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By July 2, 1863, most of both armies were on the field of
battle. On Seminary Ridge were Longstreet's Corps making up the
Confederate right and Hill's Corps to the left, extending north to meet
Ewell's Corps, which held a semi-circular position on the south of
town. The Union left, extending almost to the Round Tops (which were
unoccupied), was Sickle's Corps III. To his right was Hancock's II
Corps and to his right was Howard's XI Corps, and covering the northern
end and right flank of the Union line was I Corps.
The Morning of July 2 passed relatively quietly, as Longstreet's
Corps had not yet arrived in their jumping-off points for the days
attack. The plan for July second involved Longstreet's Corps to
attack Meade's left flank, which Lee
believed sat on the Emmitsburg Road. At the same time, Ewell
would attack from the north against Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill.
In the center, Hill would act as if attacking in order to keep the Union
center from reinforcing against Ewell or Longstreet. 
Longstreet
began his advance at about noon on July 2, moving first away from the
battlefield in an attempt deceive the enemy, then to their attack
positions. As a result, it was several hours before the Corps was in
position, and they had not even begun to fool the Union observers.
Signalers on Round Top saw Longstreet's move, and in response, Sickles
sent out the 3rd Maine and Berdan's Sharpshooters out who encountered
Cadmus Wilcox's Brigade. A sharp fight ensued until the Union troops
were forced to retire.
When Sickles realized that the Confederates were massing in front
of him, he moved his Corps from Cemetery Ridge to the Emmitsburg
Road. This move, however, caused gaps in the Federal line, which had
to be filled as quickly as possible by units from around the line.
Finally, around four in the afternoon, Longstreet was in a
position to launch the much-delayed attack. Major General Josh Bell
Hood, one of Longstreet's division commanders, saw an opportunity to move
even farther south, capture Little Round Top, and flank. Longstreet
denied Hood's request, and the attack began as planned (although not as
scheduled). Hood's Division began the attack, then McClaw's, and
finally Anderson's.
As the Confederates move toward Little Round Top, Brigadier
General Gouverneur Warren (chief engineer) saw that the round tops were
unoccupied, and ordered cannon fires on the advancing Confederates.
However, the 15th Alabama, under Colonel William Oates, managed to take
one side of the unoccupied Round Top. His efforts were for nothing,
as he was ordered to withdraw. As he began the withdrawal, the 20th
Maine, which had just arrived on Little Round Top, opened fire. The
20th Maine was part of Colonel Strong Vincent's Brigade, which had taken
the initiative, and occupied Little Round Top without orders. As
Oates turned his attention to capturing Little Round Top, other regiments
from Law's Brigade and Robertson's Brigade enter to fight. The right
of the Union line on Little Round Top (16th Michigan) succumbed to the
Confederate attack. Colonel Vincent rallied them, and the attack was
beaten off, but not without a price--Vincent was mortally wounded.
The Union Army may have lost Colonel Vincent, but they saved Little Round
Top and prevented the Confederates from occupying the two round tops, from
which they could have commanded much of the battlefield.
 In front of the 20th Maine, Oates's regiment continued to
attack, and the 20th Maine, commanded by Joshua
Lawrence Chamberlain (image at left), continued to hold them
off. Finally, as the 20th Maine was running out of ammunition,
Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge against the 15th
Alabama . It succeeded; driving the 15th Alabama back to Round
Top. The Confederates did not hold Round Top either, for that night,
Colonel Joseph Fisher's Brigade and the 20th Maine, occupied the valuable
piece of land.
Fighting was fierce on Little Round Top, but also was it at other
parts of the battlefield, especially at Devil's Den, The Wheatfield, and
The Peach Orchard. The 1st Texas, 3rd Arkansas, and elements of
Benning's Brigade took Devil's Den late in the day from Brigadier General
Hobart Ward's brigade, and did not give it up until the retreat of the
Army of Northern Virginia.
At the Wheatfield, Brigadier George Anderson's brigade attacked
General de Trobriand's weakened brigade. However, reinforcements
were provided by Jacob Sweitzer's and William Tilton's brigades. The
 Confederates were held at bay-but only for a short time.
Brigadier Joseph Kershaw's
Brigade , McClaws Division, entered the battle at the Wheatfield and
helped push the Union line back. As the Union line wavered,
Brigadier General John Caldwell's Division, II Corps, arrived to save the
day. They charged into the Wheatfield, pushing the Confederates back
and mortally wounding Brigadier General Paul Semmes. But the
Confederates mounted another attack, inflicting heavy casualties on
Caldwell's Division, which retired from the line. Finally Ayres's
Division, V Corps, was thrown into the line, suffering heavy
casualties. But the Union line held, and the Confederates were
denied Little Round Top.
As the brigades on the Confederate right advanced and pushed the
Union troops back at Devil's Den and the Wheatfield, it was time for the
next brigade in line, Barksdale Brigade, to move forward. As they
advanced, the 57th and 114th Pennsylvania Regiments of Graham's Brigade,
1st Division, III Corps met them but were pushed back. They tried to
regroup in the Peach Orchard, but the Confederate attack, supported by
artillery, proved to be too much. The Pennsylvanians fell back with
heavy casualties.
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Gettysburg, Pa. The cemetery gatehouse
(LOC) | Late in the afternoon on July 2,
Anderson's Division launched its attack against the Union line at the
Emmitsburg Road. Wilcox's, Perry's and Wright's brigades advanced
and pushed the Yankees back to Cemetery ridge but were stopped by a strong
Union defense and lack of support from the brigades to their left.
As the Confederates pulled back from Cemetery Ridge, the fighting on that
part of the battlefield came to an end-but just beginning on another.
On the northern end of the battlefield, Early launched an attack
against Cemetery Hill and took it without much opposition. But the
victory was short-lived. Union troops rallied and kicked the
unsupported Confederates off the Hill. At Culp's Hill, Johnson
attacked. He expelled some of the defenders from their position, but
night rolled in, and the fighting ceased until the next day. |
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