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Night Action on Culp's Hill ---  Wesley Culp Comes Home ---  Lee Plans An Assault --- 
The Death of Jennie Wade ---  The Artillery Bombardment ---  George Pickett ---  The Men Involved ---  The Philadelphia Brigade ---  Pickett's Charge Begins ---  Walter Patton Falls ---  The High Water Mark ---  Casualties of the Charge --- 
Farnsworth's Charge ---  Cavalry Action on July 3rd ---  Situation on The Evening of July 3rd ---  The Final Toll: Casualties of the Battle

As night fell across the battlefield, fighting for possession of Culp's Hill continued. During the evening, General Edward Johnson's division was reinforced by two brigades from Rodes' division and another from Early's division. These reinforcements gave Johnson seven brigades with which to attempt to take Culp's Hill. However, Rodes' contribution to the battle, Daniels' and O'Neal's brigades, had seen action on July 1st and were of little use to Johnson. Meanwhile, "Pop" Greene's Union forces were also reinforced.

At 4:00, Johnson sent in the Stonewall Brigade under General James Walker and a Louisiana brigade commanded by Colonel Jesse Williams. The Confederates advanced smartly until they were to within 100 yards of the Federal positions. It was then that the defenders opened fire. By 4:30, the Federal artillery was so heavy that Johnson's troops actually had to advance in order to survive. These men ran into those of Geary's Union division.

The Confederates continued to try and advance against the Union defenders throughout the morning, but each time, they were repulsed with heavy losses. Two Union brigades, under Colonel Charles Candy and General Thomas Kane, made an advance of their own and soon found themselves in possession of the same trenches captured by Steuart's Marylanders the night before.

The battle for Culp's Hill ended around 11:00 a.m. when the Confederates, suffering heavy losses without gaining much ground, retreated. Johnson's Confederates had suffered 30 percent casualties in their vain attempt to capture the hill. While "Pop" Greene's command lost 20 percent of their number, the average for the rest of XII Corps was approximately 8 percent. The fighting, which raged for seven hours, had been so heavy that some trees were found with more than 200 bullets imbedded in their bark.

Lee Plans an Assault

Lee's attacks the previous day on the Union's flanks had been fruitless, thanks in no small part to the fact that both flanks were anchored on high ground. The center was spread out along Cemetery Ridge, which was simply a slight rise in the terrain. Along the crest of the slope, the ridge was bare, save for a small copse of oak trees. Lee had been impressed by how close Wright's brigade had come to breaking the Union center during the day before. He believed that Meade must have all but stripped the Union defences in that area in order to strengthen his left and right flanks. Certainly, Lee thought, a well-coordinated attack, properly supported by artillery, would pierce the Union lines.

The small copse of trees would become the target of a grand idea that Lee believed would end with victory for the Confederacy. He would launch an all-out assault on the Union center. As Lee unveiled his plan, several of his subordinate commanders raised issues with the design. Longstreet knew that such an attack would bring his troops under heavy fire as they crossed the wide field that seperated the Union and Confederate positions. William Wofford, commanding one of Longstreet's divisions, argued that the Union defenders of that position had been given time to dig in. But Lee could not be dissuaded. Longstreet's idea of leaving Gettysburg and trying to get around Meade's flanks between the Federal army and Washington was no longer an option. Lee knew that his supply lines could be cut at any time and his troops could not live off the land indefinitely. He knew that the battle must be won on the fields of Gettysburg.

Lee remained confident that the Union army's morale had been shattered and expected Meade would, like all the other Federal commanders before him, retreat as soon as the Confederates put pressure on him. What Lee didn't know was that Meade had the nearly 25,000 men of Sedgewick's and Slocum's Corps who had not been heavily engaged as yet.

Lee selected two divisions: Pickett's division from Longstreet's Corps and Harry Heth's division from A.P. Hill's Corps, to spearhead the assault. Pickett's command was the smallest division Lee had at Gettysburg. It numbered just 5500 and two of the division's brigades had been left back in Virginia to man Richmond's defenses. Heth's division, on the other hand, had suffered 40% casualties, including Heth himself in the previous days' battle. To make matters worse, every brigade officer except for James Pettigrew (who now served as division commander) had been wounded over the previous days' fighting.

Even the supporting units had been roughed up at Gettysburg. Cadmus Wilcox and David Lang's brigades of Anderson's division would support the right. Lane and Scales' brigades from Dorsey Pender's division would support the left. Pender had been wounded as well, so Isaac Trimble led the division. Only Lane's brigade had not suffered heavy casualties during the battle.

The Confederates were not the only ones planning for July 3rd's battle. General Meade held a council of war with nearly a dozen of his generals in attendance. Meade had decided, to the agreement of his generals, to hold the army in its present position. As the meeting broke up, Meade took General John Gibbons, who held the center of Hancock's line along the crest of Cemetery Ridge aside and warned him that "If Lee attacks tomorrow, it will be on your front."

The Artillery Bombardment

Prior to the assault, Lee had artillery from all three Confederate corps massed to bring the full brunt of their guns to bear on the Union lines. There were problems with supply for the artillery. The Army of Northern Virginia had brought 250 rounds per gun into Pennsylvania, but with the fighting on the first two days, that level was now dangerously low.

At approximately 1:07 p.m., two Confederate guns from a Louisiana battery, located near the Peach Orchard, opened fire. This was the signal for the artillery bombardment that lasted for the next two hours. Over 140 Rebel guns, under the direction of Colonel Edward Porter Alexander, an artillery battalion commander in Longstreet's Corps, began to fire. As they did so, the Union artillery, with 103 guns in position, replied. The sounds of this thunderous crescendo could be heard as far away as Harrisburg and York.

As spectacular as the artillery duel might have been, it could be argued that it did little damage to the target: the Union center. Advancements in technology had developed as such so that the Confederate artillery had to be placed out of range of Union rifles. As well, most of the Confederate gunners had raised their aiming point so that most of the shells passed over the main Union line. Meade's headquarters came under fire and the Union's supply and ammunition trains and their medical services suffered losses but the infantry had taken cover behind a low stone wall, and awaited the Confederate advance.

While the infantry were spared most of the brunt of the Confederate artillery attack, the artillery did not. Four artillery batteries that were supporting the II Corps around the copse of trees were battered. After two hours of dueling with the Confederate guns, Union artillery commander, General Henry Hunt, ordered those guns that remained to cease firing to allow his guns time to cool and to bring up new batteries. Alexander took the silence to mean that they had destroyed the Union guns, and the time was right for the infantry attack to begin. With his own ammunition being used up, he sent a terse message to Pickett: "For God's sake come quick: the eighteen guns are gone; unless you advance quickly my ammunition won't let me support you properly."

The Men Involved

In all, 12 000 men from six different states would be involved in the assault. 15 regiments numbering a total of 5500 men were from Pickett's division would make the assault, with the rest coming from Heth’s and Dorsey Pender's division. Under Pickett's command, General James Kemper's brigade was on the right with General Richard Garnett's brigade on the left. In support would be General Lewis Armistead's brigade.

Heth's troops, commanded by Pettigrew and including his brigade, Archer's brigade and Davis's brigade, accounted for a total of 5000 men. Isaac Trimble, at 61 the oldest commander on either side of the battlefield, commanded the two brigades of Pender's division. As well, Anderson's division of Hill's Corps contributed another 1500-2000 men to the assault force, with Wilcox and Perry's brigades of Anderson's division coming up in support of Heth and Pender's division.

Before the copse of trees that was the convergent point of the attack lay a stone wall, varying between two and three feet in height, that ran roughly north to south. Near the copse of trees, the stone wall made a 90-degree turn to the west and ran about 100 to 250 yards before turning back towards the south, stretching for another 800 feet. The second angle would become known as "the Bloody Angle".

Manning these positions were approximately 5750 men from ten different northern states. Most of them fell under the command of Winfield Scott Hancock's II Corps and were members of John Gibbon's and Alexander Hays' divisions. Gibbon's soldiers held the wall in front of that copse of trees, while Hays' troops- four deep along the wall- held the right part of the Union line. As well, two brigades of Abner Doubleday's I Corps division were also positioned in the area that would come under attack. Supporting the infantry were five batteries from Hancock's artillery brigade and one from III Corps. In addition, batteries in position on the southern portion of Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top had fields of fire that would allow them to bring their guns to bear on the advancing Confederate troops.

Pickett's Charge Begins

As they waited to begin the charge, Pickett's men would suffer nearly 10 percent casualties as the Union artillery shells fell among them. After receiving Alexander's message, Pickett rode to where Longstreet sat, and asked "General, shall I advance?" Longstreet merely nodded, knowing that the advance was doomed from the outset. He had told Lee that "It is my opinion that no 15 000 men ever arrayed for battle can take that position." But Lee would not listen. At 3:00 p.m., the units of Pickett and Heth's division rose to their feet and began to march towards that far-off copse of trees.

As the troops emerged from the woods on Seminary Ridge, the confident Confederates looked as though they were on parade, with three long gray lines, battle flags waving proudly in the wind. It is said that they averaged 110 paces per minute. Pettigrew and Trimble had three-quarters of a mile to cross, while Kemper, on the far right, had nearly a mile.

Pettigrew's men were under fire from the moment the advance began. About halfway between Seminary Ridge and the Emmitsburg Road, Pettigrew halted his men and redressed or reformed the line. As the line began to move on, Brockenbrough's Virginians, their confidence shattered by the enemy artillery fire, remained where they were.

This halt was noticed by Lt. Colonel Franklin Sawyer. He brought up the 160 men of his 8th Ohio and, supported by 75 men of 125th New York, led them against Brockenbrough's troops. They destroyed Brockenbrough's command and then began to harass the exposed left flank of Pettigrew's lines. Other parts of Pettigrew's unit, including Joseph Mayo's 3rd Virginia began to flee for the safety of their own lines. By the time the Confederate troops were within 400 yards of Cemetery Ridge, Pettigrew had lost a quarter of his brigade to either enemy fire or fear.

Those that remained of Pettigrew’s brigade continued on. These men had the disadvantage of having to maneuver over fences positioned on either side of the Emmitsburg Road, under fire from Union cannon and muskets. By the time the Confederates were within striking distance of the Union line, the formation had disappeared. The Union defenders formed battle lines and opened fire. As the 126th New York and two cannon fired into their lines, Pettigrew and Davis's brigades began to dissolve, with the survivors heading for the rear.

Under fire from solid shot that blew holes in their lines, Kemper's brigade halted, reformed and began to march again towards their target. The ranks kept formation as the Confederate line crossed Emmitsburg Road. That changed, however, as they came within range of short-range canister fire and the Union infantry. Alexander's artillery had been forced to cease-fire to avoid dropping shells on their own advancing troops,and so the Confederate advance received no further artillery support. Soon, the lines dissolved as flags and officers went down. The grand parade formations gave way to scattered groups of men who followed what few officers remained.

Kemper's brigade was out-flanked by two regiments of General George Stannard's brigade: the 13th and 16th Vermont. 1300 men opened fire and within moments Kemper's brigade was reduced to almost nothing. As he rose in the saddle to urge his men forward, Kemper was hit by a minie ball, severely wounded. Some of the survivors of his command managed to dash ahead to the same stone wall that offered the Union troops some cover, with the rest finding refuge among their comrades in Garnett's brigade.

Meanwhile, Archer's and Garnett's brigades began to close in on the very center of the Union line. As they did so, the Federal defenders rose up and fired into the advancing Confederates, turning the area before the Union rifles into a slaughterhouse. Every member of the 1st Virginia's color guard was shot. The 8th Virginia's standard fell four times.

Near the Angle, Archer's brigade, with Colonel Birkett Fry commanding those few that were left after the fighting on July 1st, and two North Carolina brigades of Pender's division now led by Isaac Trimble, charged the Union position. Union forces cut these units to pieces. Both Fry and Trimble were wounded and captured. Finally, the three units retreated in good order, even managing to capture 30 prisoners before they did so.

In the center, the attack had all but stalled, with the remnants of Garnett and Kemper's brigades muddled in the field west of the stone wall. As Armistead's brigade came across this scene, Armistead himself pushed to the front of the mob. Putting his hat on the tip of his sword, he yelled "Give them the cold steel" and led his men towards the stone wall.

As this new assault reached the Union positions, the 71st Pennsylvania gave way, with those remaining being captured by the advancing Confederates. As the last round of canister was fired, Cushing, wounded in both thighs was hit in the head by a Confederate shell, killing him instantly. Other Union gunners took to firing rocks and handspikes at the approaching Confederates.

The High Water Mark

The Union troops trying desperately to defend Cemetery Ridge believed that they would soon be overrun. However, General Webb had posted the 72nd Pennsylvania and 106th Pennsylvania near the clump of trees and they opened fire on the Rebels. Garnett and Colonel John Magruder of the 57th Virginia were both killed as the Union began their counterattack.

Still, the Confederates kept coming, General Lew Armistead and approximately 150 Confederates rushed over the stone wall and into the Union line. Armistead soon fell with a wound that would prove mortal. Some of the Rebels that were with him made it to the copse of trees, but by then the supporting units on either side of Webb's brigade, and reinforcements in the form of the 19th Massachusetts and the 42nd New York had rushed in. Hand to hand fighting ensued, but the end result was never in doubt. Those that swept over the wall were soon killed or captured.

To the south, another group of Confederate troops attempted to pierce the Federal lines. They pushed back the 69th Pennsylvania but as they approached Captain Andrew Cowan's 1st Battery of New York Light Artillery, the guns fired and wiped out the band of charging Rebels.

On Hays' front, artillery and rifle fire had destroyed the advancing 26th North Carolina. Two men, a sergeant and an enlisted man, made it to the wall. As they did, the Union defenders ceased fire and offered their hands to help the two men over the wall and into captivity.

Two last southern brigades, those of Wilcox and Lang, began to make their way towards the Union lines just as the rest of the main attack was beginning to withdraw. They had started late due to incorrect orders and then, instead of closing in on Pickett's lines, they simply marched straight ahead. They came under heavy artillery fire from the moment they began their advance. The same Vermont troops that had turned back Kemper's command charged into these late-coming troops. The 2nd Florida, serving as Lang's left, surrendered almost en masse before the Vermont troops' counter-attack. With Pickett's men withdrawing and in fear of being surrounded, Wilcox ordered his men to retreat as well.

The survivors of Pickett's Charge began to make their way back to the safety of their own lines. Of the 12,000 who had marched so perfectly out of the trees on Seminary Ridge, less than 5,000 would return.

Casualties of the Charge

It was there that Lee met his vanquished soldiers. Astonished at the failure, he knew on whose shoulders the blame must lie. "It is all my fault,"he cried. When Lee turned to Pickett, instructing the man to look to his division, Pickett sorrowfully replied, "General Lee, I have no division! Of his three brigade commanders, Armistead was mortally wounded and in Union hands, Garnett was dead and Kemper wounded (although he would recover). All 15 regimental commanders were killed or wounded and four regiments reported losses of between 80 and 92 percent of their number. Pettigrew and Trimble were both seriously wounded. Pettigrew had been hit in the hand with a canister ball. Trimble had been wounded at the Emmitsburg Road when a bullet smashed through his lower leg, eventually costing him the lower third of the appendage and forcing him to be taken prisoner. Pettigrew lost about 60% of his command while Trimble lost about 55%.

In all, the Confederates had lost about 54% of the main assault force. The remnants of Pickett's division, those that survived the charge, were sent to the rear of the Confederate lines, assigned to guard prisoners.

The Federals who had repulsed the charge suffered approximately 1,500 casualties, a figure that represents about 25 percent of the defending force. General Hancock was among those wounded. Refusing to be carried from the field until the battle was over, he later joked that the Confederates must be low on ammunition, for he had been hit by a 10-penny nail. General Gibbon was hit by a Rebel bullet in his shoulder.

As the fighting involving cavalry under Stuart and Gregg came to an end, so did the battle of Gettysburg. Hancock urged Meade to send V and VI Corps forward so as to destroy the enemy. Pleasonton and Howard echoed Hancock in calling for a Union counterattack, but Hunt, among others, believed that in doing so would play right into the Confederates' hands. It is still debated as to why Meade did not take advantage of the dismal condition of Lee's army after Pickett's Charge to destroy the enemy. Meade had been on the defensive for the previous three days, more concerned with staving off the total destruction of his army and, still new to command, might not have been prepared to go on the offensive. As well, much like Ewell on July 1st, by the time the bulk of the fighting was over, there was little time left to organize the forces needed for such an operation before night fell.

Meade did order a reconnaissance-in-force with one brigade, supported by another. As these two units crossed the Wheatfield, they came across McLaws and Hood, who were retiring to the western side of the Emmitsburg Road. The two Federal units advanced no further.

Around midnight, Lee pulled Ewell's Corps back from the Gettysburg-Culp's Hill area while shortening his right flank, pulling Longstreet's Corps back from Devil's Den and the Wheatfield. Hill's Corps remained in position in the Confederate center. In addition, the Confederate artillery was concentrated in expectation of the attack Lee assumed would come on July 4th. Despite the preparations, Lee had made a decision. Unless Meade initiated the fighting, the Army of North America would start the journey back to Virginia.