he shank rose "Round Top," four hundred feet in height.
Farther north was "Little Round Top," about three-fourths as high.
Cemetery Ridge formed the rest of the shank. The hook curved to the
east, with Culp's Hill for the barb. The Confederate army occupied
Seminary Ridge a mile to the west, its left wing, however, bending
around to the east through Gettysburg, the line being nearly parallel
with Meade's, but much longer. Each army numbered not far from 80,000.

[Illustration: Portrait.]
General George G. Meade.

The battle of the second day began about three in the afternoon. Meade
had neglected to occupy Little Round Top, which was the key to the Union
line. Longstreet's men began climbing its rugged sides. Fortunately the
movement was seen in time, and Union troops, after a most desperate
conflict, seized and held the crest of the hill.

Along the Union left centre General Sickles's corps had taken a position
in advance of the rest of the line, upon a ridge branching off from
Cemetery Ridge at an acute angle. Here he was fiercely attacked and most
of his force finally driven back into the line of Cemetery Ridge. The
Union right had been greatly weakened to strengthen the centre. The
Confederates charged here also, and carried the outer intrenchments at
Culp's Hill. The Union losses during the afternoon were
10,000--three-fifths in Sickles's corps, which lost half its numbers.

The next morning was spent by Lee in preparing for a grand charge upon
the Union centre, that of yesterday upon the left having failed, and the
Confederates having this morning been driven from the ground gained the
night before on the right at Culp's Hill. The storm burst about one
o'clock. For two hours 120 guns on Seminary Ridge kept up a furious
cannonade, to which Meade replied with 80. About three the Union cannon
ceased firing. Lee mistakenly thought them silenced, and gave the word
to charge.

An attacking column 18,000 strong, made up of fresh troops, the flower
of Lee's men, and commanded by the impetuous Pickett, the Ney of the
southern army, emerges from the woods on Seminary Ridge, and, drawn up
in three lines, one behind the other, with a front of more than a mile,
moves silently down the slope and across the valley toward the selected
spot. Suddenly the Union batteries again open along the whole line.
Great furrows are ploughed in the advancing ranks. They press steadily
on, and climb the slope toward Meade's lines. Two