en brought off by hand.
Bigelow was ordered by Major McGilvery to sacrifice his battery to
give the others time to form a new line. He fought with _fixed
prolonge_ until the enemy were within six feet of him, and then
retired with the loss of three officers and twenty-eight men.
Phillips' battery, which adjoined his, had a similar experience.
McLaws bears testimony to the admirable manner with which this
artillery was served. He says one shell killed and wounded thirty
men, out of a company of thirty-seven.

The capture of the Peach Orchard necessarily brought the enemy
directly on Humphreys' left flank and De Trobriand's right. The
disaster then became irremediable, because every force thrown in
after this period, had to contend with a direct fire in front, and
an enfilading fire from the right.

While the Peach Orchard was assailed, several combats took place
in the vicinity, which had a general relation to the defence of
Sickles' line. A little stream runs through a ravine parallel to
the cross road, and about five hundred yards south of it, and then
turns abruptly to the south at the corner of a wheat-field, passing
through a rocky wooded country, to empty in Plum Run. De Trobriand
held the north bank of this stream with a very insufficient force
--a front of two regiments--and his contest with Semmes' brigade
in front and Kershaw's brigade, which was trying to penetrate into
the Peach Orchard, on his right, was at very close range and very
destructive. At the same time as Ward's left was turned and driven
back the enemy came in on the left and rear of De Trobriand, and
occupied the wheat-field. Barnes' division of the Fifth Corps,
composed of Sweitzer's and Tilton's brigades, soon came to his
assistance. The former, by wheeling to the left and retaining
several lines, kept up the fight successfully against the enemy
who came up the ravine, but the latter was flanked and obliged to
give way. De Trobriand's two regiments in front had a most determined
fight, and would not yield the ground. When relieved by Zook's
force they fell back across the wheat-field. There Birney used
them as a basis of a new line, brought up two fresh regiments,
charged through the field, and drove the enemy back to the stone
fence which bounded it.

Caldwell's division of Hancock's corps now came on to renew the
contest. Caldwell formed his men with the brigades of Cross and
Kelly in front, and those of Zook and Brooke in re