The Battle of Gettysburg

I have always been interested in the Civil War and of the greatest battle of that war at Gettysburg. I have visited there several times and even took a auto driven tour with a man who knew many veterans of the battle. Gettysburg was the most pivotal battle in the Civil War and I found the article in this website in a very old publication from the early 1900's in the Public Domain. It is a first hand account of the battle from a veteran. This is a perspective you don't hear very often.

I hope you are as interested in this information as I am and hope you enjoy this website!

This is a public domain account of the Battle of Gettysburg by actual participant and witnesses. This was published in 1913.

VETERAN H.M. HOWELL ON GETTYSBURG

The attack of Hood's Division of Longstreet's Corps, consisting of the Brigades of Laws, Benning, Anderson and Robeson was made at 4 o'clock p.m. on the second of July, on Wards Brigade of Sickles Corps, which with the Fourth N.Y. Independent Battery were stationed on the extreme left of the Union army.

Gen. Lee's order required that the right Brigade (Law's of Hood's division) should attack first, after which the movement should be taken up by brigades successively to the left, expecting to break the line of Ward's brigade on the Union left, this letting the Confederate troops in the rear of Sickles' Corps, with the intention of routing the line from behind; and as Lee had four lines of battle, he was fully justified in expecting such a result.

But, the single line of Ward's Brigade had been moved forward by Gen. Sickles to a strong position at "Devil's Den" and were posted in such a way that their strength was unknown to the attacking force. The guns of Smith's Fourth N.Y. Battery had been posted on the top of a rocky ridge at "Devil's Den" and as the Confederate lines approached, were served very effectively causing considerable delay and much loss of life to the enemy. The Union Infantry was kept under cover while the artillery duel was fought.

Finally, the Confederate force came creeping up the hill and were among Smith's guns when Col. Ellis gave the order to "up and at them, my hearties." The struggle was on, and for two hours and a half, the fiercest kind of battle was waged around and among Smith's guns.

Many writers of history have named the "Peach Orchard" as the pivoted point in the battle of Gettysburg, but now fifty years after, we find that the men who attacked at the "Peach Orchard" had been posted on high ground where they could watch the fight at "Devil's Den"" for two hours before they were ordered forward. They agree as to the length of time and wondered why they were not sent forward sooner.

Lee's order to attack from their right Brigade was carried out to the letter, but Ward's regiments refused to be doubled up or driven from their position. At one point of this battle when the rebel columns were pressing forward with a flag posted very near the front of the 124th regiment, Col. Ellis and Major Cromwell mounted their horses and ordered a counter charge, which was heroically made, but with great loss of life, both of the officers named and many others being killed.

At the time we thought it was a needless slaughter, as all knew we were facing four lines of the enemy. Now we know that the charge was very effective, as it made the enemy believe we had a very strong force in front of them, and for the next hour they were very careful to keep further back from our front.

If at any time during the first two hours of the battle the line at "Devil's Den" could have been broken, there never would have been any fighting at the "Peach Orchard," as the enemy would have flanked our army there and driven it out from behind; so while later the "Peach Orchard" became a crucial point and the fighting was very fierce there, the pivotal point was at the "Devil's Den."

The writer met Judge Cummins, who fought in a Texas regiment and W. G. Whitfield, First Sergeant, Co. D 35th Alabama, both of them being in the advance line that attacked at the "Peach Orchard" at about 7 o'clock p.m., and they agreed that from their position on high ground they had watched the fighting at "Devil's Den" fully two hours before their regiments were ordered into the fight.

All writers say that Lee was very much chagrined at Hood's failure to force the line at "Devil's Den" with the strong force at his command and if the attacking party had known the weakness of the Union line at the time they would have forced it from its position at the beginning of the battle.

In view of the facts stated, the Devil's Den was the pivoted point in the battle of Gettysburg.

H.M. Howell
Middletown, July 12, 1913.