Pennsylvania, through the
number of troops they furnished for it, bore the brunt of the battle.

Harry and Dalton, crouched down in order that they might see better
under the smoke, watched the thrilling and terrible spectacle. The
Southern vanguard was made up of Texans, tall, strong, tanned men,
led by the impetuous Hood, and shouting the fierce Southern war cry they
rushed straight at the corps of Sickles. The artillery and rifle fire
swept through their ranks, but they did not falter. Many fell, but the
others rushed on, and Harry, although unconscious of it, began to shout
as he saw them cross a little stream and charge with all their might
against the enemy.

The combat was stubborn and furious. The men of Sickles redoubled
their efforts. At some points their line was driven in and the Texans
sought to take their artillery, but at others they held fast and even
threatened the Southern flank. They knew, too, that reinforcements were
promised to them and they encouraged one another by saying they were
already in sight.

Harry could not turn his eyes away from this struggle, much of which was
hidden in the smoke, and all of which was confused. The cannon of Hill
and Ewell were thundering elsewhere, but here was the crucial point.
The Round Tops rose on one side of the combatants. Round Top itself
seemed too lofty and steep for troops, but Little Round Top, accessible
to both men and cannon, would dominate the field, and he believed that
Hood, as soon as his men crushed Sickles, would whirl about and seize
it. But he could not yet tell whether fortune favored the Blue or the
Gray.

The generals from both sides watched the struggle with intense anxiety
and hurried forward fresh troops. Woods and rocks and slopes helped
the defense, but the attack was made with superior numbers. Longstreet
himself was directing the action and a part of Hill's men were coming
up to his aid. Sedgwick and Sykes, able generals, were rushing to
help Sickles. The whole combat was beginning to concentrate about the
furious struggle for the Peach Orchard and Little Round Top.

Hood, in all the height of the struggle, saw the value of Little Round
Top and tried his utmost to seize it. Again the Northern generals were
to show that they had learned how to see what should be done and to do
it at once. Little Round Top rose up, dominant over the whole field,
a prize of value beyond all computation. Just then it was the most
va