The Second Day at Gettysburg: The Attack and Defense of the Union Center on Cemetery Ridge, July 2, 1863

by David L. Shultz

Moving troops anywhere took time, even those traversing a short distance under good conditions. For example, Col. P. Regis de Trobriand of Birney’s division needed three-quarters of an hour to move three regiments a distance of only 400-600 yards from their position near the old Jacob Weikert log cabin east of Trostle’s woods to the Wheatfield, where they rejoined the 5th Michigan and 110th Pennsylvania. General Ward of the same division needed even longer to redeploy his detached command to several points needing additional troops. According to Colonel Elijah Walker, commanding the 4th Maine on Ward’s skirmish line, “From 9:30 until 2:30 there was but little firing from my men or by the enemy in our front … it took one hour to relieve and get my men [back] to where I had my headquarters” (near the Weikert homestead, a distance of roughly 1,000 yards).

Troop movememt and time ..…

They placed the wagons in blocks, or parks, by priority in an area that spread three miles southward to the east side of the Round Tops. More than 100 of Gillett’s heavy and light wagons filled a 380-acre parcel of rock-strewn, undulating meadows belonging to farmers William Patterson, Jacob Swisher, and George Spangler.

Wow

Gillett parked Hunt’s “ghost train” somewhere east of the Round Tops where the unreported wagons quietly blended in alongside the ammunition trains of the First, Second, and Eleventh corps. The caravan contained not only ordnance and materiel for the artillery battalions, but copious amounts of provisions for the campaign trail. After serving under McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker, Henry Hunt had learned the hard way that he could not fully depend upon headquarters to sustain the needs of his artillery. Meade, however, was different in that Hunt respected both his character and his truthful disposition. While Longstreet countermarched, Hunt readied his 114 cannon of various calibers, together with the associated limbers, caissons, forges, supply wagons, and 1,717 men and 1,785 horses. It was an imposing and powerful display of a well-planned, highly efficient artillery support function.48

The Ghost Train of Gen. Hunt

“One could take his choice there was plenty to shoot at,” Alexander reported, but “when I got to take in all the topography I was very much disappointed.” The Confederate gunner had believed the day was won and the Yankees in full retreat. However, as he sat on his horse near the Emmitsburg Road and Trostle farm lane intersection, he spotted Union troops rallying on a spine of ground (Cemetery Ridge) that he had not noticed before. The Yankees were not beaten. In fact, they were still fighting in formidable numbers.