Gettysburg Battle, 2nd Day - Longstreet's Attack

As dawn approached on the morning of July 2^nd, the temperature was on the rise. At 0700 hours the temperature was 74. It was going to be another hot muggy day.

By daylight there were 40,000 to 45,000 confederate troops on the field and approximately 46,000 union troops. Gen Ewell's line stretched through the town to east of Culp's Hill near Rock Creek. The union line was in the shape of a fish hook, the barb on Culp's Hill and the shank stretching around Cemetery Hill south to Little Round Top.

Gen Lee wanted to attack the union's position, but his second in command Gen Longstreet argued that is was better to try and get around the union's right and flank them. Gen Lee had sent out Capt Samuel R. Johnston to reconnoiter the union's left so he could form a better attack plan.

Gen Meade in the meantime was strengthening his lines. As units arrived on the field, they would be placed where needed. Gen Sickle's 3^rd Corps arrived and he was ordered to go into position on the left of the 2^nd Corps, with his left occupying the position that Gen Geary held the night before.

Gen Sickles was a political General, unlike most of the other Generals at Gettysburg, who were West Point graduates. He was famous not for his military abilities but for shooting and killing Phillip Barton Key, the son of Francis Scott Key.

After seeing the position he was to defend, Gen Sickles did not like it as it was what he claimed "low ground". So without orders, he moved his line forward to the Emmitsburg Road. On the extreme left he placed Gen Ward's 2^nd Brigade; his line was anchored at its southern end by Capt Smith's 4^th NY Light Battery. Next to Ward's Brigade was Col De Trobriand's 3^rd Brigade, along a line from the Wheatfield to the Stony Hill. Next in line was Gen Graham's 1^st Brigade, which deployed near the Trostle Farm. Three regiments were moved up to form a salient at the intersection of the Wheatfield Rd and Emmitsburg Rd. Gen Humphrey was ordered to place his 2^nd Division to the north with his left connecting with Birney's 1^st Division and his right making contact with Caldwell's Division of the 2^nd Corps.

Meanwhile, after Capt Johnston returned from his scouting mission, he informed Gen Lee that he did not see any Yankees on the Round Tops. With this information Gen Lee decided to make an attack up the Emmitsburg Rd, rolling up the Union's left flank.

Gen Longstreet argued against this plan, he wanted to go around the Union's and hit them from behind. Lee said no, attack up the Emmitsburg Rd.

Gen Longstreet finally moved out around noon with his flank march arriving into position about 1530 hrs. His battle alignment was from right to left, Hood's Division, Law on the extreme right, then Robertson's Texan's. Next was McLaws' Division, with Kershaw, the Barksdale. The second line of attack was from right to left, Benning, Anderson, Semmes and Wofford.

Seeing that Sickles had moved up the Peach Orchard, it was no longer possible to attack up the Emmitsburg Rd as ordered. So the right of the line went across the Emmitsburg Rd heading towards the rocky heights in their front.

The 48^th and 44^th Alabama Regiment of Laws Brigade after reaching Plum Run did a left wheel and hit Devil's Den and the Little Round Top. The 15^th Alabama and 47^th Alabama continued on up Big Round Top, hitting the Union's extreme left flank. The 4^th, 5th Texas & 6^th Alabama attack went by the Slyder Farm, hitting Little Round Top. 3rd Arkansas and 1^st Texas angled to the left past the Timbers Farm, through Roses Woods and the Triangular Field hitting Houch's Ridge and Smith's Artillery Battery.

As the 1^st Texas and 3^rd Arkansas advanced they received artillery fire from the Peach Orchard and musket fire from Ward's Brigade. It was a back and forth struggle, the 44^th Alabama was ordered to take Smith's Battery that was blocking the 1^st Texas' advance. Coming under heavy fire from the union skirmishers the 44^th Alabama troops slowed down allowing the 48^th Alabama to push up the Plum Run Gorge. The attack stalled as the 4^th Maine met them with stout resistance.

Gen Benning's Georgians arrived to provide support for the stalled attacking units. With his arrival, the attack gained momentum, with the 1^st Texas and 20^th Georgia capturing three of the four artillery pieces of Smith's Battery. A counter-attack temporarily drove back the confederates, but with both flanks being turned the union's position was untenable.

The 4^th, 5^th Texas and 4^th Alabama crossed Plum Run and made a left on the northwest slope of Round Top. Here they began taking fire from union sharpshooters hiding behind a stonewall. Law's 47 and 15^th Alabama continued up Big Round Top and made a left turn hitting the union's left flank.

On Little Round Top were Col Vincent's 3^rd Brigade, from left to right, 20th Maine, 83^rd Pa, 44^th NY and the 16^th Mich. Arriving only minutes before the confederates reached the summit; Col Vincent immediately placed his regiments and began firing into the confederates. As pressure increased from the confederate's attack, reinforcements arrived from Col O'Rorke's 140^th NY regiment. Also Lt Hazlett's Battery D, 5^th US Artillery arrived to add fire power to the union defense of Little Round Top.

After repeated attempts to take Little Round Top and with heavy losses, the confederate attack failed. With the successful defense by the 20^th Maine against the flank attack of the 47^th and 15^th Alabama Regiments, Little Round Top was secure. Devil's Den and Houch's Ridge were taken by the confederate attacking forces, but they were unable to

move the union off of Little Round Top.

Meanwhile, Gen Anderson's five Georgia Regiments advanced into Rose's Woods in support of the 1^st Texas and 3^rd Arkansas. Receiving flank fire from the 17^th Maine which was behind a stone fence near the Wheatfield, and getting stiff resistance from the union troops at the base of Stony Hill, they fell back to regroup. With the advance of McLaws attack, they moved forward towards the Wheatfield and Stony Hill.

The fight for the Wheatfield is sometimes referred to as the "Whirlpool of Death". Fighting in and around the Wheatfield was severe with one side getting the advantage, then the other side. Kershaw Brigade advanced through the Rose Farm, hitting the Peach Orchard and the Stony Hill. Anderson attacking through Rose's Woods and hitting the Wheatfield and Houch's Ridge. Part of Ward's Brigade receiving Anderson's thrust and De Tribriand's pounded by elements of Kershaw's Brigade.

Adding to the noise and confusion of the battle was the artillery fire from both confederate and union artillery batteries. Cabell's Artillery Battalion provided support to the confederates and thirty cannons from the Federal 3^rd Corps and Artillery Reserve blasted Kershaw's men.

The seesaw battle continued until confederate reinforcements arrived with Semmes, Wofford and Barksdale Brigades slamming into the union line, causing them to retreat.

While Barksdale was clearing the Peach Orchard area, Wilcox's and Lang's Brigades of Gen Anderson's Division was reaching the union's left center. Fighting in this area was fierce and deadly. Gen Hancock seeing the confederates breaking through a hole in the line ordered Col William Covill of the 1^st Minnesota to charge the confederates. The charge of the 1^st Minnesota against Wilcox's men cost the Minnesota's regiment two-thirds of its men killed or wounded, but stopped the confederates and drove them back.

Another break of the union line was Gen Ambrose R Wright's Brigade of Georgians. Some of them made it all the way to the top of Cemetery Ridge but they were unsupported and could not hold, so were forced to fall back.

As night fell, the confederates held the Devil's Den area, the Wheatfield, and areas west of Emmitsburg Road. The northern troops still held Little Round Top and Cemetery Ridge. Longstreet attack did not achieve the success that Gen Lee had hoped for. His two divisions lost 30 percent of their men. Longstreet would later say about the fighting on the 2^nd day as "the best three hours' fighting ever done by any troops on any battlefield".[1]

[1] Order of Battle Gettysburg July 2 1863, Pg 42