ing, gory piles of martyrs to liberty. Fifteen thousand men, as brave as ever marched to the field of death, had fallen, dead or wounded, or were prisoners, reserved for a harder fate.

The next morning, Burnside was determined to make another assault: but the stern remonstrance of Sumner, sustained by other commanders, controlled his desperate purpose; and, after facing his antagonist for two days, he withdrew his forces across the river, the keenest sufferer of all the suffering millions upon whose ears the news of that day's disaster fell.

Burnside, a brave soldier, a noble man, and a good division commander, was relieved by Hooker. Bold, dashing, irresistible in command of forces which he could fairly wield, Hooker was, nevertheless, quite inadequate to the responsibilities of commanding a vast aggressive army. The partial successes and ultimate failure of Chancellorsville followed Fredericksburg; and the scene of conflict changed.

GETTYSBURG.

In the judgment of Lee and the Confederate authorities at Richmond, the time had now fully come to advance in earnest into the territory of freedom. The Union forces had just been twice beaten, and must be supposed to be greatly demoralized. The time of considerable numbers of men had expired, and they were mustered out. The anxious politicians of France and England, making nothing of South Mountain and Antietam, and turning their eyes from the West, argued from the Peninsular campaign, and from Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, that the grand catastrophe of the Great Republic was at hand; and it is probable that rebel emissaries near their courts had reason for saying that a bold and successful advance into the North would be followed by a recognition of the Confederacy. The rebel army was in the highest spirits, and believed it was absolutely in

vincible. These brave and desperate men longed to commence their proud march through the fields of rich and abundant supplies, for the destruction of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington; and even New York and Boston seemed to them to be within the reach of their irresistible power.

Immense preparations had been made for the grand invasion. During the first days of June, this movement commenced. Soon Hooker, who was on the alert, found Lee's advance at Culpeper. Presently he was pouring troops through the Shenandoah Valley. Ewell dashed across into Maryland, and, as the van of a large army of invasion, produced the greatest alarm, extending through Pennsylvania into the North. Hooker did not dare to uncover Washington until Lee left the Shenandoah Valley. The Confederate general had thus ample time to bring up his forces; and, by the 24th of June, he was ready to follow Ewell across the Potomac. Ewell was already in Pennsylvania: Chambersburg and Carlisle had been entered in triumph; and Harrisburg, the capital, was menaced by his advance. Hanover and York were soon reached by other rebel forces.

In the mean time, under the prompt orders of Gov. Curtin, the hardy sons of Pennsylvania were rallying to the defence of their noble State. At Harrisburg and at Columbia, they were gathering to dispute the passage of the Susquehanna and the rebel advance on Philadelphia.

The Army of the Potomac showed the unconquerable spirit of the North. Re-organized, and strengthened by recruits moving to the front at the call of their beloved President, Hooker was soon at Frederick, Md., with a powerful force, making demonstrations towards Lee's communications at Harper's Ferry. Lee's advance upon Harrisburg was now arrested. The army of the United States, he discovered, was not, as he had supposed, broken and powerless, hovering about the defences of Washington to preserve its existence, but a strong, active force, too formidable to be left in his rear.

A retreat was not to be thought of. The moral effect upon his proud army of invasion, and on his own reputation, would be perilous in the extreme: besides, it was too late; a great battle was inevitable. He wisely called in his troops, and began to threaten our communications. Hooker asked Gen. Halleck, now commander-in-chief at Washington, for ten thousand troops at Harper's Ferry to join with Slocum's corps, and make a vigorous demonstration in the rear of the rebel force. Being refused, he resigned; and our government again tried the perilous experiment of a change of commanders on the eve of a great and decisive battle. Gen. G. G. Meade was advanced to the command. Greatly surprised, he, however, acted promptly. On the 29th of June, he issued his orders, and moved his army from Fredericksburg, determined to give battle.

The two armies, marching at right angles, came unexpect edly into collision at Gettysburg. Gen. Meade had selected his battle-field on Pipe Creek. Gen. Lee had resolved to wait for an attack. But Providence selected the field: and it was well; for, to all human appearance, the future of the armies, and perhaps of the nation, depended upon it.

On the morning of the 1st of July, a Union force of cavalry, untler Buford, was reported as being in Gettysburg. Gen. A. P. Hill moved up with two divisions of his corps to drive Buford away. Hill attacked at once, but found himself dealing with a strong, wily antagonist. Buford kept his forces active, but chiefly in reserve; until, at about ten o'clock, A.M., as he expected, the head of Reynolds's column appeared, commanded by the gallant Wadsworth. Without waiting for orders, he resolved to aid and relieve Buford. He moved to the rear of the town, beyond Seminary Ridge, and was attacked before he had time to form a line, and with but one brigade and a single battery at command. The brave and daring Gen. Reynolds ordered his men to charge, when he was struck by a rebel bullet, and fell, mortally wounded. His heroic command, energized rather than disheartened

by this great disaster, rushed forward with such impetuosity as to sweep every thing before them; taking the whole rebel brigade, including their commander, prisoners. At this moment, Davis's Mississippi brigade appeared on the right, rushing for our only battery; but they were overwhelmed, and also taken prisoners. Doubleday's and Robinson's divisions of our first corps, and Pender's rebel division, now reached the field; and the battle raged with still greater fury. At noon, the gallant first corps, greatly diminished by the numbers of their slain, stood firm; and the Union troops had thus far been superior to their assailants. At one, P.M., Howard came up with our eleventh corps, and moved to the west and north of Gettysburg. Jackson's veterans, now commanded by Ewell, marched rapidly up from the Susquehanna, and, seizing a superior position, broke through the weak centre of the extended Union line, and took five thousand prisoners.

It was not till late in the afternoon that Gen. Meade received intelligence of the battle in progress and the death of Gen. Reynolds. He ordered Gen. Hancock to Gettysburg to survey the field, and report. This brave man arrived just in time to meet the fugitives from our great disaster, with the Confederates in hot pursuit. He assisted our noble Gen. Howard in rallying the troops and forming a new line of battle, presenting so firm a front as to induce the Confederate commander to pause. Night came on, and we were not destroyed.

Meade, perceiving that the field of the great battle had been determined for him, ordered his main army to march; and all night these brave men pressed forward, so that, in the morning, all but the sixth corps had reached their positions. On the morning of the 2d, Lee saw that he was in the midst of a great battle, which, entirely contrary to his intentions, had been brought on by his own troops. God, and not the great commanders, controlled events that day.

Gen. Lee determined upon his order of battle. Ewell

moved against our right on Culp's Hill, occupied by the twelfth corps and Wadsworth's division of the first. Gen. Hill threatened our centre on Cemetery Hill, where the eleventh corps stood by the side of Robinson's and Doubleday's divisions of the first, connecting with Hancock's second corps. But the principal attack was to be delivered by Longstreet upon our left under Gen. Sickles, who, instead of making firm connection with Hancock's left, as Gen. Meade expected, had thrown his right half or three-quarters of a mile forward of Hancock's flank. At four o'clock, Longstreet's forces moved boldly upon our left, which, exposed by the peculiar position of Sickles's corps, could not resist the shock. Fighting desperately, we were flanked and broken; and the Confederates, rushing up the ravine with exultant shouts to seize Little Round Top, the key of the position, met Vincent's brigades, which grappled with them in fierce conflict. Woods's brigade re-enforced Vincent. Both these brave men fell amid the dreadful carnage; but, by the death-struggles of these two heroic brigades, the position was saved. In the mean time, Longstreet's right advanced with great intrepidity, enveloping Sickles's left; Birney's division was compromised, and driven over the ridge; Sickles was borne from the field, severely wounded. Humphrey's division, handled with consummate skill, and fighting desperately, gained the crest, and formed bravely and defiantly, with only three thousand men. Hancock promptly re-enforced him; and the Confederates, exhausted, recoiled from a fire too severe for their strength or courage.

Terrific battles raged on Humphrey's left. There Barnes's division went down, and Caldwell's division lost half their number. Ayers's regulars rushed in: but the Confederates were soon thundering at their flank and rear; and they bravely cut their way through to Little Round Top, leaving nothing to protect our centre. The Confederates moved up with the hope of completing their triumph, but saw suddenly before them the unbroken ranks of the fifth and