To follow the course of events : in the meantime General Ewell
had crossed the Potomac, part of his corps crossing at Williams-
port and part at Shepherdstown, and re-imited at Hagerstown on
the 20th. Jenkins' cavalry had been thrown forward scouring
the country in his front, while General Imboden had moved on
his left, "driving off the forces guarding the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, destroying all the important bridges on that route
from Cumberland to Martinsburg, and seriously damaged the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal." General Ewell moved on and
arrived at Chambersburg on the evening of the 22d. Resting his
troops one day, he pushed on to Carlisle, eighteen miles distant.
Generals Longstreet and A. P. Hill had crossed the Potomac, and
were moving on the same route, and reached Chambersburg on
the 27th.
General Stuart with the cavalry continued to follow the move-
ments of the Federal army, hanging on his flank and rear, harass-
ing him at every opportunity, and by extraordinary vigilance and
energy shielded the movements of our army from the surveillance
of the enemy's reconnoitering parties that attempted night and
day to break through our lines to unveil Lee's movements of '''"mis-
chievous mystery^* General Stuart continued on after the
enemy's columns. His advance between Fairfax and Alexandria
met a body of the enemy's cavalry, called "Scott's Nine Hun-
dred," Avho engaged our advance with terrible desperation, and
stood up hand to hand until the whole party were all cut to
pieces and captured. Major Whittaker, of the First North Caro-
lina, a brave and accomplished officer, fell mortally wounded .in
leading the advance in the first charge. Stuart here turned to
the left, obliquing towards the Potomac.
In the meanwhile Flooker had withdrawn from Stafford,
crossed the Potomac at Washington, and moved on through
Maryland, so as to cover Washington and Baltimore; and at
♦So reticent had Lee's movements been conducted, that the most of his army had
crossed the Shenandoah, seventy-five miles from his former base, before the Yankee
commander-in-chief was aware that any considerable portion of it had left his front
and the direction it had taken, as a despatch in the hands of Pleasanton's adjutant,
captured by Mosby, addressed to the former by Halleck, testifies, ordering him to
take all his cavalry, and whatever other force he might think proper, and And out
something of Lee's whereabouts, as his movements for the last week were
"shrouded in a 'mischievous mystery,' " which explains his desperate efforts at
Middleburg and Upperville.
Sketches of Hampton's Cavalry 163
Frederick City, for some unexplained cause, relinquished his com-
mand to Meade, who turned up the east side of the South Moun-
tain, and moved rapidly towards Gettysburg, thro^Yino; Reynolds
with his corps considerably in advance of the main body.
General Ewell was threatening Harrisburg from Carlisle; but
from the recently discovered combinations of the enemy, on the
29th, he was directed to proceed towards Gettysburg, and also the
corps of Longstreet, and on the 30th A. P. Hill was instructed to
move in the same direction. Pleath's division of Hill's corps
moved on in advance, and crossed South Mountain at Stevens'
Gap. The advance of Ewell's corps had encountered the Penn-
sylvania militia, which affair may be better described by an eye
witness :
"Our boys hearing that there was a chance for some fun with
the militia hurried on to Gettysburg, high in anticipation of an
easy victory. Many were their regrets when they saw the 'melish'
fleeing so fast as to make pursuit on foot the height of folly, and
that before they had the pleasure of increasing, if possible, their
celerity by sending a volley after them. Our infantry was utterly
out of the question, so the cavalry, with nimble horses, came, and
after a good chase succeeded in gathering up some three or four
hundred of the frightened gentry.
"The flight is said to have been eminently ludicrous. When
they first began to run they had the amplest equipments, and no
doubt the many little notions forced upon them by their grateful
wives; but in a little while, one by one, they divested themselves
of all that impeded their progress, and came down to it in a way
worthy of their cause. Guns, haversacks, canteens, cartridge-
boxes, home mementoes, all went by the board in their famous
flight, which did not end till they put a river between themselves
and danger, the bridge over which was burnt, and while in flames
caught to several houses, which shared the same fate."
General Reynolds, on the morning of the 1st of July, reached
Gettysburg and moved on and met General Heath's division a
few miles west, on the Chambersburg Turnpike: skirmishing a
short time, the battle opened generally, the whole Yankee corps
bearing down furiously on this division, and were met with a
steady advance on the part of our troops, who seemed inspired
with a vigorous onward movement, driving the enenw back
164 Stories of the Confederacy
rapidly before them, to within a short distance of the town,
where we encountered a larger force. Ew^ell coming up with
two of his divisions, Rhodes' and Early's, by the Heidlersburg
road, took position on the extreme left. The battle now joined
along the whole line. The enemy's artillery opened furiously
from many favorable positions, to which ours readily responded.
Our columns moved steadily upon these favorable positions, in
the face of incessant discharges of iron and leaden hail, driving
the enemy sullenly back at some minor points, still stubbornly
holding his main positions. A desirable position had been occu-
pied in our front, from which the enemy were enabled to inflict
serious punishment upon our advancing columns, which was at
once charged and taken, but the enemy being heavily reinforced^
our forces were compelled to yield it back; it was again charged
and retaken; and in turn the enemy rushes upon it again and
thrusts us back from it the second time, but fell back immediately
as our forces were rallying to the third assault, when they as soon
retire, falling back a short distance, and turning again when both
parties mutually rush to occupy the disputed point, but the
enemy succeed in reaching it first, and pours into our ranks such
an effective fire, already being sadly thinned, as to compel us to
retire; but on rallying again, the enemy are forced to yield, and
leave us the hotly contested point. The enemy's lines are again
steadied, and the battle rages with increasing fury; the enemy
gives back, stubbornly contesting every inch of ground; late in
the evening his reserves come up, our columns steadily press on,
throwing the whole force slowly back. In advancing, a space is
left uncovered between Early's and Rhodes' divisions; the enemy
attempt to take advantage of it and throw a heavy force at the
point, when the flank of one of the divisions is wheeled and
deploys around, while the other obliques to its front and turns
upon it with a fury truly grand ; they rush upon the menacing
force with yells above the battle-roar, and closing round it, the
whole force surrenders, numbering about four thousand, besides
leaving the space strewn with the dead, and several pieces of
artillery also falling into our hands. Here the tide was signally
turned against the enemy — he was, by night, beaten and driven
before our columns with terrible slaughter. Our forces pursued
him a mile beyond the town, and nothing but night saved his
SKrr< iiF.s OF TIami'ton's Cavalkv 165
columns from an entire and complete rout; leaving General Rey-
nolds, one of their best officers, dead on the field — five thousand
killed and wounded, six thousand prisoners, and several pieces
of artillery. Our loss did not exceed two thousand, mostly in
wounded. General Archer and five hundred of his brigade were
captured. Many valuable field and line officers were killed.
Among those who nobly fell that desperate evening, in no feelings
of partiality allow us to drop a tribute to the memory of ^lajor
E. A. Ross, of the 11th (Bethel) Xorth Carolina Regiment, a
promising young officer. At a point Avhere the battle was raging
most furiously, this regiment was pressing on uncjuailing in the
face of a fearful iron and leaden storm, when the colonel fell
severely wounded, he dashes to his place, and in gallantly leading
his men on in the desperate charge, receives a mortal wound and
falls, shouting his men on to victory. In the first battle* of his
country he had won his maiden laurels. With ''Bethel"
emblazoned upon his regimental flag at the instance of the State,
he had seen it w^ave victoriously over the beaten foe on the soil
of his native State. f And thus fell this gallant officer, just as its
tattered folds were waving over the first victory in the enemy's
land, gloriously dying "with the battle cry upon his lips and the
blaze of victory in his eye." He sleeps his long sleep on the
enemy's soil ; and may no fanatical foot ever press the sacred sod
upon his bosom. And when the final shout of spiritual victory
"shall swell land and sea," may his noble spirit, and the many
others who have died for human liberty, go up washed in the
blood of Him who died for the spiritual liberty of mankind.
Another incident connected with the same regiment is worthy
of notice, as a grand comment upon the rare devotion to our cause.
In the severest stage of the same desperate charge, just before the
young hero fell, the color-bearer was killed while nobly waving
the colors in front of the regiment: at which event the regiment
seemed to waver. The adjutant. Lieutenant H. Lucas, a mere
l)oy, caught up the colors, and amid the leaden showers from the
enemy's heavy lines, dashed several paces ahead, waving the
â €¢The battle of Bethel, where, with a corupnny of mere boys, he contributed frreatly
to the happy fortunes of that day.
tThe battle of Wliit.' Ihill, N. C.
166 Stories of the Confederacy
favorite bunting, calling on the men : "For God's sake, follow the
Bethel flag." The words had scarcely escaped his lips, when a
fatal ball sends him, too, reeling to the ground. The men catch
the inspiration, and rush by as he faintly throws the colors
again up to the breeze, and shouts with faltering voice : ^'â– Press
on to victory. Pm flayed out^ Suffice it to say, this gallant
charge contributed in no small degree to the successful issue of
the day.
The enemy had retired to a high range of hills a mile southeast
of the town, and there, during the night, had concentrated the
entire force of his army. From Marsh Creek, south of Gettys-
burg, rises an unbroken and continuous eminence, extending for
several miles around to the northeast — the principal of which is
known as McPherson's heights— which highly advantageous line
Meade had occupied, and had thrown up several lines of fortifi-
cations on the different heights: which commanded the plains for
miles in front. The enemy's lines extending his left from an
eminence a short distance from a point on Marsh Creek, embrac-
ing the heights in front of Gettysburg — his left resting near
Hunterstown — something in the shape of an arc, with the curva-
ture from us.
The remainder of E well's and A. P. Hill's corps having arrived,
and two divisions of Longstreet's. the preparations for the attack
were completed about two o'clock. Our lines were drawn round
to correspond with the enemy's. Longstreet, with the divisions of
Hood and McLaws, on the right : Hill in the centre, with Heath's
division on his right, Anderson in the centre, and Pender on his
left; and Ewell on the left, with Rhodes' division on his right,
Johnston in his centre, and Early on his left; with each respective
division moving up on the most favorable position. Sharp and
heavy skirmishing, intermingled with frequent shots from long
range pieces, was kept up between the parties until about four
o'clock, when the dull, increasing booming of the cannon from
each line, announced the battle begun. Steadily our lines move
forward, driving the enemy's heavy skirmish lines back against
his first lines at the bottom of the slopes. The incessant pounding
of artillery along the entire length of each line, commingled with
the continuous rattle of musketry, told that the bloody work had
now opened in earnest. Amid this steady work, a shout goes up
Sketches or Hampton's Cavalry 167
above the battle's din; a charge breaks from the centre; an
advanced battery of the enemy, in a point of woods up one of the
slopes, is the point. Anderson's division moves np to the work,
Wright's brigade leads the way. On they dash, in a style truly
grand — through an open field, both in the face of the fire of the
battery immediately in front and the converging fire from bat-
teries on the right and left — sweeping through their bleeding
ranks; shells bursting thick in wild fury fill the air, and solid
shot plows along in its monotone sound, and grape and canister
belched forth in deathly sweeps, all with fearful effect, on the
rapidly advancing columns ; and as they near, quick and incessant
discharges leap from the enemy's first line, terribly thinning our
ranks. With a steady onward they are furiously hurled back
at the point of our bayonets, leaving the battery of six pieces in
our hands; and the enemy driven from a strong position. Only
for a few moments these noble veterans, now ^ thinned handful,
echo the shout of present victory. The unusual celerity with
which the charge was carried, placed them far beyond the sup-
porting divisions, with their flanks entirely exposed. The
enemy catches the advantage, and resolutely throws a darkened
mass on their right and left. Oh for a support! Behind could
be seen nothing but the bleeding victims of the terrible onset.
Alas ! the goal of their glorious exertion is sadly lost — the much
needed support is beyond reach at the critical moment. They
retire sullenly, fighting their way down the hill, joining their
lines to the other division. The battle rages on with little advan-
tage at this point to either party.
In front of General Longstreet the enemy held an elevated
ground. He in the meantime had moved his troops to attack the
position, while Ewell attacked the fortified high ground on the
enemy's right. The battle, too, rages with unrelenting fury on
their lines. Night comes on and wears on apace; still the can-
non's continuous roar, and the incessant rattle of musketry,
especially on the right and left, are kept up. Some splendid
charges have been executed from these parts of the line, and with
good effect, for following the sound as darkness broods over the
terrible scene, it is clearly perceivable that the two curves and
points of the arc are being brought closer and closer together.
Longstreet has driven the enemy a considerable distance, and
168 Stories of the Confederacy
occupies the desired ground in his front ; Ewell, too, has pressed
him back on the left. By this impression on the enemy's extremes,
his position has assumed the shape of the letter V, with its point
towards us.
About eight o'clock the awful storm ceased, which lulled as
suddenly as the Tiberian storm, as if by the mutual consent of the
hostile parties. The battle smoke slowly cleared away, and the
clear sky looked down upon the battle-rent field. The gay wav-
ing field of grain now lay trampled under foot, bespattered with
human gore; gently gliding rivulets mingled their murmurings
with the cries and groans of the wounded and dying — of friend
and foe that lay stretched along their green banks. The stars
peered out and shone brightly upon the awful scene, kissing the
many cold, pale faces that lay^ over the ensanguined field.
The brave and intrepid Barksdale, of Mississippi, fell mortally
wounded in the last charge beneath the enemy's works, and was
left in the hands of the enemy as his men were forced suddenly
back by the enemy's overwhelming numbers; of whom a lying
Yankee correspondent palms off in hellish glee, "that this once
proud and haughty rebel, a damnable type of the slave aris-
tocracy, lay the picture of remorse, and craved as a dying boon a
cup of water and a stretcher from an ambulance boy"; when,
really, the dying moments of the brave and generous man insured
the respect of a Yankee officer, who testifies of the glorious man-
ner of his death, and enjoined upon him to inform his friends
that "he died at his post, fighting for his country, and that his
countrymen were invincible." Major General Hood and General
Pender were severely wounded, leading their men in the thickest
of the fight. Many gallant officers were killed and wounded,
while our general loss was quite heavy all along the entire line.
Friday morning dawned; the rising sun cast his bright morn-
ing rays from the frowning hilltops upon the Confederates below,
each party early busying themselves for another hostile shock
that was to mark one of the bloodiest days of the army of the
Potomac.
The partial successes of the day before encouraged General
Lee to renew the attack. Longstreet was reinforced with three
brigades of Pickett's division, and Heath's division and two other
brigades of Hill's corps were ordered round to his support. His
Sketches or Hampton's Cavalry 109
batteries were advanced to the position trained by liim the day
before. Hill merely lay tlireatenin«2: the centre, while I^well again
set his eonnuand in motion for the attack. The movements on the
other i)arts of the line were to depend on Longstreet's success.
Innnediately in front of Longstreet lay the principal height,
which the enemy had strongly fortified during the night, and
massed a large <|uantity of his artillery, from which every move-
ment of ours was distinctly seen, and he prepared to meet it.
From about nine o'clock the slow booming of the cannon, inter-
mingled with the sharp crack of the skirmishers, was the prin-
cipal feature till about twelve o'clock, the morning being spent in
nuuueuvering the troops to the positions. The heights in front
lay across oi)en fields covered with growing crops, upon which
]*ickett's division is thrown forward and moves up to the des-
perate work, which is graphically described by a correspondent:
''The fight at this time oj^ened with that fierceness and despera-
tion which told that both were battling desperately to win the
victory which had been so long as it were poising in the balance.
Favorable information comes from Elwell. Hill holds them in
the centre. On the extreme right Longstreet is gaining ground;
one liill on the right, the strongest hold they have, must be car-
ried. The undertaking to carry it by assault is very hazardous,
but there is no other way to take it. The hill is alive with men
four lines deep in support of the powerful batteries there. This
point is the key to the position of the Federal army — their forti-
fications must be charged, and with the support of our artillery
we must silence their batteries, and carry their heights.
"Pickett's division is selected for the work. They commence
steadily, and in beautiful line, to march upon the fatal spot. The
distance is too great to charge with the yell and rush that gen-
erally characterizes charges. They press on through fields, over
fences and ditches. The enemy can see all our movements, and
troops are double-(|uicked up to meet us. Our noble boys charge
on through shot and shell, their ranks melting away as they
advance under the murderous artillery fire of the enemy. Our
artillery performs excellently. The batteries of Cabell, Haskell,
Alexander of this C()r])s. and Pegram of Hill's, at one time almost
silence those of the enemy. Their three rear ranks are broken
and almost annihilated by the well directed fire of these batteries;
170 Stories of the Confederacy
we press to within forty yards of their breastworks, when we
received from their concealed front rank a fire, the mention of
which ahnost makes the heart sicken. Surely none can escape;
all must perish before such a murderous volley.
"Not so. Our men rise, many wounded, from the cloud of
smoke, and press on with their ranks sadly thinned ; some reach
the breatstworks and capture many of the guns. A dark cloud of
Yankees show themselves; they have been heavily reinforced
with infantry and artillery. What an awful moment ! "Where
are our reinforcements? What a momentous question. Alas! we
have none at hand ! They have been too slow. No help at hand,
and we are driven out of the fortifications and forced back by
overwhelming numbers."
These noble men retire beneath the enemy's breastworks. The
enemy in some instances attempt to follow, but are hurled back
with terrible slaughter and chased into their works.
Ewell has pressed the enemy hard on the left, his whole line
charging simultaneously with that of the right, driving the
uncovered columns of the enemy before him, who have attempted
a demonstration on his flank. They are driven back to their
works, and are assaulted with a fury seldom ever witnessed. The
first line is carried about dark, and a heavy line in front of the
second work meets the second onset of our impetuous troops.
Their furious volleys stagger our columns, who with a renewed
yell press on. The flashes of the guns of each line nearly reach
each other. A hea\^, darkening mass of reinforcements move
down upon our thinned ranks; they are forced to relinquish their
hard earned toils; they fall back, sheltering themselves behind
the shelving rocks along the slopes, and stand and fight in parties,
firing in the darkness at the flashes of the enemy's volleys, until
in many instances their ammunition is exhausted, or they are
flanked and captured.
Here in one of these last charges occurred one of the grandest
little episodes of the war. In the darkness during the charge, the
Sixth North Carolina, Eighth and Ninth Louisiana Regiments,
many of them found themselves mingled with the Yankee col-
umns. Some surrendered, and others with great coolness slided
out in the darkness, and made their way down to the foot of the
heights, where CaptaiT^ W. B. Montgomery, of the Ninth Louis-
Sketches of Hampton's Cavalry 111
iiina, accidentally ran against the color-bearer of the Sixth North
Carolina, who had safely borne his colors out of the terrible
melee^ and rallied some broken squads around it to the number
of not more than fifty men, and posted them behind a stone fence
about fort}" yards from the base of the hill. The Yankee column,
about a brigade, thrown forward from the heiglits. were hastily
moving down the hill towards the position where the little squad
lay; on they come with heavy, hurrying step, the whole brigade
moving in three or four lines. Not a gun has broken the silence
for several minutes. The field officers, mounted on horseback,
were riding up and down the advancing lines, in low tones
encouraging their men to keep stead}^, and to make one more
charge and the day would be theirs. AVith unsuspecting tread
they have reached within forty paces of the fence, when the cool,
intrepid captain whispered, "fire, boys." The unerring flashes
leap along the stone fence, terribly dealing death in the enemy's
advancing ranks; many of the tinsel clad riders bite the dust, as
riderless horses are seen dashing wildly in different directions;
quick, successive volleys, repeated with the same fatal effect
before their columns recover from the first shock; the confused
ranks of the astounded foe break in disorder back up the moun-
tains, leaving their dead and wounded behind them. The ground
was found strewn with the dead, among them several field officers.
This gallant little party safely made its way back and joined
their column on the original lines, who to their country's pride
may well claim the honor of firing the last gun, and administer-
ing the last repulse on the ensanguined field of Gettysburg.
Another remarkable incident that occurred during one of these
last charges, is worthy of a place in history. Sergeant Charles
Clansey, color-bearer of the First Louisiana Regiment, Company
E, had nobly borne his colors far in the last of these desperate
charges. After dark, finding himself cut off from his regiment,
and after several ineffectual attempts to get out with his colors,
he lay down behind a ledge of rocks, detached the colors from the
staff, and concealed them in his bosom just as he surrendered.
During the night he procured a needle and quilted it in the back
of his shirt, was carried to Fort Delaware, and kept it concealed
all the while from the guard and the numerous detectives that