On the morning of July 1 two divisions of the Army of Northern Virginia’s Second Corps began marching from Heidlersburg to Cashtown, but then changed direction after Lieutenant General Richard Ewell, the corps commander, learned of the Confederate advance on Gettysburg. Serving with the 5th Alabama Infantry, one of the regiments in the division commanded by Robert E. Rodes, was Private Samuel Pickens, who had been quickly exchanged after his capture at Chancellorsville. Pickens recorded his regiment’s part in the fighting on July 1 and in the subsequent Confederate attempts to capture Cemetery Hill, which, along with the adjoining Culp’s Hill, anchored the northern end of the Union defensive line.
July 1, Wednesday
Left camp this morning at 6:30 A.M. & marched 7 miles on the Chambersburg road to Middletown, where we turned to the left on the Gettysburg road. As we approached the town we heard the cannonading & formed a line of battle about 2 miles off & advanced upon the Yankees. Our Regt. was on the left of the Brigade & as it moved forward it made a partial right wheel & thus kept us at a double quick march all the time; & as it was an excessively hot day & we were going through wheat fields & ploughed ground & over fences, it almost killed us. I was perfectly exhausted & never suffered so from heat & fatigue in my life. A good many fell out of ranks being completely broken down & some fainted. We halted & lay down for some time at a fence & witnessed an artillery duel between one of our batteries stationed about 150 yds. in front of us & a Yankee battery away to our left. 5 or 6 dead horses & 1 or 2 broken caissons or gun carriages were left by our battery when it moved off. Our Regt. then went forward, for the rest of the Brigade had gone on while we had been left to guard the space between our Brigade & Doles’ which was on our left & prevent either from being flanked. We came up with the Brig., however, at a fence where it had halted and there our Company was sent forward to a barn to act as sharp-shooters. There were some N.C. sharp-shooters there who had shot away all their cartridge. Wm. Stokes was wounded before getting to the barn, & Joe Brown while in it. We kept up pretty brisk firing at the Yankees, but it seemed as if we could do very little execution as they were so far off & behind a fence in the woods, though they made the bullets whistle over us. After the Brig. passed on we ran out of the barn & through an open field where the bullets were flying thick & went down on the left to a lane where the Regt. was. I never saw troops so scattered & in such confusion. We were under a heavy fire from the front & a cross fire from the left & pretty soon had to fall back to a fence where the Brig. was rallied by Col. O’Neal & Genl Rodes. Paul Lavender was coming off wounded & asked Lt. Jones (in commd. of Co.) to let me help him. I got three of the ambulance corps of the 26th Regt. & a litter & had to carry Paul about a mile to get to a Surgeon. Mr. Mushat extracted the ball & after waiting in vain all the evening for an ambulance to take the wounded to the Hospital, I set out to find the H. & get ambulances, which I succeeded in doing after a long walk & a deal of difficulty. The scenes about the Hospital were the most horrible I ever beheld. There were the poor wounded men lying all over the yard, moaning & groaning, while in the barn the terrible work of amputating limbs was going on, and the pallid limbs lying around presented a most disagreeable sight. As soon as I could get 2 ambulances we set out & had to go a very roundabout way, so by time we got to the wounded it was some time after night & they had been put in a house & were so comfortable they did not want to be moved, so the ambulances were dismissed to return in the morning. In the mean time our troops had driven the Yankees and were in possession of the town of Gettysburg. When our Brig. was reformed it moved up & took position along the Rail-road to the right of town. Oh! what terrible work has been done to-day. The loss in our Brig. was very heavy—particularly in our Regt. I was much affected on learning that my warm friend & mess-mate Tean Nutting had been mortally wounded & died in a short time on the field. He was at his post with the colors. A nobler, more generous or braver boy never lived. He was a great favorite & will be much missed. Marched 14 ms. before getting in fight.
July 2, Thursday
The ambulances came this morning and conveyed the wounded to the Hospitals, & I, with Cruse Coleman returned to the Regiment. The town is full of the enemy’s wounded & every large building has been made a hospital. David Barnum brought from town a havresack of candy, plenty of lemons & other nice things which were a great treat. It was pretty quiet during the morning while we were placing our artillery in position. Gilliam J. told us that 80 pieces were being massed on a hill to our right. After a while they opened all around & the cannonading was terrific: almost as rapid as musketry. Late in the evening our Divis. was moved forward in line of battle & as we advanced upon the hill where the Yankees had all their artillery & troops massed we expected to have to charge it, but it was then after dark & we lay a while in a wheat field & then went back in town. The loss in our Regt. in killed, wounded & missing is 226. The no. that left camp was 380; but a great many fell out of ranks, & Col. Hall thinks that not many over 300 went into the fight—so our loss was very heavy, & nearly all killed or wounded, for there are only______missing. In our Co. (“D”) the loss is:—
Killed — George Nutting
Wounded — P. H. Lavender—thigh.
J. L. Wright—shoulder.
J. M. Brown—foot.
Wm Stokes—leg—& Prisoner.
Wm A. Lenier—hand—& Prisoner.
Prisoners — Jas. Burton.
J. T. Knowlan.
J. C. Ray
July 3, Friday
We lay in line along one of the streets last night & this morning our Brigade with the exception of our Regt. was sent down on the left with Johnson’s Divis. & participated in the fight. Our Regt. was attached to Doles’ Brig. & stayed in town during the morning—while our Co. was sent to the edge of town as sharp-shooters. We built breast works and remained there till evening. An occasional minnie ball whizzed over us & a shell passed through a stable or crib beside us & exploded immediately after. The Regt. then moved up with Doles’ Brig. & lay in line of battle in a lane. There was no shade, & the heat of the sun was almost insupportable. A heavy cannonading was kept up—a great many shells passing over us—and some from our own batteries exploded over our line & killed men in Doles’, Ramseur’s &, I think, Iversons Brigades. It was either very inferior ammunition or great carelessness on the part of the gunners. Saw Tom Biscoe in town to-day. His looks shewed plainly that he had seen hard service. His Brigade (Hays’) made a desperate charge upon the Hill last night & took a battery, but were not supported & had to fall back. Tom is now in command of the 5th La. Regt.