IN FRONT OF THE ONE HELD DURING THE NIGHT. AS SOON AS THE PIONEER PARTY HAD LEVELED THE INTERVENING FENCE, AS WELL AS THE ONE IN FRONT OF MY POSITION, I MOVED FORWARD AND TOOK UP THE ADVANCED POSITION. NO SOONER WAS THIS ACCOMPLISHED THAN GENERAL BUFORD SENT FOR ME, AND TOLD ME HE WISHED ONE SECTION ON THE LEFT OF THE ROAD AND ONE STILL FARTHER TO THE LEFT. I ACCORDINGLY PLACED FIRST SERGEANT NEWMAN, COMMANDING LEFT SECTION, ON IMMEDIATE LEFT OF ROAD, AND SERGEANT PERGEL, COMMANDING CENTER SECTION, STILL FARTHER TO THE LEFT. NO SOONER WAS THE LATTER PLACED IN POSITION THEN I HEARD THE ENEMY'S SKIRMISHERS OPEN UPON OUR PICKETS, WHO WERE RETIRING. LIEUTENANT RODER NOW FIRED THE FIRST GUN

(WHICH OPENED THE SANGUINARY BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG) ON THE HEAD OF A COLUMN OF REBEL CAVALRY ADVANCING ON THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD. TWO OF THE ENEMY'S BATTERIES, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE ROAD, NOW OPENED ON MY GUNS NEAR THE ROAD. THE NUMBER OF GUNS IN EACH BATTERY, AS NEAR AS I COULD JUDGE, VAS FOUR; SO THAT THEY OUTNUMBERED MINE JUST TWO TO ONE. THE ENEMY'S INFANTRY ADVANCED RAPIDLY, AND THE MUSKETRY AND ARTILLERY FIRE SOON BECAME EXTREMELY WARM. WE, HOWEVER, HELD OUR POSITION UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST CORPS. AT THIS JUNCTURE, GENERAL BUFORD ORDERED ME TO WITHDRAW MY GUNS IN EACH SECTION BY PIECE, WHICH WAS ACCORDINGLY EXECUTED IN GOOD ORDER. SERGEANT NEWMAN HAVING FOUR HORSES KILLED AND DISABLED AT HIS LEFT PIECE, I IMMEDIATELY SENT BACK FOR A LIMBER FROM ONE OF THE CAISSONS, BUT BEFORE IT COULD BE GOTTEN UP, SERGEANT NEWMAN, BY STRENUOUS EXERTIONS, DREW OFF THE PIECE WITH ONE TEAM. THE ENEMY'S INFANTRY WAS SO CLOSE THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE OFF ALL THE HARNESS; TWO SETS OUT OF THE FOUR WERE, HOWEVER, AFTERWARD RECOVERED BY SERGEANT NEWMAN. RIDDING OVER TO SERGEANT PREGEL'S SECTION, I FOUND THAT THE ENEMY HAD ADVANCED OUT OF THE WOODS IN HIS FRONT, AND WERE MAKING RAPIDLY FOR HIS GUNS. HE HAD ALREADY OPENED ON THEM, AND, BY WELL-DIRECTED SHOTS, HAD SUCCEEDED IN CHECKING THEM FOR THE TIME. HAVING BUT A SMALL CAVALRY SUPPORT, AND THE WOODS OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY EXTENDING UP WITHIN 200 YARDS OF THE RIGHT OF THE SECTION, I THOUGHT IT UNADVISABLE TO WAIT TILL THEY ARRIVED WITHIN CANISTER RANGE, AND THEREFORE WITHDREW THE SECTION, AND TOOK IT, WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE BATTERY, WHICH HAD BY THIS TIME WITHDRAWN, TO A POINT INDICATED BY COLONEL GAMBLE, AND AWAITED ORDERS. WHILE THERE, I HAD THE AMMUNITION CHESTS REPLENISHED, WHICH WAS NO SOONER ACCOMPLISHED THAN GENERAL BUFORD SENT FOR A PIECE TO ENFILADE A DITCH OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY. LIEUTENANT RODER TOOK HIS RIGHT PIECE

TO THE SPOT, AND OPENED WITH CANISTER, WHICH HAD THE EFFECT OF DRIVING THE ENEMY IN GREAT CONFUSION. AS HE WAS BRINGING THE PIECE INTO BATTERY, THE ENEMY, SEEING IT, RUSHED FORWARD AND EXCLAIMED, "THERE IS A PIECE-LET'S TAKE IT!" AS SOON AS THE PIECE WAS UNLIMBERED, CORPORAL [ROBERT S.] WATROUS, CHIEF OF PIECE, IN BRINGING UP A ROUND OF CANISTER, WAS SHOT IN THE LEG BY A MINIE BULLET, AND DROPPED. PRIVATE [THOMAS] SLATTERY, WITH COMMENDABLE PRESENCE OF MIND, TOOK THE ROUND FROM HIS HANDS, AND CARIED IT TO THE PIECE. THE EFFECT OF THAT ROUND PROBABLY SAVED THE PIECE. CAPTAIN HALL'S (RHODE ISLAND) [MAINE] BATTERY, BELONGING TO THE FIRST CORPS, OCCUPIED THE FIRST POSITION ON THE RIGHT OF THE ROAD HELD BY LIEUTENANT RODER'S SECTION AFTER THE LATTER HAD WITHDRAWN. IN ABOUT HALF AN HOUR THIS BATTERY WAS DISABLED, AND, LEAVING TWO PIECES ON THE FIELD, WITHDREW. THE LEFT AND CENTER SECTIONS OF MY BATTERY WERE THEN ORDERED UP AGAIN BY GENERAL WADSWORTH TO REOCCUPY THE GROUND JUST ABANDONED BY CAPTAIN HALL, WHICH WAS DONE UNDER A HEAVY FIRE OF MUSKETRY. AS SOON AS THE FIRST GUN WAS FIRED FROM MY BATTERY,