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12. The Federals Lose McPherson Ridge
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CHAPTER 12 The Federals Lose McPherson Ridge IN THE HEAVY FIGHTING ON THE MORNING OF JULY I, 1863, Abner Doubleday's Union First Corps had done exceedingly well in repelling Heth's early thrusts from the west. Wadsworth's brigades of Meredith and Cutler, before noon, had bloodily repulsed Archer and Davis, and had captured large numbers of men. Then Rowley's brigades of Stone and Biddle came up to reinforce the McPherson Ridge position. And while Schurz' Eleventh Corps divisions were contending in the hours after noon with Doles and Early, other First Corps units were distinguishing themselves. Robinson's two brigades of Baxter and Paul, assisted by Cutler, were throwing back attack after attack launched at Oak Ridge by Rodes. At the same time, in mid-afternoon, Stone's Bucktail brigade was hurling back Daniel's repeated attempts to storm across the railroad cut from Oak Hill. But Heth was not through yet; he would bring up his two remaining fresh brigades in a final endeavor to rout Stone (already under attack from the north by Daniel), Meredith, and Biddle from McPherson Ridge, and drive them back at least to Seminary Ridge in the rear. Then, Pender's unbloodied division could finish the job by driving Doubleday through the streets of Gettysburg and perhaps even destroy or capture his remaining survivors. So, consequently, at about 2: 30 p.m., HetJh relieved the decimated brigades of Archer and Davis by his First Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General James J. Pettigrew , and by his Second Brigade, Colonel John M. Brockenbrough commanding. Both of these Southern brigades were deployed south of 109 the Chambersburg pike on Herr Ridge, overlooking the valley of Willoughby Run. But as Heth was deploying these fresh troops, a thorn was thrust into his right flank, to remain there until later in the afternoon. This was the bold movement of a company of the 80th New York, of Biddle 's brigade, commanded by Captain Ambrose N. Baldwin, which drove forward some thirty rods across Willoughby Run and routed from the E. Harman farm buildings there a small force of Confederates . Soon, a second Union company under Captain William H. Cunningham reinforced the first company. This audacious action probably led the Southerners to overestimate the number of National troops available for defense on McPherson Ridge. It certainly did embarrass the movements of the Confederate right wing for some time during the course of the afternoon. Only later in the day, during the general Union withdrawal, when almost cut off from its line of retreat, was this Federal force pulled back from the Harman buildings. It then had to move-covered in part by Gamble's cavalry brigadein a southerly direction through a ravine, then eastwardly through cultivated fields until rejoining the rest of Biddle's brigade on CemeteryHill .1 It has been noted that, by 2: 30 p.m., the Confederate artillery batteries had achieved a decided supremacy over the few Union batteries available to Doubleday. Within an hour after this time, Calef's horse artillery battery of three-inch rifles had been obliged to limber up and withdraw from its position on the pike at the westerly crest of McPherson Ridge.2 Also, Cooper's battery, which had been supporting Biddle's brigade on the easterly crest of McPherson Ridge soum of the grove, had been impelled to fall back a bit to a position in front of (that is, just to the west of) the professor's house near the Seminary. Cooper soon became engaged in a gun duel with Fry's Confederate battery on Oak Hill, and with Brander's battery, "stationed on a hill to the north of the railroad cut, on the east side of Willoughby Run." 3 With a marked inferiority in artillery weight of metal supporting them, Doubleday's infantry would be hard pressed by the superior numbers of enemy foot-soldiers arrayed against them. Looking at the First Corps line posted along McPherson Ridge, it will be seen that the position occupied by Stone's Bucktail brigade, at the southeastern angle of the pike and westerly crest of the ridge, was the key to Doubleday's line.4 On Stone's left was Meredith's Iron 110 [44.213.75.78] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 16:50 GMT) Brigade, still holding its position in McPherson's Grove. Biddle was posted on Meredith's left-rear, in the open fields, on the easterly crest of the ridge, but with his...