. Gras Anderson of Georgia and Robinson of Texas, were also wound- 1 In the £ tae' charge, the former in the thigh. Gens. Law and Benn'r'r escaped without 'a braise, tb ugh many of air- field officers were killed or wounded, and their regiments badly cat up. la ■McLaws’ division, Gen. Barksdale,-one it the bravest and noblest spirits that have fallen in all ibe war, wa9 killed, and G=;n Semmev0# true a knight as’fever drew a blade, and- who never says to his command, ‘.‘go on,’,* btct always.‘‘come on,” was seriously wounded..- An effort was made to save Gen. Bsrksd ,le’a body, bnt it could mot be done. He had led his brigade, hat in hand, and had first' carried a* heavy battery, when he was shot down by one of the enemy’s retreating sharpshooter?. Offer hat teriea bore upon the position he 1 ,d taken, and their terrible converging fires rendered it necessary for his brigade, which was also thrown into temporary confusion by his fall, to retire somewhat to the rear Th^enemy waved their flag'over his prostrate'bfcdy tvL -d they to occupied the eminence from which heandh,?' brave MbslssipjJias had driven them. G i. Barksdale’s last hasty words were : ‘ Give my love to my dear family and tell them I died *Pay post.”-Gen. Semmes had carried a tourniquet on his person since the beginning of the war The fire of the enemy be: iming more fearful than, aoy he had ever witnessed In the many battles through which he had passed unscathed, he took the tourneqnet from hi® bosom and w s hold'ng it In his t jd, when he was struck in the thigh by a minnle ball and tbe femoral artery-cut. He applied the tournequet with his own hands and-stopped the hemorrhagic until a surgeon-could take up the arteiy; otherwise be must have dF i in a few minut .It is but justice to the dr id and the living, that the names of the brigades composing- tha] divisions in Longstrcet’a corps, which panic:-'1 pab-1 In this brilliant work, ohou'd here be glyen, and it is to be rcgrarted that - time and] apace do notallow me to record tha names o tbe regiments and officer? also. The brigades are: in McL'.w?’division, Hernmrs’ and Wol-f -ford’s ffom'GeetgikrBswkfltValc’s om Mitsie sij pi, and Kershaw’s from South Carol!---: and.' in Hoftu’s civisiOD, Law s brigade from- Ala-, bama, Robinson’s irom Texas,' and 'Icnnlng.’s ahd'Aadetsoh’s irom Georgia. There is up ffetiar material in all tha army than in thesev nobie brigades. The Twenty-fourth Gr irg whose Colonel. (McMillan) was abs :ntoc ;of wavered for a moment; but Gen Long placed himsell at tbe herd of it and led forward, whan the men gave him three re.a?ire cheers and rnshed upon the foe in mot gsi lant style. Kershaw and. hia C.rollnians *1 ways behave well, and their, coddnc* oa Ihtf pr*sct'occaiiou, as well as that'of ibV fiber officers and brigades in the coips, was a. that could be desired.It la proper to add that though Hood.au1 McLawa captured a number of batteries, the' were able to brirg off but few- guns. .Gen Meade, who belonged to the corps of Topo graphical Engineers, had chosen his grouu'’ and posted his artillery so wisely tha c, tery bore upon another; so that wi t a bv tery was taken,--it wav’ found Inrpdl^Wa b-bring off the guas on account of the fire tRct ' other batteries bearing upon the -position. Ti most instances too, the horses we re kfiled^and' the intervening stone fences prevented, vp men from’drawing thegans -from th field hy haud. i - - -*- But I must hurry-on, even ihrr„~ my a A. count should bejnneagra and unsatlstv torv •» the courier has saddled his hors ’cud hi renriv,lixio.! T tmat mu alliriiili7h « »*«]»?tnce fs ce w*r«Jhair horaes killed Jiorees of the earre »-v •lead, of B .Vfttaab, i-.TIA lt;, |iry hit^. -i'.r. s?.ti lt;* i ; -Ji Wees of shei!, but vSy. dec ro-day (!l fcae been qui.-tr. IUHCU SK.fiff. tbB ° h« OU^pVget it an.iy, he will, djulrj^ v, eontent.u*my n:n: rre lt;rjI It'-'rioa[d,tave been b; t er for us, u-'rh^ns if .ourufiack had bocu delayed net:! the aex*td.iv •6-*f tke interval had bee-i dtv- 'r.dif’have^aJblrdGen1 deHy^uhlnave eajblp.d Gen. Lea io get his army intoIpaopftr pof itica, would h^given ^Troo^?.rel\5JEtern“l!C- corubinedncdr!m~’!§e''ui att-k from all pens cf hi, lines. L'VhUpia! haaff j.n pursued, iti« h®.iiavcd *hcf ■ —?-r ■lt; would rave been dislodged irom i.-; a^X porition before now, anc driwn :gn miaiouslV back upon his capital. It was probably Gen.. Lse a desire however, to iuli ucon hi6 --yrr. siry before he could get into 'portion;V.s.d -dent that his troops were equal nr anv.demv-d upon their courage and constaccr' Bn‘ no person, much less one who, like mt-V-if ii unskilled in militarv effiirs, can esfe'ly c’riticiso the operations of such u com. -auto a* L'-e, «•; } f2‘jea*' cot {or fc-3 sake, but my .own.Juty 5.—-Gen. Ueade wUh^rtw bia^army Ja5T night the dircct?o*rt it is fluppoacfJ% oi Fretlcrick If is said thatGwn Lse was aware of thu movement, or qursst-d that IfVonld h’ unde, and commenced to rut 1.13 own armi in notion about the asms time. No pur.ult 'has oesn atteaipscd, or ar.j riemocatratiaD ma?e by fcbher party. Y/e are ru-uu t lug dnwu the Bouth Mountain, towa-d.i r, v.-, b a-view probably to rropru on.- line of 'communications and to prep re for farther efforts. T erere'u.-j.vjq toin proper to g .-'d ifavo othrr satisfac’.-.ry rca-iaii ^Hacerrtovn, whica’it .',oU‘d sial?, bnt which vronli he .made known. But more. cft|I have made all *,ei«5sai-y ar:an*Vmr procure lists of the killed and r.-oaud-*ij, hope be able to furrrard nr In ad3 totwo. Among our (vui'i:-1.* ar-Ijj i • 1Generals wounded—flood. Feeder, Hah sud Trimble;-und-tcn J?-!g.r J!e:s-Birkslt;la!e, Gir-nett and Kemptr k-.ll-ui, Aral-sr oaptnrcd, and Sernmes, Anderson, Rtjbinson, Harapton, kias and Jones w.nedlt;:Tun wounds are r ot coreid'-rc.l dnneciuus, oxcrpt Gf.n. Hamr/tou’e, who received two cabre cuts on the head, nmi Wi* shot in ihe thigh after he was qo.vu. II-w--s engaged at the time in a severe cavalry engiqem-aton the Is-';, v.I -r fi.u trt bucc-«ded in cjp'nriug 250 wag -r.:.I have-ouilaed to ttrt w'.:'! • the battle I'aaaglntr on Frlaar, the c,toi’a cavulry made i ff»rt to p- - - r and c-u:* right wine.— To foil tb:a uioverir- is, (jene.ui Law, who had succeeded to the cor- aand'c-f la;-o.’s iMv^i- , ■detached » bftttcry, of I- .itr.Mo::. *r '*llie First Texas un-l iSurveuth ird F. Tu- tsrt* Girg:... 11 e latte-lor tire ;in- und^r ec ru-, maud f M.'j. Ifcary D. McDaniel, o! ti_» E'evtri'u. Tte artiricrv t-r.gR^e : the at t*.;-Tl-of the euetay la front.wlrle c inh. . , ed aroucd to h:«rear, aud n aiur*Io.- ::i-fire from that quart or. The cud i-* foon t./.d.'Of two regiments of Feilcral only 18 cien escaped, ell the . or captured. .cavt cg-.p-V/. A.; ?rotl-rnatloa by lire P e*idcnt.Whereas it is p.rc.vidtd I nii a.-; u: Gouq- r, entitled ‘‘An act to farther’provide for the ^u'.’ He decree,” appiored to -\v 16 h daj uf*-f Oorgre-?,Ai'r.5, 1S62, nud i-v anohiv -lt;• --f Ctirgre^F^ d vibe*, 1S.2, «r»iitled Papp oved on the 27-.b S
Newspaper Details
Savannah Republican
Savannah, Georgia, US
Sun, Jul 19, 1863
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 22 Aug 2023
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