at this hour.

Corps and other commanders are authorized to order the instant death of any soldier who fails to do his duty

By command of

Major-Gen. MEADE.

S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant-Gen. Gettysburg, whither both armies were moving, was not only the capital of the county in which it is located, but a central point to which many roads converged. The road from Westminster, by which the sixth corps was advancing, comes in on the southeast; that from Taneytown, by which the third and twelfth were advancing, comes in on the south, which was the route also of the second and fifth; that from Emmitsburg, by which the first and eleventh corps were advancing, comes in on the southwest; that from Chambersburg, by which the Confederate corps of Gens. Longstreet and Hill were advancing, comes in on the northwest; and those from Harrisburg and York, by which the corps of Gen. Ewell was advancing, come in on the northeast.

On Wednesday morning, Maj. Gen. Reynolds, in command of the first corps, advanced on the Emmitsburg road from Marsh creek to Get tysburg, where he arrived about ten o'clock, and marched directly through the town. body of the enemy, being the advance of Gen. Heth's division of Gen. Hill's corps, was discovered to be posted on the road that came in from Chambersburg on the northwest. They were driven back by Gen. Buford's cavalry. The division, coming up, drove back the caval

A

ry. At this time the first corps appeared. The first division, under Gen. Wadsworth, was in the advance. The division of Gen. Doubleday followed and formed on the left, and that of Gen. Robinson on the right. The position occupied was a ridge northwest of the town, which sloped to the west, into a little open valley of ploughed fields and meadows. Beyond the valley is a ridge of higher land thickly wooded. The valley runs in a southwesterly direction. Across this valley the line of Gen. Reynolds advanced somewhat hastily, almost before it was well formed, and soon encountered a heavy force of the enemy's infantry, by which it was driven, but fell back in good order. The impetuosity of the enemy caused them to press the right centre too rashly, and, by a movement of the left centre upon the flank of the foe, a large number were taken prisoners. The advance of the enemy was broken soon after, and Gen. Reynolds prepared to go forward. His line advanced as before, and drove the enemy from the valley and over the ridge at the farther side, with a heavy loss by the severe fire of the foe. His line of skirmishers was now thrown out some distance from the hill, and Gen. Reynolds, upon going out to it to reconnoitre, was killed by a shot from the enemy.

The eleventh corps now arrived, and Gen. Howard assumed the command of the whole field, while Gen. Schurz took command of the eleventh corps. Gen. Doubleday now commanded the first corps.

It being reported that the enemy were now massing a force north of the town to attack the rear of the first corps, the first and third divisions of the eleventh corps were ordered across the rear of the first corps to take up a position on the right, and Gen. Steinwehr was stationed as a reserve on Cemetery Hill, immediately south of the town. This force of the enemy was the advance of Gens. Rhodes and Early's divisions falling back from the Susquehanna. At this time, about half past two P. M., the enemy advanced in force against the first corps, which slowly fell back to its original position, northwest of the town. Here it was somewhat reënforced and prepared to make a stand. The force of the enemy advanced across the open space in line of battle, while their batteries shelled the position of the first corps to cover the advance. At short range it met a fire so sharp and well served as to cause it to reel and fall back. The line was again formed and reënforced, and once more advanced, but with no better success. By this time the divisions of Rhodes and Early had come up from the east, and Pender's division of Gen. Hill's moved up on the right to the support of Gen. Heth. Another charge was now made by the whole force of the enemy. Their superior numbers enabled them to threaten both flanks of the Union force. The main effort was directed against the left, and, notwithstanding a brave resistance, such advantages were gained that the first corps was ordered back to the town. By this movement the left of the eleventh was uncovered, and a heavy advance completely on its right flank compelled it to retire. The enemy advanced and took possession of the town, while the two corps fell back and occupied the western slope of the hill south of the town, held by Gen. Steinwehr.

Gen. Lee says: "The attack was not pressed that afternoon, the enemy's force being unknown, and it being considered advisable to await the arrival of the rest of our troops. It had not been intended to fight a general battle at such a distance from our base, unless attacked by the enemy; but finding ourselves unexpectedly confronted by the Federal army, it became a matter of difficulty to withdraw through the mountains with our large trains. At the same time the country was unfavorable for collecting supplies while in the presence of the enemy's main body, as he was enabled to restrain our foraging parties by occupying the passes of the mountains with regular and local troops. A battle thus became, in a measure, unavoidable. Encouraged by the successful issue of the engagement of the first day, and in view of the valuable results that would ensue from the defeat of the army of Gen. Meade, it was thought advisable to renew the attack."

At dusk the third and twelfth corps arrived and took positions, the former on the ridge extending south and to the left of Cemetery Hill, and the latter on the same ridge as it curved to the right of the hill. At 11 P. M., Gen. Meade

arrived and examined the position. He then posted the several corps in the following order: the twelfth, under Gen. Slocum, on the right; the eleventh, Gen. Howard, next; the first, Gen. Doubleday, the second, Gen. Hancock, the third, Gen. Sickles, in the centre; the fifth, Gen. Sykes, arrived the next morning, and was placed on the extreme left. The line stretched in a semicircle, having its convex centre toward Gettysburg, with the extreme toward the southwest and south. The heights on which the troops were posted sloped gently down from their front.

On the part of the enemy, Gen. Anderson's division of Gen. Hill's corps, and Gen. McLaws's division of Gen. Longstreet's corps arrived late in the evening within a mile or two of the town, and bivouacked for the night. Early on the next morning, Gen. Hood's division of Longstreet's corps arrived, and their line of battle was soon after formed.

The key of Gen. Meade's position was Cemetery Hill, a little distance south of the town, and on the northern slope of which the town itself is situated. It was so called because the burial place of the town was there. Its summit was east of the road which runs south to Taneytown. The ridge passed to the west of this road and ran south along its west side, and was occupied by the second, third, fifth, and sixth corps respectively, in line of battle. On the continuation of the ridge to the east and southeast was a part of the eleventh and the twelfth corps. On this part of the line the ridge was rocky and thickly wooded, and some defences were thrown up on Thursday morning by Gens. Geary and Williams. The ridge from Cemetery Hill directly south was open and clear, and the troops there faced to the west. The left flank of Gen. Meade rested upon a sharp, rugged, and almost perpendicular peak, covered with original forest growth. At the foot of the ridge on the west was a narrow valley between one and two miles in width, on the western side of which is another ridge, somewhat lower and running nearly parallel, and mostly covered with heavy timber. The line of battle of the enemy was formed on the slope of this ridge, with Gen. Ewell's corps on the left. Beginning at the town, Gen. Early's division was at the extreme right, then Gen. Rhodes's; on the right of his division was the left of Gen. Hill's corps, commencing with Gen. Heth's division, then Gens. Pender and Anderson's divisions." On the right of Gen. Anderson's division was the left of Gen. Longstreet's corps, Gen. McLaws's division being next to Gen. Anderson's, and Gen. Hood's on the extreme right of their line and opposite the extreme left of Gen. Meade. Neither the division of Gen. Ewell's corps nor that of Gen. Pickett of Longstreet's corps had at this time arrived. Gen. Pickett had been left at Chambersburg to protect the Confederate rear and escort their reserve train. Gen. Johnson had been operating near Harrisburg.

On the ridge occupied by Gen. Meade, a hundred guns were in position facing the enemy. The reserve artillery was in the rear, about equidistant from the extreme points of the line. The Union cavalry was east of the creek on the road to Baltimore. The artillery of the enemy in position was nearly one hundred and fifty guns. During Thursday forenoon some skirmishing took place, but no movement of importance was made. On the Confederate side, about the middle of the afternoon, Gen. Lee issued orders for the commanders to prepare for a general attack upon the Federal centre and left. The movement was to be commenced by Gen. Longstreet and followed up on his left in quick succession by the respective divisions of Gen. Hill's corps. The movements in consequence of these orders were in progress when sharpshooters were sent out by Gen. Sickles, being one regiment, under command of Col. Berdan. They advanced in the woods about a mile beyond the Emmitsburg turnpike, reconnoitering, and reported that the enemy were moving large masses to turn the Union left. On this report Gen. Sickles moved up to a ridge in front, which he deemed a more commanding position to repel the attack. On this ridge, which he considered as commanding to a great extent the position he previously occupied, he formed his line. His right rested in the peach orchard, which is in the angle formed by the Emmitsburg road and a cross road running about southeast and connecting the

Emmitsburg road with the road to Taneytown. The rest of the line extended in a southerly direction, with the left resting on the Round Top Hill. He had hardly got into position when the enemy made their anticipated attack. After resisting it about two hours, and the fifth corps failing to come to his support as promptly as was expected, he fell back to his original position upon the crest of the hill, where a most desperate assault was made by the troops of Gen. Longstreet. The line was strengthened by Gen. Meade, by ordering up the fifth corps to the position it afterward occupied on the left of the third. Two divisions were also sent from the twelfth corps, as no attack was threatened on the right. This formidable opposition and the precipitate and rugged character of the slope effectually repulsed all the efforts of Gen. Longstreet, with great loss, however, on both sides. According to the order of Gen. Lee, the advance was to commence from the right and be taken up along the whole line. With the advance of Gen. Longstreet a part of the division of Gen. Anderson moved upon the centre of Gen. Meade. As Gen. Sickles fell back, the second corps, under Gen. Hancock, came to his aid on his right, assisted by a portion of the first corps. These troops encountered a part of McLaws's and Anderson's divisions. The battle grew fearful. The enemy pressed forward unrestrained. Gen. Sickles was wounded in the

leg, and the command of his corps devolved on Maj.-Gen. Birney. Gen. Hancock was wounded in the thigh, and Gen. Gibbons in the shoulder. The first and second wavered. The enemy pressed up to the very guns of the batteries, which were exposed to capture. The sixth corps, under Gen. Sedgwick, although weary with a march that day, hurried with shouts to the support, and the enemy staggered and drifted slowly back. A strong force was now pushed on their left flank, which pressed well to their rear along the Emmitsburg road, and the Confederates retired. At this time Gen. Ewell got his forces forward and made a desperate dash on the twelfth corps, under Gen. Slocum, on the extreme right, which had been weakened to support the centre and left. For fifteen minutes the attack was furious, but the sixth corps came to its support followed by the first corps, and the struggle continued with some advantages to the enemy until 9 o'clock, when he retired, having lost the day in every quarter. It was stated that the divisions of Gens. Pender and Heth, of Gen. Hill's corps, remained inactive.

Gen. Lee thus reports the operations of the day:

In front of Gen. Longstreet, the enemy held a position from which, if he could be driven, it was thought that our army could be used to advantage in assailing the more elevated ground beyond, and thus enable us to reach the crest of the ridge. That officer was directed to endeavor to carry this position, while Gen. Ewell attacked directly the high ground on the enemy's right, which had already been partially fortified. Gen. Hill was instructed to threaten the centre of the Federal line, in order to prevent reenforcements being sent to either wing, and to avail himself of any opportunity that might present itself to attack.

After a severe struggle, Longstreet succeeded in getting possession of and holding the desired ground. Ewell also carried some of the strong positions which he assailed, and the result was such as to lead to the belief that he would ultimately be able to dislodge the enemy. The battle ceased at dark.

During the night, Gen. Meade sent the following despatch to Washington:

The enemy attacked me about four P. M. this day, and, after one of the severest contests of the war, he was repulsed at all points. We have suffered considerably in killed and wounded. Among the former are Brig.-Gens. Paul and Zook,and among the wounded, Gens. Sickles, Barlow, Graham, and Warren slightly. We have taken a large number of prisoners.

On the next morning, the following further despatch was sent:

The action commenced again at early daylight upon various parts of the line. The enemy thus far have made no impression upon my position. All accounts agree in placing the whole (rebel) army here. Prisoners report Longstreet's and A. P. Hill's forces much injured yesterday, and many general officers killed. Gen. Barksdale's (of Mississippi) dead body is within our lines. We have thus far about sixteen hundred prisoners.

The action thus commenced was chiefly an artillery fire directed upon the line of Gen. Meade, which slackened after a few hours. On the right of Gen. Meade, the contest was close and more severe. It commenced at daylight, by an attempt on the part of the twelfth corps,

under Gen. Slocum, to drive Gen. Ewell farther back. This attack met with a prompt response from Gen. Ewell. The fiercest assaults were made upon the positions of Gens. Geary and Berry, which fell back a short distance until supported by Gen. Sykes's division of the fifth corps and Gen. Humphrey's of the third. The struggle was now evenly contested for some time, when a further reënforcement arrived and took such a position as to enfilade the enemy, causing his force to retire, and at 11 o'clock A. M. a general quiet prevailed.

The movements of the enemy thus far had been made rather to cover up his designs than as serious efforts against Gen. Meade. The battle of the previous day had demonstrated that the issue of the struggle turned on the occupation of Cemetery Hill. To get possession of this spot was therefore the object of the enemy. Early in the morning, preparations had been made by Gen. Lee for a general attack upon Gen. Meade's whole line, while a large force was concentrated against his centre for the purpose of taking the ground it occupied. Gen. Longstreet massed fifty-five guns of long range upon the crest of a slight eminence, just in front of the extreme right of Gen. Hill's corps, and a little to the left of the heights upon which they were to open fire. At the same time, Gen. Hill massed some sixty guns along the hill, still farther to his left and in front of the same heights. The position of these guns was near the Bonaughton road, near the York road, near the Harrisburg road, and along the Seminary ridge to a point beyond Round Top. The artillery on Cemetery Hill was thus subject to more than a half circle of cross fires. At 1 o'clock the signal gun was fired, and the cannonading commenced. The fire of the enemy was thus concentrated on the position held by the eleventh and second corps. It drew a most terrific response from the Federal batteries. It is thus described by a spectator in the Union army:

"The storm broke upon us so suddenly that soldiers and officers-who leaped, as it began, from their tents, or from lazy siestas on the grass-were stricken in their rising with mortal wounds, and died, some with cigars between their teeth, some with pieces of food in their fingers, and one at least-a pale young German, from Pennsylvania-with a miniature of his sister in his hands. Horses fell, shrieking such awful cries as Cooper told of, and writhing themselves about in hopeless agony. The boards of fences, scattered by explosion, flew in splinters through the air. The earth, torn up in clouds, blinded the eyes of hurrying men; and through the branches of the trees and among the gravestones of the cemetery a shower of destruction crashed ceaselessly. As, with hundreds of others, I groped through this tempest of death for the shelter of the bluff, an old man, a private in a company belonging to the 24th Michigan, was struck, scarcely ten feet away, by a cannon ball, which tore through

him, extorting such a low, intense cry of mortal pain as I pray God I may never again hear. The hill, which seemed alone devoted to this rain of death, was clear in nearly all its unsheltered places within five minutes after the fire began.'

A spectator in the Confederate army has thus described this artillery contest: "I have never yet heard such tremendous artillery firing. The enemy must have had over one hundred guns, which, in addition to our one hundred and fifteen, made the air hideous with most discordant noise. The very earth shook beneath our feet, and the hills and rocks seemed to reel like a drunken man. For one hour and a half this most terrific fire was continued, during which time the shrieking of shell, the crash of fallen timbers, the fragments of rocks flying through the air, shattered from the cliffs by solid shot, the heavy mutterings from the valley between the opposing armies, the splash of bursting shrapnel, and the fierce neighing of wounded artillery horses, made a picture terribly grand and sublime, but which my pen utterly fails to describe. After the firing had continued for little more than an hour, the enemy's guns began to slacken, and finally all were silenced save some six or eight, which were in a clump of woods a little to the left of the stone fence." After the firing had continued about three hours, Gen. Howard, of the second corps, slackened his fire to allow his guns to cool: it was supposed by the enemy that they were silenced, and that the time had now come to make an irresistible attack. Their storming party was now moved up. The division of Gen. Pickett, which had arrived since the previous day, led the advance, supported on the right by Gen. Wilcox's brigade of Gen. Anderson's division, and on the left by Gen. Heth's division, commanded by Gen. Pettigrew. The troops of Gen. Pickett's division advanced in splendid order. On his left, the command of Gen. Pettigrew emerged from the woods, and swept down the slope of the hill to the valley beneath, and some two or three hundred yards in the rear of Gen. Pickett. As it entered the conflict, the line wavered, being raw soldiers, and wanting the firmness of nerve and steadiness of tread of the advance. As the advance came under the fire of the first and second corps, the enemy ceased firing from their batteries. Their ammunition was exhausted. The advance of Gen. Pickett, composed chiefly of Virginians, pressed forward. A terrible fire of grape, shell, and canister from forty guns is opened upon them. They waver not, but cross the Emmitsburg road, and approach the masses of infantry. Gen. Gibbon, in command now of the second corps, walks composedly along the ranks, saying: "Hold your fire, boys-they are not near enough yet." They come still nearer-then, with bayonets at the charge, sweep up to the rifle pits. A line of fire flashes from the second corps, and hundreds go down, but they do

not falter. They charge over the pits. Gen. Gibbon orders his men to fall back to the rear of the batteries. It is done without confusion, to allow the artillery to use grape. Still on they press, up to the muzzles of the guns. Meanwhile, the hot fire has thrown the division of Gen. Pettigrew into the utmost confusion. Their line is broken; they are scattered over the plain, and flying panic stricken to the rear. Gen. Pettigrew was wounded, but still retained command, and vainly strove to rally his men. The moving mass rushes to the rear, and Gen. Pickett was left to contend alone. Strong flanking bodies were moved round to gain his rear. His officers were falling on every side, and he gave the order to fall back. In doing this they were pressed with great vigor, and a large number were made prisoners. Their retreat was finally covered by a brigade under Gen. Wright, which was moved forward by Gen. Lee for that purpose. While this assault was made, the extreme right and left were threatened by Gens. Ewell and Longstreet. Nothing further transpired during the evening and night.

The following despatch was, soon after the conflict, sent by Gen. Meade to Gen. Halleck:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, NEAR GETTYSBURG, July 3d-8.30 P. M. To Major-General Halleck, General-in-Chief: The enemy opened at one o'clock P. M., from about one hundred and fifty guns. They concentrated upon about three hours, at the expiration of which time he my left centre, continuing without intermission for assaulted my left centre twice, being, upon both occasions, handsomely repulsed with severe loss to them, leaving in our hands nearly three thousand prisoners. Among the prisoners are Maj.-Gen. Armistead, and many colonels and officers of lesser note. The enemy left many dead upon the field, and a large number of wounded in our hands. The loss upon our side has been considerable. Maj.-Gen. Hancock and Brig.-Gen. Gibbon were wounded.

ing to the belief that the enemy might be withdrawAfter the repelling of the assault, indications leading, an armed reconnoissance was pushed forward from the left, and the enemy found to be in force. At the present hour all is quiet.

The New York cavalry have been engaged all day on both flanks of the enemy, harassing and vigorously attacking him with great success, notwithstanding they encountered superior numbers, both of cavalry and artillery. The army is in fine spirits. (Signed)

GEORGE G. MEADE, Major-General Commanding. On the next day, Gen. Meade issued the following address to his army: