The West Virginians jumped their mounts over the stone wall into the midst of the defenders. The Federals slashed with their sabers as the Texans swung rifles, triggered shots and even threw rocks. ‘The firing for a few minutes was front, rear and towards the flank,’ said a Confederate. Texas Private H.W. Berryman claimed that he personally rounded up five or six prisoners and ‘pointed to the rear and told them to git.’ He watched as a comrade shot at a Yankee and ‘blew his brains out.’

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The West Virginians milled about in great confusion. When they were entirely surrounded, Richmond shouted for them to cut their way out. Some of them jumped their horses back over the wall, while others veered left or right to escape. They fled to the safety of Bushman’s woods. ‘Our regiment suffered terribly,’ wrote a member. ‘It cost us a fearful price.’ Their losses amounted to 21 killed, 34 wounded and 43 captured, or a fourth of the nearly 400 in the regiment.

Within minutes, however, the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, supported by several companies of the 5th New York Cavalry, renewed the attack. The Texans, who had numbered slightly fewer than 200 when they had manned the stone wall, braced themselves. The Federals came on ‘with energy,’ but as Lieutenant Henry C. Potter of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry declared, ‘The Rebs in our front appeared by the thousands. They seemed to come out of the ground like bees.’

The Enfields flashed in another volley from the stone wall. ‘They gave us such a rattling fire,’ Potter wrote of the Rebels, ‘we all gave way and retreated toward the woods.’ It was over in a handful of minutes. The losses in the two regiments amounted to 20 officers and men killed or wounded.

In the meantime, Farnsworth had readied the 1st Vermont Cavalry, 12 companies in all, roughly 400 officers and men. He divided the regiment into three battalions, four companies each under Lt. Col. Addison W. Preston, Major William Wells and Captain Henry C. Parsons. As they formed ranks, Parsons noticed Captain Oliver T. Cushman in ‘a white duck `fighting jacket,’ trimmed with yellow braid.’ When Parsons remarked that it would make Cushman a conspicuous target, the officer replied that a ‘lady’ had made it for him and ‘no rebel bullet could pierce it.’

The Vermonters emerged from the woods after the repulse of the other three regiments. ‘The Texans had ceased firing,’ wrote bugler Joseph Allen, ‘and we knew they were waiting to pick us off at short range.’ The Federals surged ahead. When the Texans fired, most of the bullets whizzed over the heads of the troopers. The Vermonters reached the wall and went over it. The smoke was so thick that the Texans ‘could not take accurate aim,’ recalled a Vermont trooper.

Parsons’ battalion spearheaded the charge. Once across the wall, the captain led his companies north toward the John Slyder farm. ‘The sun was blinding,’ recalled Parsons. At the stone farmhouse, the column turned east, following a farm lane toward the lower wooded slope of Big Round Top.

Confederate division commander Evander Law had watched the Texans’ valiant stand at the stone wall. When the 1st West Virginia initiated Farnsworth’s attack, Law ordered the 9th, 11th and 59th Georgia to the support of his two batteries behind the Texans and sent an aide to his Alabama brigade at the base of Big Round Top. Law instructed the staff officer to direct the first regimental commander he found in the woods to advance ‘in a run’ to the rear. The aide came upon the 4th Alabama, repeated Law’s order, and watched as the regiment hurried through the trees to the wood line that overlooked the fields of the Slyder farm. They saw a column of Federal cavalry directly ahead and moving toward them.

‘Cavalry, boys, cavalry!’ yelled an Alabama officer. ‘This is no fight, only a frolic, give it to them!’ The Southerners stood and triggered a volley. For a second time Parsons’ men were fortunate as the enemy fired too high. But the Confederates reloaded and unloosed a ‘random volley,’ in Parsons’ words. Vermonters toppled from saddles. ‘Every time a man near was hit,’ wrote bugler Allen, ‘I could hear the pat of the bullet.’ The Yankees could only see the enemy riflemen ‘by puffs of smoke.’ ‘Our boys really enjoyed that part of the battle,’ bragged an Alabamian.

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