's corps with the most stubborn resistance. Charge
after charge was made, but to no avail. At length Neill's brigade passed
far to the right of the rebel line, and poured an enfilading volley into
the gray-coats. They, supposing that a heavy force had got on their
flank withdrew, when our forces charging in turn, drove them with great
loss from the rifle pits, which were held during the remainder of the
engagement in spite of repeated efforts to dislodge our forces. By noon
quiet prevailed along the whole line, except that now and then a shot
from some of our batteries screamed across the valley, but eliciting no
reply. The rebel lines could be seen moving here and there as if
preparing for a desperate struggle. The men at our batteries declared
that so completely had they got the range of the other crests that the
rebels dare not open a piece. Little did they imagine that more than a
hundred guns were concentrating just behind the little strip of woods
below them.

This unwonted silence continued until about one o'clock, when suddenly,
as though pandemonium had broken loose, the air was filled with the
shrieks, screams, howls and clangor of bursting shells. The sky was
filled with smoke, amid which flames darted in every direction, and the
valley and hills quaked with the thunders of artillery. Never on this
continent had been heard such cannonading as this. For two hours this
storm of shell and shot raged in all its fury. At the first opening of
the storm, parts of our line were forced back, but they quickly advanced
again. Horses and men fell together, mangled and torn by the screaming
missiles. In some of our batteries every horse was destroyed, and the
men drew back the pieces by hand to save them from capture. One hundred
and twenty-five guns were concentrated against our left center, which
continued for two hours to belch forth death and destruction. At length,
when it was supposed that our guns were silenced, and our infantry
confused by the fearful cannonade, came the expected charge of infantry.
Longstreet's corps, massed, with Picket's division in front, rushed
forward with the well known yells, which rang above the clangor of
musketry and artillery, and threw themselves with utmost fury upon the
Union lines. Our men had waited the onset with unflinching courage, and
now poured into the assailants a most murderous fire, which hurled them
back and strewed the ground with their dead and dying. Again, with the
f