Seeing an opportunity, Confederate General Richard S. Ewell launched an attack on Culp's Hill and his men occupied the earthworks deserted by the withdrawn units.

At dawn on July 3, 1863, the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, devised a plan to launch a massive assault on the center of the Union line (the attack now infamously known as Pickett's Charge).

Forced into action by the bombardment, Ewell sent a message back to Lee saying that he could not wait for the main assault to begin to attack, and was sending his troops into battle.

The 20th Connecticut was tasked with scouting the movements of the enemy and relaying that information to nearby batteries and did so while stayed in the woods overlooking the Confederate position.

It was a dangerous task as they had to be close to the target in order to give accurate reports and several men of the 20th were killed or wounded due to misfires or faulty ammunition.