Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 3.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[627] their horses, have been abandoned in the patch of ground behind which he has posted himself, but they remain within the circle of his fire as a tempting prize for the enemy. Bigelow's battery, having no longer a single soldier to support it, takes position in front of the Trostle house and fires grapeshot upon the Confederates, who are advancing from every direction against it: one after the other the gunners fall near their wounded chief, their pieces being sacrificed; but they have succeeded in delaying the march of the enemy on the left. These examples of bravery would not, however, have sufficed to save the Federals if at this critical moment they had not been firmly established on Little Round Top, the real point of support for all their left. Ayres, bringing the two regular brigades of Day and Burbank, has crossed Plum Run and occupies the crest of Devil's Den on the right bank with a portion of Ward's soldiers, who have not been dislodged from it. The retreat of Barnes and Caldwell uncovers his right flank, thus leaving him isolated in advance of the rest of the line; but, although attacked on three sides by Hood's and McLaws' troops, he forces a passage through their oblique fires. His regular troops once more justify their old reputation; not a single man has left the ranks, and they allow themselves to be decimated without flinching. Eleven hundred combatants only out of an effective force of two thousand are left standing when, falling back gradually, they finally take position on the right of Weed, east of Plum Run, along the northern base of Little Round Top.

About an hour since we left the two parties in conflict along the flank opposite to this elevated position, and Law's soldiers, in spite of their reduced number, rushing against the Twentieth Maine. The firing of musketry is again heard along the whole line. Weed, who sets an example to all around him, is mortally wounded near Hazlett's battery, whose commander, stooping to receive his last words, is struck in his turn, and falls lifeless upon the body of his chief; nearly all the superior officers are either killed or wounded. But the enemy is also exhausted: in order to surround the left of the Federals he has prolonged his line to too great an extent Colonel Chamberlain takes advantage of it to charge the enemy in his turn. The Confederates, surprised by