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12:20 pm - Capt. Randolph, commanding the Third Corp Artillery Brigade, leads 4-guns of
Smith's battery (4th NY) to the high ground behind the Triangular Field stone wall at Devil's Den "DD"). The two other guns of the battery are positioned to the northeast in the Plum Run valley.
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12:15 - 12:35 pm - After a brief stop in the Wheatfield the bulk of
Ward's brigade (Birney's division, Third corp), comprised of the
20th IN, 86th NY, 124th NY, 99th PA and
4th ME, shifts to the south and takes position on and near DD ridge.
(Editor's note: See the Rose Woods time line for subsequent actions involving the 20th IN and 86th NY).
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3:25 pm -
Confederate shelling from Warfield Ridge aimed at
Smith's battery causes the
124th NY to shift its left companies to the right into the shelter of Rose Woods. The decimation of trees and limbs proves more problematic, and after about 30 minutes the detached section returns to its original position.
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3:55 - 4:05 pm - The
4th ME deploys three groups of skirmishers and then shifts from the top of the DD ridge to a blocking position straddling Plum Run in the valley below.
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4:15 - 4:25 pm - The
2nd US Sharpshooters (Ward's brigade, Birney's division, 3rd Corp) have been deployed on a skirmish line nearly half a mile long, 600 yards to the SW of DD since early afternoon. As
Hood's division (Longstreet's Corp) advances around 4:00 pm these sharpshooters sporadically engage as they withdraw. Four separate groups eventually form. The two northern groups end up in the fighting mix on and around DD. As
Robertson's (Hood's division, Longstreet's Corp) right wing pushes east, the northern most unit withdraws and intermixes with the line formed by the
124th NY and the
86th NY.
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4:20 - 4:25 pm - The right wing of
Robertson's brigade is comprised of the
3rd AR and the
1st TX. As it approaches DD, the
3rd AR slides north into Rose Woods; but the
1st TX, after pausing to reform at the west wall of the Triangular Field, heads straight for
Smith's battery and the supporting
124th NY at the crest of the ridge formed by DD.
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4:30 - 4:35 pm - As the
1st TX continues to engage
Smith and the
124th NY, the
3rd AR to the north in Rose Woods is falling back. The left of the
1st TX becomes uncovered and they dispatch
Company G to guard that flank. Its not enough and the regiment falls back to the west wall of the Triangular Field.
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4:30 - 4:35 pm - The
99th PA, originally on the far right of
Ward's brigade moves SW to a supporting position behind
Ward's other regiments at the high point on the DD ridge.
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4:35 pm - The
44th and
48th AL regiments (Laws' brigade, Hood's division) have shifted from the extreme right of the Confederate line to the center and ended up astride of Plum Run SW of the tip of the DD ridge. They form,
44th AL on the right,
48th AL on the left in front of the
4th ME's skirmishers and main body. One of the
2nd US Sharpshooter units has fallen back into this sector as well. When the
44th AL comes within 50 yards of the
4th ME it is briefly halted by a deadly volley.
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4:40 - 4:45 pm - The
1st TX, and the
3rd AR to their left, charge
Ward's line and
Smith's battery again. This time the
124th NY counter charges over the eastern wall of the Triangular Field and pushes the
1st TX back, getting to within 100 feet of the Triangle's SW wall.
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4:40 - 4:50 pm - The
44th AL divides with the left unit heading straight up the slope towards the flank of
Smith's battery. They clash with detached
Company F of the
4th ME, capturing most of that unit. The right section works its way thru the boulders in the Plum Run gorge, to the left of the
48th AL, both headed straight at the
4th ME. The
4th ME reacts quickly. Warned by skirmishers, it pulls back, away from the
48th AL blasting it from the woods and away from the threat to its R flank now posed by the oncoming
44th AL.
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4:45 pm - One of
Smith's guns is disabled, limbers up, and begins a slow move NNE up the ridge line to the rear. Its departure leaves
Smith with 3 active guns on the crest of DD.
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4:50 - 4:55 pm - The charging
124th NY surges against the
1st TX multiple times before running up against a newly arrived second line of fresh
Confederates in the
20th GA (Benning's brigade, Hood's division). The
20th GA intermixes with the struggling
1st TX and together they push the
124th NY back.
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4:50 - 4:55 pm - The
4th ME disengages and withdraws 150 yards NNE halting east of the back slope of DD ridge. There they immediately reform and storm up the slope to the west to reclaim
Smith's three remaining guns that have been abandoned. They surprise the
44th AL which pulls back to the SW, and then engage the simultaneously advancing
20th GA. Meanwhile, the
48th AL, their
4th ME frontal foe having pulled back, and taking heavy flanking fire from the
16th MI and
44th NY (Vincent's brigade, Barnes' division, Fifth Corp) on LRT, pulls back to the relative safety of the Round Top saddle woods from whence they came.
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4:55 - 5:05 pm - The
2nd GA, on the far right of Benning's brigade, advances to the NE thru the boulders amongst which Plum Run meanders, its left flank crowding DD's wall of rock atop of which fierce fighting rages. They are surprised and briefly halted by sudden fire from
Smith's hidden rear section 350 yards up the valley.
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5:00 - 5:05 pm - The
99th PA charges down the ridge line of DD in support of the
4th ME and together, with help from some intermixed
2nd US Sharpshooters, push the
Confederates off the crest and nose of DD. The
Union briefly regains control of DD.
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5:05 - 5:10 pm - The
20th GA and the left of the
1st TX counter charge capturing
Smith's battery and pushing back the
4th ME; while the
44th AL, and
17th GA (Benning's brigade) engage and push back the
99th PA. This action triggers the beginning of the overall withdrawal of
Ward's brigade to the NNE.
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5:05 - 5:15 pm - As the
2nd GA continues to advance up the Plum Run Valley, still under fire from
Smith's rear section, the
6th NJ (Burling's brigade, Humphrey's division, Third Corp) advances down the Houck Ridge slope closing the range for more effective fire against the
Confederates but in doing so they inadvertently block the line of fire for
Smith.
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5:10 pm - The
40th NY (DeTrobriand's brigade, Birney's division, Third Corp) charges down the Plum Run Valley, coming abreast of and then passing by the
6th NJ. They push back the
2nd GA which in turn, aided by the
17th GA, fends off a number of pushes by the
40th NY.
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5:20 pm - When the
48th AL, from the cover of the woods, joins the firing on the
40th NY; and all but the
6th NJ of the
Union units has pulled back on their right, the
40th NY withdraws from the short but vicious fight.
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5:35 pm - Three of Benning's four regiments, the
20th GA, 17th GA, and
2nd GA, along with the
44th AL are now in control of DD, in possession of 3 of
Smith's guns, and take up defensive positions. Their sharpshooters now fire freely on the
Vincent's defenders on LRT; history giving them credit for killing
Weed and
Hazlett with long range rifle fire.
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6:10 pm - As
Burbank's brigade (Ayres' division, Fifth Corp) crosses the Plum Run Valley en route to Houck's ridge well to the north of DD, rifle fire from the
Confederate regiments in DD harasses
Burbank's left. He dispatches a skirmish line from the
17th US Regulars to deter the firing.
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6:20 pm - The
15th GA and
1st TX, heavily engaged at the beginning of the DD fighting, and then fighting along the ridge line all the way north to the Wheatfield, eventually withdraws all the way back to the northern wall of the Triangular Field in the face of
Caldwell's division's (Second Corp) advance through the Wheatfield and Rose Woods. The
15th GA subsequently joins the
Confederate counter attack against
Caldwell, leaving the shelter of the wall a short while later while the
1st TX stays put.
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8:10 pm - With fighting to the north in the Wheatfield and Rose Wood's all but done for the day, the
15th GA once again returns, in the growing darkness, to the north wall of the Triangular Field. They take up position to the left of the
1st TX with which they have closely fought for the entire afternoon and evening.
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8:20 pm - Two companies of the
1st TX are detached from the regiment to haul
Smith's three captured guns to the
Confederate rear. The balance of the regiment adjusts it position to align with and support the left flank of the
20th GA and faces
McCandless' brigade (Crawford's division, Fifth Corp) line and its skirmishers well to the north along Houck's Ridge. The
15th AL also shifts from the N stone wall to a support position behind the three other regiments of Benning's brigade.
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8:40 pm - The
3rd AR, which has earlier withdrawn to the west edge of Rose Woods with
Anderson's brigade, moves to the Triangular Field's east wall and takes up a supporting position behind that wall and the bivouacked regiments on the DD high ground.
