Overview, Devil's Den and LRT John Dynia      L ee's attack on 2 July 1863 would open with a movement by Longstreet's Corps against the Union left flank.  More specifically that first engagement would be an advance of Hood's Division.  Hood's Division, like the rest of Longstreet's Corps had not been engaged on the 1st.  They had however just finished a circuitous and in many ways frustrating march to reach their jumping off point.  Law's Brigade of the Division had been on the march since about three that morning having been left behind the day before.  It was now about four in the afternoon.  The plan, as envisioned by Lee, was to advance astride the Emmitsburg Road and roll up the Army of the Potomac's position on Cemetery Ridge, while first Hill's and then Ewell's Corps would assault in turn.  McClaw's Division of Longstreet's Corps was to advance, followed by Hood, but now all that had changed.  The Yankees were not where they were supposed to be. As his units went into position (the front line consisting of the Brigades of Law on the right and Robertson's Texans on the left, followed by Benning' s and Anderson's) Maj. General J. B. Hood looked over the terrain which his unit would assault.  He didn't like what he saw.  Federal troops were on the high ground.  He sent out scouts, they reported that the Division could maneuver around the big hill (Big Round Top) and gain the enemy's rear. Three times Hood sent messengers to Longstreet asking him to change the attack, three times he was turned down.  Finally the Corps Commander himself came up; once again Hood remonstrated.  Longstreet ordered him to attack. Hood rode over by his old Brigade, the Texans, and ordered the advance. Law's Alabama Brigade stepped off first.  They were soon taking both Artillery fire and extremely accurate rifle fire from the Union skirmishers, who were provided by the 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters.  Law pressed on, his idea evidently to push towards Big Round Top, then to wheel and take Devil's Den. His two right flank regiments, the 44th and 48th Alabama were encountering difficult terrain that was slowing their advance.  Law had them shift to the left flank.  That made the 15th Alabama, under Col. Oates the new right flank regiment.  Law caught Oates and told him to advance to the base of Big Round Top, then the 15th, along with the 47th Alabama were to wheel to their left and hit Devil's Den.  Should the 47th and 15th become separated from the rest of the Brigade, Oates would take command of both regiments and execute his orders. Robertson and his Texans were having their own troubles.  They too were taking casualties from artillery and rifle fire.  They had other problems as well.  Law's men had advanced first and were going at such a clip that the Texans were having trouble keeping up.  In addition Robertson had been ordered to hold his left flank on the Emmitsburg Road, and his right on Law' s Brigade.  Law however was veering to the east, while the road ran north. The Texas line stated to drift apart, the right two regiments holding on to the Alabamians, with only two regiments, the 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas, heading for the Rose Woods and Devil's Den.  Just a few minutes into the advance and the Division was losing its cohesion.  It was time for the Commander to set things straight. When we last left John Bell Hood, he was with the unit that he still considered "his" Brigade, Hood's Texas Brigade.  He left them after a few minutes though, to take up a post in roughly the center of the Division.  It was, as Hood recalled, in a Peach Orchard.  It was there that a Union Shell would explode, and a piece of shrapnel would tear into his arm.  John Bell Hood was out of the fight.  Command devolved on Law, as senior   Brigade commander, but the situation was confused.  Law wasn't informed immediately, and when he did assume command he didn't elevate anyone to brigade.  He didn 't inform Robertson either.  He would only find out when he sent back for reinforcements.  After he was told about Hood's wounding, he then addressed his concerns to Longstreet, so he probably wasn't informed that Law had assumed command. On the Union side the situation was none too clear either.  Meade had expected the IIIrd Corps to occupy Little Round Top, which would have given the Union line a solid left flank.  The IIIrd Corps had advanced however, and only a small party from the Signal Corps now protected Little Round Top. General Warren appeared, ordered there to check on the situation by Meade. He took a quick look around, and noted, no doubt to his horror, that Confederate troops easily overlapped the flank of the line that the IIIrd Corps had advanced to.  He immediately sent two messages, one to Sickles, commanding the IIIrd Corps and one to Meade, asking for a Division to hold Little Round Top.  After a few more moments Warren headed off himself to find General Sykes, commander of the Vth Corps. He found Sykes reconnoitering Sickles line.  Sykes immediately agreed, sending a messenger to General Barnes, one of his division commanders.  The messenger couldn't find Barnes but he did run into Col. Strong Vincent, commanding one of Barnes' Brigades.  Vincent convinced the aide to tell him the message.  Upon hearing it, Vincent took it upon himself to move his brigade to Little Round Top.  After his brigade arrived (Vincent had gone ahead to examine the ground) he placed his line from the Southern face to the Western, with the 20th Maine on his left flank, followed by the 83rd Pennsylvania, 44th New York and with the 16th Michigan on the right. Just to the west of Little Round Top was Houck's Ridge, the Southern end of which was covered by a curious collection of boulders known as Devil's Den. The IIIrd Corps, more specifically by Ward's Brigade, held this ground.  His left was held by the 4th Maine, the 124th New York (rather incongruously nicknamed "The Orange Blossoms") and Smiths Battery of 10 pounder Parrotts. Smith was unable to get all of his six guns emplaced (the guns were manhandled up over the rocks) so he had left two guns in a position to cover the brigade's left rear by firing up Plum Run Valley.  Henry Hunt, the Army of the Potomac's chief of artillery had pointed out to Smith that although the position had a good field of fire, without infantry support he would lose his battery.  Hunt went to try to find some support, to no avail.  Ward finally withdrew the 4th Maine into Plum Run Valley facing south, thereby refusing his line.  By now the Confederates were closing, although they were still being delayed by the tenacious skirmishing of the 2nd USSS. The front two brigades of Hood's assault were nearing their objectives but lacking a firm hand in control problems continued to develop.  Robertson discovered that his two right regiments, the 4th and 5th Texas were missing and that a large gap now existed between in his front, despite his having abandoned his plan of holding on to the Emmitsburg Road.  Law's Brigade's advance was not without its problems either.  The 44th and 48th Alabama, ordered from the right to the left flank actually had to fall in on the left of the two Texas regiments from Robertson's brigade.  Although this to some degree eliminated the gap between the 4th and 5th Texas and the rest of Robertson's brigade it further complicated the deployment.  In addition the 15th and 47th Alabama on the right flank had, contrary to Law's orders, not pivoted at the base of Big Round Top.  Instead they were now climbing the steep hill, "driving" a detachment of Sharpshooters before them. The main body of Hood's assault first met the main line of defense when the 1st Texas engaged the 124th New York.  The "Orange Blossoms" had advanced slightly off the crest of Devil's Den to an open meadow known as the Triangular Field.  The Texans had just entered the field when received a volley from in front fired by the 124th as well as flanking fire from the 86th New York posted in Rose's Woods.  Feeling the weight of this fire the Texans paused.  On their left flank the 3rd Arkansas was also taking heavy fire.  They started to withdraw.  Robertson's drive, already missing two of his regiments, was stalled. Over on the Confederate right the Alabamians and the two errant Texas regiments were now engaging the skirmish lines of Vincent's brigade, now augmented by the hard-fighting men of the 2nd USSS.  These skirmishers were buying time for Vincent to get his men into the positions that he had chosen for them.  The regiments of the brigade prepared as best they could, all the while the rattle of musketry got closer.  Col. Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine, Vincent's and the Army's left flank dispatched one of his companies, "B" company, off to his left as additional security.  A skirmish line pushed out by the 44th New York met heavy fire and had to fall back, losing its Captain in the process.  Then the Southern battle line broke into view.  The colors of the 4th Alabama and the 4th and 5th Texas advanced, the three regiments assaulting the positions of the 83rd Pennsylvania and 44th New York.  The terrain was broken and wooded and favored the defense.  It had become a soldier's battle. In the meanwhile the 44th and 48th Alabama were approaching Ward's left flank at Devil's Den.  The 44th aimed for Smith's Battery on the heights, while the 48th fought with the 4th Maine that had been drawn up across the valley.  It seemed that the 44th would overrun Smith, but the 4th refused a flank and engaged both Alabama regiments.  The 44th's move was momentarily stymied. Benning's Brigade now advanced in support of Law and almost immediately ran into artillery fire from Smith's guns posted over the Triangular Field. Benning's men pressed on and despite their travails started to close with Devil's Den.  However the weight of that advance wouldn't be in support of Law.  In the smoke and confusion of the attack they were mistakenly (though for the Confederates fortuitously) following Robertson instead.  Anderson was moving forward as well.  At the Triangular Field the 124th New York, in the midst of the smoke and bullets and heat of the day launched a charge right at the 1st Texas, led by their Colonel, Ellis and Major, James Cromwell, both mounted, despite pleas from other officers to take a safer position.  "The men must see us today," was the reply.  The sheer audacity of the 124th's charge drove the Texans to the bottom of the hill but now the 15th Georgia from Benning's Brigade met them.  Now it was the New Yorker's turn to be forced back.  The field became a scene from Hell itself, whizzing minie balls, bursting shells, yells of triumph, and screams of pain.  The 124th struggled to get back up the slope.  At about the site of their present day monument their Lt. Colonel rallied the remnants and hoped for reinforcements.  Cromwell and Ellis lay in the Triangular Field.  Cromwell had a bullet in his heart; Ellis had been shot in the head.  The Orange Blossoms were all but destroyed. B ut the 124th wasn't done yet.  The 44th and 48th Alabama had begun to advance North through Plum Run Valley behind Houck's Ridge.  Here Ward had posted the 4th Maine.  The 44th and 48th had executed their left wheel and were now facing roughly north.  That this maneuver was executed under the fire from Smith's guns, along with the fire of the remaining (and seemingly ubiquitous) 2nd USSS skirmishers is a credit to the two Southern regiments. It brought them into position to hit Ward at his weakest point.  Once again though terrain along with the tenacity of the soldiers of the IIIrd Corps was about to play its part. At some point in the advance the 44th was divided into two columns by the terrain, one, struggling through the rocks at the southern end of the gorge, while the other broke out of a small woodlot to be greeted by a strong volley from the skirmishers. Beyond they were greeted by the sight of the exposed left flank of the 124th New York, and beyond that the guns of Smith' s three 10 pounder Parrot Rifles.  The charge, led by Major Cary, who was carrying the colors himself, swept into the New Yorker's left flank.  The 124th, still trying to recover from their disastrous charge that had taken the lives of the Colonel and Major had just lost its Lt. Colonel as well, wounded when a shell struck one of Smith's guns that he was standing by. That gun, disabled, had been withdrawn by Smith as had most of his men and the implements for working the guns.  The 124th, faced with two regiments in front and one on the flank was swept back into the woods.  There, in an eternal testament to their company officers, sergeants and above all the soldiers themselves, they set about pulling themselves back together.  With Smith's guns uncovered, the 44th Alabama became the first of three Confederate regiments to claim the honor of their capture.  There the Alabamians remained until artillery fire from both sides compelled them to withdraw back down the slope, leaving the guns on the crest. The right flank of the 44th, little more than a heavy skirmish line, was at that time working around the boulders of Plum Run gorge when it ran into the 4th Maine.  Lacking the weight to advance they nevertheless engaged in a firefight with the 4th, both sides taking advantage of the broken terrain for cover.  At the same time the 48th Alabama that had been working its way through the scrub and rocks faced to their left and engaged the 4th's left flank.  The 4th refused their flank and another firefight developed.  At about this time the right flank of the 44th started to withdraw to rejoin the rest of the regiment on the southern slope of the ridge. For a moment only the dead and those too seriously wounded to move occupied the crest of Devil's Den.  Seeing this, Colonel Work, drawn as if by a magnet to the three abandoned guns of Smith's battery advanced.  The 1st Texas became the second regiment to claim Smith's guns.  For a few moments at least all looked rosy for the southern cause as the Lone Star flag waved from the heights.  Robertson detailed most of the 1st Texas to the left of his line to finally give some aid to the 3rd Arkansas.  Roughly 80 men remained on the crest as the rest moved off into the Rose woods. T he 3rd Arkansas had been fighting a lonely battle against the right half of Ward's line.  Initially stymied in their advance they had been forced to pull back to a shallow ravine in the Rose Woods where, firing from the cover of the folds of the ground and the trees and the underbrush they engaged Ward's regiments.  Ward advanced his three right regiments (the 86th New York flanked by the 20th Indiana and the 99th Pennsylvania) to a position where they were able to enfilade the 3rd Arkansas.  The men of the 3rd, no doubt wondering where their support was continued, the unequal contest.  As the fighting all along Ward's line increased it became obvious that his brigade needed help.  General Birney, commander of the First division of the IIIrd Corps detached three regiments for the purpose.  The first of these to engage, the 17th Maine , came in on the right flank of Ward's line in the Rose Woods in perfect position to flank the 3rd Arkansas.  This forced the 3rd back about 75 yards, and in turn uncovered the left flank of the 1st Texas, which then moved to cover the situation.  Again firing was very heavy as were casualties.  While at a cost the 1st Texas managed to clear the 3rd' s front, allowing it to return to its previous position.  However neither the 3rd nor the Texans were able to advance further.  The arrival of the 17th Maine allowed Ward to pull the 99th Pennsylvania out of the right of his line and slide it across to his left, ordering it to take up position on the heights at the extreme southern end of Devil's Den. As the 99th moved out the 20th Indiana opened its ranks to cover the gap. As they moved, Colonel John Wheeler, commander of the 20th was shot dead.  A few minutes later the Lieutenant Colonel was wounded, command then devolving on the ranking Captain. Colonel Elijah Walker of the 4th Maine had seen the results of the advance of the 1st Texas on the crest of the ridge.  He realized the importance of the crest position to the rest of Ward's line and determined to get it back. He withdrew his men about a hundred yards and fixed bayonets.  Then he led his men in a bayonet charge up the ridge and over the crest of Devil's Den, sweeping over and recapturing Smith's guns.  The fighting on the 4th's left now became hand-to-hand.  At that moment the 99th Pennsylvania, fortuitously advancing to just this position in the line, charged as well, perpendicular to the 4th's line of advance.  The top of the ridge was once again free of Confederates. But while the North was receiving reinforcements, so was the South.  The rest of Benning's brigade was up and he ordered a general advance.  The 3rd Arkansas and the 1st Texas (now thoroughly intermingled with the 15th Georgia after their adventure in the Triangular Field) were unable to make any headway.  The 20th Georgia advanced through withering small arms and artillery fire over the dead and wounded in the Triangular Field.  This fire soon claimed the life of their Colonel, John Jones.  Benning's right two regiments, the 2nd and 17th Georgia, advanced through the rocks of Plum Run Valley.  The Georgians were taken under fire by the two guns of Smith's battery posted near the head of the Valley, and by the 99th Pennsylvania posted on the crest of the ridge.  Despite this intense fire an opportunity existed for Benning to envelop Ward's flank. However as the 2nd Georgia approached the position that the 4th Maine had occupied before its charge up Devil's Den, they saw more Union troops advancing down the Valley.  These troops were the 40th New York, from DeTrobriand's Brigade and the 6th New Jersey, from Burling's.  The 6th New Jersey went into position in front of Smith's guns.  From here they began long range sniping with the 17th Georgia that had occupied the positions of the 4th Maine.  Both the 17th Georgia and the 6th New Jersey occupied positions with good cover. As the 40th New York advanced they passed through the rear area of Smith's battery.  Here, Captain Smith caught Col. Thomas Egan, commander of the 40th and practically begged him to recover the three guns from the ridge.  This, according to Smith, Egan promised to do. The 40th advanced down the gorge in the open, taking casualties.  Then Egan decided to charge.  The 40th swept down the gorge, straddling Plum Run. Initially the charge seemed to be a success, but it came at a heavy cost. Egan was shot in the leg and unhorsed, his Lieutenant Colonel was wounded was wounded as well.  The acting adjutant fell dead with a bullet in his chest.  The 40th's charge forced the 2nd and 17th back among the rocks but as it turned out this was an extremely strong position.  The bloody firefight turned into a stalemate with neither side able to advance. But the glass was running on Ward's ability to hold his position.  Now, badly outnumbered and with events taking place elsewhere on the Union line, Ward realized that he would have to withdraw.  This he did, ordering out his units from right to left, the units over Devil's Den being the last to leave.  As Ward's units withdrew, the Confederates pressed them taking large numbers of prisoners.  In spots the fighting was notably fierce and hand-to-hand.  Once again, Smith's three Parrotts, lying abandoned on top of the crest were claimed, this time by the 20th Georgia.  With the crest of the ridge in Southern hands the position of the 6th New Jersey and 40th New York became untenable.  They fought a rear guard action back up Plum Run Valley, allowing Smith to withdraw his remaining two pieces.