The Battle of the Wheatfield :: The Fifth Corps Arrives

As the fight exploded at Devil's Den, General Birney called on De Trobriand's brigade for help. The Seventeenth Maine was sent to the stonewall that divided the Wheat-Field and the Rose Woods. The large 40th New York was sent to the main branch of Plum Run near Devil's Den. The movement of these two regiments bared De Trobriand's right. To help cover this area, Major General George Sykes, commander of the Fifth Corps, sent two brigades of General James Barnes's first division to Stony Hill. General James Barnes was one of the Army's oldest commanders, he had been a classmate of Robert E. Lee at West Point. Barnes was a filling in for the capable, Charles Griffin, who was on sick leave, though reports have Griffin on the field on the evening of July 2, though he did not assume command from Barnes until July 4.

The two brigades --Vincent's third brigade had been sent to cover a little craggy hill known as Little Round Top-- belonged to Colonels William S. Tilton and Jacob B. Sweitzer. These brigades --particularly Tilton's-- were tiny and combined numbered only just over 1600 men. Tilton and Sweitzer were both capable commanders, but neither would ever win a generals star. Sweitzer's brigade arrived first at Stony Hill. It's three regiments --the fourth regiment, the 9th Massachusetts had been detached-- were the 62nd Pennsylvania under command of Lt. Col. James C. Hull, the Fourth Michigan under the command of Col. Harrison Jeffords, and the 32nd Massachusetts under the command of Col. George L. Prescott who was destined to die in the first assaults on Petersburg. The 4th took up position on the brigade's right, in the north end of the woods, facing the Peach Orchard. The 62nd Pennsylvania fell in next to them and the 32nd Massachusetts was back up the hill a ways, in line with Tilton's brigade. The 32nd's position was such that it refused the brigade line and faced towards the Rose Woods out across the Plum Run ravine.

Tilton's brigade was made up of four small regiments, two from Massachusetts, one from Michigan, and one from Pennsylvania. Forming the brigade's left was the 22nd Massachusetts under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas Sherwin, Jr. The 22nd stood on the southwest slope of the hill. The First Michigan, under Col. Ira C. Abbott, extended the brigade's westerly sloping line towards Plum Run. Next to the First was the 118th Pennsylvania, the "Corn Exchange" Regiment, under the command of Lt. Col. James Gwyn. The 118th's line was refused so that it faced toward the Rose Farm. The remaining regiment, the Eighteenth Massachusetts under command of Col. Joseph Hayes, formed a second line, for some reason in double line, four ranks deep.

Making the first Confederate assault on the Wheat-Field was the brigade of Brig. Gen. George "Tige" Anderson of John Bell Hood's division. Anderson was a thirty-nine year old Georgian who had served in the ante-bellum army. His command was made up of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 59th Georgia regiments. These regiments had already met hot fire at the Rose Farm.
The Rebel assault was preceded by a Rebel yell and a rush of terrified cattle and hogs. The Confederates moved forward towards the cover of Plum Run's bank. Sometime during this assault, the last of Burling's regiments that had been parceled out all over the field, the 115th Pennsylvania under the command of Maj. John P. Dunne, which was posted next to the Eighth New Jersey.

Winslow's battery, posted about 300 yards behind the line of the Seventeenth Maine, hurled shot into the oncoming Georgians. The Georgians began slowly sidling left, and the two regiments from Burling's brigade were forced to pull back to avoid being flanked. In this withdrawal, the Eighth's flag became stuck in the branches of a tree, and delayed moving until the colors were free. The regiments commander, Col. John Ramsey and several others, paid for the delay by being wounded. The 115th Pennsylvania fell into line on the right of Winslow's battery. The withdrawal of these two regiments exposed the right flank of the Seventeenth Maine. In response, the commander of the Seventeenth refused his line.

The fighting was fierce. Anderson's Eleventh Georgia streamed forward and placed it's colors on the stonewall held by the Seventeenth Maine. The Down Easterners pushed them back. The Georgians applied pressure against the Fifth Michigan and the 110th Pennsylvania and in the process were met by enfilade fire from the refused companies of the Maine boys. Anderson's brigade slowly was pulled back.

As he withdrew his brigade, however, Anderson was shot through the thigh and command of his brigade passed to Lieut. Col. William Luffman of the Eleventh Georgia. The fighting had been going on for almost an hour.