When they were in easy reach of case shot, our artillery opened on them a crushing fire, which mowed down their ranks, but did not stop them. On the contrary, they came on the faster, only obliquing to the left, under the fierce play of projectiles on their right by eight batteries, under the direction of Major MacGilvray. And our men still looked on them advancing, counting the gaps made in their ranks, and feeling that they were getting full revenge for Fredericksburg.

The first line had arrived at about one hundred and fifty yards from the line of the Second Corps, when the front of Hays' and Gibbon's divisions burst into a sheet of flame, and redoubled the carnage by a rolling fire, which was the signal for the Confederates to charge. Everything rushed forward. The ranks were melted together and formed thenceforth but a raging mass of men running, rolling, and tumbling forward, and through which the cannon opened great lanes. The officers, swords uplifted, marched in the front ranks; the colonels guided to the front their regiments torn by canister. Their yells were heard above the noise of the artillery and musketry; and they came on like waves against a rocky shore. It was their last effort.

They struck first on two regiments of Webb's brigade, covered by a light stone wall. They threw themselves against the obstacle with impetuosity, beating down the troops which defended it, and with a few bounds were amongst the guns. Our men, dislodged from the first line, ran to join the regiments of the second line, and turned together against the assailants. During some minutes they fought there over the pieces, with gunshots, with bayonet, with buts of muskets, with ramrods, and the ground was literally covered with dead and wounded.

To the left of the point of attack, Stannard was

placed with a brigade of Doubleday's division. Profiting by his position, which was the most salient on that part of the line, he changed front forward, and opened a deadly fire on the right flank of the assailants. Almost immediately, the left of Gibbon made a similar movement. Then, under the direction of General Hancock, present in the action, the whole force threw itself on the enemy's column. It was the coup de grace. Attacked in their turn on one side, turned on the other, almost surrounded, the remnant of Pickett's division threw down their arms and surrendered.

Heth's division had not been able to break the right of the Second Corps. It had been itself broken against the resistance of Hays, and also left a multitude of prisoners in our hands.

All who thought that they could get away took the backward course through a fire of canister, which again brought down the half of them to the ground. I saw places where, being crushed together, the dead were absolutely left piled one upon the other.

Wilcox's Confederate brigade, which seemed to be held in reserve on the right of Pickett's division, then advanced in its turn, perhaps to protect the fugitives by a diversion. But the artillery fire was enough to stop it, and a last charge of two regiments of Stannard sufficed to disperse it and take from it a goodly number of prisoners.

Thus was ended the battle of Gettysburg, the partial engagement of July 1 to our disadvantage, continued with desperate fighting on the 2d, without definite result, and finished on the 3d by a decisive victory. During these three days, our loss was, in round numbers, twentythree thousand men, of whom six thousand six hundred were prisoners or missing. That of the enemy was about thirty thousand men, more than thirteen thou

sand of whom were prisoners. In killed and wounded the loss was about equal, between sixteen and seventeen thousand on each side.

Proportionately to the number engaged, our total loss was more than a third, the Sixth Corps not being engaged. The loss of the Confederates, all of whose three corps took part in the battle, must have been threesevenths of their army.

In the great charge of the last day, three Confederate generals were killed: Armistead, Barksdale, and Garnett. A fourth, Kemper, was severely wounded. On our side, Hancock and Gibbon were wounded. But they had the moral balm of a victory to hasten the healing of their wounds. In the victory which threw the rebels back into Virginia, more than four thousand prisoners and twenty-seven flags remained in the hands of the Second Corps.

1

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE PURSUIT.

The field of battle by moonlight - The wounded and the dead — Pursuit of the enemy French's division added to the Third Corps - Political intrusions - Difficult position of General Meade - Council of war - General disappointment-The war carried again into Virginia - Battle of Manassas Gap― Lost opportunity - General FrenchOnce more on the Rappahannock.

BETWEEN eight and nine o'clock in the evening, as the last glimmers of daylight disappeared behind us, I received an order to go down into the flat, and occupy the field of battle with two brigades in line. That of Colonel Madill was added to mine for that purpose. General Ward, who temporarily commanded the division, remained in reserve with the third.

The

The most profound calm reigned now, where a few hours before so furious a tempest had raged. moon, with her smiling face, mounted up in the starry heavens, as at Chancellorsville. Her pale light shone equally upon the living and the dead, the little flowers. blooming in the grass as well as upon the torn bodies lying in the pools of clotted blood. Dead bodies were everywhere. On no field of battle have I ever seen them in such numbers. The greater part of my line was strewn with them, and, when the arms were stacked and the men asleep, one was unable to say, in that mingling of living and dead, which would awake the next morning and which would not.

Beyond the line of the advanced sentinels, the wounded still lay where they had fallen, calling for

assistance or asking for water. Their cries died away without any reply in the silence of the night, for the enemy was close by, and it was a dangerous undertaking to risk advancing into the space which separated us. In making an attempt, an officer of my staff drew three shots, which whistled unpleasantly near his ears. All labors of charity were necessarily put off till the next morning. It is sad to think that this was a sentence of death to numbers of the unfortunate. Mournful thoughts did not hinder the tired soldiers from sleeping. Everything was soon forgotten in a dreamless slumber.

At dawn of day, when I awakened, the first object which struck my eyes was a young sergeant stretched out on his back, his head resting on a flat stone, serving for a pillow. His position was natural, even graceful. One knee lightly raised, his hands crossed on his breast, a smile on his lips, his eyes closed, he appeared to sleep, and dream, perhaps, of her who awaited his return in the distant Green Mountains. He was dead. Wounded, he had sought out this spot in which to die. His haversack was near him. He had taken out of it a little book, on which his last looks had been cast, for the book was still open in his stiffened fingers. It was the New Testament; on the first leaf, a light hand had traced, in pencil, some letters, rubbed out, which one might think were a name. I have kept the volume, and, on the white page, to the unknown name I have added, "Died at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863."

During the night, the enemy had drawn back his pickets to the other side of the Emmittsburg road, and left us free to assist the wounded. The appearance of litters and ambulance wagons strengthened them, by giving them hope. They related their engagements of the evening before, and their sufferings during the