July 3, 1863, The New York Herald
DESPATCH OF MR. G.W. HOSMER.
BIVOUAC ON THE FIELD,
WEST OF GETTYSBURG, July 1 — 10 P.M.
General Buford’s cavalry had previously driven the rebels to the west of the town, beyond the seminary, and between nine and ten o’clock A.M. the rebels gave his pickets a pretty sharp brush and drove them in. General Reynolds, with the First corps, was on the road from Emmettsburg to Gettysburg, en route to the latter place, which the road approaches through the very scene of the conflict.
General Reynolds at once threw forward the First division, under General Wadsworth, which began to drive the enemy from the start. Very soon after the Second division of the same corps went on the right of the First division, the Third division on the left of the First, and the whole line began to advance. Nearly west of the town, just in the outskirts, near the seminary, of which I have spoken, is a large brick edifice. Southward from this runs a piece of woods, and the seminary stands on a ridge which slopes to the west into a little open valley of ploughed fields and meadows, rich with grass and grain. Beyond the valley is a ridge of higher land, thickly wooded. The valley runs in a southwesterly direction, and at its lower extremity is a large farmhouse, near which the Eighth Illinois cavalry was drawn up in the field, and formed our extreme left. Several farmhouses dotted this same rich little valley. Across this valley General Reynolds’ line advanced somewhat hastily, almost before it was well formed, and in that condition did not go far until against it a heavy force of the rebel infantry was immediately thrown, and General Reynolds was in turn driven. But his troops retired step by step, and in excellent order. Forward with the utmost enthusiasm pressed the rebel line, eager now to turn Reynolds’ retirement into a rout. Some of the rebels had too much energy and got too far; for, while they pressed too closely on the right of the centre division, the left of this same division was suddenly swept around, and then enclosed in the handsomest manner an entire rebel brigade under General Archer.
General Archer and his whole staff were taken. About fifteen hundred of the enemy’s men thus fell into our hands, and went to the rear. Small regiments were the order in this brigade; and when an Alabama colonel was asked where the rest of his regiment was, he responded laconically, “Gone to Hell, sir.”
One of these prisoners said to another, with some astonishment, “Heh! Jakey, wer fighting the Army of the Potomac now.” They seem to have though they had hold of the militia. The regiments which made this capture were the Sixth Wisconsin, the Brooklyn Fourteenth and the Ninety-fifth New York.
Though the First corps still continued to retire, the rebel advance was broken soon after this, and General Reynolds now prepared to go forward in earnest. Apparently forgetful that he had at first only gone in to support cavalry, he was very like to bring on a general engagement with only one corps. Formed as before, his line went forward and drove the enemy across the valley and over the ridge at the further side; but it was at great expense to us, as the fire with which they received our fellows was terribly severe. From the hill the line of skirmishers was thrown out some distance, and General Reynolds went out to the line to reconnoitre, when he was hit by a musket ball in the back of the neck, and killed instantly.
In rather less than an hour after the fight began the Eleventh corps came up the same road by which the First had approached, and General Howard at once assumed command of the whole field, while General Schura assumed command of the Eleventh corps. General Doubleday had already assumed command of the First corps. Across the north side of the town runs a creek, on which shortly after noon it was reported the rebels were massing troops, apparently to take the First corps on its rear. To guard against an advance from that direction, General Howard sent forward the First and Third divisions of the Eleventh corps, which moved across the rear of the First corps and through the town, and took up position with the First division on the right. General Steinwehr division — the Second — was held as a reserve.
Meantime two or three of our batteries held a sharp parley with the rebel batteries posted on the hills that encircle the town, and their balls overshot our batteries somewhat and threw several shot in among the solid people of Gettysburg. Whether it frightened them or not I can hardly say. I doubt if they could experience an emotion so lively as that of fear, but they began to get out of the way, not the women and children particularly, but stalwart, able bodied wretches in men garments were what I principally saw on the road to the rear.
At about half past two o’clock, while the batteries exchanged a heavy fire and some sharp musketry woke up the echoes on the right, the rebels advanced in heavy force against the First corps, which slowly retreated from the hills beyond the valley to high ground near the seminary, where it prepared to make all the resistance it was capable of. It was reinforced there by some dismounted dragoons, and fought in the open field, for, though some rail fences were thrown down across the front of our line, they afforded no cover. From the woods beyond the farmhouses, and across the open space, a rebel force of perhaps three large brigades advanced handsomely in line of battle, while the rebel batteries near the general centre shelled our position hotly to cover the advance.
On came the line, right up within short range of our position, when it was opened upon with a fire so sharp and well served as to stagger and then completely repulse it. Backward went the line that came forward in such good order, a mere mass of stragglers, each of whom made the best of his way across the plain.
While the musketry was very hot in front of General Doubleday, a party of about one hundred rebels stole through the woods well up on Doubleday left flank, and fired a large barn, one of those immense magazines of breadstuffs that in Pennsylvania so overpeer the comparatively small farmhouses. An immense black column of smoke soon began to ascend from the thereof, breaking out presently in to a white, sulphurous cloud, and then into a fierce red blaze. Under cover of this fire the rebel skirmishers exchanged numerous shots with a line of skirmishers from the cavalry on our extreme left. Repulsed, but not vanquished, the rebel line was reformed and reinforced; and now, for a second time, came on a force nearly twice as great as at first. Once more, also, the batteries threw shells, answered by our batteries on the left, and also by batteries of ours on the extreme right, which at this time threw shell at the position on the enemy’s centre. Once more the packed, rapid rattle of our file fire broke out, and once more the rebel line was broken and went to the right about in rout.
There is a mysterious fatality connected with the third time; and so, after a lull and period of comparative quiet of twenty minutes, onward for a third time came the rebels, quite as orderly as before, their line of skirmishers firing as they came on. In so great force was this line that it completely overlapped the line of the first corps on both flanks. Two brigades on the right were quite out of ammunition, and the order was given to retreat on the town; and our boys accordingly retreated in good order, while the rebels rushed forward with yells to our position. On came the enemy’s fourth line, further to the right of the third, in good order, skirmishers ahead, until the position at the Seminary was reached, when they came forward with a rush, and occupied a hill we had deemed it worth while not to hold after the other was taken. On also came another line in support behind this, and our cavalry on the extreme left began to retire.
At this moment the field presented a true war picture. Across the fields to the right came the rebel line, with colors which fluttered in the pleasant breeze. In the centre were two farmhouses, outhouses and barns in flames, and on the left the column of cavalry in retreat, while beyond all the rays of the sun beat down through the showery clouds and gilded every object with a peculiarly golden light, and over the heavens to the eastward stretched a magnificent rainbow.
The new position of the Third corps was at a line of stone wall southwest of the town, along the slope of a hill on which is a cemetery. When the First corps retired to the town the left of the Eleventh was uncovered, and a heavy advance completely on its right flank at the same time compelled it to retire. It affords me pleasure to say that this corps is reported to have fought well and lost many men. As I was on our extreme left I did not see the fight of the Eleventh corps, and leave all particulars in relation to it to the gentleman who was with it.
After our retirement on the town the rebel advance was not pressed further. And so ended a battle that was brought on in the most rash manner, yet which was well fought against a largely superior force, and gotten out of at last much better than we could have expected to get out.
The rebel force fought by us was the corps of General Ewell and that of A. P. Hill. South of the town is a high hill, on which is a cemetery, and this became the headquarters. Its slope to the west was held by the First corps, and a continuation of hills from it toward the east was held by the Eleventh, while the Twelfth corps was placed so as to hold both flanks, the First division, under General Williams, being on the extreme right, and the Second division, under General Geary, on the extreme left. The Third corps, which came on the field just at nightfall, was massed in the centre, ready to be used whenever occasion might require. General Slocum, of the Twelfth corps, had assumed the command upon his arrival.