Tom, if I may, I would like to "tweek" your interpretation a little bit.

On July 1st, after arriving on Oak Hill, it was the Brigade Sharpshooters under Major Eugene Blackford of the 5th Alabama that were placed on the left of O'Neal's Brigade, to fill the gap between O'Neal and Dole's Brigade. They made their way down the eastern slope and took a position that included the area around the McLean barn. Many men of the 5th Alabama Infantry would have been out there with the Sharpshooters, but when O'Neal's Brigade went forward, the 5th Alabama was actually held back as a reserve under direct command of General Rodes. By the way, the 3rd Alabama had also been detached from the Brigade and placed on the right with Ramseur's Brigade (I believe - going from memory- not always good )

Due to the fluidity of the situation (additional Union troops continually arriving on the scene to the left of O'Neal) the initial attack by the Confederates at Oak Hill was doomed to fail. The Confederate attack had begun at about 1:30 PM, but was delivered in detail rather than in conjunction with the other brigades. The Confederate Batteries had opened the attack with initial success. Then O'Neal, the left flank element of the three-brigade attack delivered by Rodes, struck next. Advancing after the three Alabama regiments (the 6th, 12th and 26th) had been forced back, Iverson's North Carolina Brigade were literally slaughtered. Both Brigade commanders, O'Neal and Iverson, had sent their soldiers forward while they remained behind. While it isn't clear that either man could have done much had they been with their commands, both provided poor field leadership that day much to the detriment of the Confederate attack. When General Rodes came rushing back to try and find out what had gone wrong, he found Colonel O’Neal with the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, in a support position behind the attacking regiments.

After the attack had floundered, the Alabama Brigade rallied and the 5th Alabama was moved forward (about 3:00 PM) on the left of the Brigade to the area of the McLean farm and spent the next three hours or so, exchanging fire with the continuously reinforced Federals. At about 6:00 PM, the Federal troops looked to be flanking the Confederates on the left and the Sharpshooters and the 5th Alabama began to pull back up Oak Hill. Shortly after, Early's men on the far left, came crashing through the Federal right and the route of the Federals through the town of Gettysburg commenced.

The 5th Alabama and the rest of O’Neal’s Brigade, who “had assembled without order on the hill, rushed forward, still without order, but with all their usual courage, into the charge” and joined in the route of the Federals through the town. Eugene Blackford wrote: “We overtook them as they were entering the town, and my men took their own share in the plundering that went on. I employed myself with the aid of such men as I had with me in destroying whiskey, of which there was an enormous quantity in the town. In half an hour many men were dead drunk, and others were wild with excitement. It was truly a wild scene, rushing through the town capturing prisoners by hundreds; a squad of us would run down a street and come to a corner just as a whole mass of frightened Yanks were rushing up another. A few shots made the whole surrender, and so on until we caught them all. In what was the great error committed the troops should have been pushed on, but, no one was there to take the responsibility, and in the morning the enemy were strongly fortified. The result of this day had been glorious, 5,000 prisoners for us, and much plunder.” When the Brigade reformed, it took up a position along the railroad cut.
Colonel Hall estimated that only 300 of his 380 men entered the fight on July 1st, but of those, 226 were made casualties that day.

While the Sharpshooters had spent the next day (July 2nd) out in the meadow between the lines, after the enemy had been driven through the town the previous evening, the rest of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment were posted in rear on the railroad line near Oak Hill, which position it held, though subject to a constant and severe shelling, until late on the evening of July 2. The command was then ordered forward to support a line of battle in front. This movement was prosecuted until orders came to fall back on the Cashtown road; that is, the regiment occupied that street in Gettysburg which is a continuation of the Cashtown road.

The men were ordered to stand down in Long Lane which led southwest out of Gettysburg. The regiment faced southeast toward Cemetery Hill. They lay in line along the street throughout the night. On the morning of July 3rd, the Brigade with the exception of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, was sent to the left with Johnson’s Division and participated in the fight there. The 5th Alabama (probably only about 100 men in total) was attached to Doles’ Brigade and stayed in town during the morning. Company D was sent to the edge of town as sharpshooters. They built breastworks and remained there until evening. The rest of the Regiment then moved up with Doles’ Brigade and lay in line of battle in a lane. There was no shade and the heat of the sun was almost unbearable. A heavy cannonading was kept up with a great many shells passing over them. Some, from their own batteries exploded over their lines and killed men in Doles’, Ramseur’s and possible Iverson’s Brigades. Meanwhile, the Brigade Sharpshooters under Eugene Blackford had remained in Gettysburg in the houses overlooking Cemetery Hill. They would witness Pickett's charge and offer support by sniping at the Union gun crews on Cemetery Hill on July 3rd.

The rest of the Regiment were awaken just after midnight on July 4th and moved back to a position out of town on elevated ground in the area of Oak Hill where, after daylight, they built a strong breastwork. It rained during the day, so the men put up tents and lay under them. There were a large number of the enemy’s dead and dead horses lying behind their position which produced a most disagreeable smell. Blackford’s Sharpshooters were also withdrawn and joined them there later in the day. On the retreat the following day (July 5th), Blackford and his Sharpshooters served as the rear guard.

Hopefully, the details provided on the movements of the 5th Alabama at Gettysburg are of interest. I would certainly welcome any critiques as to the accuracy of this account and also any additional details anyone could provide.