THE STRUGGLE FOR “ROUND TOP."

326

first advance, and others were arriving as McLaws came np on our left. I nits advance this division extended from the “ Peach Orchard ” near theEmmitsburg road, on its left, to the “Wheat-field” north of the hill onwhich we had captured the Federal battery, where its right wing connectedwith my left. As McLaws advanced, we again moved forward on hisright, and the fighting continued in “see-saw” style—first one side andthen the other gaining ground or losing it, with small advantage to either,until dark.

At the close of the engagement Hood’s division held the hill where thebattery had been taken and the ridge to its left—our right extending acrossDevil’s Den and well up on the north-western slope of Round Top. Duringthe night this line was strengthened by the construction of a breastwork ofthe loose stones that abounded all along the positions occupied by the troops?and the light of the next morning disclosed the fact that the Federal troopsin front of us had improved their time in the same way. In fact, all throughthe night we could hear them at work as the rocks were dropped in place onthe works, and no doubt they heard us just as distinctly, while we wereengaged in the same life-preserving operation.

Though the losses had been severe on both sides, comparatively few pi’ lS 'oners had been taken. But early in the night, in the confusion resultingfrom the fight over such rugged ground, and the darkness of the woodedmountain-side, men of both armies, in search of their commands, occasion'ally wandered into the opposing picket-lines and were captured. Many of theFederal wounded were left in our lines on the ground from which their troopshad been forced back, and some of ours remained in their hands in the mostadvanced positions which we had reached and had been compelled to abandon-Among these latter was Colonel Powell of the 5th Texas regiment, who wasshot through the body and afterward died. Powell was a stout, portly man?with a full beard, resembling, in many respects, General Longstreet, and thefirst impression of his captors was that they had taken that officer. Indeed?it was asserted positively by some of the prisoners we picked up during th enight that Longstreet was badly wounded and a prisoner in their hands?and they obstinately refused to credit our statements to the contrary.

Early in the morning of the 3d two of my batteries, Latham’s and Garden’s?were sent to Colonel (afterward General) E. P. Alexander , who command 6our artillery in the center, to assist in the cannonade of the Federal positi° ,Lsouth of Cemetery Hill, preparatory to the assault of General Picket! Sdivision at that point; and about 9 o’clock a. m. General Longstreet cam eover to my position on the right, and instructed me to be ready to renew th 6attack on our front. Under the circumstances that then existed, such aalattack would have been simply madness. I have already described the <hficult nature of the ground in our front. These difficulties were gi' ea "increased by extemporized breastworks of rock all along the Federalwhich afforded good protection for their infantry, and were fully manned Ja force much superior to our own. On the other hand, we had beenened in the desperate attack of the preceding evening by losses amounting