Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/46

 34 Southern Historical Society Papers.

once forward in rear of the batteries near which Wilson's brigade was in position. At i o'clock our artillery opened the battle and a few minutes afterward the Federal guns joined in, and the very ground shook. It was simply awful, the bursting of the shells, the smoke, and the hot sun combined made things almost unendurable for our men lying in long rows in rear of the ridge.

Many of our men were wounded by the shelling, and it was a relief when finally the artillery ceased its terrible work and orders came for Pickett's men to charge. The skirmish line (to which the writer was attached) moved forward towards the enemy's skirmish line. Some two hundred yards in the rear came the line of battle, Richard B. Garnett's brigade on the left and Kemper's brigade on the right, while Armistead's came close in the rear.

It was a splendid exhibition, the alignment was nearly perfect. After advancing some three hundred yards the enemy's artillery opened on the columns and shells came screaming through the ranks of Pickett's men. As the men fell the ranks closed, and forward went the line, leaving the dead and wounded in its track.

SEMINARY RIDGE.

The move was made in a left oblique direction to reach the point of attack, which was the angle of a stone wall or fence on the ridge of Seminary Hill. When the line reached this point it became irregular. Many of the officers fell before this point was gained. Colonel Joseph Mayo, of the Third, ordered the brigade to face to the right just as the wall was reached.

There were heavy colnmns of the enemy coming from that direc- tion, while Garnett's men came in contact with the enemy behind the wall; then Armistead's men rushed across the wall and pursued the enemy, who abandoned the battery some 300 feet in rear of the wall. Then came a short lull in the battle, but firing was kept up and men fell to rise no more.

About 150 Federals were captured at the angle and taken off the field. It was at this time that General Lewis A. Armistead was killed, having his left hand on one of the guns of Cushing's bat- tery, and in his right hand he held his sword on which he had plaqed his hat. Thus a hero meets a hero's death.

The line around the angle was being fast thinned out, and now was the time for reinforcements to push on the victory within our