[635] direction of Rock Creek from the Spangler house by following the base of Culp's Hill. A fresh and shady spring, called Spangler's Spring, spouts out at the base of the hillock, presently losing itself in this marsh.
Before Meade had stripped his right, Geary's division, and more to the south that of McDougall 1 of the Twelfth corps, occupied the east front of Culp's Hill to the right of Wadsworth, as far as Spangler's Spring. They have erected intrenchments which follow this front as far as the edge of the valley, descending in the direction of Rock Creek, are continued on the other side south-eastward by skirting, for a distance of about fifty yards, the stone wall above mentioned, and terminate finally between Rock Creek and the spring. On the other side of the swamp, which is almost impassable at this point, the Colgrove and Lockwood brigades had intrenched themselves along the stream, extending their right as far as the vicinity of the Baltimore turnpike. This position is a strong one, but too much extended, and too near the turnpike, which it is important to defend at any cost, it being the line of retreat of the army. At the south it is covered by Power's and McAllister's Hills, which are occupied by Slocum's artillery; but more to the north a triangular wood, intervening between the marshy swale, the small valley which descends at the south, and a cross-road, would enable the enemy to reach the Spangler house by surprise, and thence the road itself. At this juncture Lockwood's and Williams' brigades are summoned to the left. Two of Geary's brigades that have followed them do not arrive in time to participate in the fight on this side, and their absence is sensibly felt on the right, for the third, under Greene, being left alone, cannot furnish with troops the whole line of intrenchments, extending to a distance of nearly sixteen hundred yards.
It is at the moment when nearly the whole Twelfth corps is abandoning this position that Johnson puts his columns in motion to attack it. Leaving the open slopes which he occupied, he descends in the direction of Rock Creek, and soon finds himself masked by the woods that are lining the right bank: his division, drawn up in two lines, the left resting on the Taney house, crosses without opposition the numerous fords of the stream. His artillery
