"Major-General Reynolds immediately moved around the town of Gettysburg, and advanced on the Cashtown road, and without a moment's hesitation deployed his advance division and attacked the enemy, at the same time sending orders for the eleventh corps (General Howard) to advance as promptly as possible. Soon after making his dispositions for the attack, Major-General Reynolds fell mortally wounded, the command of the first corps devolving on Major-General Doubleday, and the command of the field on Major-General Howard, who arrived about this time (half-past eleven A.M.) with the eleventh corps, then commanded by Major-General Schurz. Major-General Howard pushed forward two divisions of the eleventh corps to support the first corps, now warmly engaged with the enemy on the ridge to the north of the town, and posted his third division, with three batteries of artillery on Cemetery Ridge, on the south side of the town. Up to this time the battle had been with the forces of the enemy debouching from the mountains on the Cashtown road, known to be Hill's corps. In the early part of the action success was on our side-Wadsworth's division of the first corps having driven the enemy back some distance, and capturing numerous prisoners, among them General Archer, of the Confederate army.

"The arrival of reinforcements to the enemy on the Cashtown road, and the junction with Ewell's corps, coming on the York and Harrisburg roads, which occurred between one and two o'clock

P.M., enabled the enemy to bring vastly superior forces against both the first and eleventh corps, outflanking our line of battle and pressing it so severely that at about four P.M. Major-General Howard deemed it prudent to withdraw these two corps to Cemetery Ridge, on the south side of the town, which operation was successfully accomplished-not, however, without considerable loss in prisoners, arising from the confusion incident to portions of both corps passing through the town and the men getting confused in the streets.

"About the time of the withdrawal Major General Hancock arrived, whom I had dispatched to represent me on the field on hearing of the death of General Reynolds. In conjunction with MajorGeneral Howard, General Hancock proceeded to post troops on Cemetery Ridge, and to repel an attack that the enemy made on our right flank. This attack was not, however, very vigorous. The enemy, seeing the strength of the position occupied, seemed to be satisfied with the success he had accomplished, desisting from further attack this day.

"About seven P.M., Major-Generals Slocum and Sickles, with the twelfth corps and part of the third, reached the ground and took post on the right and left of the troops previously posted.