OT: Battle of Gettysburg

[meyers7]

Today marks the 150th anniversary of one of, if not the greatest battle of, the Civil War (War Between the States for our Southern friends). July 1-3, 1863. Three days involving >160,000 troops with more than 46,000 casualties. It would be considered by most the turning point of the war.

Starting along the Chambersburg road, the Confederates where supposedly out looking for supplies in the Gettyburg area. They ran into Union Calvary NW of Gettysburg. And so it started. The Union Army tried to hold the high ground but more and more troops joined in the fight, by the end of the day the Confederates had driven the Union back through Gettysburg onto Cemetery Hill. Even though Gettysburg was lost, the Union throughout the night fortified on Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge and Culp's Hill, creating a "fishhook".

Most all the combatants arrived during the night so by the second day, it was a whole new fight. The Confederates tried to attack both ends of the Fishhook from Culp's Hill all the way down to Little Round top, where the 20th Maine made their valiant stand and held the left flank, preventing the Confederates from overrunning the Union forces. There were bloody battles in the Peach Orchard and Devil's Den, that left hundreds dead and thousands injured. The Union pushed out towards the Emmitsburg road but by the end of the day both sides where about where they had started.

The third day was when the famous Pickett's Charge was launched. The Confederates Artillery pounded the Union forces for about 2 hours to try to drive them off before the charge. Pickett's Brigade along with troops from some other of Longstreet's Corps, totaling around 12,000 tried to penetrate the center of the Union Army on Cemetery Hill (having tried the left and right flanks the day before. Lee had hoped the Union would strengthen the flanks leaving the center vulnerable). They had to cross about 3/4 quarters of a mile of open field. The Union Army tore them apart. The Confederate battery had not driven off the Union Artillery. The Confederates did manage to break the Union Army at The Angle, but reinforcements were sent in to drive them back. This was the High water-mark for the Confederates for the war. Almost half of Pickett's men didn't make it back. Supposedly when Lee meet Pickett as Pickett was coming back, Lee urged Pickett to get his Division together in case the Union Army tried to counter attack. Pickett supposedly replied, "Sir, I have no Division". The charge lasted about a half an hour and the battle was essentially over at that point. The South retreated back into Maryland and would never venture into the North again.

This along with the Surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 would pretty much set in motion the end of the war, although it would take almost 2 more long years.

For those who don't like to read, the movie Gettysburg, did a pretty nice job of portraying the battle. I imagine it might be on TV sometime this week????

 

[pinotbear]

What with ursusminor attending that fine institution, Gettysburg College, I've spent a bit of time on the battlefield, and in both the old and new visitor's center. I still remember my reaction to my first visit to Little Round Top - chills. It's so intimate, at least compared to areas such as Pickett's charge, where, as Meyers notes, the Rebs advanced over 3/4 of a mile. There's no such scale to Little Round Top - it seems to sit on top of Devil's Den. You immediately realize that these men were literally fighting hand-t0-hand, in very close proximity, hundreds on both sides. The terrain and line-of-sight would have prevented a grand-looking line of battle - it would've been a claustrophic hell, what with the smoke, noise of gunfire, and the screaming.

It was such a near thing - the Confederacy nearly pushed the Union off of the high ground, late in the first day, and nearly turned the Union left on the second. We forget, in our modern era of satillites and cell phones, how difficult simple communication was, from one general to another, one unit to another. The Confederate calvary, under J.E.B. Stuart, was out of touch (and out of the fight) until late in the struggle.

As Meyers notes, the battle started northwest of the center of town on July 1, with the Union eventually retreating southeastward, through the town (and through the College), finally setting up defensive positions on the slightly higher ground of Cemetary Hill and Cemetary Ridge. Everything I'd read as a boy concentrated on days 2 & 3 of the battle - the Round Tops, the Peach orchard, Pickett, etc. It wasn't until I'd visited G'burg that I realized what a big deal Day 1 was - a significant conflict, with large casualties, and a day that nearly ended with a Union rout. And, it all set the stage for the next two days, with all the names we remember.

 

[DavidinNaples]

Good stuff meyers....casualties figures were difficult to get exactly right, but estimates for both armies combined are 7,863 dead, 29,330 wounded and 10,615 missing. In just three days... On the Confederate side dead, wounded and missing totaled 30% of their force....

 

[DobbsRover2]

My mother's family was from another one of the -burg towns north of Gettysburg, and in the days after the battle the family members who weren't enlisted helped with the cleanup on the battlefield, which they described as gruesome in the old letters. They also brought back a lot of hardware such as mashed minie balls, muskets, cannon ball sections, belt buckles, and more, so when I got to view and walk around Seminary Ridge, it really helped me imagine what was hitting these poor guys.

 

[Icebear]

Went to two years of college in Gettysburg and four years of seminary. Attended numerous excellent lectures on the Civil War and the Battle at Gettysburg. Just opened to the public today is the new museum in Samuel Schmucker Hall (also, remembered as Old Dorm) in the middle of the seminary campus of Seminary Ridge it served as a hospital for many wounded from both sides after the battle. There is a web cam feed from the cupola on Schmucker Hall. I can't find it. Here is another LIVE Cam. Two seminary buildings still have scars and cannon balls from the battle. Meyers synopsis is excellent.

Museum website

I have a parishioner who is heavily involved in Civil War reenacting and who will be in Gettysburg all week. November 19th will bring another big event with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

 

[alexrgct]

Many of our Southern friends call it "The War of Northern Aggression."

 

[Kibitzer]

Permit a post script to the moving summaries above.

Bruce Catton's widely acclaimed trilogy of this war from the Union perspective (starting with Mr. Lincoln's Army and concluding with Stillness at Appomattox) covered this epic battle in Glory Road.

The last pages describe the establishment of the cemetery and its dedication. Catton provides a detailed account of the major oration by the big speaker of the day, Edward Everett, and its effect on those present. What happened after two hours or so of Everett's massive speech was described in a very few words without naming the speaker or giving title to his remarks.

Incomparable writing, rising to the challenge of chronocling this momentous event.

Check it out. You will be rewarded.

 

[Bezzz]

Here's an interesting analysis of the battle which tries to discover why Lee made the ill-fated decision to attack on the third day. Turns out most of the union army was hidden from his view by the topography of the land. As you scroll through the events click on "Show Viewshed".
Link

 

[Zorro]

Yup. IF Jeb Stuart had not been out raiding Union supply trains and IF Gen. Lee had ORDERED Longstreet to proceed directly to secure Little Round Top rather than suggesting (which was his gentlemanly way) or IF Longstreet had been more amenable to following Lee's "suggestions" or IF Lee had taken his first day's losses and moved on or......history would have been much different. I visited the battlefield once, as part of a month-long tour of CW battle sites. Although I am not given to belief in spirits or vibes or suchlike, I will have to admit that just walking onto that hallowed ground raised the hair on the back of my neck. Pickett's charge has to go down with the charge of the Scots at Culloden and the Light Brigade's charge at Balaclava as one of the most gallant, totally misguided and disastrous single actions in the history of warfare.

The perspective thing casts some light on Lee's decision. I have always wondered how such an astute general could make such a totally insane-seeming blunder.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Nothing has impressed me more than the courage and leadership shown by Longstreet's divisions (it was really Longstreet's charge, however reluctant he was to get it going) on the final day of the battle. One has to visit the field to appreciate the sort of officers and men that could cross the open ground between Seminary Ridge and the Union lines in the face of such terrible fire. Many historians attribute the outcome to the failure of the Confederate artillery to silence the Union guns and weaken the union infantry. I prefer to believe that the charge was broken when General Stannard's 2nd Vermont regiments rose from their protected positions behind the stone wall, marched out onto the field and flanked the attacking rebels.

'Glory to God, glory to God! See the Vermonters go it!" General Abner Doubleday observing the effect of the Vermonter's flanking move.

One lesser known event on the 3rd was the foray of Jeb Stuart who attempted to get into the Union's rear. Had he been successful the outcome of the battle could well have been different. Stuart's cavalry was met by BG George Custer leading the 1st Michigan cavalry. Custer stopped the rebel cavalry and kept them from reaching the Union rear.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yup. IF Jeb Stuart had not been out raiding Union supply trains and IF Gen. Lee had ORDERED Longstreet to proceed directly to secure Little Round Top rather than suggesting (which was his gentlemanly way) or IF Longstreet had been more amenable to following Lee's "suggestions" or IF Lee had taken his first day's losses and moved on or......history would have been much different. I visited the battlefield once, as part of a month-long tour of CW battle sites. Although I am not given to belief in spirits or vibes or suchlike, I will have to admit that just walking onto that hallowed ground raised the hair on the back of my neck. Pickett's charge has to go down with the charge of the Scots at Culloden and the Light Brigade's charge at Balaclava as one of the most gallant, totally misguided and disastrous single actions in the history of warfare.

The perspective thing casts some light on Lee's decision. I have always wondered how such an astute general could make such a totally insane-seeming blunder.

As in sports, info is never complete for the leader (general or coach) to always make the right decision that will lead to victory. If Stuart's horsemen had been able to feed back reports on the Union rear and the unseen side of Seminary Ridge or if a high ground had allowed Confederate scouts to see the massive Union forces stationed on the ridge and how little they were affected by the morning's bombardment, chances are Lee would have quickly decided to try some other type of flanking attack, though time was pressing for him. It has often been noted how many military terms are used in sports coverage, and certainly there was a Sweet 16 game played this year that would have surely had a different format if a Baylor coach knew that a Cardinal team's usually mediocre bombing unit was going to be very deadly that night when not pressured adequately.

As for the Scots, bravehearted but wild and dumb charges against a well-prepared and organized enemy has been our calling cry since before Roman times, but unfortunately once and while they succeed, making us forget the ten times where we got butchered. Lee had had many intrepid attacks succeed in the battles before Gettysburg, but they had been better planned or had run into a Union foe that was confused and ill-prepared. Overconfidence always gets you in the end.

 

[meyers7]

I prefer to believe that the charge was broken when General Stannard's 2nd Vermont regiments rose from their protected positions behind the stone wall, marched out onto the field and flanked the attacking rebels.

That was very damaging. Also the fence they had to stop and cross near the Emmittsburg road. And the Union Artillery able to switch over to canister rounds, basically cannon shotguns and just rip right through their lines.

Yes give them credit for making it all the way to the Angle.

 

[Frodo]

Went to two years of college in Gettysburg and four years of seminary. Attended numerous excellent lectures on the Civil War and the Battle at Gettysburg. Just opened to the public today is the new museum in Samuel Schmucker Hall (also, remembered as Old Dorm) in the middle of the seminary campus of Seminary Ridge it served as a hospital for many wounded from both sides after the battle. There is a web cam feed from the cupola on Schmucker Hall. I can't find it. Here is another LIVE Cam. Two seminary buildings still have scars and cannon balls from the battle. Meyers synopsis is excellent.

Museum website

I have a parishioner who is heavily involved in Civil War reenacting and who will be in Gettysburg all week. November 19th will bring another big event with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

I spent my freshman year there starting in fall of '64. The first week of school I took a lengthy tour of the battle field as part of rush week...Sigma Nu, if I remember correctly...ran the tour. There's obviously a lot that could be said about the battle, but the one thing that stands out most in my memory was the site of Pickett's charge. Reading about it in grade school one can easily imagine something as broad as a football field, but walking it in person I was struck by what a hike it was...much of it going up and down the undulations in the field...it's easy to see why it had to fail, but hard to understand how Lee couldn't see it as well.

 

[ursusminor]

it's easy to see why it had to fail, but hard to understand how Lee couldn't see it as well.

There is some discussion about Lee's health during that battle; he reportedly picked up some sort of stomach bug that was bothering him. Some people speculate that it affected his judgement. Other commenters here have pointed out other factors that he was unaware of and should have been. It did not help that his cavalry had been gallivanting about the week before instead of feeding him information.
The Union gets some credit, too. They called a stop to their artillery responding to the morning Confederate artillery bombardment; this lulled the Confederates into thinking they were out of shot, and would be unable to use artillery against the infantry charge. General Meade was also perhaps the first truly competent commander to be put in charge of the Army of the Potomac.

 

[cohenzone]

Many of our Southern friends call it "The War of Northern Aggression."

Old feelings die hard.

 

[cohenzone]

Toured it once. It's eerie, like any such place, to see how peaceful the setting is. If you've never been there, the D-Day beaches in Normandy are the same. That such beautiful places were vast killing fields is sobering. Pickett's charge, the sound of it stirs an almost romantic image, and then you see the field and try to visualize being exposed as a soldier in such an impossible place. Not much romance. Great post, Meyers. If you haven't read it, there is a non-fiction book called "The Generals" which is a combined bio of Lee and Grant. Good read.

 

[Waquoit]

Many of our Southern friends call it "The War of Northern Aggression."

And they also insist it wasn't about slavery.

Here's a good day-by-day blog about the run-up to and actual battle. It reads better if you start from the bottom and read in chronological order.

 

[LesMis89]

There is some discussion about Lee's health during that battle; he reportedly picked up some sort of stomach bug that was bothering him. Some people speculate that it affected his judgement. Other commenters here have pointed out other factors that he was unaware of and should have been. It did not help that his cavalry had been gallivanting about the week before instead of feeding him information.
The Union gets some credit, too. They called a stop to their artillery responding to the morning Confederate artillery bombardment; this lulled the Confederates into thinking they were out of shot, and would be unable to use artillery against the infantry charge. General Meade was also perhaps the first truly competent commander to be put in charge of the Army of the Potomac.

There's a great quote by George Pickett about the South's defeat at Gettysburg during the post-CW, post-Lee's death, finger-pointing era. Was it Ewell's fault for not taking the high ground on Day 1? Ewell's fault for not timing his attack to coordinate with Longstreet on Day 2? Longstreet's fault for not moving more quickly on Day 2? (Aside, as the sole non-Virginian in Lee's high command, Longstreet made a very easy and convenient target after the war.) Etc. Etc.

Pickett was asked why the South lost the Battle of Gettysburg? His reply "I always thought the Yankees had something to do with it."

Lee finally came up against a group of Union officers that were actually competent - Meade, Hancock, Warren, Buford, to list some - who also had the geographical advantage, and lost.

 

[huskeynut]

I have taken Boy Scout troops to tour Gettysburg and walk the various battlefields. It gives one a completely different perspective.

Standing on Little Round Top and imagining Confederate troops charging up the rocky slopes, you can see the carnage. But most impressive and moving was actually walking Picket's Charge. Looking at the distance to the Union lines and knowing what the troops faced as they moved over open ground is unbelievable. The courage it took to move forward in ranks and face cannon shot and canister and then rifle fire is almost unimaginable to today's youth. And to realize the Confederate troops almost broke the Union lines.

The battlefields of Gettysburg are living monuments to our history. I am glad I've made the trip with my troop. They have seen history and a sense of war and its horrors. Everyone should visit and tour the battlefields.

 

[Icebear]

One thing that should be, especially, noted is that about a decade ago intentional deforestation of areas of the Gettysburg Battlefield was taken up inorder to return the area to semblance of photos taken in the era of the battle. Trees had grown up in various areas where they had not been, as the Roundtops and the Devil's Den area. These were removed to provide visitors a better sense of the area at the time of the battle.

 

[uconndoit]

Many of our Southern friends call it "The War of Northern Aggression."

Old feelings die hard.

Fwiw - Vietnam calls the Vietnam War "The United States War of Aggression"

 

[uconndoit]

My great great uncle was General Joseph Hooker - Lincoln relieved him of command at the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

[Waquoit]

My great great uncle was General Joseph Hooker - Lincoln relieved him of command at the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg.

I just read that Hooker resigned first. Lincoln accepted and appointed Meade as the Commander of the Army of the Potomic.

 

[terif831]

I visited the battlefield way back in the early '80's, but I remember it clear as day. We took an audio tour that was a re-enactment of the battle, day by day, while riding on a sightseeing bus that arrived at the geographical area that was related to what was coming over the headphones at that time. I recall that it was quite lengthy, and well done, with a narrator and actors portraying the different players in the event, as well as the sounds of battle. I was really lost in it, to the point where my heart was pounding. By the time we got to Pickett's Charge, when we were parked behind the wall and gazing across the field, it was all I could do not to run off the bus and wave my arms, yelling "Go back! Go back!" Really, really powerful. Gives me chills just in the remembering.

 

[uconndoit]

I just read that Hooker resigned first. Lincoln accepted and appointed Meade as the Commander of the Army of the Potomic.

Yeah, there are different accounts - I chose the more humble version so as not to sound defensive . Another story about him is that he was the inspiration for the term "hooker". As the story goes, he took using "camp girls" to boost troop morale to a whole new level to the extent that people started calling them "Hooker's girls" and then just "hookers". But there are earlier uses of the term "hooker" that predate Joseph Hooker. Maybe the term was reinvented or maybe the term was revived because of him. In any case it's a fun factoid to tell people over a beer. There's a statue of him on horseback in front of the old state house on the Commons in Boston.