Captain (later Colonel) Benjamin Little of Company E, 52 NC wrote an account regarding the action of 3 July 1863: "... our brigade [was] put in position to the left of Pickett's division, directly behind artillery, moved about and got into place about eleven [a.m.]. Generals Lee, Longstreet, Hill and a number of general officers met in a shady bottom near a little branch. Lee sat on a stump, was reading a paper of some kind a long time before the action. After one gun, the whole artillery, from the whole line opened on cemetery hill, with tremendous force, from one to three and a half [probably closer to 2:30 p.m.], when it slackened and the order was given for advance. The whole line two deep. In the advance Pettigrew's brigade of Heth's division was to the left of Pickett's, as they advanced. Pickett doubled on Pettigrew. As they got up close they were thinned out very rapidly. Going over a fence on the Emmitsburg road was shot in the arm. After firing was over, and Union men came out to take prisoners one of them with one of my own men helped me to a house on the Taneytown road and afterwards on account of shells, back across a marsh and rocky place where laid all night ..."
Of the field grade officers in the regiment, Col. James K. Marshall was killed on 3 July while leading the brigade. Lt. Col. Marcus A. Parks was wounded and captured 3 July, and Maj. John Q. Richardson was killed 3 July. The 52nd lost 51 killed, 112 wounded, and 15 missing/captured out of a total of 553 engaged, over the course of the battle. An estimated 75 casualties occurred on the first day of the battle (1 July); the remainder on the third day.