The XI Corps commander, Howard, completely frustrated by the failure of his Dutchmen to hold a protected position, ordered Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz to advance on the Confederates holding Wiedrich’s batteries. Schurz in turn ordered Colonel Wladimir Krzyzanowski, commanding the 2nd Brigade of Schurz’s division, to take two regiments and drive on the Rebel salient at the batteries. Colonel Charles Coster’s 1st Brigade came up in support and, coupled with the appearance of Carroll’s three regiments, was sufficient force not only to dislodge the Rebels but also to threaten their destruction.

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Hays had received information — false, as it turned out — that Early was sending Gordon’s brigade up Cemetery Hill in support, so he the line as best he could. When Gordon failed to appear, Hays went back down the hill himself and found Gordon’s command posted at its old jump-off position. Returning to the brigade, Hays determined that it was time to get out and issued orders accordingly. By 10 p.m. the hard-won gains of the two courageous Southern brigades were simply ceded to the Federals.

On Early’s right, Rodes’ division had just cleared the town when Hays’ and Avery’s soldiers came tumbling down the hill. Brigadier General S.D. Ramseur’s brigade was in the van, and he had been given discretionary orders by Rodes to attack if conditions were favorable. Ramseur could clearly make out the massed Federal infantry and artillery, and the fact that Early’s assault had failed must have been known by him. He conferred briefly with Brig. Gen George Doles and decided not to push his brigade up the hill.

The fighting had now come to an end with the exception of the ever-present sharpshooter and the occasional shell burst.The dead and dying lay all over the hillside. Among the retreating Confederates, there was anger at the lack of support given the assaulting brigades. No one was more angry than Tate. He demanded to know why Gordon had not been sent. Early flushed but did not respond until later. His answer, given in his postaction report, which did not give due credit to the 6th North Carolina’s impressive achievement, stated: It was ascertained that no advance was made on the right and that ordering Gordon forward would have been a useless sacrifice of life.

Tate, fearing the 6th would be slighted, sent a letter to Governor Zebulor Vance of North Carolina on July 8: I look for no special mention of our Regiment, while it is the only one in the A.N.V. which did go in and silence the guns on the heights…but it is due to the noble dead, as well as the living that these men be noticed….Inside the works the enemy were left lying in great heaps and most all with bayonet wounds, and many with skulls broken with the breeches of our guns. We left not a living man on the hill of our enemy. Casualties for the 6th North Carolina during the Gettysburg campaign were 172 killed, wounded, and missing.

The battle on the Federal right remains the subject of endless speculation. In the end, the only way the Army of Northern Virginia could have succeeded in driving off its foes — and this is pure conjecture — would have been with a total commitment of both II and III Corps to an attack on the flanks at Cemetery Hill. Lee’s failure was due both to a lack of concert of action, as he would explain in his postaction report, and also to the fighting will of his resilient enemy, the Army of the Potomac.

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