had time to fire a few volleys before Humphreys received
orders to give up his advanced position and fall back to the ridge
itself. There he turned at bay. Hancock, who had been placed in
command of the First, Second, and Third Corps, was indefatigable
in his vigilance and personal supervision, "patching the line"
wherever the enemy was likely to break through. His activity and
foresight probably preserved the ridge from capture. Toward the
last Meade brought forward Lockwood's Maryland brigade from the
right and sent them in to cover Sickles' retreat. Humphreys was
followed up by the brigades of Wilcox, Perry, and Wright--about
the best fighting material in the rebel army. Perry was driven
back by the fire of our main line, and as his brigade was between
the other two, his retreat left each of them in a measure unsupported
on the flanks. Posey's and Mahone's brigades were to advance as
soon as the others became actively engaged, but failed to do so,
and therefore Pender, who was to follow after them, did not move
forward. Hence the great effort of Wilcox and Wright, which would
have been ruinous to us if followed up, was fruitless of results.
Both were repulsed for lack of support, but Wright actually reached
the crest with his Georgians and turned a gun, whose cannoneers
had been shot, upon Webb's brigade of the Second Corps. Webb gave
him two staggering volleys from behind a fence, and went forward
with two regiments. He charged, regained the lost piece, and turned
it upon them. Wright, finding himself entirely isolated in this
advanced position, went back again to the main line, and Wilcox
did the same. On this occasion Wright did what Lee failed to
accomplish the next day at such a heavy expense of life, _for he
pierced our centre,_ and held it for a short time, and had the
movement been properly supported and energetically followed up, it
might have been fatal to our army, and would most certainly have
resulted in a disastrous retreat. It was but another illustration
of the difficulty of successfully converging columns against a
central force. Lee's divisions seemed never to strike at the hour
appointed. Each came forward separately, and was beaten for lack
of support.

Wright attained the crest and Wilcox was almost on a line with him.
The latter was closely followed up and nearly surrounded, for troops
rushed in on him from all sides. He lost very heavily in extricating
himself from his advanc