Page:Confederate Veteran volume 31.djvu/29

 Qoijfederat^ l/eterag. 23 began soon after 10 a.m., there is ample evidence that a lull occurred in the fighting, which continued for at least an hour and a half or two hours, and was not actively resumed until after 1 p.m., and after the arrival of Rowley's and Robinson's divisions of Doubleday's Corps. Desultory cannonading was engaged in by both sides. It was during this lull that Rodes's force reached the field. The roar of Hill's and Reynolds's guns was the stimulating force which urged Rodes's men to quicken their pace. Heth now decided that the enemy had "been felt and found in heavy force in and around Gettysburg." He pro- ceeded to form his line of battle between the Cashtown and Fairfield roads. Archer's Brigade (Col. B. D. Fry, 13th Ala- bama Regiment, commanding), on the right, Pettigrew in the center, and Brockenbrough on the left. Davis's Brigade was allowed to remain on the left of the road to gather its strag- glers. After resting an hour or more (one witness says two or three hours), Heth received orders to attack the enemy in his front, advised that Pender's Division would support him. The divisions of Rowley and Robinson, of the First Federal Corps, reached the vicinity of the battlefield between 12 M., and 1 P.M. Rowley's Division formed between the Cashtown and Fairfield roads in Heth's front, with Cooper's Battery of four 3-inch rillcs, and Robinson's Division was held in reserve near the Lutheran Seminary. (Sec page 464, Confederate Veteran, December, 1922.) At first Iverson's Brigade only was deployed by Rodes, but as the conditions were of such character as to admit of cover for a larger opposing force, two other brigades were deployed, Iverson on the right, O'Neal in the center, and Doles on the left. The artillery and two other brigades were moved up closely to the line of battle. The force had to move nearly a mile before coming in view of the enemy, when it finally reached the highest point on Oak Ridge, and the whole of the Federal force engaged with Hill's troops were presented to view. Rodes discovered that to get at the enemy properly more than a half mile off, it was necessary to move his whole division by the right flank, and to change direction to the right. During the delay following these maneuvers, Carter's Battalion of artillery was ordered forwaid, and the two leading batteries, Carter's and Fry's, were placed in position on an elevated point near the Cashtown road, and fired, with de- cided effect, an enfilading Sre, which compelled the Federal infantry to take shelter in the railroad cut and change front on their right. The Federal force here was evidently sur- prised, as no troops were formerly fronting Rodes's formation. Before Rodes could get his dispositions made, the Eleventh Federal Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard, after a hurried march of ten or twelve miles, reached the vicinity of Gettysburg, As Reynolds had been killed earlier in the day, Howard, being the ranking officer present after his arrival; assumed chief command and relinquished the command of the corps to Maj. Gen, Carl Schurz, and Schurz transferred the command nf his division to Schimmelfennig, When Howard had made a survey of the surrounding condi- tions from a high building in the town, he directed Schurz to place Steinwer's Division in position on Cemetery Hill, and proceed with the other two divisions and seize Oak Ridge, which he quickly saw was the key to the situation as it then existed. The divisions were each followed by a battery oi artillery. As Schimmelfennig moved toward Oak Ridge, he was met by a forcible protest from Rodes in the form of a storm of shot, shell, and schrapnel, which was warmly responded toby the accompanying Federal batteries. Barlow's Division moved northeast from the town, along the Heidlersburg road, and seized an elevation near the bank of Rock Creek, when his battery opened fire on the Confederate forces in its front. As Barlow's Division moved to its position, Doles's Brigade and Rees's Battery made a corresponding movement to meet it, and it was these troops that the Federal battery opened on. Almost simultaneously with the movement, the Eleventh Corps, Robinson's Division of the First Federal Corps, con- sisting of the brigades of Baxter and Paul, previously held in reserve near the Lutheran Seminary, moved to the Federal right and formed near the Mummasburg road. When the Eleventh Corps formed its line made a right angle with the line of Wadsworth's and Heth's divisions, and the move of Robinson to the Mammasburg road connected Schimmelfen- nig's left with Wadsworth's right, though considerable gaps occurred in the line. As the line now existed, it began at the Fairfield road, more than a mile west of Gettysburg, extended thence north to the Cashtown road, thence northeasterly across the Mummasburg and Middletown roads to the west bank of Rock Creek. Its length was perhaps two and one half or three miles between extremities. It was the extension of the Federal line by Bar- low's Division that presented the apparently dangerous con- dition previously mentioned, when the long train of covered wagons appeared still farther toward the Confederate left and intensified the already apparent serious condition on that flank. When Rodes saw the formation of Robinson's Division, and the advance of the two divisions of the Eleventh Corps toward his center and left, he considered the movements as a threat to attack him, and he promptly determined to attack with his center and right, holding at bay Barlow's Division with Doles's Brigade and Reese's Battery. The latter troops occupied t he open plain at the foot of Oak Ridge extending to Rock Creek. O'Neal's Brigade, with a wide gap bet we. n it and Dole's, guarded by the 5th Alabama Regiment, extended from the plain up the slope of the ridge; Daniel's Brigade Bup- porteil Iverson's, and extended some distance to the right of it; Ramseuer's Brigade was in reserve. All of Rodes's troops were in the woods of Oak Ridge, except a part of O'Neal's and all of Doles's Brigade and Reese's Battery, but all were Subject to loss or annoyance from the Federal artillery. Rodes ordned 1 vei son to attack, and Daniel was ordered to advance to support Iverson, if necessary, or to attack on O'Neal's right as soon as possible. Carter's entire battalion of artillery was now engaged. Page's Battery opened on Schimmelfennig's Division and its accompanying federal batteries; Reese's Battery opened on Barlow's Division and ts accompanying battery, and Carter's Battery was changed so as to direct its tire against the threatening conditions presented by the Eleventh Corps. Reese's Battery occupied position in a wheat field where the grain was nearly as tall as the men. The shot of the Federal batteries directed toward it caused the stocks of grain to part as the missiles speeded through it. The Federal batteries which met the fire of Carter's bat- teries were Lieut. Bayard Wilkinson's six 12-pounders; Dilger's six 12-pounders; Wheeler's four 3-inch rifles; and later lleekman's four 12-pounders. These were supplemented b Weidrick's six 3-inch rifles from Cem< tery Hill; total twen- ty-six guns. Carter had but sixteen guns, part of which were engaging the batteries of the First Corps on Rodes's right. Fry's Battery of Carter's Battalion devoted its whole attention in an opposite direction. Iverson's Brigade attacked in fine style, but suffered heavily from the musketry of Paul's Brigade located behind a stone