their delight,
always yell in a manner peculiar to themselves. The Yankee cheer is much
more like ours; but the Confederate officers declare that the rebel yell
has a particular merit, and always produces a salutary and useful effect
upon their adversaries. A corps is sometimes spoken of as a "good
yelling regiment."

So soon as the firing began, General Lee joined Hill just below our
tree, and he remained there nearly all the time, looking through his
field-glass--sometimes talking to Hill and sometimes to Colonel Long of
his Staff. But generally he sat quite alone on the stump of a tree. What
I remarked especially was, that during the whole time the firing
continued, he only sent one message, and only received one report. It is
evidently his system to arrange the plan thoroughly with the three corps
commanders, and then leave to them the duty of modifying and carrying it
out to the best of their abilities.

When the cannonade was at its height, a Confederate band of music,
between the cemetery and ourselves, began to play polkas and waltzes,
which sounded very curious, accompanied by the hissing and bursting of
the shells.

At 5.45 all became comparatively quiet on our left and in the cemetery;
but volleys of musketry on the right told us that Longstreet's infantry
were advancing, and the onward progress of the smoke showed that he was
progressing favourably; but about 6.30 there seemed to be a check, and
even a slight retrograde movement. Soon after 7 General Lee got a report
by signal from Longstreet to say "_we are doing well_." A little before
dark the firing dropped off in every direction, and soon ceased
altogether. We then received intelligence that Longstreet had carried
everything before him for some time, capturing several batteries, and
driving the enemy from his positions; but when Hill's Florida Brigade
and some other troops gave way, he was forced to abandon a small portion
of the ground he had won, together with all the captured guns, except
three. His troops, however, bivouacked during the night on ground
occupied by the enemy this morning.

Every one deplores that Longstreet _will_ expose himself in such a
reckless manner. To-day he led a Georgian regiment in a charge against a
battery, hat in hand, and in front of everybody. General Barksdale was
killed and Semmes mortally wounded; but the most serious loss was that
of General Hood, who was badly wounded in the arm early in the day. I
heard tha