rge took place. He has stated that it was his intention to
throw the Fifth and Sixth Corps on the flanks of the attacking
force, but no orders to this effect were issued, and it is questionable
whether such an arrangement would have been a good one. It would
have disgarnished the left, where Longstreet was still strong in
numbers, and in forming perpendicular to our line of battle the
two corps would necessarily have exposed their own outer flanks to
attack. Indeed, the rebels had provided for just such a contingency,
by posting Wilcox's brigade and Perry's brigade under Colonel Lang
on the left, both in rear of the charging column under Pickett and
Pettigrew. Owing to a mistake or misunderstanding, this disposition,
however, did not turn out well for the enemy. It was not intended
by Providence that the Northern States should pass under the iron
rule of the slave power, and on this occasion every plan made by
Lee was thwarted in the most unexpected manner.

The distance to be traversed by Pickett's column was about a mile
and a half from the woods where they started, to the crest of the
ridge they desired to attain. They suffered severely from our
artillery, which opened on them with solid shot as soon as they
came in sight; when half way across the plain they were vigorously
shelled; double canisters were reserved for their nearer approach.

At first the direction of their march appeared to be directly toward
my division. When within five hundred yards of us, however, Pickett
halted and changed direction obliquely about forty-five degrees,
so that the attack passed me and struck Gibbon's division on my
right. Just here one of those providential circumstances occurred
which favored us so much, for Wilcox and Lang, who guarded Pickett's
right flank, did not follow his oblique movement, but kept on
straight to the front, so that soon there was a wide interval
between their troops and the main body, leaving Pickett's right
fully uncovered.

The rebels came on magnificently. As fast as the shot and shell
tore through their lines they closed up the gaps and pressed forward.
When they reached the Emmetsburg road the canister began to make
fearful chasms in their ranks. They also suffered severely from
a battery on Little Round Top, which enfiladed their line. One
shell killed and wounded ten men. Gibbon had directed his command
to reserve their fire until the enemy were near enough to make it
very effective.