five to six miles at least. Ewell was on our left; his headquarters in a
church (with a high cupola) at Gettysburg; Hill in the centre; and
Longstreet on the right. Our ridges were also covered with pine-woods at
the tops, and generally on the rear slopes. The artillery of both sides
confronted each other at the edges of these belts of trees, the troops
being completely hidden. The enemy was evidently intrenched, but the
Southerns had not broken ground at all. A dead silence reigned till 4.45
P.M., and no one would have imagined that such masses of men and such a
powerful artillery were about to commence the work of destruction at
that hour.

Only two divisions of Longstreet were present to-day--viz., M'Laws's and
Hood's--Pickett being still in the rear. As the whole morning was
evidently to be occupied in disposing the troops for the attack, I rode
to the extreme right with Colonel Manning and Major Walton, where we ate
quantities of cherries, and got a feed of corn for our horses. We also
bathed in a small stream, but not without some trepidation on my part,
for we were almost beyond the lines, and were exposed to the enemy's
cavalry.

At 1 P.M. I met a quantity of Yankee prisoners who had been picked up
straggling. They told me they belonged to Sickles's corps (3d, I think),
and had arrived from Emmetsburg during the night. About this time
skirmishing began along part of the line, but not heavily.

At 2 P.M. General Longstreet advised me, if I wished to have a good
view of the battle, to return to my tree of yesterday. I did so, and
remained there with Lawley and Captain Schreibert during the rest of the
afternoon. But until 4.45 P.M. all was profoundly still, and we began to
doubt whether a fight was coming off to-day at all. At that time,
however, Longstreet suddenly commenced a heavy cannonade on the right.
Ewell immediately took it up on the left. The enemy replied with at
least equal fury, and in a few moments the firing along the whole line
was as heavy as it is possible to conceive. A dense smoke arose for six
miles; there was little wind to drive it away, and the air seemed full
of shells--each of which appeared to have a different style of going,
and to make a different noise from the others. The ordnance on both
sides is of a very varied description. Every now and then a caisson
would blow up--if a Federal one, a Confederate yell would immediately
follow. The Southern troops, when charging, or to express