Gettysburg Nightfall on the Second Day

It had been a sanguinary day for both contestants. The Union army alone had lost 15,000 men.

Continuing Battle of Gettysburg,
with a selection from History of the Southern Rebellion by Orville J. Victor published in 1898. This selection is presented in 7.5 easy 5 minute installments. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in Battle of Gettysburg.

Time: July 1-3, 1863
Place: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Confederate leader had played a desperate but skillfully contrived and resolutely executed game. At seven o’clock he found his left and center thundering at the base of Meade’s main line. Could he push his advance further, and gain a lodgement on the ridge, he conceived the field his own and the Federal army defeated. But he was not to witness any further triumph. He had, after all that day’s strife, won only a foothold; and though the Fifth Corps (Sykes’s), on the extreme Federal left, and the Second Corps (Hancock’s), on the center, had been somewhat involved in the losses, Meade’s advantages of con centration were so great that, when the final attempt was made by Lee to gain the crest, he found fresh troops there to meet him. Sedgwick’s Corps was sent to the summit of Little Round Top, and to the north of it, to sustain Sykes. Meade, in person, led forward a section of the Twelfth Corps, to fill the weak spot in the line between Sykes and Hancock. Longstreet’s column, attempting an advance, had made its way, under cover of woods, well up the ridge, when Hancock discovered the movement and the First Minnesotans were sent to the charge. The enemy broke and fell back in such haste as to lose their regimental colors.

Eight o’clock had now come. The enemy’s attack had grown desultory and weak, evidently from exhaustion. Hancock, with a portion of his forces, including the gathered remnants of the Third Corps and the reinforcements from the right, made a charge to clear out what of the enemy still remained on his front. The Confederates fell back with but slight resistance, and Humphreys’s men reclaimed all their abandoned guns. A similar charge was made on the left, by Crawford, who, with the Pennsylvania reserves, threw Longstreet’s lines well back from the vicinity of Round Top; and the struggle ceased at dusk with the original Federal line unimpaired.

On the right a battle was fought, late in the day. Taking advantage of the detachment of reinforcements to the left, Ewell assaulted Slocum’s lines on Cemetery and Culp’s hills, hoping to carry them by storm. Early moved upon the former and John son upon the latter, after a furious cannonade, at sunset. Marching out from the town, Early encountered a withering fire from the guns on the heights, but, pushing forward his columns by brigades, the Confederates were quickly advanced up the slope. The artillery then fired shrapnel with such effect that Early’s left and center gave way and retired, but his right brigade, taking advantage of the ground and buildings, made its way up to the advanced batteries, over which a hand-to-hand struggle occurred, the artillerymen fighting for their guns with ramrods and hand spikes. The infantry, Howard’s (Eleventh Corps) troops, hold ing the field at that point, soon were closely engaged and the fight became severe. Howard dispatched to Hancock for aid, and received Carroll’s brigade, which, by its impetuous spirit, aided by the guns a little to the east, drove the enemy back. Their dead thickly strewed the ground. It was a perilous enterprise at best. Rodes’s division, ordered to sustain Early’s movement, as the exigencies should require, failed to reach the field on his right in season to stay the repulse.

The movement of Johnson’s division against Culp’s Hill was not without some success. Aided by the ravine of Rock Creek his column advanced steadily, and by enveloping the extreme Federal right gained a lodgment. The Twelfth Corps, first stationed at that point, had been drawn away to reinforce the left -— only Green’s brigade holding the line. Wadsworth’s di vision (First Corps) stood upon Green’s left. The Confederate advance was opposed with unflinching front, but Johnson, finding the lines on the extreme right deserted, took possession of the breastworks and there remained during the night, in spite of all efforts to drive him out.

It had been a sanguinary day for both contestants. To Meade it had brought more loss of men than could have been supposed possible -— the ranks being reduced fully fifteen thousand, of whom about one-fourth were prisoners. Lee’s casualties were reported at about ten thousand. His successes were such, he stated, as induced him to continue the assault the next day.

For that further trial of strength the Federal leader was prepared. A consultation of commanders, held on the evening of the 2nd, decidedly expressed the feeling of the whole army to fight it out there. Orders were therefore issued by the generals of corps to strengthen their positions, as they were then held, by additional earthworks; the artillery was reorganized and redisposed in several particulars. Its losses in men had been considerable, and some guns were injured, but its largely effective force was unimpaired. The cavalry was thrown to the wings and also to the rear, to guard against any surprise from the Baltimore pike, and to cover the trains parked in its vicinity.

Lee’s attack, on the morning of the 3rd, was anticipated by Meade, who assumed the offensive on his right, where Johnson’s division of Ewell’s corps had made its lodgment. At daylight the Federal artillery opened on the enemy in a lively manner. Ewell having thrown considerable reinforcements into the position during the night, and strengthened the earthworks for a defensive fight, answered spiritedly, and the cannonade put the two armies on the alert. The troops whose withdrawal the previous day, to reinforce the left, had caused the loss of their line, were returned to the right and put to the assault. Assisted by a brigade (Shaler’s) from the Sixth Corps, the Twelfth Corps divisions of Williams and Geary so pressed the enemy that a charge made by Geary, at eight o’clock, swept the enemy from Culp’s Hill and restored the right to its entirety.

Orville J. Victor begins here. Edward A. Pollard begins here. Abraham Lincoln begins here.

More information here and here, and below.

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