Day 2

2^nd July 1863

Lee awoke early on the 2^nd he surveyed the union lines and then ordered Longstreet who was just arriving on the field to move on the left flank of the Union line. He received a report that the two hills little round top, and big round top and a sizeable stretch of cemetery ridge were unoccupied.  It took Longstreet 3.30 in the afternoon to place his troops. Earlier in the morning Meade had ordered Sickles to take position on the Union left flank along Cemetery ridge. He ordered 111Corps to march and occupy the Peach Orchard before the Confederates could seize it, but in marching his troops a half mile in front of the Union line he had exposed his Corps. The Confederates under Hood came upon the Union southern flank which had been anchored at Devils Den and the two Round Tops. After some fierce fighting with heavy losses on both sides the Union troops retreated to the base of the Round Tops. The Union troops were forced back over Big Round Top, and when the confederates reached the top of the hill they could see that Little Round Top was void of Union troops only a handful of signalmen who were observing the Union troop movements. This opened up the whole left flank of the Union Army leaving it exposed a very dangerous if not disastrous situation for the Union. When notified of the impending catastrophe Sykes who was in charge of the Union left ordered Barnes division to occupy Little Round Top. Barnes put the 20^th Maine under the command of Chamberlain on the extreme left. AT the same time as Chamberlains men were positioning themselves the 15^th Alabama under the command of Oates were ascending Little Round Top. The 20^th Maine after repelling repeated attacks were running short of ammunition so Chamberlain ordered his remaining men to form a half square at the extreme left and fix bayonets and when the next attack happened the half square moved round to form a line and the order to charge was given and the momentum of the movement carried the 20^th Maine downhill where they routed the Confederates. This single action by a Maine Schoolteacher in hindsight saved the Union from losing the Civil war, as the union Army would have been defeated at Gettysburg and Lee would have had a clear road to march on Washington DC.

Chamberlain	Map	Longstreet

The Battle for Little Round Top

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