Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/446

412 from the Fifth corps, and gaining the summit of this little mountain before Law, drove him back to the shelter of Devil's Den.

Longstreet's chief of artillery. Col. E. P. Alexander, got the better of the Federal artillery in the peach orchard, and McLaws pressed rapidly forward, as soon as Longstreet would let him go, took issue with Sickles, and drove his men back, over the stone fences at the peach orchard, in a fierce contest. Alexander joined in the charge with six batteries. Three Federal divisions, numbering 13,000 men, were then sent in quick succession to the aid of Sickles; but these were all forced back with the loss of half their numbers by Longstreet's courageous men, now flushed with success. It was 6 o'clock when the brigades on Hill's right moved up the Emmitsburg road, fell upon Sickles' right and drove it in retreat toward Cemetery ridge. By 7, Meade's left was completely driven back in defeat, and Longstreet's men were pressing forward to a new position at the base of the two little mountains. Three of Hill's brigades were at the same time advancing against Meade's center, but these failed to support, although one of them, under Wilcox, advanced to the very foot of Cemetery ridge and captured eight guns, while another, under Wright, in steady order ascended the long slope, crossing stone fences, and took the very crest of the ridge a little distance south of the Cemetery, where for a short time they were in possession of twenty Federal cannon. Meade's line was cut in two, and had Wright been supported it must have been forced to retreat. Even the brigades that started with him failed to support him, and Hill held his other divisions in line a mile to the rear. Longstreet's bold fight had, undoubtedly, won the day, if Hill's corps had, in its entirety, performed its assigned duty. The writer witnessed, from Seminary ridge, the hurried movement of troops, from Meade's right on Culp's hill and the Cemetery, toward his broken center and left. Fortunately for the Federal commander, just then his Sixth corps, under Sedgwick, arrived upon the field and joined in driving back Wright's advance and checking the tide of defeat which had already set in.

Just before sunset, but after Longstreet's battle was ended and the Federal left re-established, Ewell began his tardy and long-delayed attack, which should have