The Battle of Gettysburg
-Mark G.The Battle
July 3rd is the day in which the biggest battles are fought. It is the day the main attack of the Confederates takes place. This day will determine the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg.
At dawn, General Lee prepares the main attack. It is comprised of two main parts. The main attack is concentrated on the left part of the Union line. The other part will try and flank "the hook." Longstreet, with doubt, tries to flank the Union line from behind, but Lee hears and stops Longstreet. Longstreet is unwilling to assault the Union line. An attack made by Ewell is halted, being demolished by the Union. This allows Meade to strengthen the main line near that point. At 1:00 PM, Confederate artilley begins to siege the Union center. The Union artilley ceases fire. Hancock wants to conserve ammunition. This, fortunately for the Union, created a false image for the Confederacy. They thought that they had destroyed or damaged the artillery. With heavy doubt, Longstreet orders Pickett to assault.
Pickett has a small army (around 5,000 men),but arranged in a line about a mile long. They have to cross about 4/5 of a mile of open ground to reach the Union. This is the turning point of the battle. Pickett's line is literally "mowed down" by Union fire from both artillery and small arms. It was a slaughter.
The loss for Pickett was around 70%! About 4,000 men of Pickett's army were captured, the rest almost completely wounded or dead. Two of his inferior commanders were dead, and the third dying. A famous dialogue after the failure of Pickett's Charge (between Lee and Pickett):
[General Lee asks Pickett to regroup. The following dialogue follows.]
"'General Lee, I have no division now,' he said tearfully; "Armistead is down, Garnett is down, and Kemper is mortally wounded--'
'Come, General Pickett,' Lee broke in. 'This has been my fight, and upon my shoulders rests the blame. The men and officers of your command have written the name of Virginia as high today as it has ever been written before...Your men have done all that men can do,' he added after a pause for emphasis. 'The fault is entirely my own.'" - The Civil War: A Narrative - Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote.
Later that evening, the fighting diminishes.
July 4th: the day of the Confederacy's retreat
Both the Union and the Confederacy have been pounded badly, but the Union is victorious. All morning and afternoon no battle is joined. It rains all day. Instead of fighting, Lee prepares to retreat. The battle is officially over. Lee heads towards Virginia, and Meade does not hinder him. (Later, Lincoln punishes Meade for doing so.)
Statistics of the Battle of Gettysburg
-quoted EXACTLY fromThe Timechart History of the Civil War
| Side | Union | Confederacy |
| Commanders |
July 1: Maj. General John Hancock
July 2: Maj. Gen. G. G. Meade |
General Robert E. Lee |
| Armies | of the Potomac | of Northern Virginia |
| Strengths |
1st day I Corps and XI Corps 19,982 2nd day I, II, III, V, VI XI, XII Corps, Artillery Reserve plus Cavalry Corps 101,679 all arms |
At least 70,000 all arms |
| Casualties |
3,072 dead, 14,497 wounded, 5,434 missing/prisoners |
2,592 dead, 12,709 wounded, 5,150 missing/prisoners |
| Perspectives | A victory gained at enormous cost and not followed up. The loss of senior officers has obscured Meade's part in the battle. | Arguably Lee's worst fought battle: having no prior knowledge of the terrain he ran out of ideas and fell back on the frontal attack. |
The Union
The Confederacy