THE BREASTWORKS AT CULP’S HILL.
3*7
r pHE breastworks on Culp’s Hill referred to in-*- the foregoing article were constructed undermy immediate direction. Orders were given tothrow up breastworks as soon as the troops cameon the line. The approximate shape of the line atfirst held by the entire corps and afterward by mysingle brigade was this :
Wadsworth.
When Meade ordered the whole of the TwelfthCorps from Culp’s Hill to reenforce his left, Slocumordered my brigade to remain and “occupy thebreastworks thrown up by the corps.” The rest°f the corps moved off just before dusk (aboutT P. M.) I immediately extended my men to theri ght to comply with the order as far as possible.Ireland ’s regiment (the 137th N. Y.), which wason my right, occupied the intrenchments vacatedby Kane’s brigade, his left at b, and a regimentfrom Howard’s corps was placed on Ireland ’s right,^his regiment, without being specially attacked,Was marched to the rear by its colonel, whenaa attack upon it was imminently probable, muchto the disgust of his men, as reported. As soonas I received orders to occupy the intrenchments,I applied to "Wadsworth and received two regi-ments, which were placed in rear of my right,behind the points 6 and d, but sufficiently in therear to support any part of the line.
The movement of the 137th Regiment hadhardly been made when the regiment on picketWas driven in by a vigorous attack by Johnson’sdivision of Ewell’s corps, which was continued withgreat perseverance. The enemy finally extendedfbeir left to cover Ireland ’s right, which had beenmft in the air by the desertion of the Pennsyl-v ania regiment from Howard’s corps. Ireland Was forced back and rallied his regiment behindffie traverse, b d, which had been built to protectm y right, and which now served its purpose. As®°on as Ireland ’s movement was seen— or, rather,le a.rd, for it was dark—I brought up the reserve,Which checked any further advance of the enemy onhe right. Very soon after this movement, Kane,With his brigade, arrived and took post on theJ’lght of my reserve, and the enemy ceased their at-ae ks, after about three hours’ continuous fighting.
As the troops marched out, General Kaneollowed the First Brigade of the Second Divisionoward the left. When the column arrived ate Baltimore pike the First Division followed the® aff-officer sent to conduct it toward the left,fie Second Division marched down the pike to6 rear. Kane, hearing the firing on my posi-
tion, inquired as to their destination, and, notbeing satisfied, took the responsibility of return-ing to the fight, and immediately countermarched;as he came near the position which had beenoccupied by the First Division, the enemy’s picketsfired on him, and this being heard by me, I sentan officer to conduct Kane in by the safer routeof the turnpike. He arrived about 10 o’clockp. m., just after the enemy had been repulsedon my right. His presence tended to renderthe enemy cautious, and they rested on theirarms till morning. The First Brigade (Candy’s)of the Second Division arrived at Culp’s Hillabout 1 a. m., long after the fighting had ceased.General Williams, who commanded the TwelfthCorps, and General Slocum, who commanded theright wing, having been advised of the enemy’sposition, the artillery was placed in position be-fore daylight, and after a heavy bombardment, theinfantry, by a gallant and successful charge, drovethe enemy from the position they had occupied inthe night in the lines of the First Division.
The attack on my front, on the morning of the 3dof July, was renewed by Johnson’s division simul-taneously with our attack on the enemy in ourlines on our right, and was conducted with theutmost vigor. The greater part of their heavylosses were sustained within a few yards of ourbreastworks. His adjutant, Major Watkins Leighpersisted in riding up to the very front of ourlines, pushing his men to an assault on my works,where both horse and rider were killed, piercedsimultaneously with several bullets. About fiftyof the men got too near to our lines to retreat, andthrew down their arms, ran up close to our works,threw up their handkerchiefs or white rags, andwere allowed to come unarmed into our lines.Shaler’s and Candy’s brigades were sent to oursupport and took part in the defense of our lineson the morning of July 3d. By 10 A. si. thefighting ceased, and at 1 P. M. the enemy had dis-appeared from our front, and our men went toRock Creek for water.
Of the disastrous consequences to the Unionarmy, had Lee succeeded in penetrating our linesand placing himself square across the Baltimore pike in rear of the center and right wing of theentire army, there can be no question. Fortu-nately it was averted by the steady and deter-mined courage of the five New York regimentsabove named. The assailants wore Johnson’sdivision of Ewell’s (Second) Corps, consisting oftwenty-two regiments, organized into four bri-gades— Steuart’s, Nicliolls’s, Jones’s, and Walker’s— the last being the famous “ Stonewall Brigade,”first commanded by Stonewall Jackson .
To the discernment of General Slocum, whosaw the danger to which the army would beexposed by the movement ordered, and whotook the responsibility of modifying the orderswhich he had received, is due the honor of hav-ing saved the army from a great and perhapsfatal disaster.