The Battle of Gettysburg: The Country, the Contestants, the ResultsStorrick, W. C. (William Clayton)
History
The Battle of Gettysburg: The Country, the Contestants, the Results
Storrick, W. C. (William Clayton)
Gettysburg National Military Park (Pa.); Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
Meanwhile, General Warren on Little Round Top saw the importance of the
hill as a tactical position on Meade’s left. The signal officers were
preparing to leave; he ordered them to remain and to keep waving their
flags so as to lead the Confederates to believe that the hill was
occupied. He dispatched a messenger to Devil’s Den, where a Union
battery was posted, with an order that a shot be fired to produce
confusion in the woods in front, through which Hood’s forces were
supposed to be advancing. Seeing the reflection of the sunlight from
Confederate muskets, he realized that if this important position were to
be held, it would be necessary to get troops there without delay.
Quickly he sent a member of his staff to Sickles for troops. Sickles
said none could be spared. Warren sent another staff officer to Meade,
who immediately ordered Sykes to move his Corps to Little Round Top.
Barnes’ Division of this Corps had already been called for by Sickles to
defend his line, and three brigades, Vincent’s, Tilton’s, and
Sweitzer’s, were moving toward the Wheatfield. Learning of the need of
troops on Little Round Top, Vincent moved back, skirted the east side of
Little Round Top, and went into position between Little and Big Round
Top, arriving just before the Confederates from Hood’s right advanced
over Big Round Top.
Having watched these movements, Warren rode down to the crossing of what
is now Sykes Avenue and the Wheatfield Road. There he met Colonel
O’Rorke, in command of the 140th New York, and ordered his regiment,
together with Hazlett’s battery, to the crest of the hill. With the
addition of Weed’s Brigade, the combined forces held the Round Tops.
There was a desperate engagement in which both contestants displayed
courage of a very high order. The Union soldiers were victorious, and
Meade’s left was secured against further attack.
The Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield.
After the struggle for the possession of Little Round Top, the other
Confederate brigades of Hood and McLaws advanced rapidly. A lack of
coordination in their movement allowed Meade to bring up supports. Three
brigades of Anderson’s Division of Hill’s Corps advanced against
Humphreys’ line, in the following order: Wilcox, Perry, Wright. Wounded,
General Pender was unable to direct Posey and Mahone in support of
Wright, and Wright was obliged to withdraw. Humphreys was compelled to
change front in order to meet the assault on his flanks. This maneuver
served to stay the Confederate attack for a brief time. The Valley of
Death between the Round Tops and the opposite height was now a seething
mass of opposing forces, enshrouded in clouds of smoke.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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