106 NortH Carotina Troops, 1861-65,

pected enfilade fire on that flank of Pettigrew’s Division
sisting of Brockenborough’s and Davis’ Brigades. Thi
curred while the Confederate brigades further 6 the ie
were crossing the Emmitsburg road, but it was Beat .
by those flankers with energy and not without cosine
effect on Pettigrew’s left, even to the close of the battle :
As soon as the Confederate front line had crossed the
Emmitsburg road it raised the well-known battle yell and
prewed forward against the Union breastworks aan
and Garnett were met by the fire of Harrow’s and Hall’s ‘s id
part of Webb’s Brigades in front, and Kemper also ES
an oblique fire on his right from two regiments of Stannard’
Vermont Brigade which had been moved out soracwhat in a
vance of the main line. This caused Kemper’s men oe -
cline still more to their left, whereupon Stannard ices
those two regiments to his right and struck Kemper’s right
flank, inflicting severe losses in killed and wounded and sa ;
turing over 200 men. General Kemper also fell decir,
wounded about this time 75 yards from the U ion works; b “
his brigade, though much disorganized by ‘its losses, es cially
of officers, pushed on until it reached the stone lon: oi
behind which was the Union front line, just west of the co c)
of trees heretofore mentioned as the guide point for Pickett’s
Suan Garnett’s Brigade, though suffering fearful losses
also pushed on to the stone wall, General Garnett himself fall-
ing dead from his saddle twenty-five yards west of it. Petti-
grew and his division, with heavy losses and himself painfull
wounded, had kept on a line with the brigades of Bue
ri Garnett and reached the stone wall at the same time: but
1s stone wall, as has been previously stated, turns waved
eastward near the point reached by Garnett’s left ea Petti-
grew’s right, forming what is known as “The Angle.” sist
after running 80 yards in that direction turns ial me runs
Fook elas to the Bryan barn near the left of the Confederate
ront line. It is not amiss to state that this last-mentioned
section of the wall is much higher than the section running

eas angle southward, the latter being about three feet
igh and the other five feet, coming up to one’s chin on its

western side. The wall is there still, preserved just as it was

LonGsTREET’s ASSAULT AT GETTYSBURG. 107

in 1863 for the inspection of visitors. Behind this wall and
close to it from its last turn northward, was a double line of
Union infantry composed of Webb’s right regiment and
Smyth’s and Willard’s Brigades. There were also two Union
lines from the Angle southward, but only one of them was
near the wall and the other was 80 yards to the east of it.

As already intimated, Kemper’s and Garnett’s Brigades
and Pettigrew’s Division when they reached the Angle were
greatly weakened and aimost disorganized by their heavy
losses of men and officers. Their ranks on Garnett’s left and
Pettigrew’s right had also become much intermingled from
the crowding together of their flanks during the advance, by
reason of their different understanding, heretofore alluded
to, as to how their march was to be guided. After crossing
the Emmitsburg road, Archer’s small brigade had been almost
absorbed by the left of Garnett »nd the right of Pettigrew’s
North Carolina brigade.

It was but a few minutes after the weakened front line
reached the Angle when the brigudes of Armistead, Scales
and Lane rushed forward and mingled with it. And now we
come to the last act of the great tragedy which only an in-
spired pencil could worthily paint. Armistead sprang on the
wall with his hat on the point of his sword, called to his men
to follow, and leaping down on the other side, pushed forward
towards Cushing’s battery. He was followed by two or three
hundred Virginians, a number of Archer’s Tennesseeans and
Alabamians, and a few of Pettigrew’s North Carolinians.
Judge Joseph J. Davis, of blessed memory, was one of them;
so he told me years ago. Some Confederate flags were

planted on the wall and a few beyond it within the Union
lines, but only for a very short time. General Armistead
soon fell mortally wounded just forty steps east of the wall.
The spot is marked with a Memorial stone. A number of the
men who followed him over the wall were killed, most of them
were captured, but'a few made good their escape. Among
these was Captain F. S. Harris, of the Seventh Tennessee
Regiment, Archer’s Brigade, who has shown me the spot
where he was knocked down but rose again and made off and,
for a wonder, got clear away. Armistead sent his watch,