Battle of Gettysburg: Union Order of Battle - Confederate Order of Battle
Pickett's Charge - Conflict & Date:
Pickett's Charge took place on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. The larger battle was a turning point in the American Civil War (1861-1865).
Armies & Commanders:
Union
- Major General George G. Meade
- 93,921 men?
Confederate
- General Robert E. Lee
- 71,699
Pickett's Charge - Background:
On July 1, 1863, Union and Confederate troops clashed north and northwest of the town of Gettysburg, PA.
The fighting on the first day saw General Robert E. Lee's forces push Major General John F. Reynolds' I Corps and Major General Oliver O. Howard's XI Corps through the town to a strong defensive position around Cemetery Hill. Reinforcing through the night, Major General George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac assumed a position with its right anchored on Culp's Hill and the line extending west to Cemetery Hill and then south along Cemetery Ridge. The next day, Lee intended to strike both Union flanks. These attacks were late in starting and saw Lieutenant General James Longstreet's First Corps drive back Major General Daniel Sickles' III Corps which had advanced off of Cemetery Ridge. In a tightly contested fight, Union troops succeeded in holding the critical heights of Little Round Top at the south end of the battlefield (Map).
Pickett's Charge - Lee's Plan:
In planning for July 3, Lee initially hoped to mount coordinated attacks on Meade's flanks. This plan was disrupted when Union forces initiated a fight at Culp's Hill around 4:00 AM.
This battle raged for seven hours until quieting at 11:00 AM. As a result of this action, Lee altered his approach for the coming day and instead elected to focus on assaulting the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Giving command of the operation to Longstreet, he directed that Major General George Pickett's division, which had not been engaged in the fighting, form the core of the strike force. To augment Pickett's men, Lee assigned Brigadier General James Pettigrew four brigades and Major General Isaac Trimble two brigades with orders to advance on the left. These were drawn from Lieutenant General A.P. Hill's corps which had seen heavy fighting on July 1. To Pickett's right, Major General Richard H. Anderson, also of Hill's corps, was to attack with two brigades. The assault was to be preceded by a massive artillery bombardment and supported by Major General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry which was to sweep around into the Union rear.
Across the field, Meade held a council of war on the night of July 2 to discuss the situation. Deciding to remain on the field and continue the battle, he indicated that he believed Lee's main blow would come against the Union center. This part of the line was held Major General John Gibbon's division of Major General Winfield S. Hancock's II Corps. Major General Alexander Hays' II Corps division occupied a position to Gibbon's north while Major General Abner Doubleday's I Corps division was to the south. Much of the Union position along Cemetery Ridge was protected by a low stone wall.
Pickett's Charge - Artillery Bombardment:
Prior to attacking, Lee directed Colonel Edward Porter Alexander, Longstreet's artillery chief, to conduct an extensive bombardment of the Union lines on Cemetery Hill. Using between 150 and 170 guns, Porter commenced firing around 1:00 PM. Employing the 80 guns that were available in that sector of the Union line, Brigadier General Henry J. Hunt, Meade's artillery commander, returned fire. Though it was one of the largest cannonades of the war, Porter's firing proved ineffective as the Confederate guns frequently overshot the enemy's position. As the bombardment continued, Porter remained unaware of this fact due to faulty fuses and smoke on the battlefield. Hunt, who wished to conserve ammunition, further confused his opponent by slowly taking his guns offline which led Porter to believe that they had been destroyed. During the bombardment, Hunt's guns often overshot the Confederate artillery. In doing so, these shells landed among Longstreet's troops massed on Seminary Ridge and inflicted losses.
Pickett's Charge - Pettigrew & Trimble:
Around 2:00 PM, Longstreet reluctantly ordered the attack and Pettigrew, Trimble, and Pickett's men commenced their advance along a mile-wide front. Moving into open, rolling country, Confederate forces came under fire from Union artillery on Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top. On the left of Pettigrew's line, Colonel John M. Brockenbrough's brigade, which sustained casualties from Union artillery, came under surprise attack on their flank by the 8th Ohio. Panicking, his men broke and fled back through Trimble's lines to the rear. Pressing on, the 8th Ohio drove into Brigadier General Joseph R. Davis' brigade and inflicted further losses. Reaching the Emmitsburg Road, Pettigrew's men encountered intense fire from Hays' division. As Pettigrew's attack started to falter, Trimble pushed forward but fared no better (Map).
Pickett's Charge - High-Water Mark:
As Pettigrew and Trimble's efforts were failing to the north, Pickett's division advanced with the brigades of Brigadier Generals Richard Garnett and James Kemper on the left and right and Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead's to the rear. Under fire from Union guns on Little Round Top, Pickett's men took further losses when they were slowed by a rail fence along the Emmitsburg Road. Crossing the road, they wheeled slightly to the left and exposed their right flank to fire from Doubleday's men. Seeing an opportunity, Brigadier General George Stannard advanced his Vermont Brigade and struck Kemper's flank and rear. As the fighting raged, Hancock fell wounded when he was struck in the thigh, but refused to leave the field.
Pressing on under intense fire, Pickett's men caused two gaps to appear in the Union line. In the south, the 59th New York broke and fell back leaving Captain Andrew Cowan's five guns to fill the gap. Aided personally by Hunt, Cowan's guns opened with double canister on the approaching enemy. This fire shattered the nearing Confederate lines and eliminated the threat. Up the line, the low stone wall held by Union forces turned east for eighty yards before resuming its path north. This created a salient in the line that became known as "The Angle". Defended by 69th and 71st Pennsylvanias from Brigadier General Alexander Webb's Philadelphia Brigade and two guns from Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing's battery, this area soon came under attack.
As the enemy neared, the 71st Pennsylvania retreated without orders. Horrified, Webb quickly moved to close the gap as the remnants of Garnett's brigade and Armistead's men began to cross the stone wall despite heroic resistance by the 69th Pennsylvania. Placing his hat on his sword, Armistead led his men into the Angle before falling mortally wounded. Gathering reinforcements, Webb led them forward and in a series of intense counterattacks threw the enemy back. For his efforts, he later received the Medal of Honor. As many of their senior officers had fallen, Confederate forces began to slip back across the field towards Seminary Ridge. To the south, Anderson's men did not advance until Pickett had been beaten and were quickly checked by Stannard and Union artillery. The farthest point of Armistead's advance was later dubbed the "High-Water Mark of the Confederacy" in reference to it being the closest the South came to winning the war.
Pickett's Charge - Aftermath:
Confederate losses in the attack numbered around 6,555 killed and wounded while Union forces reported taking 3,750 prisoners. Losses among senior officers were particularly high as Garnett was killed and Trimble, Kemper, and Armistead wounded. Captured by Union forces, Armistead died from his wounds on July 5. Meade's casualties in the fighting numbered around 1,500. As Confederate forces retreated by to Seminary Ridge, Lee, fearing a Union counterattack, instructed Pickett to form his division to repel the enemy. Shaken by the defeat, Pickett famously replied "General Lee, I have no division." Exhausted by three days of fighting, Meade elected not to attack. Personally taking the blame for the assault's failure, Lee ordered the Army of Northern Virginia to commence a retreat south on the evening of July 4. The victory at Gettysburg and Major General Ulysses S. Grant's triumph at Vicksburg on July 4 marked the turning points of the Civil War.
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