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| History of Cambria County, V.2 |
| 344 | HISTORY OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. | |
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myself in the immediate vicinity of the enemy, who occupied that road in strong force. * * * Accordingly I retraced my steps and marched by the route I have heretofore indicated, bivouacking at 1 a.m., on July 2, about 1 mile from Gettysburg and eastward of the Emmittsburg road. Thursday, July 2, 1863. At an early hour of the morning, my division was massed in the vicinity of its bivouac, facing the Emmittsburg road, near the crest of the ridge running from the cemetery of Gettysburg, in a southerly direction, to a rugged, conical-shaped hill, which I find goes by the name of Round Top, about 2 miles from Gettysburg. At 9 a.m. the 3d Brigade, with Smith's battery (Co. D, 115th Pennsylvainia), joined the division, having been ordered up by Major Gen. Meade. We marched by the main road from Emmittsburg to Gettysburg. Shortly after midday, I was ordered to form my division in line of battle, my left joing the right of the 1st Division—Birney, and my right resting opposite the left of Gen. Caldwell's division of the Second Corps, which was massed on the crest near my place of bivonac. The line I was directed to occupy was near the foot of the westerly slope of the ridge (cemetery), I have already mentioned, from which foot-slope the ground rose to the Emmittsburg road, which runs on the crest of a ridge nearly parallel to the Round Top ridge (cemetery ridge). This second ridge (Emmittsburg road ridge) declines again immediately west of the road, at the distance of 200 or 300 yards from which the edge of a wood runs parallel to it. This wood was occupied by the enemy, whose pickets were exchanging shops from an early hour in the morning with our pickets thrown out beyond the road on the westerly slope. The front allotted to me admitted of my forming Carr's brigade, in line of battle, with one regiment of the Second Brigade (Brewster) on its left—the 71st New York. The 2d Brigade—Brewster's, was formed in line of battalions in mass 200 yards in rear of the second line, opposite its center. On the east side of the Emmittsburg road, opposite the middle of my line, was log house surrounded by an orchard. This I occupied with the 73d New York—Maj. M. W. Burns commanding. It was relieved by the 16th Massachusetts. A series of peach orchards extended to the left along the Emmittsburg road some distance beyond the point where the road from Marsh Run crosses the Emmittsburg road. The ground occupied by my division and in my front was open. Communication with all points of it had been made easy by removing such of the fences as were in the way. Shortly after these dispostions were made, I was directed |
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