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[125] by one of General Lee's staff, that an order was handed to General Ewell in the afternoon of the 1st July ‘to pursue our success, and advance if he was in a condition to do so.’ July 2nd. This morning all was quiet. General Lee, about 9 A. M., rode over to General Ewell's quarters, who was absent. He first met me and said, ‘he wanted to go to some point which would command a view of the country and of the enemy's position.’ I pointed out the cupola of the Alms House near by, to which we ascended. From this we had a good view of Cemetery Hill, Round Top, Culp's Hill and adjacent country. General Lee said: ‘the enemy have the advantage of us in a shorter and inside line and we are too much extended. We did not or we could not pursue our advantage of yesterday, and now the enemy are in a good position.’ Returning to General Ewell's quarters and meeting him, he at once made use of the same words. ‘We did not or could not,’ &c. And he repeated them over and over again as he met Early, Rodes and others, and with a significance which strongly impressed me, as I thought I could see plainly that his design to fall upon the advance of the enemy and crush it, had not been productive of the results he wished for, and had such good reasons to expect. After a full consultation, General Lee decided to concentrate his forces on our right, moving General Ewell from the extreme left, behind Hill and Longstreet, the movement to be made that night. It was however not done. July 2nd, P. M. Longstreet was ordered to move early, but did not get up until about 4 P. M., when he attacked the Federal left, under Sickles, which was advanced about half a mile westward of Cemetery Ridge and Round Top, in a peach orchard, and drove them back to the Ridge under the shelter of their guns on ‘Round Top.’ About sundown on 2d, General Ewell with Johnson's Division, made an attempt to take ‘Culp's Hill,’ but after a severe loss, was unsuccessful. Later the same evening or at dark, General Early made a successful attack on Cemetary Hill just above the town, carried two lines of works and captured a battery of six guns; but not being supported by Rodes on the right, as was arranged, he was obliged to abandon his advantage, by a force of the enemy rallied to assail his right flank, which Rodes should have been there to protect. So there was on this day, three isolated but fierce attacks, against
Richmond, VA. 1898.
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