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massed on the Taneytown road, in the rear of Little Round Top. When that gallant officer, Hood, was informed by his Texas scouts, that instead of attacking Sickles's left he could turn Round Top, he sent three officers, at different intervals of time, to Longstreet, asking to do it, but in every case was answered, “General Lee's orders are to attack up the Emmittsburg road.”
As he was going into battle Longstreet rode up, and Hood again asked permission to make the move, but was told, “We must obey General Lee's orders.”
A strange acknowledgment from one who a few hours before had disregarded them.
In twenty minutes Hood was borne from the field badly wounded.
The immense bowlders of stone so massed as to form narrow openings offered great obstruction to the advance of Hood's right, and he was exposed to a heavy fire from the crest of the high range adjoining Little Round Top. Had Lee known the situation Hood would have been thrown more to his right.
He would not have succeeded in getting around the Union left rear, for the Sixth Corps would have blocked his way, but he would have secured and held Round Top, and in all probability Little Round Top too, for a plunging fire from big Round Top would have cleared its crest and sides of Federal troops.
The Fifteenth Alabama, under the brave Colonel Oates, was on the extreme right of Hood's line, and advanced up the southern slope of the Round Top in the face of an incessant fire from behind rocks and crags that covered the mountain side “thicker than gravestones in a city cemetery.”
Oates pushed forward until he reached the top of Round Top; the Forty-seventh, Alabama, on his left, also reached the top, where both regiments rested a short time, and were then ordered forward, and went down the north side of the mountain.
Oates saw at a glance the great value of the position, but was obliged to obey orders and move on.
With the whole division there, some higher officer with authority to act would have quickly placed artillery on its summit, and the next day from that point Lee would have been master of the situation.
The Alabamians, after reaching the level ground, came
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