It was a fitful night. After the many hours of heavy fighting yesterday, I would have thought that my sleep would have been more restful. All night long, there was no peace from the sounds of wagons, horses, cannon and men. Both sides were bring up more of everything necessary to continue the fight today. We were hoping that the Yankees would be gone this morning but they remain on the hills in front of us. When we rose this morning, we knew that we would be called upon to throw them off of there.
This would be no easy task. By my reckoning, our company numbers only thirty muskets. It had been some forty or fifty but that was before yesterday's bloodletting. I can only think that the regiment as a whole suffered much the same. Even so, we had won the day.
We spent most of the day, waiting for the order to go forward. Some skirmishers from another regiment were ordered forward to clear out some of the enemy in front of the brigade but we remained in place.
Although we were not engaged with them, they were engaged with us. There was a great cannonade but it did not seem as if we were the target of their attentions from the fall of the shells. Some, as they always do, fell short, causing some hurt to us without us having the ability to hurt back.
Sometime during this barrage, the word was passed down the line that General Pender was struck by one of these shells and was out of action. I do not know who now commands the division or if he is wounded or dead.
Bill Barton, Junior, is doing better after the death of Senior. Both he and two others have left the line to tend to the body. They need to return quickly lest their absence be discovered.
Not so very long ago, about ten of the clock, the brigade was ordered into line of battle and be prepared to advance into the enemy's works. Old Sol had already set and there was but so little light left but orders were orders. Here we remain, is absolute darkness. There is some musketry. We shoot at the fire from their muskets as that is all we can see. I am writing this with great difficulty by the light of a single candle which is dangerous as the light might be seen by the Yankees who would fire upon it. It would be equally dangerous should Corporal Flynn see my candle.
A cooler, more stable head would consider it quite rational to postpone these jottings until a future date where the risk of having the head removed by a cannon ball had passed. This I
I Send You These Few Lines
Compared to yesterday the 1st, today the 2nd was calm and peaceful. General Lee had devised a grand plan for an attack that would drive the Union army from their positions. By the second day of Gettysburg, all of the Union army had come up and was well emplaced. However, not all of the Confederate army had arrived. Longstreet's corps had arrived but was missing Pickett's division. Stuart's cavalry hadn't been seen since the start of the campaign.
The attack started even with Pickett being absent. The attack was supposed to be a coordinated one involving diversionary attacks by Hill and Ewell but that just did not happen. The attack, involving places called Devil's Den, the Peach Orchard and Little Round Top met with some success but not to the degree that Lee was hoping for.
What happened? Why did Ewell and Hill fizzle out? I'm not going there. For decades I have heard Gettysburg fought and refought and rerefought beyond rational explanation. There are some excellent works on the battle written by some esteemed historians. Just don't put them in the same room m together or there will be blood.
Gettysburg is two-thirds over although no one knows it at the time. There is still one more great push on the morrow. Pickett will be up by then to bring added weight to anything Lee has in mind. Although General Pender has been wounded, his division, now under General James Lane will have a part to play tomorrow in the great push. This is the division that Tooms is in. Is Tooms and the Twelfth slated to participate in the grand assault known as Pickett's Charge? That's hard to say. The charge won't be until tomorrow. A lot can happen between now and then.
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