NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle of Gettysburg, First Day

The First Day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, began as an American Civil War meeting engagement between isolated units of the Army of Northern Virginia (under Confederate General Robert E. Lee) and the Army of the Potomac (Union Major General George G. Meade), but soon escalated into a major battle, which culminated in the outnumbered and defeated Union forces retreating to the high ground south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The American Civil War was fought in North America from 1861 until 1865 between the United States â€“ forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union â€“ and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February, 1861, to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven southern states seceded from the United States (with four more to follow). ... General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. ... Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 â€“ October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ... Gettysburg is a borough located in Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seat. ...

1 Morning
2 Mid-day lull
3 Afternoon
4 Evening
5 See also
6 References

Morning

Defense by Buford's cavalry

Cavalry delaying action, 7:00–10:00 a.m.

On the morning of July 1, Union cavalry in the division of Brigadier General John Buford were awaiting the approach of Confederate infantry forces from the direction of Cashtown, to the northwest. Confederate forces from the brigade of Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew had briefly clashed with Union forces the day before, but believed they were Pennsylvania militia of little consequence, not the Regular Army cavalry that was screening the approach of the Army of the Potomac. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2120x1960, 566 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2120x1960, 566 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... John F. Buford (March 4, 1826 - December 16, 1863) was an American cavalry officer during the American Civil War. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... J. Johnston Pettigrew James Johnston Pettigrew (July 4, 1828 â€“ July 17, 1863) was an author, lawyer, linguist, diplomat, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... The Regular Army is the name given to the permanent force of the United States Army that is maintained during peacetime. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ...

General Buford realized the importance of the high ground directly to the south of Gettysburg. He knew that if the Confederates could gain control of the heights, Meade's army would have a hard time dislodging them. He decided to utilize three ridges west of Gettysburg: Herr Ridge, McPherson Ridge, and Seminary Ridge (proceeding west to east toward the town). These were appropriate terrain for a delaying action by his small division against superior Confederate forces, meant to buy time awaiting the arrival of troops (initially Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds's I Corps) who could occupy the superior defensive positions south of town, Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Culp's Hill. Early that morning, Reynolds, who was commanding the Left Wing of the Army of the Potomac, ordered his corps to march to Buford's location, with the XI Corps (Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard) to follow closely behind. John Fulton Reynolds (September 20, 1820 - July 1, 1863) was an American soldier. ... I Corps (First Corps) was the designation of four different corps_sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Cemetery Hill is a small part of the battleground at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that was distinguished because of its tactical value as having high ground over the city of Gettysburg. ... A strip of land in Gettysburg thats located between Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top. ... Battle of Gettysburg Conflict American Civil War Date July 1–3, 1863 Place Adams County Result Union victory The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever conducted in North America... The XI Corps (Eleventh Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, best remembered for its humiliating defeats at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in 1863. ... Portrait of Oliver O. Howard by Mathew Brady, ca. ...

Confederate Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's division, from the Third Corps of Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill, advanced with two brigades forward, commanded by Brig. Gens. James Archer and Joseph R. Davis. They proceeded easterly in columns along the Chambersburg Pike. Three miles (5 km) west of town, about 7:30 a.m., Heth's two brigades met light resistance from cavalry vedettes and deployed into line. Eventually, they reached dismounted troopers from Col. William Gamble's cavalry brigade. The first shot of the battle was claimed to be fired by Lieutenant Marcellus E. Jones of the 8th Illinois Cavalry; fired at an unidentified man on a gray horse over a half-mile away, the act was merely symbolic. Henry Heth Henry Heth (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9, 1825 _ April 2, 1865), was a Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. ... James Archer (1823-1904) was a portrait-painter, born in Edinburgh. ... The French military term vedette (formed from Latin videre, to see), migrated into English and other languages to refer to a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc, to a main body of troops. ... Col. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ...

Gamble's men mounted determined resistance and delaying tactics from behind fence posts with rapid fire from their breech-loading Sharps carbines and support by Lt. John H. Calef's Battery A of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. But this was so far a relatively bloodless affair. By 10:20 a.m., the Confederates had reached Herr Ridge and had pushed the Federal cavalrymen east to McPherson Ridge, when the vanguard of the I Corps finally arrived, the division of Maj. Gen. James S. Wadsworth. The troops were led personally by Gen. Reynolds, who conferred briefly with Buford and hurried back to bring more men forward. Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company was formed in Hartford, Connecticut. ... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than a rifle or musket of a given period. ... Major General James S. Wadsworth James Samuel Wadsworth (October 30, 1807 â€“ May 8, 1864) was a philanthropist and a Union general in the American Civil War. ...

Davis versus Cutler

Davis vs. Cutler, 10:00–10:45 a.m.

The morning infantry fighting occurred on either side of the Chambersburg Pike, mostly on McPherson Ridge. To the north, an unfinished railroad bed opened three shallow cuts in the ridges. To the south, the dominant features were Willoughby Run and Herbst Woods (sometimes called McPherson Woods, but they were the property of John Herbst). Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler's Union brigade opposed Davis's brigade; two of Cutler's regiments were north of the Pike, two to the south. To the left of Cutler, Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith's Iron Brigade opposed Archer. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1768, 618 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1768, 618 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... General Lysander Cutler Lysander Cutler (February 16, 1807 – July 30, 1866) A Union Army general during the American Civil War. ... For other uses of the word Solomon, see Solomon (Disambiguation) Solomon Meredith (May 29, 1810 – October 2, 1875) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. ... The Iron Brigade was a unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War that was noted for its ability to withstand almost any fire, and its regiments combined took the highest casualty percentage of the war. ...

General Reynolds directed both brigades into position and placed guns from the Maine battery of Captain James A. Hall where Calef's had stood earlier. While the general rode his horse along the east end of Herbst Woods, shouting "Forward men! Forward for God's sake, and drive those fellows out of the woods," he fell from his horse, killed instantly by a bullet striking him behind the ear. (Some historians believe Reynolds was felled by a sharpshooter, but it is more likely that he was killed by random shot in a volley of rifle fire directed at the 2nd Wisconsin.) Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday assumed command of the I Corps. Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819_January 26, 1893), as an officer in the Union army, commanded the firing of the Norths first shots in defense of Fort Sumter, S.C., the opening battle of the American Civil War in 1861. ...

On the right of the Union line, three regiments of Cutler's brigade were fired on by Davis's brigade before they could get into position on the ridge. Davis's line overlapped the right of Cutler's, making the Union position untenable and Wadsworth ordered Cutler's regiments back to Seminary Ridge. Unfortunately, the commander of the 147th New York, Lieutenant Colonel Francis C. Miller, was shot before he could inform his troops of the withdrawal and they remained to fight under heavy pressure until a second order came. In under 30 minutes, 45% of General Cutler's troops became casualties, with the 147th losing 207 of its 380 officers and men. Some of Davis's victorious men turned toward the Union positions south of the railroad bed while others drove east toward Seminary Ridge. This defocused the Confederate effort north of the Pike. In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...

Archer versus Meredith

Archer vs. Meredith, 10:45 a.m.

South of the Pike, Archer's men were expecting an easy fight against dismounted cavalrymen and were astonished to recognize the black Hardee hats worn by the men facing them through the woods: the famous Iron Brigade, formed from regiments in the iron-producing Western states, but also with a reputation as fierce, tenacious fighters. As the Confederates crossed Willoughby run and climbed the slope into Herbst Woods, they were enveloped on their right by the longer Union line, the reverse of the situation north of the Pike. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2060x1856, 635 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2060x1856, 635 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... Hardee hat with infantry adornment The Hardee hat, also known as the Model 1858 Dress Hat and sometimes nicknamed the Jeff Davis, was the regulation dress hat for enlisted men in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. ... The Iron Brigade was a unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War that was noted for its ability to withstand almost any fire, and its regiments combined took the highest casualty percentage of the war. ...

Gen. Archer himself was captured in the fighting, the first general officer in Robert E. Lee's army to suffer that fate. Archer was most likely positioned around the 14th Tennessee when he was captured by Private Patrick Moloney of Company G., 2nd Wisconsin, "a brave patriotic and fervent young Irishman." Archer resisted capture, but Moloney overpowered him. Moloney was killed later that day, but he received the Medal of Honor for his exploit. When Archer was taken to the rear, he encountered his former Army colleague Gen. Doubleday, who greeted him good-naturedly, "Good morning, Archer! How are you? I am glad to see you!" Archer replied, "Well, I am not glad to see you by a damn sight!" A private is a military soldier of the lowest military rank (equivalent to Nato Rank Grade OR-1). ... This article is about the military award; for the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ...

The railroad cut

Fighting at the railroad cut, 11:00 a.m.

At around 11 a.m., Doubleday sent his reserve regiment, the 6th Wisconsin, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rufus R. Dawes, north in the direction of Davis's disorganized brigade. The Wisconsin men paused at the fence along the Pike and fired, which halted Davis's attack on Cutler's men and caused many of them to seek cover in the railroad cut. The 6th was joined by the 95th New York and the 84th New York (also known as the 14th Brooklyn) along the Pike. The three regiments charged to the railroad cut, where Davis's men were seeking cover. Unfortunately for the Confederates, the majority of the 600-foot cut (shown on the map as the center cut of three) was too deep to be an effective firing position—as deep as 15 feet. Making the situation more difficult was the absence of their overall commander, General Davis, whose location was unknown. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (957x968, 229 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (957x968, 229 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...

Dawes's men nevertheless faced daunting fire as they charged toward the cut. The regiment's American flag went down at least three times during the charge. At one point Dawes himself took up the fallen flag before it was seized from him by a corporal of the color guard. As the Union line neared the Confederates, its flanks became folded back and it took on the appearance of an inverted V. When the Union man reached the railroad cut, vicious hand-to-hand and bayonet fighting broke out. They were able to pour enfilading fire from both ends of the cut and many Confederates considered surrender. Colonel Dawes took the initiative by shouting "Where is the colonel of this regiment?" Major John Blair of the 2nd Mississippi stood up and responded, "Who are you?" Dawes replied, "I command this regiment. Surrender or I will fire." Dawes later described what happened next: Flag ratio: 7:12; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ...

The officer replied not a word, but promptly handed me his sword, and his men, who still held them, threw down their muskets. The coolness, self possession, and discipline which held back our men from pouring a general volley saved a hundred lives of the enemy, and as my mind goes back to the fearful excitement of the moment, I marvel at it.

Despite this surrender, leaving Dawes standing awkwardly holding seven swords, the fighting continued for minutes more and a number of the Confederates were able to escape back to Herr Ridge. The three Union regiments reported seven Confederate officers and 225 enlisted men were captured, including 87 men of the 2nd Mississippi. The actual numbers were apparently higher because some prisoners turned over to the Union cavalry were not accounted for. General Davis, years after the war, would admit to only losing a major and 80 or 90 men at the cut. Badge of rank of a Major in the British Army. ...

Mid-day lull

Disposition of forces, 12:30 p.m.

By 11:30 a.m., the battlefield was temporarily quiet. On the Confederate side, Henry Heth faced an embarrassing situation. He had been under orders from General Lee to avoid a general engagement until the full Army of Northern Virginia had concentrated in the area. But his excursion to Gettysburg, ostensibly to find shoes, essentially a reconnaissance in force conducted by a full infantry division, had indeed started a general engagement and he was on the losing side of it so far. By 12:30 p.m., his remaining two brigades, under Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew and Col. John M. Brockenbrough, had arrived on the scene, as had the division (four brigades) of Maj. Gen. Dorsey Pender, also from Hill's Corps. Hill's remaining division (Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson) would not arrive until late in the day. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2456x2644, 1007 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2456x2644, 1007 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... J. Johnston Pettigrew James Johnston Pettigrew (July 4, 1828 â€“ July 17, 1863) was an author, lawyer, linguist, diplomat, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... John Mercer Brockenbrough (August 1, 1830 â€“ August 24, 1892) was a farmer and a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War. ... William Dorsey Pender William Dorsey Pender (February 2, 1834 â€“ July 18, 1863) was one of the youngest, and most promising, generals fighting for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. ... Richard H. Anderson Richard Heron Anderson ( October 7, 1821 – June 26, 1879) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ...

Considerably more Confederate forces were on the way, however. Two divisions of the Second Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell, were approaching Gettysburg from the north, from the towns of Carlisle and York. The five brigades of Maj. Gen. Robert E. Rodes marched down the Carlisle Road, but left it before reaching town to advance down the wooded crest of Oak Ridge, where they could link up with the left flank of Hill's Corps. The four brigades under Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early approached on the Harrisburg Road. Union cavalry outposts north of the town detected both movements. Ewell's remaining division (Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson) would not arrive until late in the day. Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 - January 25, 1872) was a Confederate military officer during the American Civil War. ... Carlisle is a borough located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. ... York is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania. ... Robert E. Rodes Robert Emmett Rodes ( March 29, 1829 – September 19, 1864) was a railroad civil engineer and a promising young Confederate general in the American Civil War, killed in battle in the Shenandoah Valley. ... Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... Edward Allegheny Johnson Edward Johnson ( April 16, 1816 – March 2, 1873), also known as Allegheny Johnson (sometimes spelled Alleghany), was a U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ...

On the Union side, Doubleday reorganized his lines as more units of the I Corps arrived. First on hand was the Corps Artillery under Col. Charles Wainwright, followed by two brigades from Doubleday's division, now commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Rowley, which Doubleday placed on either end of his line. The XI Corps arrived from the south before noon, moving up the Taneytown and Emmitsburg Roads. Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard was surveying the area from the roof of the Fahnestock Brothers' dry-goods store downtown at about 11:30 when he heard that Reynolds had been killed and that he was now in command of all Union forces on the field. He recalled: The XI Corps (Eleventh Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, best remembered for its humiliating defeats at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in 1863. ... Portrait of Oliver O. Howard by Mathew Brady, ca. ...

My heart was heavy and the situation was grave indeed, but surely I did not hesitate a moment. God helping us, we will stay here till the Army comes. I assumed the command of the field.

Howard immediately sent messengers to summon reinforcements from the III Corps (Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles) and the XII Corps (Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum). Howard's first XI Corps division to arrive, under Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz, was sent north to take a position on Oak Ridge and link up with the right of the I Corps. (The division was commanded temporarily by Brig. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig while Schurz filled in for Howard as XI Corps commander.) The division of Brig. Gen. Francis C. Barlow was placed on Schurz's right to support him. The third division to arrive, under Brig. Gen. Adolph von Steinwehr, was placed on Cemetery Hill along with two batteries of artillery to hold the hill as a rallying point if the Union troops could not hold their positions; this placement on the hill corresponded with orders sent earlier in the day to Howard by Reynolds just before he was killed. Daniel Sickles and staff after the Battle of Gettysburg There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps (or Third Corps) during the American Civil War. ... Portrait of Daniel Sickles during the Civil War Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1825–May 3, 1914) was an American soldier, statesman and diplomat. ... The XII Corps (Twelfth Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Portrait of General Henry W. Slocum by Mathew Brady, ca. ... Carl Schurz Carl Schurz (March 2, 1829 â€“ May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionist and American statesman and reformer. ... Francis C. Barlow Francis Channing Barlow (October 19, 1834 – January 11, 1896) was a lawyer, politician, and Union general during the American Civil War. ... Adolph von Steinwehr Baron Adolph Wilhelm August Friedrich von Steinwehr (September 25, 1822 â€“ February 25, 1877) was a Prussian army officer who emigrated to the United States, became a geographer, cartographer, and author, and served as a Union general in the American Civil War. ...

Unfortunately for Howard's plan, Rodes beat Schurz to Oak Hill, so the XI Corps division was forced to take up positions in the broad plain north of the town, below and to the east of Oak Hill. They linked up with the I Corps reserve division of Brig. Gen. John C. Robinson, whose two brigades had been sent forward by Doubleday when he heard about Ewell's arrival. Howard's defensive line was not a particularly strong one in the north. He was soon to be outnumbered (his XI Corps, still suffering the effects of their defeat at the Battle of Chancellorsville, had only 8,700 effectives) and the terrain his men occupied in the north was poorly selected for defense. He held out some hope that reinforcements from Slocum's XII Corps would arrive up the Baltimore Pike in time to make a difference. John Cleveland Robinson (April 10, 1817 – February 18, 1897) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War in 1863. ...

Afternoon

Rodes, Heth, and Early attack, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The afternoon saw fighting both west (Hill's Corps renewing their attacks on the I Corps) and north (Ewell's Corps attacking the I and XI Corps) of Gettysburg. As Ewell, on Oak Hill with Rodes, saw Howard's troops deploying before him, he interpreted this as the start of an attack and implicit permission to set aside Gen. Lee's order not to bring about a general engagement. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (3300x2536, 1433 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (3300x2536, 1433 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ...

Rodes attacks from Oak Hill

Rodes initially sent three brigades south against Union troops that represented the right flank of the I Corps and the left flank of the XI Corps: from east to west, Brig. Gen. George P. Doles, Col. Edward A. O'Neal, and Brig. Gen. Alfred Iverson. Doles's Georgia brigade stood guarding the flank, awaiting the arrival of Early's division. Both O'Neal's and Iverson's attacks fared poorly against the six veteran regiments in the brigade of Brig. Gen. Henry Baxter, manning a line in a shallow inverted V, facing north on the ridge behind the Mummasburg Road. O'Neal's men were sent forward without coordinating with Iverson on their flank and fell back under heavy fire from the I Corps troops. Edward Asbury ONeal (September 20, 1818–November 20, 1890) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ... Alfred Iverson, Jr. ...

Iverson failed to perform even a rudimentary reconnaissance and sent his men forward blindly while he stayed in the rear (as had O'Neal, minutes earlier). More of Baxter's men were concealed in woods behind a stone wall and rose to fire withering volleys from less than 100 yards away, creating over 800 casualties among the 1,350 North Carolinians. Stories are told about groups of dead bodies lying in almost parade-ground formations, heels of their boots perfectly aligned. (The bodies were later buried on the scene and this area is today known as "Iverson's Pits", source of many local tales of supernatural phenomena.) The supernatural (Latin:super- exceeding+nature) comprises forces and phenomena which are beyond the realm of current scientific understanding, and which may actually directly contradict conventional scientific understandings. ...

Baxter's brigade was worn down and out of ammunition. At 3:00 p.m. he withdrew his brigade and Gen. Robinson replaced it with the brigade of Brig. Gen. Gabriel R. Paul. Rodes then committed his two reserve brigades: Brig. Gens. Junius Daniel and Dodson Ramseur. Ramseur attacked first, but Paul's brigade held its crucial position. Paul himself had a bullet go in one temple and out the other, blinding him permanently (he would survive this wound, and live some 20 more years after the battle). Before the end of the day, three other commanders of that brigade would be wounded. Stephen Dodson Ramseur Stephen Dodson Ramseur (March 29, 1829 â€“ September 19, 1864) was the youngest Confederate general in the American Civil War. ...

Daniel's North Carolina brigade then attempted to break the I Corps line to the southwest along the Chambersburg Pike. They ran into stiff resistance from Col. Roy Stone's Pennsylvania "Bucktail Brigade" in the same area around the railroad cut as the morning's battle. Fierce fighting eventually ground to a standstill.

Heth renews his attack

Gen. Lee arrived on the battlefield at about 2:30 p.m., as Rodes's men were in mid-attack. Seeing that a major assault was underway, he lifted his restriction on a general engagement and gave permission to Hill to resume his attacks from the morning. First in line was Heth's division again, with two fresh brigades: Pettigrew's North Carolinians, the largest brigade in the army, and Col. John M. Brockenbrough's Virginians. John Mercer Brockenbrough (August 1, 1830 â€“ August 24, 1892) was a farmer and a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War. ...

Pettigrew's Brigade was deployed in a line that extended south beyond the ground defended by the Iron Brigade. Enveloping the left flank of the 19th Indiana, Pettigrew's North Carolinians drove back the Iron Brigade in some of the fiercest fighting of the war. The Iron Brigade was pushed out of the woods, made three temporary stands in the open ground to the east, but then had to fall back toward the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Col. Meredith was downed with a head wound, made all the worse when his horse fell on him. To the left of the Iron Brigade was the brigade of Col. Chapman Biddle, defending open ground on McPherson Ridge, but they were outflanked and decimated. To the right, Stone's Bucktails, facing both west and north along the Chambersburg Pike, were attacked by both Brockenbrough and Daniel. The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg is Americas oldest Lutheran Seminary. ...

Casualties were severe that afternoon. The 26th North Carolina (the largest regiment in the army with nearly 900 men) lost heavily, leaving the first day's fight with around 212 men. Their commander, Colonel Henry K. Burgwyn, was fatally wounded by a bullet through his chest. By the end of the three-day battle, the 26th would have about 60 men standing, the highest casualty percentage for one battle of any other regiment, North or South. One of its regiments, the 24th Michigan, lost 363 of 496. It had nine color bearers shot down and its commander, Col. Henry A. Morrow, was wounded in the head and captured. The 151st Pennsylvania of Biddle's brigade lost 337 of 467.

The highest ranking casualty of this engagement was Gen. Heth, who was struck by a bullet in the head. He was apparently saved due to wads of paper he stuffed into a new hat that was otherwise too large for his head. But there were two consequences to this glancing blow. Heth had no further command involvement in the three-day battle and he also failed to urge Pender's division to move forward and supplement his struggling assault. Pender was oddly passive during this phase of the battle; the typically more aggressive tendencies of a young general in Lee's army would have seen him move forward on his own accord. Hill shared the blame for failing to order him forward as well, but he claimed illness. History cannot know Pender's motivations; he was mortally wounded the next day and left no report.

Early attacks XI Corps

Carl Schurz of the XI Corps had a difficult defensive problem. He had only four brigades to cover the wide expanse of featureless farmland north of town. He deployed the division of Brig. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig on the left and Francis C. Barlow on the right. From the left, the brigades were Schimmelfennig's (under Col. George von Amsberg), Col. Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski, Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames, and Col. Leopold von Gilsa. Francis C. Barlow Francis Channing Barlow (October 19, 1834 – January 11, 1896) was a lawyer, politician, and Union general during the American Civil War. ... WÅ‚odzimierz B. KrzyÅ¼anowski WÅ‚odzimierz Bonawentura KrzyÅ¼anowski (Wladimir Krzyzanowski) (July 8, 1824 â€“ January 31, 1887) was a Polish military leader and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Adelbert Ames Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 â€“ April 12, 1933) was a Union general in the American Civil War, a Mississippi politician, and a general in the Spanish-American War, as well as the father of the noted scientist Adelbert Ames, Jr. ...

Making things more difficult, Barlow advanced much farther north than Schimmelfennig's division, occupying a modest elevation above Rock Creek named Blocher's Knoll (ever since the battle known as Barlow's Knoll). This turned out to be a serious misjudgment because it created a salient in the line that could be assaulted from multiple sides. Barlow's justification was that he wanted to prevent Doles's Brigade, of Rodes's division, from occupying it and using it as an artillery platform against him.

Richard Ewell's second division, under Jubal Early, swept down the Harrisburg Road, deployed in a battle line three brigades wide, almost a mile across and almost half a mile wider than the Union defensive line. Early started with a large-scale artillery bombardment. The Georgia brigade of Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon was then directed for a frontal attack against Barlow's Knoll, pinning down the defenders, while the brigades of Brig. Gen. Harry Hays and Col. Isaac Avery swung around their exposed flank. At the same time the Georgians under Doles would launch a synchronized assault with Gordon. The defenders of Barlow's Knoll targeted by Gordon were 900 unlucky men of von Gilsa's brigade; in May, two of his regiments had been the initial target of Stonewall Jackson's flanking attack at Chancellorsville. The men of the 54th and 68th New York held out as long as they could, but they were overwhelmed. Then the 153rd Pennsylvania succumbed. Barlow, attempting to rally his troops, was shot in the side and captured. Barlow's second brigade, under Ames, now came under attack by Doles and Gordon. Both Union brigades conducted a disorderly retreat to the south. John Brown Gordon John Brown Gordon ( February 6, 1832 – January 9, 1904) served as one of Robert E. Lees most trusted generals during the Civil War. ... Stonewall Jackson For the 1960s country music artist, see Stonewall Jackson (musician); for the submarine, see USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634). ...

On the left flank of the XI Corps, the attack now focused on Gen. Schimmelfennig's division. They were subjected to a deadly artillery crossfire from Rodes's and Early's batteries, and as they deployed they were attacked by Doles's infantry. Early's troops were able to employ a flanking attack and roll up the division from the right and they fell back in confusion toward the town. A desperate counterattack by the 157th New York from von Amberg's brigade was surrounded on three sides, causing it to suffer 307 casualties (75%).

Gen. Howard, witnessing the disaster, sent forward an artillery battery and an infantry brigade from von Steinwehr's reserve force, under Col. Charles Coster. Coster's battle line just north of the town in a brickyard was overwhelmed by Hays and Avery. He did provide some valuable breathing room for the retreating soldiers, but at a high price: of Coster's 800 men, 313 were captured, as were two of the four guns from the battery.

The collapse of the XI Corps was completed by 4:00 p.m., after a fight of less than an hour. They suffered 3,200 casualties (1,400 of them prisoners), about half the number sent forward from Cemetery Hill. The losses in Gordon's and Doles's brigades were under 750.

Rodes and Pender break through

Rodes and Pender break through, 4:00 p.m.

Rodes's original faulty attack at 2:00 had stalled, but he launched his reserve brigade, under Ramseur, against Paul's Brigade in the salient on the Mummasburg Road, Doles's Brigade against the left flank of the XI Corps, and Daniel's Brigade resumed its attack, now to the east against Baxter on Oak Ridge. This time Rodes was more successful, most significantly due to Early's coordinated attack on his flank. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (3260x2572, 1314 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (3260x2572, 1314 KB) Drawn by Hal Jespersen in Macromedia Freehand. ...

In the west, the Union troops had fallen back to the Seminary and built hasty breastworks running 600 yards north-south before the western face of Schmucker Hall, bolstered by 20 guns of Wainwright's battalion. Dorsey Pender's division of Hill's Corps stepped through the exhausted lines of Heth's men at about 4:00 p.m. to finish off the I Corps survivors. The brigade of Brig. Gen. Alfred M. Scales attacked first, on the northern flank. His five regiments of 1,400 North Carolinians were virtually annihilated in one of the fiercest artillery barrages of the war, rivaling Pickett's Charge to come, but on a more concentrated scale. Twenty guns spaced only 5 yards apart fired endless spherical case, shells, canister, and double canister rounds into the approaching brigade, which emerged from the fight with only 500 men standing and a single lieutenant in command. Scales wrote afterwards that he found "only a squad here and there marked the place where regiments had rested." Categories: People stubs | 1827 births | 1892 deaths | Governors of North Carolina ... Picketts Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. ...

The attack continued in the southern-central area, where Col. Abner M. Perrin ordered his Alabama brigade (four regiments of 1,500 men) to advance rapidly without pausing to fire. Perrin was prominently on horseback leading his men, but miraculously was untouched. He directed his men to a weak point in the breastworks on the Union left, a 50-yard gap between Biddle's left-hand regiment, the 121st Pennsylvania, and Gamble's cavalrymen, attempting to guard the flank. They broke through, enveloping the Union line and rolling it up to the north as Scales's men continued to pin down the right flank. By 4:30 p.m., the Union position was untenable and the men could see the XI Corps retreating from the northern battle, pursued by masses of Confederates. Doubleday ordered a withdrawal east to Cemetery Hill.

On the southern flank, the North Carolina brigade of Brig. Gen. James H. Lane contributed little to the assault, kept busy by a clash with Union cavalry on the Hagerstown Road. Brig. Gen. Edward L. Thomas's Georgia Brigade was in reserve well to the rear, not summoned by Pender or Hill to assist or exploit the breakthrough. James Henry Lane, CSA James Henry Lane (July 28, 1833 – September 21, 1907) was a university professor and Confederate general in the American Civil War. ...

Union retreat

The sequence of retreating units remains unclear. Each of the two corps cast blame on the other. There are three main versions of events extant. The first, most prevalent, version is that the fiasco on Barlow's Knoll triggered a collapse that ran counterclockwise around the line. The second is that both Barlow's line and the Seminary defense collapsed at about the same time. The third is that Robinson's division in the center gave way and that spread both left and right. Gen. Howard told Gen. Meade that his corps was forced to retreat only because the I Corps collapsed first on his flank, which may have reduced his embarrassment, but was unappreciated by Doubleday and his men. (Doubleday's career was effectively ruined by Howard's story.)

Union troops retreated in different states of order. The brigades on Seminary Ridge were said to move deliberately and slowly, keeping in control, although Col. Wainwright's artillery was not informed of the order to retreat and found themselves alone. As Wainwright realized his situation, he ordered his gun crews to withdraw at a walk, not wishing to panic the infantry and start a rout. As pressure eventually increased, Wainwright ordered his 17 remaining guns to gallop down Chambersburg Street, three abreast. A.P. Hill failed to commit any of his reserves to the pursuit of the Seminary defenders, a great missed opportunity.

Near the railroad cut, Daniel's Brigade renewed their assault and almost 500 Union prisoners surrendered. Paul's Brigade, under attack by Ramseur, became seriously isolated and Gen. Robinson ordered it to withdraw. He ordered the 16th Maine to hold its position "at any cost" as a rear guard against the enemy pursuit. The regiment, commanded by Col. Charles Tilden, returned to the stone wall on the Mummasburg Road and their fierce fire bought sufficient time for the rest of the brigade to escape, which they did, in considerably more disarray than those from the Seminary. The 16th Maine started the day with 298 men, but at the end of this holding action there were only 35 survivors.

For the XI Corps, it was a sad reminder of their retreat at Chancellorsville in May. Under heavy pursuit by Hays and Avery, they clogged the streets of the town; no one in the corps had planned routes for this contingency. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out in various places. Parts of the corps conducted an organized fighting retreat, such as Coster's stand in the brickyard. The private citizens of Gettysburg panicked amidst the turmoil and artillery shells bursting overhead and fleeing refugees added to the congestion. Some soldiers sought to avoid capture by hiding in basements and in fenced backyards. Gen. Schimmelfennig was one such person, who climbed a fence and hid behind a woodpile in the kitchen garden of the Garlach family for the rest of the three-day battle. The only advantage that the XI Corps soldiers had was that they were familiar with the route to Cemetery Hill, having passed through that way in the morning; many in the I Corps, including senior officers, had no idea where the cemetery was. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War in 1863. ...

As the Union troops climbed Cemetery Hill, they encountered the determined Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock. At midday, Gen. Meade was nine miles south of Gettysburg in Taneytown when he heard that Reynolds had been killed. He immediately dispatched Hancock, commander of the II Corps and his most trusted subordinate, to the scene with orders to take command of the field and to determine whether Gettysburg was an appropriate place for a major battle. (Meade's original plan had been to man a defensive line on Pipe Creek, a few miles south in Maryland. But the serious battle underway was making that a difficult option.) Portrait of Winfield S. Hancock during the Civil War Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 â€“ February 9, 1886) was a career U.S. Army officer who served with distinction as a general in the American Civil War and ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1880. ... Taneytown (TAW-nee-town) is a city located in Carroll County, Maryland. ... There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps (Second Corps) during the American Civil War. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich (R) Official languages English Area 32,160 kmÂ² (42nd) - Land 25,338 kmÂ² - Water 6,968 kmÂ² (21%) Population (2000) - Population 5,296,486 (19th) - Density 165 /kmÂ² (5th) Admission...

When Hancock arrived on Cemetery Hill, he met with Howard and they had a brief disagreement about Meade's command order. As the senior officer, Howard yielded only grudgingly to Hancock's direction. Although Hancock arrived after 4:00 p.m. and had almost no effect on the conduct of the battle that day, he provided inspiration to the Union troops arriving on the hill and directed them to defensive positions with his "imperious and defiant" (and profane) persona. As to the choice of Gettysburg as the battlefield, Hancock told Howard "I think this the strongest position by nature upon which to fight a battle that I ever saw." When Howard agreed, Hancock concluded the discussion: "Very well, sir, I select this as the battle-field." Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac, inspected the ground and concurred with Hancock. Gouverneur K. Warren Gouverneur Kemble Warren (8 January 1830 - 8 August 1882) was a civil engineer and prominent officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...

Evening

Gen. Lee also understood the defensive potential to the Union army if they held the high ground of Cemetery Hill. He sent orders to Ewell that the hill be taken "if practicable." Ewell chose not to attempt the assault. One reason posited was the battle fatigue of his men in the late afternoon, although Edward "Alleghany" Johnson's division of Ewell's Corps had just arrived and was essentially fresh. Another was the difficulty of assaulting the hill through the narrow corridors afforded by the streets of Gettysburg, immediately to the north. Ewell did consider taking Culp's Hill, which would have made the Union position on Cemetery Hill untenable, but he abandoned the idea when it was reported that Union troops (probably Slocum's XII Corps) were approaching on the Hanover Road and a small group of them were found to be present on the hill.

Lee's order has been criticized because it left too much discretion to Ewell. It is interesting to speculate how the more aggressive Stonewall Jackson would have acted on this order if he had lived to command this wing of Lee's army, and how differently the second day of battle would have proceeded with Confederate artillery on Cemetery Hill, commanding the length of Cemetery Ridge and the Federal lines of communications on the Baltimore Pike. (It is most likely that Gen. Meade would have invoked his original plan for a defensive line on Pipe Creek and withdrawn the Army of the Potomac, although that movement would have been a dangerous operation under pressure from Lee.) Stonewall Jackson For the 1960s country music artist, see Stonewall Jackson (musician); for the submarine, see USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN-634). ...

Most of the rest of both armies arrived that evening or early the next morning. Johnson's division joined Ewell and Richard H. Anderson's joined Hill. The three divisions of the First Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, would arrive in the morning. Three cavalry brigades under J.E.B. Stuart were still out of the area, on a wide-ranging raid to the northeast. Gen. Lee sorely felt the loss of the "eyes and ears of the Army." It is doubtful whether the battle that started by accident that morning would have occurred if Stuart had been present to pinpoint the location of the Union forces. On the Union side, Meade himself would arrive after midnight. The II Corps and III Corps took up positions on Cemetery Ridge, and the XII Corps and the V Corps were nearby to the east. Only the VI Corps was a significant distance from the battlefield, marching rapidly to join the Army of the Potomac. Richard H. Anderson Richard Heron Anderson ( October 7, 1821 – June 26, 1879) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 â€“ January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, and later enjoyed a successful post-war career working for the government of his former enemies, as a diplomat and administrator. ... James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 â€“ May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ... Daniel Sickles and staff after the Battle of Gettysburg There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps (or Third Corps) during the American Civil War. ... The V Corps (Fifth Corps) was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. ... The VI Corps (Sixth Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...

The first day of battle had pitted over 25,000 Confederates against 18,000 Federals, and ranks in itself as the twenty-third largest battle of the war. Although the day was a spectacular success for Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, two more days would be needed to determine the final victor of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1â€“3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever fought in North America, and is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. ...

References

Martin, David G., Gettysburg July 1, rev. ed., Combined Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-938289-81-0.
Pfanz, Harry W., The Battle of Gettysburg, U.S. National Park Service and Eastern National, 1994, ISBN 0-915992-63-9.
Pfanz, Harry W., Gettysburg – The First Day, University of North Carolina Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8078-2624-3.
Sears, Stephen W., Gettysburg, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, ISBN 0-395-86761-4.

Categories: Battles of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War

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