Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 06.djvu/190

180

General Meade, in his testimony before the same Committee, volume I, page 332, says:

The "bloody struggle" which Meade and Warren both say "ensued to drive the enemy from Round Top," was had with the two Alabama regiments alone. There were no other Confederate soldiers on Round Top during that afternoon. The other three regiments of Law's brigade were, doubtless, heavily engaged, but that occurred about Vincent's Spur, between Round Top and Little Round Top. The left of the Forty-seventh Alabama became widely separated from the right of the Fourth Alabama about the time we reached the summit of Round Top; there certainly was a wide gap between those regiments when the Forty-seventh and Fifteenth advanced down the northern or northeastern face of the mountain; and the discovery of this fact was the consideration that induced me to make that advance in a left oblique direction, as already stated. If there are any two things connected with the battle about which I can't possibly be mistaken, they are—

First. That there were no Confederate troops on the top of Round Top during the engagement, except the Fifteenth and Forty-seventh Alabama regiments; and,

Second. That the Federals did not occupy Round Top until after sunset, and probably not until after dark.