362

THE GREAT CHARGE AND

inoffensively as possible, and carefully avoided getting into bunches. But westood it all meekly, and by 10 o’clock, Dearing having come up, we hadseventy-five guns in what was virtually one battery, so disposed as to fireon Cemetery Hill and the batteries south of it, which wtmld have a fire on ouradvancing infantry. Pickett’s division had arrived, and his men were restingand eating. Along Seminary Ridge, a short distance to our left, were sixty-three guns of A. P. Hill ’s corps, under Colonel R. L. Walker. As their distancewas a little too great for effective howitzer fire, General Pendleton offered methe use of nine howitzers belonging to that corps. I accepted them, intendingto take them into the charge with Pickett; so I put them in a hollow behind abit of wood, with no orders but to wait there until I sent for them. About11, some of Hill ’s skirmishers and the enemy’s began fighting over a barnbetween the lines, and gradually his artillery and the enemy’s took part, untilover a hundred guns were engaged, and a tremendous roar was kept up forquite a time. But it gradually died out, and the whole field became assilent as a churchyard until 1 o’clock. The enemy, aware of the strengthof his position, simply sat still and waited for us. It had been arranged thatwhen the infantry column was ready, General Longstreet should order twoguns fired by the Washington Artillery .% On that signal all our guns wereto open 011 Cemetery Hill and the ridge extending toward Round Top, whichwas covered with batteries. I was to observe the fire and give Pickett theorder to charge. I accordingly took position, about 12, at the most favor-able point, just on the left of the line of guns and with one of Pickett’s cou-riers with me. Soon after I received the following note from Longstreet:

“Colonel: If tlie artillery fire does not have the effect to drive off the enemy or greatlydemoralize him, so as to make our efforts pretty certain, I would prefer that you should notadvise General Pickett to make the charge. I shall rely a great deal on your good judgment todetermine the matter, and shall expect you to let General Pickett know when the momentoffers.”

This note rather startled me. If that assault was to be made on GeneralLee ’s judgment it was all right, but I did not want it made on mine. I wroteback to General Longstreet to the following effect:

“ General : I will only be able to judge of the effect of our fire on the enemy by his returnfire, for his infantry is but little exposed to view and the smoke will obscure the whole field. Ibas I infer from your note, there is any alternative to this attack, it should be carefully consideredbefore opening our fire, for it will take all the artillery ammunition we have left to test this onethoroughly, and, if the result is unfavorable, we will have none left for another effort. Andeven if this is entirely successful, it can only be so at a very bloody cost.”

&In the “United Service Magazine” for Au-gust, 1885, Lieutenant-Colonel William MillerOwen, of the Washington Artillery, says:

“Returning to tlie position of the Washington Artil-lery, we all quietly awaited the order to open tile ball.At 1:30 P. M. a courier dashed up in great haste, hold-ing a little slip of paper, torn evidently from a memo-randum-hook, on which, written in pencil and addressedto Colonel Walton, was the following:

‘ HEADQUAUTKiis, J uly 3d, 1863. Colonel: Let the batteriesopen. Order great care and precision in bring. If the bat-teries at tlie Peach Orchard cannot be used against the pointwo intend attacking, let them open oil tlie enemy on tlie

rocky hill. Most respectfully, J. LONOSTliliET, Lieutenant-General Commanding.’

“ The order to fire tlie signal-gun was immediatelycommunicated to Mgior Eshlemnu, commanding theWashington Artillery, and the report of the first gh 11rang out upon the stitl summer air. There was a mo-ment’s delay with the second gnu, a friction-prim^having failed to explode. It was hut a little space o£time, hut a hundred thousand moil wore listeningFinally it puff of smoke was seen at the Pencil orchard,then came a roar and atlash, and 138 pieces of Confed"crate artillery opened upon the enemy’s position, a ntlie deadly work began with the noise of the heaviesthunder.” EDITORS.

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