Year: 1863

!
| began, the Eleventh Corps came up the
same road by which the first had APP
preached and General Howard at once as
sumed command of the whole field, while
General Schurz assumed command of the
! Eleventh Corps. General Doubleday had
already assumed command OF the First
! Corps. Across the north side Of the town
runs creek on which, shortly after noon,
! it was reported the rebels were massing
! troops. apparently to take the First Corps
on its rear. To guard against an advance
! from that direction General Howard sent
| forward the First and Third Divisions of
| the Eleventh Corps, which moved across
! the rear of the First Corps, and through
the town, and took position with the First
! Division ON the right. General Steinwehrs
! division - the Second was held as Il
reserve.


Meantime. two or three of our batteries
held a sharp parley with the rebel batteries
posted on the hills that cncirclo tho town;
and their balls overshot our batteries some
what, and threw several shot in among the
solid people of Gettysburg. Whether it
frightened them or not can hardly say.
doubt if they could experience an emotion
SO lively as that of fear; but they began to
get out of the way, not women and children
particularly, but stalwart able-bodied
wretches in mems garments were what
principally saw on the road to the rear.


At about half-paSt two o'clock while the
batteries exchanged heavy fire, and some
sharp musketry woke up the echoes on the
right, the rebels advanced i'll heavy force
against the First Corps, which slowly re-
treated from the hills beyond the valley to
high ground near the seminary, where it
prepared to make all the resistance it was
capable Of 1t was reinforced there by
some dsmounted Dragons, and fought in
the open field for though some rail fences
were thrown down across the front OF our
line they afforded no cover. From the
woods beyond the farm houses, and across
the open space, a rebel force of perhaps
three large brigades advanced handsomely
in line of battle, while the rebel batteries
near the general center, shelled our position
hotly to cover the advance.


On came the line, right up within short
range of our position, when it was opened
upon with fire so sharp and well served
as to stagger and then completely rcpuIse
it. Backward went the line that came for
ward in such good order, a mere mass of
stragglers, each of whom made the best OF
his way across the plain.


While the musketry was very hot i'll front
of General Doubleday, a party of about one
hundred rebels stole through the woods
well upon Doubleday's left flank, and fired
a large barn. one of those immense maga-
zines of breadstuils that in Pennsylvania so
overpeer the comparatively small farm
houses. An immense black column of
smoke soon began to ascend from the root,
breaking out presently into white sui
phurous cloud, and then into a fierce red
blaze. Under cover of this fire the rebel
skirmishers exchanged numerous shots with
Il line of skirmishers from the cavalry on
our extreme left. Repulsed, but not van
quishcd, the rebel line was reformed and
reinforced ; and now, tor Il second time,
came on a force nearly twice as great as at
first. Once more, also, the batteries threw
shells, answered by our batteries on the
left, and also by batteries of ours ON the
extreme right, which at this time threw
shell at the position on the enCmys center
Once more the packed, rapid rattle of our
file fire broke out, and once more the rebel
line was broken, and went to the right
about i'll rout.


There is d mysterious fatality connected
with the third time and so, after Il lulland
period of comparative quiet for twenty
minutes onward for Il third time came the
rebels, quite ~ orderly rs before, their line
of skirmishers firing as they came on. In
so great force was this line that it COM
| pletey overlapped the line of the First
Corps on both hanks. Two brigades on tho
right were quite out of ammunition, and the
order was given to retreat on the town {;
and our boys according y retreated in good
order, while the rebels rushed forward
with yels to our position. On came the
enemy's fourth line, further to the right of
| the third in good order slirmishers ahead
! tI,n ,,H
reached when they came forward with n
rush. and occupied hill we had deemed it
worth while not to hold after the other was
! taken. On also came another line, in sup
port behind this, and our cavalry on the
extreme left began to retire.


AT this moment the field presented a truc
war picture, Across the fields to the right
came the rebel line, with colOrs which Hut-
tered in the pleasant breeze; in the center
were TWO tarnl-hOuses, OuthOuses and barns
III flames, and on the left the column of cav
airy in retreati while beyond all, the rays
of the sun beat down through the showery
clouds and gilded every object with pc
culiarly golden light, and over the heavens
to the eastward stretched a magnificent
rainbow.


The new position of the Third Corps was
at a line of stone wall southwest of the
town, along the slope of hill on which is u
cemetery. When the First Corps retired
to the town the left of the Eleventh was
uncovered, and heavy advance completely
on its right flank at the same time com
PEELED it 10 retire.


After our retirement on the town, The
rebel advance was not pressed further,
And so ended battle that was brought on
in the most rash manner, yet which was
| well fought against a largely superior force,
and gotten out of at last much better than
we could have expected to get out


Another correspondent thus writesi
GETTYSBURG, PENN, July /.


The First Corps of General Reynolds had
been engaged with the enemy probably
about two hours, when the Eleventh ar
rived on the ground hurrying up to meet
the noise of battle toward us. So far the
Fifth Corps had appeared to have the ad-
vantage; but about the time of our arrival
the rebels had partially succeeded in turn
ing their right flank,


Arriving on the ground, General Howard
assumed command and Immediately made
his dispositions for the battle. The First
Corps was at this time on a wooded ridge,
near the Lutheran Theological Seminary
TO the right was another range of hills, the
right being wooded and crossed by the
harrisburg road General Howard direct
ed that two divisions Of the Eleventh Corps
be placed on this range of hills, the first
division on the right and the third on the