rapidly, threatening my right. Perceiving that a forward movement on my part would expose my flank to an attack from this force, exceeding in number that under my command, I immediately changed front forward on the first company, first battalion, of a portion of my brigade, the Fifth, Sixth and the right wing of the Ninth regiments. With this line, after several well directed volleys, I succeeded in breaking this column on my right, dispersing its men in full flight through the streets of the city. But for this movement on my flank, I should have captured several pieces of artillery opposite the left of my line, upon which the Seventh regiment was advancing in front and the Eighth by a side street at the time I halted. After reforming my line of battle, I advanced through the city of Gettysburg, clearing it of the enemy and taking prisoners at every turn.
During this time, as well as in my progress to the city, a great number of prisoners were captured by my command, but unwilling to decrease my force by detailing a guard, I simply ordered them to the rear as they were taken.
Many of these following the road to the left, fell into the possession of Major-General Rodes' troops.
I am satisfied the prisoners taken in the above mentioned movements by my brigade exceeded in numbers the force under my command. My loss this day was small—one officer and six men killed, four officers and thirty-seven men wounded and fifteen men missing. The loss of the enemy cannot be known with exactness, but it was apparent, from an inspection of the field, that his loss exceeded ours by at least six to one.
Having driven the enemy entirely out of the city, I rested my line on one of the upper (southern) streets—Hoke's brigade, on my left, extending beyond the eastern suburbs.
In this position I remained until twelve o'clock that night. At that hour I received an order from Major-General Early to make a reconnoissance of the ground between my situation and that of the enemy, who, after abandoning the city, had entrenched himself on Cemetery hill, a commanding height, one of a series or chain of hills belting Gettysburg on the south. After a careful examination of the locality indicated, about two o'clock in the morning (2d of July) I moved my troops into an open field between the city and the base of a hill intervening between us and Cemetery hill, throwing out skirmishers to the front.
In this field we remained the entire day of the 2d July, promi-
