On July 2, almost 90,00 Union soldiers and 75,00 Confederates stood ready for Gettysburg. Lee ordered General James Longstreet to attack Cemetery Ridge. At about 4:00 pm, Longstreet's troops advanced from Seminary Ridge. The troops split into two groups. Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood attacked Little Round Top, a hill that overlooked much of the southern portion of the battlefield, and Devil's Den, a boulder strewn hill, while Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws attacked the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard.
The Confederates ran over the Union troops who had left their positions on Little Round Top. As a brigade of Alabamans approached it, however, the Union noticed the undefended position. Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain led his Maine troops to meet the Confederates, and succeeded in repulsing repeated attacks. When they had run out of ammunition and more than a third of the brigade had fallen, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge. The Confederates were shocked by the assault and surrendered in swarms. Chamberlain's men succeeded in saving the Union lines from Confederate artillery attacks from Little Round Top
Meanwhile, Confederate troops from Texas had captured Devil's Den, but the victory was short lived when Union troops from New York forced troops from Georgia to retreat. Wheatfield and Peach Orchard attacks also were non-successful. The Union troops had given some ground, but their lines still held at the close of day.