The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-07-01

/ ana Eleventh III the center. AT Z q.
! m. the Second corps, led by General
w. s. Hancock, arrived and took posi-
/ ton on the right of the Third and two
divisions of the Fifth, commanded by
General George Sykes. acted as re-
serve.
In Lees camp two divisions of Gen
eral James Longstreet's corps reached
the field during the night; also Gen
eral Edward Johnson's division of
! Ewell's corps. Hills and Ewells
| troops had continued on in the direc-
ton the fighting led them on the 1st
This drew Ewell to the northern end
of the ridge and Hill toward It's west
! ern slope.
Longstreet deployed his line on the
right of Hill and so confronted, at
distance of two miles, the Federal
Third corps line. Hill confronted the
Federal center. About noon Sickles
advanced the Third corps from the
main ridge westward one mile to q
secondary ridge along the Emmitsburg
road. Here the divisions of General
! d. B. Blrney and General A. A. Hum
phreys were suddenly asSailed.
/ Sickles was wounded, fighting hero
/ ically, and his line destroyed and hurl-
ed back toward the main ridge, which
at this point terminates in the eleva-
tions known as Round Top and Little
Round Top.
Lee Decides to Fight It Out.
During the height of the battle troops
of the Second and Fifth Federal corps
reached the scene of combat. At the
/ beginning Of the attack General G.. X.
Warren hurried a brigade and cannon
to Little Round Top, at the foot of
which just at nightfall the fierce on
slaught~ Of Hood was checked. Mean
while two of Hills brigades pierced
| the Federal center of Cemetery ridge.
At the close of the day Ewell attacked
the Federal right flank. Early's divi-
sion was repulsed in a desperate as
sault on Cemetery HILL but Johnsons
division broke through the Federal
breastworks on Culp's hill.
In the evening an important council
was held in the Confederate camp. In
spite of opposition to the plan. Lee de-
/ cided that there should be a grand as
sault on Meade's position on Gene
terry ridge the next day. Early on July
fighting began on the Federal right
flank on Cups hill
General Ewell, who commanded the
! Confederate corps on this front, de-
termined that having obtained foot
hold on the hill he would not be driven
out. JohnsOn's division was establish
ed there in breastworks built by Gen
eral Slocum's Federal corps. Ewell
sent two brigades to support Johnson,
who Immediately charged forward, but
was soon checked. Unknown to him
Federal re-enforcements had arrived
during the night. The captured ground
was untenable and he withdrew from
the hill
Pickett's Historic Charge. .
The Confederates having failed in
their attacks upon each extremity Of
Meade's long line of battle, it remain
ed for Lee to withdraw or attack the
Federal center. The division of Gen
eral George e. Pickett. of Longstreet's
corps alone remained fresh in the
whole army. Pickett had reached the
front early on the Sd with 5000 men.
To this body Lee added 6OO0 men
from Hills corps under General Pen
der and General J. J. Pettigrew.
The point to be assailed was held by
detachments from four Federal corps
under command of Hancock. The Sec
ond corps troops were fresh; others
belonging to the First Third and Elev-
enth corps had fought ON the 1st or
ID. The prelude to PickettAs charge
was a cannonade Of Hancock's line
opened by $50 Confederate guns at l
p. N. The object was to break up
Hancock's ranks and prepare the way
for the assaulting column to rush to
the crest of the ridge at one dash.
On the Federal side eighty guns had
been posted along the crest, all that il
would hold, to answer the fire. Dur,
ing the two hours duel of artillery the
batteries of both sides suffered severe
ly. At 3 o'clock General Hunt, Meade's
chief of artillery, directed his guns tC
cease firing in order to cool the pieces
and preserve some ammunition for the
contest at close quarters which he saw
was impending.
The cessation Of the Federal artil
lery fire gave Lee the impression that
Hunts guns had been silenced. The
grand column of $1,000 men then
moved out across an intervening plain
only to meet a rain of solid shot as
soon as they came in sight of Hunts
artillerists. Gaps torn in the ranks
by Federal shots were quickly closed
and the line moved onward.
Climax at the Stone Wall.
Hancock's main line was posted be
hind a stone wall. The troops held
their fire until the assailants were
close IN Fresh batteries TeIiavef