Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/490

452 Lee." His men caught the words and instantly shouted, "General Lee to the rear," while Gordon, his mobile face showing the incarnation of heroic daring, fairly shouted to General Lee: "These men are Georgians and Virginians. They have never failed you; they will not fail you now." Just then a veteran stepped from the ranks, and seizing his bridle turned "Traveler" backward, and again the imperative order came from his soldiers: "Lee to the rear," and as he obeyed, Gordon's men rushed forward to death and to victory.

The steady roar of the battle, which had been continuous since half past 4 of the morning, from the dawning of the day, now swelled in volume as Gordon met Hancock in the pine thickets embraced within the salient. The Federal left was soon thrust back and Gordon held the works on the east. Ewell hurried forward Ramseur's brigade, which had occupied the extreme left of the salient, in attack upon Hancock's right; while from Early's command, the Third corps, came the brigades of McGowan and Harris, following up the advance of Gordon and Ramseur. Lee, remaining where Gordon had left him, again rode forward to lead Harris' Mississippians, who, seeing this, in turn shouted: "Lee to the rear," as they followed up Ramseur's attack on Hancock's right.

These rapid combinations and charges of Lee's men soon drove Hancock outside the salient, and only left him in possession of the outer trenches at its apex and along its northern front. Two divisions, from the Sixth corps, were hurried forward to support Grant's line along the northern and northwestern side of the salient. These engaged in combat with the brigades of Harris' Mississippians, McGowan's South Carolinians and Ramseur's North Carolinians, and from opposite sides of these log breastworks, a bloody struggle continued from early morning until late afternoon, with unflinching desperation on either side, fairly filling the trenches and piling their borders, on each side, with the slain and the wounded, and giving to this portion of the famous salient the name of "the Bloody Angle."

Grant continued to hurl division after division and corps after corps in fierce and continuing attack, upon every portion of Lee's line. The Fifth and part of the Sixth corps were charging his left, while Burnside, with another corps, was charging his right. A division of the