THE STRUGGLE FOR “ROUND TOP."

3 2 9

sent Lieutenant Wade, of my staff, rapidly across the valley in advance ofthem, with orders to detach the first regiment he should come to on the mainHue and send it down on a run to “ head them off ” in that direction. He wasalso ordered to follow the line to the extreme right and direct Colonel Oates(15th Alabama ) to strengthen his flanking skirmish-line and to close up thegap on the left of the 1st Texas where the cavalry had broken in.

Farnsworth and his cavalry in the meantime were riding in gallant style,with drawn sabers and unopposed, up the valley. As they approached Sly-der’s house, and as I stood intently watch-ing them, I saw a ragged Confederatebattle-flag fluttering among the trees atIhe foot of the opposite ridge, and the menwith it soon after appeared, running outmto the open ground on the farther side°f the valley. It was the 4th AlabamaW-gbnont, Law’s brigade, which had beenlaken from the main line and sent downby Lieutenant Wade. The men opened

bre as they ran. The course of the cav-alry

was abruptly checked and saddlesw< -re rapidly emptied. Recoiling from thisbi‘e, they turned to their left and rear, anddirected their course up the hill toward

position occupied by our batteries.

Bachman’s battery promptly changedb'ont to its left, so as to face the ap-proaching cavalry, and, together with its infantry supports, opened a wither-1,1 g fire at close range. Turning again to their left, Farnsworth and the fewhis men who remained in their saddles directed their course toward thePoint where they had originally broken in, having described by this timeall *iost a complete circle. But the gap where they had entered was nowplosed, and receiving another fire from that point, they again turned to the

I

BRIGADIER-GENERAL WILLIAM N. PENDLETON,C. S. A., LEE’S CHIEF OF ARTILLERY.FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

left

and took refuge in the woods near the base of Round Top. When the

turn to the left was made, about half a dozen of their number separated^°ttithe main body and escaped by “running the gauntlet” to the right ofe 1st Texas regiment. Farnsworth, with his little handful of gallantlowers, rode upon the skirmish-line of the 15th Alabama regiment, and,n stol in hand, called upon Lieutenant Adrian, who commanded the line, to^render. The skirmishers in return fired upon him, killing his horse andfunding Farnsworth in several places. [See p. 393.]

/ reaei- al Longstreet, aware of the danger that threatened our right from thejp'F of Kilpatrick’s division, came over to my position late in the afternoone xpressed his satisfaction at the result and the promptness and goodth < UC ^ °!' Ibe troops engaged. We had all day held our front line, gainedq Veiling before, and with troops drawn from that line had repulsede &eral Kilpatrick on our right flank. It seemed to us on the Confederate

V °L. III. 22