Named Entity Results, Seminary hill (Washington, United States)

Chapter 25: retreat to Virginia. During the night of July 3rd, Ewell's corps was withdrawn from its position in and to the left of Gettysburg, and moved to the right, to the Cashtown road, where it took position on Seminary Hill, the other corps retaining their positions. My brigades were withdrawn from Gettysburg to the new position at two o'clock in the morning of the 4th and were formed in line in rear of Seminary Hill, Rodes' and Johnson's divisions occupying the front line on the crSeminary Hill, Rodes' and Johnson's divisions occupying the front line on the crest of the hill across the road. During the battle our line had encircled that of the enemy, thus extending our army, which was much smaller than his own, over a very long line. We remained in position confronting the enemy during the whole of the 4th, being subjected in the afternoon to a very heavy shower of rain. The enemy showed no disposition to come out, but hugged his defences on the hills very closely. General Lee sent a flag of truce on the morning of this day to General M

gade charged on Pickett's right flank up to the Federal line, but being overwhelmed by numbers, withdrew. And now the Federals massed upon Pickett's and Trimble's front, and upon their flanks; Garnett and Armistead were both killed, and Kemper badly wounded. The men were falling fast, or yielding themselves to the overwhelming foe, the charge had failed, and the brave survivors of this grand assault recrossed the blood-stained field, and reformed their depleted ranks in the wood of Seminary Hill, from which they had lately advanced so gallantly to the charge. There they found General Lee, riding calmly up and down the lines, with only words of encouragement upon his lips. Never mind, he said, as he urged them to form, we'll talk of this afterward; now, we want all good men to rally. All will be well. Mr. Davis thus writes of Gettysburg in his Rise and fall: The battle of Gettysburg has been the subject of an unusual amount of discussion, and the enemy has made it

to open ground, or rather a field, on the left of the town. Gordon's ammunition had been nearly exhausted, and he had stopped to refill his cartridge-boxes. The movements of my brigades had been very prompt and rapid, and brought them in the rear and flank of the force confronting Rodes. That force then commenced falling back, and the rout soon became general. The troops from Rodes' front moved to our right of the town, followed by his division, and I soon saw the Federal troops from Seminary Hill coming back also. I sent for Smith's brigade, and for my artillery also; but Smith did not come, and I sent a second time. Before the artillery came to me, the Federal troops passing to the right of the town towards Cemetery Hill, had got out of reach. Elated with the success, I rode into the town, past the prisoners streaming to the rear with scarcely any guard, and found Hays forming line along a street on the left of the town. The enemy had begun firing with artillery from Cemeter

on the road to Gettysburg. A long delay then occurred in starting, on account of an immense wagon-train passing, said to belong to Johnson's division. At 2:30 A. M., July 2d, we took the road, (both battalions,) and by an easy march reached the neighborhood of Gettysburg about sun-up; halting in an open field, the command got breakfast, and 1 was sent to report the presence of the artillery reserve of Longstreet's corps on the field and ready for battle. I found General Longstreet on Seminary Hill with General Lee and Generals Heth and A. P. Hill, and Doctors Cullen and Maury, surgeons. Upon making my report, Gen. Longstreet ordered that the battalions be kept where they were until further orders. On the morning of the third of July, at day-light, the batteries of the First corps were all in position, extending from Hood, in front of the Round Top, to and beyond the peach orchard. At this point General Longstreet sent for rie, accompanied by Adjutant Owen. I rode to the rear

nd Pettigrew, attacked Biddle, who, after a gallant resistance, was compelled to relinquish his position. The check to Scales had, however, enabled all the batteries to retire. But Perrin still continuing to press on, the order to abandon Seminary Hill was given. Scales, although badly wounded, collected the fragments of his brigade, and joining Perrin's, still pressed on, when the Federal line, now attacked in front and on both flanks, fell back toward Gettysburg. Perrin continued to purrs, until fresh troops were brought forward to oppose it, not until both its flanks were enveloped and its line of retreat seriously endangered, did this heroic corps abandon its last position. It was only in the retreat from the position on Seminary Hill that, through its entanglement in the streets of Gettysburg with the fragments of the Eleventh Corps, its loss in prisoners took place. In considering the indubitable fact of the rout of the Eleventh Corps, it would be unfair not to take i

of the men. There were some exceptions among the latter, some brave earnest-hearted men, though the farmers of the vicinity were in general both cowardly and covetous; but the women of the village have won for themselves a high and honorable record, for their faithfulness to the flag, their generosity and their devotion to the wounded. Chief among these, since she gave her life for the cause, we must reckon Mrs. Jennie Wade. Her house was situated in the valley between Oak Ridge and Seminary Hill, and was directly in range of the guns of both armies. But Mrs. Wade was intensely patriotic and loyal, and on the morning of the third day of the battle, that terrible Friday, July 3, she volunteered to bake bread for the Union troops. The morning passed without more than an occasional shot, and though in the midst of danger, she toiled over her bread, and had succeeded in baking a large quantity. About two o'clock, P. M., began that fearful artillery battle which seemed to the dwell

e of Longstreet's corps was behind at Guilford for picket duty; and Pickett's division was not yet up from Chambersburg. Longstreet, thinking his present force too weak for attack, determined upon waiting for Law's brigade. Among the preparations of the forenoon were the locating of the batteries. Pendleton, Lee's chief of artillery, had worked hard during the night. Ewell's batteries were posted, Latimer's holding the easternmost height available. A. P. Hill's guns were mainly on Seminary Hill, within comfortable range. All this was already done by daylight. But General Lee now planned to attack our left, so that General Pendleton, about sunrise, was over there surveying. So close was he to our lines that he captured two of our armed cavalrymen. Somehow, Pendleton and several other officersen-gineers and artillery-spent all the morning in surveying and reconnoitering. Probably the nearness of our troops made the work slow and embarrassing. Longstreet and Pendleton go

g about four miles northwest of Alexandria, on the borders of Fairfax County, the division headquarters being at Fairfax Seminary, the New Jersey brigade then commanded by Gen. Kearney, and the First New York Cavalry, lying upon the slope of Seminary Hill, south of the Leesburg pike, a brigade commanded by Gen. Newton located along the pike north of the seminary, and a brigade commanded by Gen. Slocum lying northeast of Newton's brigade, and north of the pike, the camp of its nearest regiment,chairman of the House Committee on the Conduct of the War, of the Thirty-seventh Congress, a Massachusetts man. At morning roll-call one day in November we were informed that the division would be marshalled upon the long field north of Seminary Hill, at the right of the Leesburg turnpike, to witness a military execution; the position of each regiment of infantry, the cavalry, and each of the four batteries, was defined, the route of the general and staff, the ambulance and coffin, the wa

ery fire upon Cemetery Ridge was intended, doubtless, to demoralize its defenders before the grand charge of their 18,000 infantry up its side. Back upon this Seminary Hill the remnant of the Confederate force retired after their repulse upon the 3d of July, and on this ground they were attacked by Meade, late in the afternoon of ntlet of the Confederate fire, we succeeded in relieving the First New Hampshire Battery, on Cemetery Ridge, and there did honorable service. Every shell from Seminary Hill seemed to be thrown at the cemetery. Amidst this terrible Confederate cannonade, scarcely a Federal shot was heard: the cannoneers with their implements lay lgetting the range. Our infantry, with loaded guns, awaited the charge. At three o'clock the cannonade lulled; from among the rocks and the stunted woods of Seminary Hill arose an interminable, hideous yell. The tried soldiers upon the opposite ridge knew well what would be its sequel. In every portion of the line cannon were

of the cavalry, and Cutler and the Iron brigade, under Morrow of Wadsworth's division, soon took position in front of Seminary hill. Davis' brigade, which consisted that day of only the Fifty-fifth North Carolina regiment, Colonel Connally, and thin a few yards of their line, the Federals were broken, and by General Wadsworth's order were temporarily retired to Seminary hill. Archer was not so fortunate as Davis. The Iron brigade, advancing through a wood that concealed it, swept unexpecgade under Morrow, that was tenaciously holding its position. The two soon sent him back to Biddle's new position on Seminary hill, but he had been a gallant foeman, for he reports here a loss of 316 killed and wounded, out of a total of 496. Petly reduced by several hours' hard and successful fighting, he ordered his division to take the front line and charge Seminary hill. General Lane's brigade was so delayed by the dismounted Federal cavalry on the right, that it did not get a fair opp