THE SECOND DAY AT GETTYSBURG.

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When Sickles was wounded General Meade directed Hancock to take com-mand of the Third as well as his own corps, which he again turned over toGibbon. About 7:15 p. m. the field was in a critical condition. Birney’sdivision was now broken up; Humphreys’s was slowly falling back, undercover of McGilvery’s guns; Anderson’s line was advancing. On its right,Barksdale’s brigade, except the 21st Mississippi , was held in check onlyby McGilvery’s artillery, to whose support Hancock now brought up Wil-lard’s brigade of the Second Corps. Placing the 39th New York in reserve,Willard with hisother three regi-ments chargedBarksdale’s bri-gade and droveit back nearly tothe Emmitsburgload, when he washimself repulsedby a heavy artil-lery and infantryfire, and fell backto his formerPosition near thesources of PlumBun. In this af-fair Willard washilled and Barks-dale mortally wounded. Meanwhile the 21st Mississippi crossed the run fromthe neighborhood of the Trostle house, and drove out the men of Watson’sbattery (“ I,” 5th United States ), on the extreme left of McGilvery’s line, butivas in turn driven off by the 39th New York, led by Lieutenant Peeples ofthe battery, musket in hand, who thus recovered his guns, Watson beingseverely wounded.

Birney’s division once broken, it was difficult to stem the tide of defeat.Hood’s and McLaws ’s divisions—excepting Barksdale’s brigade—compassedHie Devil’s Den and its woods, and as the Federal reenforcements from othercorps came piecemeal, they were beaten in detail until by successive accre-tions they greatly outnumbered their opponents, who had all the advantages°f position, when the latter in turn retired, but were not pursued. Thisfighting was confined almost wholly to the woods and wheat-field betweenHe Peach Orchard and Little Round Top, and the great number of brigadea ml regimental commanders, as well as of inferior officers and soldiers, killedai| d wounded on both sides, bears testimony to its close and desperate char-acter. General Meade was on the ground active in bringing up and putting111 ^enforcements, and in doing so had his horse shot under him. At theHose of the day the Confederates held the base of the Round Tops, Devil’sHen , its woods, and the Emmitsburg road, with skirmishers thrown out as

EARLY’S CHARGE ON THE EVENING OF JULY 2 UPON EAST CEMETERY HILL.

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