The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-07-13

ceaaion of ground swells, following general
direction, north and south, but no connected
crest.
The Twelfth corps and part Of the 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 Hancock's Second corps,
with Doubleday's division, joined ON How.
ards left, Hancock having charge of the
whole line, including Sickles' Third corps.
Sickles had received orders to extend the
main line to Little Round Top, but dissatis-
fed with the position assigned him, and see
ing that there were depressions in this ridge,
where the ground was lower than it was
along the Emmitsburg road, he preferred to
station his corps on the road. With this OBJ
ject in view, he sent forward some batteries,
troops and skirmishers, 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-
termine whether to order Sickles back, or to
send more troops to enable him to sustain an
attack, should one be made there, the decision
was made for him. The boom of cannon
is heard and each hurries 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 q
bend toward the southwest, joining with q
smaller stream from Seminary Ridge The
valley is strewn with enormous powders,
while the slopes of the Round Tops are COW
cred with the same. A cross road connect
ing the Taneytown and Emmitsburg roads
runs along the northern base of DEVILS Den,
the first 400 yards Of which, beginning at
Plum run, is bounded ON the north by a
wood, and on the south by the now famous
Wheat Field. At the junction of this cross
road and the Emmitsburg road, is the
Peach Orchard, hillock formed by the
intersection of two ridges, the highest point
on the Emmitsburg road, although conf
manded about a quarter of mile further
west by the Warfield Ridge, where Long
street placed some batteries which caused
fearful havoc in the Union lines.
The two great armies were now only mile
apart Ewell's 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 a
simultaneous attack, Ewell on the Union
right, at Culps and Cemetery Hills; Long
street on the left, at the Peach Orchard.
AT the same time constant demonstrations
were to be made against the Union center in
order to keep the troops there, Hancock's
corps, from being drawn off to the support
of either Howard and Slocom on the right,
or of Sickles and Sykes on the left A fierce
cannonade from Seminary Hill led the Union
officers to suppose that the first onslaught
would come from that quarter, but this
proved not to be the case, for at 4 o'clock
this cannonade suddenly ceased and the
booming of Hoods batteries on the left
showed that Lees first objective point would
be DEVILS Den, where Wards brigade Of
Birney's division lay on Sickles' left. Ward
had taken position in the wood above Plum
run, his right extending as far as the sum-
init of the Wheat Field, thus occupying the
open ground which covered the approach to
Little Round.Top. De Trobriand formed the
connecting link, with Graham's division at
the angle, the latter protected on his right
by Humphreys on the Emmitsburg road.
Eight batteries were placed SO as to cover the
weak points of the line, and as the move