Timeline: East Cemetery Hill – The Battle of Gettysburg

Cemetery Hill is 80 feet above the town center. The hill’s crest is about 700 yards long and runs from southwest to northeast and is bisected by the Baltimore Pike. Union forces repelled a Confederate assault up the eastern slopes of the hill at dusk on July 2^nd. Henceforth that historical site is called “East Cemetery Hill”

Abbreviations used below: ECH – East Cemetery Hill; CH – Cemetery Hill (west of ECH and the Baltimore Pike
Unit placement information on Cemetery Hill can be found under a separate “Cemetery Hill” timeline

Day 1 - July 1, 1863

1:15 pm – Coster’s brigade (von Steinwehr’s division, Eleventh Corps) arrives from the south and takes a position on ECH where they will support Wiedrich’s battery.
1:55 pm – Wiedrich’s 1^st NY Battery I (Osborn’s battalion, Eleventh Corps) takes up position facing to the NNE after having received reports of Confederates approaching from that sector.
4:00 pm – Coster’s brigade is ordered north to support the bulk of the Eleventh Corps engaged in heavy fighting around Barlow’s Knoll.
4:20 pm – The 73^rd OH (Smith’s brigade, von Steinwehr’s division) moves from the western slope of CH to support Wiedrich.
4:35 pm – The 6^th NY and 3^rd WV cavalry regiments (Devin’s brigade, Buford’s division, Cavalry Corps) pass over the ECH crest heading south, while withdrawing from the Union army’s right flank NE of the town.
4:55 pm – After withdrawing from Seminary Ridge, a three-gun section of Stewart’s 4^th US Battery B (Wainwright’s battalion, First Corps), commanded by Davison, takes position to the left of Wiedrich. Similarly, three serviceable guns of Cooper’s 1^st PA Battery B (Wainwright’s battalion, First Corps) arrive and unlimber to the right of Wiedrich facing NE. Cooper’s fourth gun has a broken axle and continues further to the rear.
5:00 pm – Reynold’s 1^st NY Battery L (Wainwright’s battalion, First Corps), now commanded by Breck, arrives. Four guns unlimber to Cooper’s right, facing NE, while one gun, commanded by Wilbur, takes up position on the Baltimore Pike. The sixth gun has been captured on Seminary Ridge.
5:05 pm – Stewart’s fourth gun arrives and joins Davison’s 3-gun section. Stewart’s two remaining guns are disabled and continue to the rear.
5:07-5:10 pm – The remaining companies of the 6^th NY Calvary cross ECH from the NE as they withdraw south to join the balance of the regiment.
5:15 pm – A 2-gun section of Wilkerson’s 4^th US Battery B (Osborn’s battalion), commanded by Merkle unlimbers between Wiedrich and Cooper.
5:15 pm – The 73^rd OH leaves ECH to rejoin Smith’s brigade on CH.
5:15-5:20 pm – The chaotic retreat, thru the streets of town, by Barlow’s (now Ames’) Eleventh Corps brigades of von Gilsa and Harris (formerly Ames), reaches the SE slope of ECH. There the 153^rd PA, 54^th NY and 68^th NY (von Gilsa); and 25^th OH, 75^th OH and 107^th OH (Harris) begin to consolidate and reorganize.
5:30 pm – Coster’s regiments (134^th NY, 154^th NY, 27^th PA, 73^rd PA) arrive and reorganize on ECH after withdrawing from their fight NW of town.
5:30 pm – The 17^th CT (Harris’ brigade) arrives on ECH after a rearguard action during Eleventh Corps’ withdrawal thru town. They form a line of battle behind a stone wall on the east slope of the hill.
5:35 pm – Gen. Howard orders the 17^th CT forward to the “next” stone wall to the north.
5:40 pm – The remnants of Harris’ and von Gilsa’s brigades rejoin their respective regiments after serving as part of the rear guard on the retreat south.
5:40-5:50 pm – The 17^th CT advances yet again, this time across a lot to a rail fence in an orchard at the edge of town and establishes a strong skirmish line. The 73^rd OH re-crosses the Baltimore Pike from CH and takes up a position on the crest of ECH. The 73^rd PA follows the 17^th CT down the northern side of ECH and joins the skirmishing.
5:50-6:00 pm – Harris’ reorganized brigade (sans 17^th CT) moves across the eastern face of ECH to the northern crest, and forms a line running from the right of the 73^rd OH down to the Brickyard lane.
6:00-6:15 pm – After having engaged strongly positioned Confederate skirmishers firing from the Gettysburg buildings at the southern end of town, the 73^rd PA pulls back. Leaving Company B at the Wagon Hotel, the remaining 9 companies reform behind the batteries at the crest of hill.
6:15-6:25 pm – von Gilsa’s three regiments, 54^th NY, 68^th NY and 153^rd PA (41^st NY is detached and not yet on the battlefield), now reorganized, begin to redeploy. The 54^th NY and 68^th NY take up positions along Brickyard Lane at the NE corner of ECH. The 153^rd PA goes north up the Baltimore Pike and deploys at the edge of the cemetery, facing east, behind Merkle and Cooper.
6:20-6:25 pm – The 25^th OH, now as a strong skirmish line, advances down the northern slope of ECH and deploys to the left of the 17^th CT in the area vacated by the 73^rd PA minutes earlier.
7:10 pm – Its broken axle repaired, Cooper’s fourth gun rejoins the rest of the battery.
7:15 pm – From the hill’s eastern slope, Coster’s brigade, now reorganized, moves west across the Baltimore Pike and assumes a reserve position in the cemetery. The 73^rd PA rejoins the brigade there.
8:07-8:15 pm – A 2-gun section of Wiedrich’s battery, commanded by Schmidt, moves from the crest of ECH to the southern end of CH facing west along the Taneytown Road.
10:00 pm – The heretofore detached 41^st NY arrives and takes up a position at the southern end of the hill. They bivouac there for the night.
10:10-10:20 pm – The 73^rd OH leaves its position on the northern crest of the hill, following the other regiments of the brigade south. They take up a reserve position and bivouac in the cemetery.

Day 2 - July 2, 1863

Overnight – Breck has officially taken command of Reynolds’ battery; Bancroft has officially taken command of Wilkerson’s battery.
4:05 – 4:10 am – Two companies of the 41^st NY deploy as skirmishers in the fields east of the hill.
4:20 am – Merkle’s 2-gun section follows the other 4-guns of Bancroft’s battery as they head south to a new position.
5:05 am – Wilbur’s 1-gun leaves its overnight position in the middle of the Baltimore Pike to join the rest of Breck’s battery.
5:05 – 5:10 am –The 33^rd MA (Smith’s brigade) changes position from the Taneytown Rd., facing west, to the Baltimore Pike behind Breck’s battery, facing east.
7:43 – 7:50 am – The 153^rd PA sends skirmishers down the eastern slope of the hill, across the Brickyard lane and into the fields to the right of the 17^th CT.
1:45 – 2:10 pm – The skirmishers of the 41^st NY return from the eastern fields and rejoins the regiment, which then moves north on the Baltimore Pike and takes up a position behind and in support of Stewart’s and Wiedrich’s batteries.
2:00 – 2:15 pm – After over 20-hours engaged in a stalemate with snipers and sharpshooters of Hays’ brigade (Early’s division, Ewell’s corps) concealed in the yards and buildings south of town, the 25^th OH and the 17^th CT withdraw back to the crest of the hill. They reestablish the line of the day before, to the right of the 107^th OH.
4:50 pm – After over an hour of Union batteries from Tyler’s Artillery Reserve Division reinforcing the battery line over on CH, Ricketts’ 1^st PA Battery F & G (Huntington’s battalion, Tyler’s division) arrives on ECH. They have orders to replace Cooper’s battery, which has thus far experienced two hard days of fighting; but at this time is still engaged in a long-distance artillery duel with Latimer’s batteries (Johnson’s division, Ewell’s Corps) nearly a mile away on Benner’s Hill. Ricketts waits on the western side of the Baltimore Pike.
6:25 – 6:30 pm – Latimer’s guns on Benner’s Hill have been silenced. Cooper’s battery limbers and withdraws to the artillery reserve park to the south. One gun has been disabled during the engagement with Latimer.
6:35 pm – Rickett’s battery moves and occupies Cooper’s vacated position, placing 4 of his guns in Cooper’s lunettes.
6:40 pm – With sunset an hour away, Howard takes action to strengthen the ECH defensive line. After a 4-hour respite from their skirmish line assignment, the 41^st NY is ordered back into the fields east of the hill. The 54^th NY shifts position to the south in anticipation of other units joining them along Brickyard Lane.
6:44 – 7:00 pm – The 33^rd MA moves down the eastern slope from their position along the Baltimore Pike, and joins the 41^st NY with a strong skirmish line in the eastern fields.
6:45 – 6:55 pm – The 68^th NY slides south along Brickyard Lane and takes position on the left of the 54^th NY. Meanwhile, the 153^rd NY moves down the hill’s eastern slope, from behind the batteries, to a position on the left of the 54^th NY.
7:00 – 7:05 pm – Harris is ordered to change front with two of his regiments, the 75^th OH and 17^th CT, partially filling the gap created by the departure of the 68^th NY. They change from facing north to east along the Brickyard Lane.
7:05 – 7:10pm – The 25^th OH and 107^th OH move down the eastern slope of the hill, still facing north, connecting with the other units along the Brickyard Lane.
7:22 – 7:25 pm – The 17^th CT is ordered to fill the gap between the 75^th OH and 153^rd PA, and moves to the right, but in doing so creates a new gap on the left of the 75^th OH.
7:29 – 7:40 pm – Two companies of skirmishers from the 17^th CT leave their line along the Brickyard Lane and take up a position to the right of the 153^rd NY skirmish line.
7:41 pm – Local sunset.
8:00 pm – The 107^th OH and 25^th OH stretch their respective lines to more fully occupy their north facing front. The 25^th OH forms a salient, half facing north and half facing east along the Brickyard Lane.
8:05 pm – Wiedrich’s, Ricketts’ and Breck’s batteries begin shelling the Louisianans of Hays’ brigade (Early’s division, Ewell’s corp) and the North Carolinians of Avery’s brigade (Early’s division, Ewell’s corp) after they have crossed Winebrenner’s Run during the early minutes of their assault of ECH. Eastern facing guns on the crest of CH, 4 of Taft’s 5^th NY Battery (Tyler’s Artillery Reserve) and Norton’s 1^st OH Battery H (Huntington’s Brigade, Artillery Reserve) also fire on the Rebels.
8:05 – 8:16 pm – The 153^rd PA and 17^th CT skirmish lines, significantly pressured by Hays’ advance, scamper back to their respective regiments positioned along Brickyard Lane.
8:05 – 8:20 pm – Becoming aware of the 700-yard long battle line, the over 2,400 men of Hays and Avery advancing from the north and flanking their respective positions, the strong skirmish lines of the 41^st NY and 33^rd MA regiments hastily return to the Union line, extending it south along Brickyard Lane.
8:10 pm – The 74^th PA, 61^st OH, 157^th NY, 45^th NY and 82^nd IL regiments of Amsberg’s brigade (Schurz’s division, Eleventh Corps) march over the crest of CH/ECH heading south along the Baltimore Pike enroute to reinforcing the undermanned Twelfth Corps on Culps’ Hill after Candy’s and Cobham’s brigades (Geary’s division, Twelfth Corps) are ill advisedly ordered south.
8:15 – 8:20 – Hays’ right regiments, the 5^th LA and 6^th LA are the first to engage Union infantry, the 25^th OH and 107^th OH at the north corner foot of the hill. The 9^th LA, brigade center, and the 7^th LA and 8^th LA to their left, subsequently wheel right and strike the Union line head-on along the Brickyard Lane. Avery’s brigade, having a longer march route along the left edge of the arc, lags 250-yards behind.
8:15 – 8:20 pm – As 4 of Amsberg’s regiments move toward Culp’s Hill, the 74^th PA remains behind and takes up position to the right of Breck’s battery.
8:20 pm – The 75^th OH extends it line to the left, plugging the gap and connecting with the right of the 25^th OH salient line. The ensuing single rank line becomes a weak spot on Harris’ line.
8:20 pm – Avery’s brigade, 6^th NC, 21^st NC and 57^th NC, now commanded by Goodwin after Avery is mortally wounded, is pounded by straight-on, clear field of fire shelling from Steven’s 5^th ME Battery E (Wainwright’s battalion, First Corps), positioned on what later becomes know as Steven’s Knoll. The battery is now commanded by Whittier after Stevens was earlier wounded by confederate skirmishers. Breck’s 5-gun battery, at the southern end of the artillery line on the hill also inflicts heavy casualties on the North Carolinians.
8:25 – 8:30 pm – Hays’ men slam into the 25^th, 75^th,107^th OH and 17^th CT of Harris’ brigade as well as the left of von Gilsa’s 153^rd PA. The ensuing hand to hand fighting results in the Union troops beginning to fall back up the slope.
8:25 – 8:30 pm – As Goodwin’s brigade reaches the base of the slope, they begin their charge against von Gilsa’s regiments and the 33^rd MA to their right. The three right guns of Whittier’s battery, no longer able to depress their muzzles to fire into Goodwin’s left flank, move to the left of the battery and resume their horrific fire.
8:35 – 8:45 pm –Hays’ right regiments, the 5^th and 6^th LA, set their sights on 2-sections of Wiedrich’s battery in their front as they continue to push back Harris’ right. Meanwhile the 9^th LA slides around the left flank of the 75^th OH, who along with the 17^th CT are stubbornly holding their position against the 7th and 8th LA on Hays’ right.
8:35 – 8:50 pm – The 21^st NC, at the center of Goodwin’s advancing line, crashes in to the 54^th and 64^th NY and the left companies of the 41^st NY, all fought out from Day 1 losses, scattering them back up the slope into the firing guns of Rickett’s and Breck’s batteries, the right companies of the regiment do most of the damage. The left half of the 21^st NC initially stalls, fighting the more resolute right regiments of the 41^st NY, who refuse their left and thwart the flanking movements of the Rebels.
8:40 – 8:50 pm – The 6^th NC, on Goodwin’s right, adds their weight to the 8^th LA’s fight against the immovable 17^th CT. The 8^th LA splits, with its right companies attempting to flank the Union line, while the larger balance of the regiment continues forward driving the 153^rd PA back toward Rickett’s battery.
8:50 – 8:55 pm – The 58^th and 119^th NY (Kryzanowski’s Brigade, Schurz’s division, Eleventh Corps), reinforcements ordered from their positions on the west slope of CH, arrive behind Wiedrich’s gun and immediately charge into the fray. They advance thru the guns and the withdrawing mass of men from the 107^th and 25^th OH, and slam into the 5^th and 6^th LA.
8:50 – 8:55 pm – The 9^th LA, moving past the right of the stalled 6^th LA; the 6^th NC left wing, moving past their embattled right wing; and the 21^st NC right wing moving past their engaged left wing, emerge from the chaos along Brickyard Lane. They converge on the 153^rd PA, pushing them back up the slop, but suddenly find themselves advancing directly in front of Rickert’s and Breck’s 11 guns, and also receiving flanking fire from the 74^th PA.
9:00 – 9:05 pm – The 7^th WV, 14^th IN and 4^th OH (Carroll’s brigade, Hays’ division, Second Corps), reinforcements ordered from their positions on Cemetery Ridge, arrive and deploy on the Baltimore Pk. behind Rickert and Breck. They immediately advance thru the retreating Eleventh Corps, fighting hand to hand amongst the artillery pieces and stopping the Louisianans and North Carolinians.
9:00 – 9:10 pm – The 58^th NY and 119^th NY push the 5^th and 6^th LA from amongst Wiedrich’s guns and back down the north slope of the hill. Along the Brickyard Lane, the 75^th OH and 17^th CT finally gain the upper hand against the 7^th and 8^th LA, and a portion of the 6^th NC fighting at their side. They begin their withdrawal back across the fields.
9:05 – 9:15 pm – Further south, the 41^st NY right companies, that had held the line to the left of and along with the 33^rd MA, also begin to push back the 57th NC and the separated left companies of the 21^st NC.
9:10 – 9:20 pm – The 7^th WI, 14^th IN and 4^th OH continue their charge down the eastern slope, pushing the last of the Rebel’s back across the Brickyard Lane and in to the fields to the east. Now dark, the fight for East Cemetery Hill has ended.

Day 3 - July 3, 1863

No significant changes to infantry positions during Day 3.
2:25 pm – As the massive Confederate artillery bombardment begins to wind down, Norton’s battery, thus far positioned facing the ECH valley, but on the CH side of the Baltimore Pike, limbers and moves to reinforce the western face of CH, after Hill’s WV Battery C (Huntington’s battalion, Tyler’s Division of the Artillery Reserve) retires to the south.
2:35 – 2:45 pm – The 4 guns of Wiedrich’s battery, positioned on the high point of the hill, facing NE, turn 180-degrees to the west, to face the fields into which Pettigrew’s division will soon advance.
2:45 – 2:50 pm – One section of Rickett’s battery changes front from east to facing west, alongside Wiedrich.
3:30 – 3:40 pm –Three of Taft’s guns, thus far positioned facing the ECH valley, but on the CH side of the Baltimore Pike, limber and moves to the western face of CH, occupying the position just vacated by two other of his guns, retiring to the south.