Summary:
Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early commanded the division of the Army of Northern Virginia
which included the 52nd Va. Inf. Early reports that after capturing the enemy
position, his men were forced to fall back.
Maj. A. S. Pendleton, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.
August 22, 1863
Maj.
I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this division during the recent campaign, commencing with its departure from Fredericksburg, and ending with its arrival in the vicinity of Orange Court-House:
BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.
Having ascertained that the road from my camp to Hunterstown was a very rough and circuitous one, I determined next morning (July 1) to march by the way of Heidlersburg, and then from that point to the Mummasburg road. After passing Heidlersburg a short distance, I received a note from you, written by order of Gen. Ewell, informing me that Gen. Hill was moving from Cashtown toward Gettysburg, and that Gen. Rodes had turned off at Middletown, and was moving toward the same place, and directing me to move also to that point. I therefore continued to move on the road I was then on toward Gettysburg, and, on arriving in sight of that place, on the direct road from Heidlersburg, I discovered that Gen. Rodes' division was engaged with the enemy to the right of me, the enemy occupying a position in front of Gettysburg, and the troops constituting his right being engaged in an effort to drive back the left of Gen. Rodes' line.
I immediately ordered my troops to the front, and formed my line across the Heidlersburg road, with Gordon's brigade on the right, Hoke's brigade (under Col. Avery) on the left, Hays' brigade in the center, and Smith's brigade in the rear of Hoke's. Jones' battalion of artillery was posted in a field on the left of the Heidlersburg road, immediately in front of Hoke's brigade, so as to fire on the enemy's flank, and, as soon as these dispositions could be made, a fire was opened upon the enemy's infantry and artillery by my artillery with considerable effect.
Gordon's brigade was then ordered forward to the support of Doles' brigade, which was on Rodes' left, and was being pressed by a considerable force, of the enemy, which had advanced from the direction of the town to a wooded hill on the west side of Rock Creek, the stream which runs northeast of the town, and as soon as Gordon was fairly engaged with this force, Hays' and Hoke's brigades were ordered forward in line, and the artillery, supported by Smith's brigade, was ordered to follow.
After a short but hot contest, Gordon succeeded in routing the force opposed to him, consisting of a division of the Eleventh Corps, commanded by Brig.-Gen. Barlow, of the Federal Army, and drove it back with great slaughter, capturing, among a number of prisoners, Gen. Barlow himself, who was severely wounded. Gordon advanced across the creek, over the hill on which Barlow had been posted, and across the fields toward the town, until he came to a low ridge, behind which the enemy had another line of battle, extending beyond his left. I directed him to halt here, and then ordered Hays and Avery, who had been halted on the east side of Rock Creek while I rode forward to where Gordon had been engaged, to advance toward the town, on Gordon's left, which they did in fine style, encountering and driving back into the town in great confusion the second line of the enemy.
Hays' brigade entered the town, fighting its way, and Avery moved to the left of it across the railroad, and took his position in the fields on the left, and facing Cemetery Hill, which here presented a very rugged ascent. This movement was made under the fire of artillery from this hill, which had previously opened when my artillery had first opened its fire, but Avery succeeded in placing his men under the cover of a low ridge which here runs through the fields from the town. Hays' brigade was formed in line in the street running through the middle of the town.
A very large number of prisoners were captured in the town, and before reaching it, their number being so great as really to embarrass us. Two pieces of artillery (Napoleons) were also captured outside of the town, the capture being claimed by both brigades; but it is unnecessary to decide which reached these pieces first, as the capture was unquestionably due to the joint valor of both brigades.
While these operations were going on with my division, I saw, farther to the right, the enemy's force on that part of the line falling back and moving in comparatively good order on the right of the town toward the range of hills in the rear, and I sent back for a battery of artillery to be brought up to open on this force and the town, from which a fire was opened on my brigades, but before it got up, my men had entered the town, and the force on the right had retired beyond reach. I had at the same time sent an order to Gen. Smith to advance with his brigade, but he thought proper not to comply with this order, on account of a report that the enemy was advancing on the York road.
As soon as my brigades had entered the town, I rode into that place myself, and, after ascertaining the condition of things, I rode to find Gen. Ewell and Gen. Rodes, or Gen. Hill, for the purpose of urging an immediate advance upon the enemy before he should recover from his evident dismay, in order to get possession of the hills to which he had fallen back with the remnant of his forces; but before I found either of these officers, Gen. Smith's son, who was acting as his aide, came to me with a message from the general, stating that a large force of the enemy, consisting of infantry, artillery, and cavalry, was advancing on the York road, and that we were about to be flanked; and though I had no faith in this report, I thought proper to send Gen. Gordon with his brigade to take charge of Smith's also, and to keep a lookout on the York road, and stop any further alarm.
Meeting with an officer of Maj.-Gen. Pender's staff, I sent word by him to Gen. Hill that if he would send up a division, we could take the hill to which the enemy had retreated; and shortly after meeting with Gen. Ewell, I communicated my views to him, and was informed that Johnson's division was coming up, and it was determined with this division to get possession of a wooded hill to the left of Cemetery Hill, which it commanded; but this division arrived at a late hour, and its movement having been delayed by the report of the advance on the York road, no effort to get possession of the wooded hill on the left of the town was made that night.
Having been informed that a large portion of the rest of our army would come up during the night, and that the enemy's position would be attacked on the right and the left flanks very early next morning, I gave orders to Gen. Hays to move his brigade under cover of night from the town into the field in front of the left of the town, to a place where he would not be exposed to the enemy's fire, and would be in position to advance upon Cemetery Hill when a favorable opportunity should occur. This movement was made, and Hays formed his brigade on the right of Avery and just behind the extension of the low ridge on which the town is located. The attack did not begin in the morning, as was expected, and in the course of the morning I rode with Gen. Ewell to examine a position for the artillery on the left.
Having been subsequently informed that the attack would begin at 4 p. m., I directed Gen. Gordon to move his brigade to the railroad in rear of Hays and Avery, Smith being left, under Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, to guard the York road. The fire from the artillery having opened on the right and left at 4 o'clock, and continued for some time, I was ordered by Gen. Ewell to advance upon Cemetery Hill with my two brigades that were in position as soon as Gen. Johnson's division, which was on my left, should become engaged at the wooded hill on the left, which it was about to attack, information being given me that the advance would be general, and made also by Rodes' division and Hill's divisions on my right.
Accordingly, as soon as Johnson became warmly engaged, which was a little before dusk, I ordered Hays and Avery to advance and carry the works on the heights in front. These troops advanced in gallant style to the attack, passing over the ridge in front of them under a heavy artillery fire, and then crossing a hollow between that and Cemetery Hill, and moving up this hill in the face of at least two lines of infantry posted behind stone and plank fences; but these they drove back, and, passing over all obstacles, they reached the crest of the hill, and entered the enemy's breastworks crowning it, getting possession of one or two batteries. But no attack was made on the immediate right, as was expected, and not meeting with support from that quarter, these brigades could not hold the position they had attained, because a very heavy force of the enemy was turned against them from that part of the line which the divisions on the right were to have attacked, and these two brigades had, therefore, to fall back, which they did with comparatively slight loss, considering the nature of the ground over which they had to pass and the immense odds opposed to them, and Hays' brigade brought off four stand of captured colors.
At the same time these brigades advanced, Gordon's brigade was ordered forward to support them, and did advance to the position from which they had moved, but was halted here because it was ascertained that no advance was made on the right, and it was evident that the crest of the hill could not be held by my two brigades supported by this one without any other assistance, and that the attempt would be attended with a useless sacrifice of life. Hays' and Hoke's brigades were reformed on the line previously occupied by them, and on the right and left of Gordon, respectively .
In this attack. Col. Avery, of the Sixth North Carolina Regt., commanding Hoke's brigade, was mortally wounded. With this affair the fighting on July 2 terminated.
After night, I was ordered by Gen. Ewell to send Smith's brigade to report to Gen. Johnson, on the left, by daylight, and Gen. Smith was ordered to do so, and did report to Gen. Johnson, and his three regiments were engaged on the 3d on the extreme left, under Gen. Johnson's directions.
As the operations of this brigade on this day were under the immediate orders of Gen. Johnson, I will merely refer to the report of Col. [John S.] Hoffman, the present brigade commander, herewith forwarded.
Before light on the morning of the 3d, I ordered Hays' and Hoke's brigades (the latter now under the command of Col. [A. C.] Godwin, of the Fifty-seventh North Carolina Regt.) to the rear, and subsequently formed them in line in the town on the same street formerly occupied by Hays, Gordon being left to occupy the position which was occupied by these brigades on the previous day. In these positions these three brigades remained during the day, and did not again participate in the attack, but they were exposed during the time to the fire of sharpshooters and an occasional fire from the enemy's artillery on the hills.
At 2 o'clock on the morning of the 4th, my brigades were quietly withdrawn from their positions, and moved back on the Cashtown road, and formed in line on both sides of that road, in rear of Rodes' and Johnson's divisions, which occupied the front line, running along the crest of the ridge on the west of the town.
My loss in the three days' fighting at Gettysburg was 158 killed, 796 wounded, and 227 missing, a large proportion of the missing being, in all probability, killed or wounded. The enemy's loss at the points where the three brigades of Gordon, Hays, and Hoke were engaged far exceeded my loss, and a very large number of prisoners were secured.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. A. EARLY, Maj.-Gen., Comdg. Division.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I. Vol. 27. Part II. Reports. Serial No. 44, Page 468, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
