Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/244

 236 Southern Historical Society Papers.

anticipation of the coming 1 fray, Lee joined Jackson to witness the opening. Meade's division led Franklin's advance with nearly 5,000 men, forcing back Jackson's skirmishers. Stuart, watching Meade's forward movement, gave the onward marching host a raking enfilade with shot and shell from the gallant Pelham's guns. Recovering from this, however, Meade again charged, only to have his line shattered by Jackson's batteries, under Lindsay Walker, and his entire advance driven back before the Confederate infantry could fire a gun.

ATTACKED MARYE'S HEIGHTS.

Sumner, about the same time, had begun his attack with 400 big guns upon the Confederate batteries on Marye's Hill. Simultane- ously, Burnside had hastened Hooker with two divisions down the river for the purpose of making an assault on Jackson at i o'clock. At the same time, also, he was ordering Sumner's troops to advance from the cover of the streets of Fredericksburg in the vain attempt to capture Marye's Hill. French's division of Sumner's corps led the advance towards Marye's Heights, and the head of these col- umns came into the Confederate view about n o'clock. The cannon from Marye's Hill gashed them in front; those from Stansbury's Hill raked them on their right, while those on Lee's Hill raked them on their left. But the brave Federal soldiers pressed forward towards the foot of Marye's Heights, only to be met by an enfilade of shot and shell from 2,000 riflemen of Georgia and North Carolina, under General Cobb, hidden from view by the stone fence. In this fierce assault i, 200 of these brave men fell dead. Hancock's men again made this assault in gallant style, but were met with a Confederate yell and by a sheet of infantry fire, which was reserved until they were within about 150 yards of the stone fence, when again 2,000 of Hancock's meji were shot down. At i o'clock Howard's division attempted a third assault. Kershaw was now in command of the stone fence, and another gallant and heroic assault was made by the Federals. " On they came, determination written upon their faces; with double quick step they rushed towards the stone fence, bayonets drawn, ready to do or die;" but that stone wall was impregnable, and when within about 200 yards of the same, a withering sheet of musketry fire from the gallant Georgians and Carolinians caused a halt; they quivered, broke, and 700 more fell dead and dying. Sumner's corps of veteran soldiers had "dared and done all that brave men could do;" but they attempted that which no human