THE FIRST DAY AT GETTYSBURG.
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was hardly formed when it was struck by Davis’s Confederate brigade on itsfront and right flank, whereupon Wadsworth, to save it, ordered it to fall backto Seminary Ridge. This order not reaching the 147th New York , its gallantmajor, Harney, held that regiment to its position until, having lost half itsnumbers, the order to retire was repeated. Hall’s battery was now imperiled,and it withdrew by sections, fighting at close canister range and sufferingseverely. Fowler thereupon changed his front to face Davis’s brigade, whichheld the cut, and with Dawes’s 6th Wisconsin —sent by Doubleday to aidIke 147th New York — charged anddrove Davis from the field. The Con-federate brigade suffered severely,losing all its field-officers but two,and a large proportion of its menkilled and captured, being disabledfor further effective service that day.
In the meantime Archer’s Confeder-ate brigade had occupied McPherson’sWood, and as the regiments of Mere-dith’s “ Iron Brigade ” came up, theyWere sent forward by Doubleday, whofully recognized the importance of thePosition, to dislodge Archer. At thee ntrance of the wood they found Rey-nolds in person, and, animated by hisPresence, rushed to the charge, strucksuccessive heavy blows, outflanked andfurned the enemy’s right, capturedGeneral Archer and a large portion ofkis brigade, and pursued the remain-dor across Willoughby Run. Wads-worth’s small division had thus wondocided successes against superiornumbers, but it was at grievous costto the army and the country, for Reynolds, while directing the operations,^as killed in the wood by a sharp-shooter. It was not, however, until by hisPromptitude and gallantry he had determined the decisive field of the war,a nd had opened brilliantly a battle which required three days of hard fight-ing to close with a victory. To him may be applied in a wider sense than inAs original one, Napier’s happy eulogium on Ridge : “ No man died on thatkeld with more glory than he, yet many died, and there was much glory.”
After the repulse of Davis and Archer, Heth’s division was formed in linen^ostly south of the Cashtown pike, with Pender’s in second line, Pegram’snnd McIntosh’s artillery (nine batteries) occupying all the commanding posi-d°Us west of Willoughby Run. Doubleday reestablished his former lines,Aredith holding McPherson’s wood. Soon after, Rowley’s and Robinson’sVisions (two brigades each) and the four remaining batteries of the corps
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