While the Confederate troops on this end of the line spent July 2 resting, most of the Federal men with the XII Corps spent the morning building breastworks on Culp’s Hill. The men worked methodically and diligently on their defenses. According to Capt. Jesse Jones of the 60th New York, “right and left the men felled the trees, and blocked them up into a close log fence. Piles of cordwood which lay near by were quickly appropriated. The sticks, set slanting on end against the outer face of the logs, made excellent battening.” Areas with large rocks and stone ledges precluded the need for construction. The men completed most of the breastworks by noon on July 2 and were rewarded with a well-deserved rest.5
The veteran infantrymen of Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson’s Division (Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell’s Second Corps) knew they would likely be ordered to carry Culp’s Hill, but could only shake their heads and complain about the delay in attacking the wooded heights. They could see and hear the Federals building their breastworks and knew that every passing minute would make their task more difficult. The four brigades in Johnson’s Division deployed, from left to right as follows: Brig. Gens. James Walker, George Steuart, John M. Jones, and Francis Nicholls (under Col. Jesse Williams).6
Artillery from the two armies opened fire about 4:00 p.m. and quickly developed into a fierce counter-battery duel. Before long, the better placed and more numerous Federal guns on Cemetery Hill wreaked havoc on Joseph Latimer’s artillery battalion on Benner’s Hill. Although Johnson’s soldiers sustained few casualties in their sheltered positions, the men watched the exchange with growing anxiety. “Perhaps nothing in battle is so trying to an infantryman’s nerves and patience as the preliminary artillery fire that precedes it,” explained Maj. William Goldborough of the 1st Maryland Battalion (CSA). Brigadier General Jones’ Brigade moved from the division’s main line to support Latimer’s artillery on Benner’s Hill.7
The XII Corps’ rest ended about 6:00 p.m., when General Williams received urgent orders to pull most of his men from Culp’s Hill and rush them south to help repel the savage Confederate attacks being launched along the Federal left and left-center. The thinning of troops from the northern end of the line was part of Lee’s purpose behind the en echelon attacks, and it was working rather well. Ruger’s division moved off the heights first. Two brigades of Geary’s division were ordered to follow Ruger south, but confusion ensued and they ended up marching east across Rock Creek and off the battlefield. Geary compounded his error by sending his men into bivouac while fighting raged both north and west of his new position. Only George Greene’s veteran New York regiments remained to defend Culp’s Hill.8
With the departure of the rest of the XII Corps, General Greene had no choice but to throw the 78th New York out on the skirmish line in front of his brigade. He ordered the rest of his men to move “by the right flank.” Steuben Coon of the 60th New York, which now held the left of the brigade, wrote that “now a singular thing took place… the commander of our brigade came riding up and ordered every regiment except the 60th to fall into line. He told our Colonel that the other regiments were needed in another place and that he must put the men in a single rank and far enough apart so [as] to cover the ground before occupied by the whole brigade. So away they all went, the last thing the General said, was that we must hold the position!” The 102nd New York and 149th New York regiments stretched to the right and the 137th New York shifted farther right into part of Kane’s abandoned breastworks. Beyond the right flank of the 137th New York was an empty line all the way to McAllister’s Woods.9
General Greene’s line had been stretched far too thin to safely hold the high ground, but its weakness meant little for the Confederates because no orders had reached Edward Johnson to carry the hill. The afternoon stretched into evening while the Southern infantrymen sat unemployed.10