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Chapter 24: battle of Gettysburg.
Having ascertained, after I left
General Ewell on the night of the 30th, that the road from my camp to
Hunterstown was a very circuitous and rough one on the morning of the 1st of July I moved to
Heidlersburg, for the purpose of following the road from that point to
Gettysburg until I reached the
Mummasburg road.
After moving a short distance for
Heidlersburg on the
Gettysburg road, I received a dispatch from
General Ewell, informing me that
Hill, who had crossed the mountain, was moving towards
Gettysburg against a force of the enemy, which had arrived at that place and pushed out on the
Cashtown road, and that
Rodes' division had turned off from
Middletown towards
Gettysburg by the way of
Mummasburg, and ordering me to move on the direct road from
Heidlersburg to the same place.
I therefore moved on until I came in sight of
Gettysburg.
Hooker had been supplanted in the command of the
Federal Army by
Major General Meade, and the advance of that army, consisting of the 1st corps under
Reynolds, the 11th corps under
Howard, and
Buford's division of cavalry, had reached
Gettysburg; the cavalry on the 30th of June, and the infantry early on the morning of the 1st of July.
The cavalry had moved, on the morning of the 1st, out on the
Cashtown road and was there encountered by
Hill's troops, two of his divisions only having as yet crossed the mountain.
The enemy's infantry then moved out to support his cavalry, and a heavy engagement ensued between it and
Hill's two divisions.
While this was progressing
Rodes' division came up on the left of
Hill, on the
Mummasburg road, and immediately engaged the enemy.
When I arrived in sight of
Gettysburg I found the