troops pushed steadily on with soldiery
bearing, overcoming all the obstacles before them. They
reached the edge of the crater, passed down into the chasm
and attempted to make their way through the yielding sand,
the broken clay, and the masses of rubbish that were
everywhere about. Many of the enemy's men were lying among
the ruins, half buried, and vainly trying to free
themselves. They called for mercy and for help. The soldiers
stopped to take prisoners, to dig out guns and other
material. Their division commander was not with them, there
was no responsible head, the ranks were broken, the
regimental organizations could not be preserved, and the
troops were becoming confused. The enemy was recovering from
his surprise, our artillery began to receive a spirited
response, the enemy's men went back to their guns; they
gathered on the crest and soon brought to bear upon our
troops a fire in front from the Cemetery Hill, and an
enfilading and cross-fire from their guns in battery. Our
own guns could not altogether silence or overcome this fire
in flank, our men in the crater were checked, felt the
enemy's fire, sought cover, began to entrench. The day was
lost, still heroic men continued to push forward for the
crest, but in passing through the crater few got beyond it.
Regiment after regiment, brigade followed brigade, until the
three white divisions filled the opening and choked the
passage to all. What was a few moments ago organization and
order, was now a disordered mass of armed men. At six
o'clock, General Meade ordered General Burnside to push 'his
men forward, at all hazards, white and black.' His white
troops were all in the crater, and could not get out. As
instructed, he ordered General Ferrero to rush in the
Phalanx; Colonel Loving was near when the order came to
Ferrero; as the senior staff officer present, seeing the
impossibility of the troops to get through the crater, at
that time countermanded the order, and reported in person to
General Burnside, but he had no discretion to exercise, his
duty was simply to repeat Meade's order. The order must be
obeyed; it was repeated; away went the Phalanx division,
loudly cheering, but to what purpose did they advance? The
historian of that valiant corps, presumably mor