The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-07-14
The SECOND DAY

THE SECOND DAY.
The battle of the second day was due more
to accident than was that of the first, lust
described. Reynolds had been instructed to
march at the head of the Union army. and
engage the Contcderates known to he con-
rrntratlnS in the vicinity of Gettysburg: but
Meade was not marching with the intention
of going so far north as Gettysburg. There
is a line of dcfensible ridges running east and
west on Pipe creek, thirteen miles south of
this town. These ridges protect all those
roads to Baltimore and Washington that
meet at Gettysburg, and tho seven Union
corps had been held in readiness to form a
line and fight on Pipe creek in case the Con-
fc'lcrates should attempt to march south with
a view of attacking either Baltimore or
the capital. But the sudden death of
Reynolds. at the hands of q Confederate
sharloshooter, led Meade to send Gen. Ham
.ocli to Gettysburg TO assume command, and
the news of Reynolds death and his battle ut
Willoughby run reaching Sicklcs the latter
vas induced, though fifteen miles distant, to
Move his Third corps northward to Gcttvs-
burg by nghtfall of the first In the same
way Cen Slocum, whose Twelfth corps was
nt Hanover, five miles east 10y south of
Gettysburg, was drawn to the battlefield, So
when the First and Eleventh corps fell back
to the heights of Cemetery Ridge. they were
soon in communication with SlocumAs
Twelfth, Hancoo!i's Second and Sicklcs'
Third corps, all of whom were either
already on the ground, or arriving
by different roads. Thus five Union
corps werr Mt hand, prepared for any battle
that might he offered by the enemy. Han
cock had reached Gettysburg at 4 p IN. ON
the first day, just as the conflicts of the First
and Eleventh corps had ended, and when
these troops were falling back OH to Gene
terry Hill, the northern extremity of the
ridge Tho presence of Hancock infused
courage and confidence, and, although nfe-
rior in rank to Howard, who was in conf
mand, Hancock, hy Men,lcs special order,
took control Posting the troops of the two
corps by brigadcs and regiments on the crest
of the ridge in full view of the enemy, he, 10y
this show Of strength, prevented the Confc,l:
crates from making their customary "slln-
down attack, md as the troops of the Third
and Twelfth corps arrived tlcyshcre added
to the line. The more the ground was To-
connoitrcd by Hancock and his colleagues
the better it appeared as n good position for
defense if not for attack, and word was ut
once sent to Meade, at his headquarters at
Tancytown, to hurry forward the troops in
order To make the expected fight at Gcttys-
burg. In the meantime some difficulty had
arisen ut the ridge, us Howard had de-
INJURED to being superseded by Hancock, and
on Sickles' arrival Howard proposed to settle
the matter by yielding to Sickles, the latter
being the superior 9th of Hancock and him
self. But Sickles declined to interfere with
Mca,lcs orders, only retaining discretion us
TO the placing of his own corps, which he did
by putting them in line along the slopes on
the west of Cemetery Ridge, between that
and the Emmitsburg rond Slorum out
ranked them NIL, and Oh his arrival from
Hanover Hancock turned the command over
to him, and, riding back to Meade at fancy
town, advocated the position at Gcttysburs
SO strongly that Meade came on in person
reaching tho ridge otter midnight, and then
giving his sanction to what had been done.
The Fifth corps under Sykes, was ordered
To hurry forward, and n hasty summons was
sen, to Gen. Scdgwick, who, with his Sixth
corps, was still at Manchester, thirty-iyc
miles distant. OF the greater events of Tho
battle. this rapid concentration Of troops, on
the Gettysburg ridge was really accidental!
and wholly apart from the original plan 1t
was brought about as q result of the battle of
the lst, just as the baying of one hound calls
up the pack.
The ridge, where the Union army found
itself at the dawn of July g was place well
adapted for the display of war in all its
grandeur. The form Of the ridge resembles
the letter j inverted f, Wolf Hill, Culp's Hill
and Cemetery Hill forming the curve Gene
Ter, Ridge, the long stem, and Round Top
and the Little Round Top, the lower cxtrcnl-
i'y. of these Cemetery Hill, with its Larc,
broad summit, rises $50 feet above the plain,
while the long line from this Hill to the
Roand Tops, three miles distant, show sue
rcssion of ground swcls, following general
direction, north and south, but no connected
crest.
The Twelfth corps and part of tic First,
under Slocum, occupied Culps and Wolf
Hills with ground between. Howard with
the Eleventh corps and part of the First held
Cemetery Hill, while lIancock's Second corps,
with Double'lays division, joined on How
ards left, Hancock having charge Of the
whole line, including Scklcs' Third corps.
Sicklcs had received orders to extend the
main line to Little Round Top, but dis>ats-
tied with the position assigned him, and See
my hat there were depressions in this ridge.
where the ground was lower than it was
along the Emlntsburg road, he preferred to
station his corps on the road With thi, OBJ
jicct in view he sent forward some batteries,
troops and skirnlishcrs, at the same time
asking Meade to give his sanction to the
formation Of this new line, and requesting
that the chief Of artillery might be
empowered to plant some cannon
there for its defense. Before Meade
had time to visit the ground, or to de-
tcrmnc whether to order 5ickles back, or to
send more troops to enable him to sustain an
attack. should one he made there, the decision
was made for him. The boom of a cannon
is heard and each hurres to his place. Five
hundred yards due west from Little Round
Top is the Devils Den, bold rocky hill.
steep on its eastern face, lying on an angle
made by Plum run, which here makes a
bend toward the southwest, joining with IL
smaller stream from Seminary Ridge. The
valley Is strewn with enormous bowlders,
while the slopes Of the Round Tops are COW
cred with the same. y cross road connect
ing the Taneytowu and Emmitsburg roads
runs along the northern base of Devils Den,
the first 400 yards of which, beginning ut
Plum run, is bounded on the north by /,
wood, and on the south by the now famous
Wheat Field. AT the junctionof this cross
road and the Emmitsburg road, is the
Peach Orchard hillock formed by the
intersection Of two ridges, the highest point
Oh the Emmitsburg road, although com
manded about a quarter of a mile further
west by the Warfield Ridge, where Long
street placed some batteries which caused
fearful havoc in the Union lines.
Tie two great armies were now only mile
apart. Ewells corps on the Confederate
left, held the town and the hills east of it;
Hills the center, with Longstreet on the
right. and in accordance with Lees ORDERS
Ewell and Longstreet were to make
Simultaneous attack, Ev'ell On the Cnior