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CONFEDERATE SKIRMISHERS AT THE FOOT OF CULP’S IIILL.
far as the Trostle house; the Federals had the two Round Tops, the Plum Runline, and Cemetery Ridge. During the night the Plum Run line, except thewood on its left front (occupied by McCandless’s brigade, Crawford’s division,his other brigade being on Big Round Top), was abandoned; the Third Corpswas massed to the left and rear of Caldwell’s division, which had reoccupiedits short ridge, with McGilvery’s artillery on its crest. The Fifth Corpsremained on and about Round Top, and a division [Ruger’s] which had beendetached from the Twelfth Corps returned to Culp’s Hill.
When Longstreet’s guns were heard, Ewell opened a cannonade, which afteran hour’s firing was overpowered by the Federal artillery on Cemetery Hill-Johnson’s division then advanced, and found only one brigade— Greene’s—-°fthe Twelfth Corps in position, the others having been sent to the aid ofSickles at the Peach Orchard. Greene fought with skill and determinationfor two or three hours, and, reenforced by seven or eight hundred men ofthe First and Eleventh corps, succeeded in holding his own intrenchments,the enemy taking possession of the abandoned works of Geary and Rugei'-This brought Johnson’s troops near the Baltimore pike, but the darknessprevented their seeing or profiting by the advantage then within their reach.When Ruger’s division returned from Round Top, and Geary’s from RockCreek, they found Johnson in possession of their intrenchments, and imme-diately prepared to drive him out at daylight.
It had been ordered that when Johnson engaged Culp’s Hill, Early andRodes should assault Cemetery Hill. Early’s attack was made with greatspirit, by Hoke’s and Avery’s brigades, Gordon’s being in reserve; the hill wasascended through the wide ravine between Cemetery and Culp’s hills, a lm eof infantry on the slopes was broken, and Wiedrich’s Eleventh Corps andRicketts’s reserve batteries near the brow of the hill wore overrun; but the