Our colonial fathers from North and South fought together when they
brought this republic into being, defended it together in the war of
1812, and triumphed together when they carried the Stars and Stripes
into the heritage of the Montezumas. The final and crucial test of
the republic's strength and durability was the combat on the field
of battle in the war between the states. The battle of Gettysburg is
conceded to be the turning point in that war. Abraham Lincoln said in
his Gettysburg address, in November, 1863: "This nation, conceived
in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal, is now engaged in a great civil war, testing whether this
nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
The great question of that day was the question of state rights and
relationship between state and federal government.
It had now come to the point where it could not be determined in the
councils of peace, although the illustrious Henry Clay and other
statesmen of his day had been the means of successfully deferring from
time to time this crisis for almost a half century.
Gettysburg is a small, quiet town among the hills of Adams county,
in southeastern Pennsylvania, and in 1863 contained about 1,500
inhabitants. It had been founded by James Gettys in about 1780. He
probably never dreamed that his name, thus given to the village, would
become famous in history for all time.
The hills around Gettysburg are little more than general swells of
ground, and many of them were covered with timber when the legions of
the North and South fought out the destinies of the republic on those
memorable July days in 1863.
Lee's army was flushed with the victories of Fredericksburg and
Chancellorsville, and public opinion was demanding an invasion of the
North.
Lee crossed the Potomac early in June, after leaving General Stuart
with his cavalry and a part of Hill's corps to prevent Hooker from
pursuing. He began to concentrate his army around Hagerstown, Md.,
and prepare for a campaign in Pennsylvania. His army was organized
into three corps under the respective commands of Longstreet, Ewell
and A. P. Hill. Lee had driven his army so as to enter Pennsylvania
by different routes, and to assess the towns along the way with large
sums of money. In the latter part of June Lee was startled by the
information that Stuart had failed to detain Hooker, and that the
Federals were in hot pursuit. He soon conceived that the two armies
must soon come together in a mighty death struggle, which meant that a
great battle must be fought, a greater battle than this western world
has heretofore known, which is claimed by historians as being one of
the decisive battles of the world.
The Army of the Potomac had changed leaders, and George Gordon Meade
was now its commander, having succeeded Hooker on June 28th. Thus
for the third time the Army of the Potomac in ten months had a new
commander.
The two great armies were scattered over portions of Maryland and
southern Pennsylvania. Both were marching northward along parallel
lines, the Federals endeavoring to stay between Lee's army and
Washington. It was plain that they must soon come together in a
gigantic conflict; but just where the shock of battle was to take place
was yet unknown.
Meade sent General Buford in advance with 4,000 cavalry to intercept
the Confederate advance guard.
On the night of June 30th Buford encamped on a hill a mile west from
Gettysburg, and here on the following morning the great battle had its
beginning.
On the morning of July 1st the two armies were still well scattered,
the extremes forty miles apart. General Reynolds, with two corps of the
Union army was but a few miles away and was hastening to Gettysburg,
while Longstreet and Hill were approaching from the west, with Hill's
corps several miles in advance.
Buford opened battle against the advance division of Hill's corps
under General Heth. Reynolds soon joined and the first day's battle was
now in full progress. General Reynolds, while placing his troops in
line of battle early in the day, received a death shot in the head by
a Confederate sharpshooter. This was a great loss to the Federals, as
he was one of the bravest and most able generals in the Union army. No
casualty of the war brought more widespread mourning to the North than
the death of General John F. Reynolds. But even this calamity did not
stay the fury of the battle.
Early in the afternoon the Federals were heavily reënforced, and A.
P. Hill had arrived on the field with the balance of his corps, and
the roar of battle was unceasing. About the middle of the afternoon a
breeze lifted the smoke from the field and revealed that the Federals
were falling back towards Gettysburg. They were hard pressed by the
Confederates and were pushed back through the town with the loss of
many prisoners. The Federals took a position on Cemetery Hill and the
first day's battle was over.
If the Confederates had known the disorganized condition of the Federal
troops, they might have pursued and captured a large part of the army.
It is thought by many that if "Stonewall" Jackson had lived to be
there that at this particular time is where he would have delivered
his crushing blow to the Federals and no doubt would have changed the
final result of the battle. Meade was still some miles from the field,
but on hearing of the death of Reynolds sent General Hancock to take
command until he himself should arrive.
The Union loss on the first day was severe. A great commander had
fallen and they had suffered the fearful loss of 10,000 men.
Hancock arrived late in the afternoon, after riding at full speed.
His presence brought an air of confidence, and his promise of heavy
reënforcements all tended to inspire renewed hope in the ranks of the
discouraged army.
Meade reached the scene late at night and chose to make this field the
place of a general engagement. Lee had come to the same decision, and
both called on their outlying legions to make all possible speed to
Gettysburg. The night was spent in the marshaling of troops, getting
position, planting artillery, and bands playing at intervals on the
arrival of new divisions on the field.
General Gordon says that during the night the sound of axes and the
falling of trees in the Federal entrenchments could plainly be heard,
and that he became convinced during the night that by morning they
would be so well fortified on Cemetery Hill that their position would
be almost impregnable, and that he succeeded in getting a council of
officers during the night to take under advisement a night attack on
the enemy, but was told that General Lee had given orders that no
further attack should be made until Longstreet arrived, and he had not
yet arrived.
The dawn of July 2d broke into a beautiful summer day. Both armies
hesitated to begin the battle and remained inactive until in the
afternoon.
The fighting on that day was confined chiefly to the two extremes,
leaving the center inactive. Longstreet commanded the Confederate right
and the Union left was commanded by General Daniel E. Sickles, whose
division lay directly opposite that of Longstreet. The Confederate
left was commanded by General Richard Ewell, who succeeded to the
command of this division after the death of "Stonewall" Jackson at
Chancellorsville. While the Federal right, stationed on Culp's Hill was
commanded by General Slocum.
Between these armies was a hollow into which the anxious farmers had
driven and penned large numbers of cattle, which they thought would
be a place of safety, and could not conceive that any battle could
affect this place of refuge, but when the battle began and the stream
of shells was directed against Round Top this place of refuge became a
raging inferno of bursting shells.
There was a gate at the entrance of the local cemetery at Gettysburg
that had written on it this sign: "All persons found using firearms
in these grounds will be prosecuted with the utmost rigor of the
law." Many a soldier must have smiled at these words, for this gateway
became the very center of the crudest use of firearms yet seen on this
"terrestrial ball."
The plan of General Meade was to have General Sickles connect his
division with that of Hancock and extend southward near the base of
the Round Tops. Sickles found this ground, in his opinion, low and
disadvantageous and advanced his division to higher ground in front,
placing his men along the Emmettsburg road and back toward the Trostle
farm and the wheat-field, thus forming an angle at the peach orchard,
thus leaving this division alone in its position far in advance of the
other Federal lines. This position taken by Sickles was in disobedience
of orders from General Meade, and was considered by Meade, as well as
President Lincoln, as being a great mistake, but General Sickles always
maintained that he did right, and that his position was well taken.
Longstreet was quick to see this apparent mistake and marched his
troops along Sickles' front entirely overlapping the left wing of the
Union army. Lee gave orders to Longstreet to make a general attack,
and the boom of his cannon announced the beginning of the second day's
battle. The Union forces answered quickly with their batteries and the
fight extended from the peach orchard along the whole line to the base
of Little Round Top. The musketry opened all along the line until there
was one continuous roar. Longstreet swept forward in a line or battle
a mile and a half long. He pressed back the Union forces and for a time
it looked as though the Federals would be routed in utter confusion.
At the extreme left, near the Trostle house, was stationed John Biglow,
in command of a Massachusetts battery, with orders to hold his position
at all hazards. He defended his position well, but was finally routed
with great loss by overwhelming numbers. This attack was made by
Longstreet again and again, and was one of the bloodiest spots on the
field at Gettysburg.
The most desperate struggle of the day was to get possession of Little
Round Top, which was the key to the whole battleground west and south
of Cemetery Ridge. General Longstreet sent General Hood with his
division to occupy it. The Federals, under General Warren, defended
this position and were charged on by General Hood's division with fixed
bayonets time after time, which finally became a hand-to-hand conflict,
but the Confederates were pressed down the hillside at the point of
the bayonet, and thus was ended one of the most severe hand-to-hand
conflicts yet known.
Little Round Top was saved to the Union army, but the cost was
appalling. The hill was covered with hundreds of the slain. Many of the
Confederate sharpshooters had taken position among the crevasses of the
rocks in the Devil's Den, where they could overlook the position on
Little Round Top, and their unerring aim spread death among the Federal
officers. General Weed was mortally wounded, and, as General Hazlett
was stooping to receive his last message, a sharpshooter's bullet laid
him dead across the body of his chief.
During this attack, and for some time thereafter, the battle continued
in the valley below, where many thousands were engaged. Longstreet and
Sickles were engaged in a determined conflict, and it was apparent to
all engaged that a decisive battle was being fought, and they were
making a determined effort. Sickles' line was being pressed back to
the base of the hill. His leg was shattered by a bursting shell, while
scores of his officers and thousands of his men lay on the field
to dream of battlefields no more. The coming of darkness ended the
struggle. This valley has been rightly called the "Valley of Death."
While this battle was going on in this part of the field another was
being fought at the other extreme end of the lines. General Ewell was
making an attack on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, held by Slocum,
who had been weakened by the sending of a large portion of his corps
to the assistance of General Sickles. Ewell had three divisions, two
of which were commanded by Generals Early and Johnston. Early made
the attack on Cemetery Hill, but was repulsed after a bloody and
desperate hand-to-hand fight. Johnston's attack on Culp's Hill was
more successful, but was at length repulsed after the Federals had been
heavily reënforced.
Thus closed the second day's battle of Gettysburg. The harvest of
death had been great. The Federal loss during the two days was about
20,000 men; the Confederate loss was nearly as great. The Confederates
had gained an apparent advantage on Culp's Hill, but the Union lines,
except as to this point, were unbroken.
On the night of July 2d Lee held council of war with his generals
and decided to make a grand assault on Meade's center the following
day. Against this decision Longstreet protested in vain, but Lee was
encouraged by the arrival of Pickett's division and Stuart's cavalry,
which had not yet been engaged. Meade had held council with his
officers, and had come to a like decision to defend.
That night a brilliant July moon shed its luster upon the ghastly
field, over which thousands of men lay unable to rise. With many their
last battle was over, but there were great numbers of wounded who were
calling for the kindly touch of a helping hand. Nor did they call
wholly in vain. They were carried to the improvised hospitals where
they were given attention. The dead were buried in unknown graves soon
to be forgotten except by their loving mothers.
All through the night the Confederates were massing their artillery
along Seminary Ridge. The disabled horses were being replaced by
others. The ammunition was being replenished, and all was being made
ready for their work of destruction on the morrow.
The Federals were diligently laboring in the moonlight arranging their
batteries on Cemetery Hill. The coming of morning revealed the two
parallel lines of cannon which signified too well the story of what the
day would bring forth.
On the first day of July, 1863, Pickett's division was encamped near
Chambersburg, Penn., about twenty miles from Gettysburg.
This division was composed of three brigades, commanded by Armistead,
Garnett and Kemper. They had no intimation that they would be called on
to take part in the battle that was going on at Gettysburg. They had
been following up as the rear guard of the Army of Northern Virginia.
[Illustration: BATTLE OF ANTIETAM]
The men were quietly sleeping after a most fatiguing march, and many no
doubt dreaming of their homes along the Atlantic and Chesapeake, and
others of their beautiful mountains and beautiful valleys, and in their
dreams, perhaps, felt the warm kiss of their loved ones. All at once
the long roll was sounded, and these visions vanished as they awoke and
realized that grim war was still rampant. The division was ordered,
about 1 A. M. on the morning of July 2d, to pack up and make ready to
march, and while doing this it was rumored along the lines that Hood's
division of Texans had been repulsed in charging Cemetery Heights at
Gettysburg with frightful loss, and that it was the intention of
General Lee that their division should charge the strong position as a
forlorn hope.
About 3 A. M., on July 2d, the division began to move towards
Gettysburg and marched as rapidly as circumstances would permit, as
the roads were blocked with wagons, artillery, and the wounded of both
armies. At length it arrived at about two o'clock in the evening within
two miles of Gettysburg and immediately went into camp. While they
were doing so a courier rode up and informed the officers that McLaws'
division of Georgians had just made a charge on Cemetery Heights and
had been repulsed with great slaughter. This division, together with
Hood's and Pickett's, made up Longstreet's corps, and it seemed that
each of his divisions was to have the honor of making an assault on
Cemetery Heights. General Pickett now informed his men that he had
orders to hurl his division against this position on the next day
unless the artillery should succeed in dislodging the enemy.
On the following day this division took position in line of battle
directly behind the Confederate artillery line on Seminary Ridge, with
a line of timber between, and had orders to lie down. General Lee
had massed in front of the division about 120 pieces of artillery,
and they were to open on Cemetery Heights and endeavor if possible
to dislodge the enemy. This cannonading began about noon, and was
answered by the enemy with a hundred pieces. A more terrific fire has
never been witnessed by man than occurred there on that July afternoon.
The earth was shaken by its roar, such as probably the younger Pliny
mentioned in his description of the eruption of Vesuvius when Pompeii
and Herculaneum were destroyed. The sky was black with smoke, and livid
with the flame belching from the mouth of the cannon.
During all this cannonading Pickett's division was lying awaiting it to
cease. Round shot whistled through the trees, shells burst over their
heads, dealing destruction within their ranks. The shot and shell from
their enemy's guns that passed over the artillery invariably fell in
the ranks of Pickett's division, which seemed doomed to destruction
without even the opportunity of firing a gun. While this cannonading
was going on, General Armistead and the other brigade commanders
passed along in front of their respective commands informing their
men that unless the artillery succeeded in dislodging the enemy from
Cemetery Heights, they were to charge this position. Although this
had been tried by the respective divisions of McLaw and Hood, and in
each instance had been repulsed with great slaughter, yet they seemed
determined to win for Virginia and the Confederate states a name
which would be handed down to posterity in honor, and which would be
spoken of in pride by not only Virginia but by all America. In this
particular they succeeded, for not only have their foes accorded them
a crown of laurels, but England spoke words of praise for these men,
whose Anglo-Saxon blood nerved them to such a deed.
All at once the terrible cannonading ceased, and the stillness of
death prevailed. General Pickett rode along the line informing his men
that the artillery had not succeeded in driving the enemy from their
strong position. Word was passed down the line from the right that
they were to charge. All were on their feet in a moment and ready; not
a sound was heard; not a shot was fired from any part of the field.
The command, "Forward!" was given, and in five minutes they had passed
through the strip of woods that lay between them and the artillery, and
as they emerged from the cover and passed through the artillery line
the artillerymen raised their hats and cheered them on their way. They
also passed through Lane's brigade of Wilcox's division, whose men were
waiting for orders to support the charge. General Garnett was leading
the center, General Kemper on the right, and General Armistead was
leading the left of the division with a swarm of skirmishers in front.
The smoke had cleared away and revealed the long line of the Federal
position on Cemetery Heights, which was about a mile distant.
When the Federals observed the advance of Pickett's division, which
they had anticipated, they opened fire, which at first ranged over the
advancing columns, but before they had marched half the distance they
began to get range on them. The Confederate lines advanced steadily
and in full confidence. A band on the extreme right continued to play
"Dixie," "The Girl I Left Behind Me," and other familiar airs of the
day. The division was marching directly towards Hancock's position,
this objective point having been given Pickett by General Lee, but
after passing through Wilcox's division in waiting Pickett caused each
of his three brigades to make a half-wheel to the left. This, being
well executed, was attended with some loss of time.
The Federal artillery soon began its death work of destruction.
Pickett's division had been quite near this grim monster before,
but on this occasion he seemed to be pressing on them steadily and
closely, which was enough to make the bravest quail under his ghastly
appearance. The Federals seem to have exhausted their ammunition in
some places in the artillery lines. This being discovered by Pickett,
gave him courage, and he caused his division to move up quickly.
Crossing several fields inclosed by strong fences, he at length reached
the base of the elevation. He once more changed his direction by a
half-wheel to the right, halting to rectify his lines. His division
pushed on, but great gaps were being cut in his lines by the grape and
canister from the Federal artillery, causing such wide openings that
the division had to be halted and dressed first to the right and then
to the left, obliquing and filling up the lines. They were now in close
range of the Federal lines and were being fired upon from behind a
stone wall, and their ranks were fast melting away.
"Death was upon every breeze,
And lurked in every flower."
The division pressed on. Round shot, shell, canister and rifle balls
were poured into them at close range from the front, and a battery on
Round Top raked the line from the right.
Pickett was expecting to be supported by Pettigrew's brigade on the
left, and Lane's brigade on the right. Those brigades, however, were
coming up, but were being met by such strong opposition that they were
entirely outdistanced and fell back finally with Pickett's retreat,
thus leaving Pickett with his three brigades alone in front. The
Confederate ranks were thinning as far as eye could see. Garnett was
killed leading his brigade, his being in the lead. Kemper, coming up
next to the distance of sixty yards behind, brought his brigade to a
halt to give Armistead time to come up for the last and final charge.
They were fired upon by the enemy, posted along the edge of the woods.
This murderous fire almost disorganized them. Armistead, urging his men
forward with his hat on his sword, holding it up as a guide, crossed
over the Union breastworks, and for a time the Confederates seemed
to gain some advantage, but were presently surrounded by overwhelming
numbers. General Armistead was mortally wounded, and nearly all the
other officers of the division were either killed or wounded.
Pickett, seeing the hopelessness of the charge, ordered a retreat of
his shattered lines.
Out of 4,800 men that followed Pickett, scarcely 1,200 to 1,300 got
back into the Confederate lines. Out of eighteen field officers and
four generals, Pickett and one lieutenant colonel alone remained
unharmed.
Pickett's division, together with the supporting brigades under Lane
and Pettigrew, numbered about 14,000 men. Where General Armistead fell
is considered to be the highest point, figuratively speaking, that was
reached by the Southern Confederacy.
Pickett's charge will be remembered by all future Americans as the
English remember that of the Light Brigade, and the French that of the
old guard under Marshal Ney at Waterloo.
The battle of Gettysburg was now over. The loss was about 50,000 men,
which was about equally divided between the two armies.
General Lee decided to lead his army back to Virginia. The Confederates
were much discouraged, for on this same day Vicksburg had been
surrendered to General Grant.
All through the night of July 3d Lee's army was making ready to march
and at the break of day A. P. Hill swung his corps into line of march
through a downpour of rain. The next to follow was Longstreet's corps,
which followed close upon A. P. Hill, and the last to leave was Ewell's
corps, and the retreat was covered by Stuart's cavalry.
General Hood had with him 4,000 prisoners. The wounded were carried
with the retreat in wagons and other ways of conveyance, and were under
the charge of General Imboden.