Gettysburg 2 July 1863

Overnight on 1–2 July, the remaining infantry of both the Union and Confederate armies reached the embattled troops at Gettysburg. The Union lines were now arrayed in a ‘fish hook’ formation on high ground to the south of Gettysburg, running from Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge. The Confederate attack commenced in the afternoon, directed at the Union left flank along Cemetery ridge where III Corps had moved forward unbidden, offering the Confederates an opportunity to break through. Intense fighting ensued with heavy casualties. The Union line was neither broken nor pushed back from the high ground it commanded at Little Round Top. Meanwhile, the Confederate attack on the Union right flank was poorly coordinated. When Confederate troops reached the top of Culp’s Hill they were forced to retire through lack of support. It was only as the fighting was ending for the day that three Confederate cavalry brigades, previously sent on reconnaissance, arrived at the battlefield.