still most formidable, and
evidently strongly intrenched.

The distance between the Confederate guns and the Yankee
position--_i.e._, between the woods crowning the opposite ridges--was at
least a mile,--quite open, gently undulating, and exposed to artillery
the whole distance. This was the ground which had to be crossed in
to-day's attack. Pickett's division, which had just come up, was to bear
the brunt in Longstreet's attack, together with Heth and Pettigrew in
Hill's corps. Pickett's division was a weak one (under 5000), owing to
the absence of two brigades.

At noon all Longstreet's dispositions were made; his troops for attack
were deployed into line, and lying down in the woods; his batteries were
ready to open. The General then dismounted and went to sleep for a short
time. The Austrian officer and I now rode off to get, if possible, into
some commanding position from whence we could see the whole thing
without being exposed to the tremendous fire which was about to
commence. After riding about for half an hour without being able to
discover so desirable a situation, we determined to make for the cupola,
near Gettysburg, Ewell's headquarters. Just before we reached the
entrance to the town, the cannonade opened with a fury which surpassed
even that of yesterday.

Soon after passing through the toll-gate at the entrance of
Gettysburg, we found that we had got into a heavy cross-fire; shells
both Federal and Confederate passing over our heads with great
frequency. At length two shrapnel shells burst quite close to us, and a
ball from one of them hit the officer who was conducting us. We then
turned round and changed our views with regard to the cupola--the fire
of one side being bad enough, but preferable to that of both sides. A
small boy of twelve years was riding with us at the time: this urchin
took a diabolical interest in the bursting of the shells, and screamed
with delight when he saw them take effect. I never saw this boy again,
or found out who he was. The road at Gettysburg was lined with Yankee
dead, and as they had been killed on the 1st, the poor fellows had
already begun to be very offensive. We then returned to the hill I was
on yesterday. But finding that, to see the actual fighting, it was
absolutely necessary to go into the thick of the thing, I determined to
make my way to General Longstreet. It was then about 2.30. After passing
General Lee and his Staff, I rode on through the woods in th