Page:Decisive Battles Since Waterloo.djvu/280

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
246
DECISIVE BATTLES SINCE WATERLOO.

worth. Sickles occupied the positions on the slopes of Little Round Top, but owing to some misunderstanding of orders he did not occupy the summit.

Lee was also busy in gathering his forces. Early was in the centre, facing the ridge which connects Gulp's Hill with Cemetery Hill, Ewell was on the left with Johnson, who was on Benner's Hill, Rodes was occupying the town at the foot of Cemetery Hill, his right touching the 3d corps on Seminary Hill. Pender was on the left above the seminary, Heth on the right, along the ridge. The other divisions not yet placed were marching towards the town from the north. By nine o'clock the army was all there, excepting Stuart's cavalry and 6,000 men of Pickett's and Law's divisions who were on the way.

The early part of the day was wasted in preparations, and Meade, astonished at this delay, took advantage of it to strengthen his lines. Sickles, not liking his position, moved forward and took possession of the Emmettsburg road as far as the peach orchard, whose exposed position has already been described. To extend his line to cover his new position he was obliged to abandon the slopes of Little Round Top, which was thus left entirely unprotected. Ward occupied the wood which covered the flank of Devil's Den, with his left on Plum Run and his right running to the summit of the wheat field. De Trobriand's line connected him with Graham, who was on the summit of the hillock. Humphreys covered the right of the division.

Lee ordered Longstreet to attack the Union army on the right wing, the point where they least expected it. At half-past three o'clock Longstreet moved forward. The battle opened with an artillery duel between the Union batteries in the orchard and the Confederate batteries in the Warfield woods. Wilcox threw out skirmishers on one side, and Graham on the other, and the rattle of musketry soon became continuous. Meade visited Sickles' position,