functions had ceased, I transferred the command to him The head of the Third Corps appeared in sight shortly afterward, on the Emmitsburg road, About dark I started for the headquarters of the army, still at Taneytown, 13 miles distant, and reported in person to General Meade. T then ascertained that he had already given orders for the corps in the rear to advance at once to Gettysburg, and was about proceeding there in person. The Second Army Corps had marched from Taneytown toward Gettysburg at 1. 30 p. m., and bivouacked for the night about 3 miles in rear of the town., The march was resumed at daylight, and I rejoined the corps before its arrival on the field, which took place about 7 a. m. of the 2d. The troops were soon placed in position, the right resting near the Emmitsburg road, to the west of Cemetery Hill, commenting there on the right with the Eleventh Corps and on the left with the Third Corps, the line of battle extending along the crest from the left of Cemetery Hill to Round Top Mountain, the ground being less

elevated, as near Round Top. The Third Division, Brigadier-General Hays commanding, was placed on the right; the Second Division, m Brigadier-General Gibbon commanding, was placed in the center, and the First Division, Brigadier-General Caldwell commanding. was on the left. The batteries of the corps were disposed from right to left as follows: Woodruff's (I, First U. S. Artillery), Arnold's (A, First Rhode Island), Cushing's(A, Fourth U. S. Artillery), Brown's (B, First Rhode Island), and Rorty's (B, First New York). Each division had one of its brigades in rear as a reserve. Sharp skirmishing occurred at intervals during the morning. particularly in front of Hays' division, where quite a number of prisoners were taken from the enemy. The artillery was also frequently engaged, but no severe fighting took place until about 3 p. m., when the Third Corps advanced from its position toward the Emmitsburg road and became heavily engaged. Subsequently the Fifth Corps became engaged in the vicinity of Round Top, in support of and some distance to the rear of the Third Corps. Having been directed by General Meade to send a division to the assistance of the Third Corps, with orders to report to General Sykes, commanding Fifth Corps, the First Division, under Brigadier-General Caldwell, was dispatched to the scene of conflict. The division was assigned to its position by one of Major-General Sykes' staff officers. As soon as it could form line of battle, the division advanced, the left along the foot of Round Top Mountain, and drove the enemy steadily before it until, from the want of any connection on its right, the right flank of the division was turned by a column of the enemy, which had passed unobserved at a considerable distance to its right and almost to its rear, where it formed line of battle and soon forced the division to retire, with a loss of nearly half its numbers. Three out of four of the brigade commanders were disabled, Brigadier-General Zook, a gallant officer, being killed early in the action; Colonel E. E. Cross, Fifth New Hampshire Volunteers, exhibited on the battle-field, was mortally, and Colonel J. R. Brooke, Fifty-third Pennsylvania, commanding Fourth Brigade, slightly, wounded. The orders of General Meade were that this division should return to its original position after being relieved by the Fifth Corps. It was reformed some distance in rear of the line of battle, but did not

24 R R-VOL XXVII, PT I