Gettysburg - Wheatfield

While Hood's first brigades were fighting for Devil's Den Little Round Top, more troops were fighting over a Wheatfield. Sickles had reinforced his jagged line with troops from Sykes V Corps. Southern troops advanced against the Federal line, and were met with bursts of cannon and musketry. They began to get around the Federal left flank, but as the Union troops began to fall back the Confederates lost their momentum, exhausted from their charge.

Capture of the Wheatfield

With Hood's attack stalled Longstreet ordered McLaws' division forward forward, and some of his troops struck the area of the Wheatfield. The seasoned Confederate veterans were at first driven back but came on again, pressing the Federals back. Meade had brought up a division from Hancock's line, and sent it into the Wheatfield as reinforcements. One of these soldiers, Major Peter Nelson of the 66th New York, wrote the fight:

Very soon we were under fire of musketry, but, nothing daunted, we pressed steadily forward through wheat-fields, woods, over rail fences 10 feet high, stone walls, ditches, deep ravines, rocks, and all sorts of obstructions, every one of which had served as cover for the enemy, and from which a murderous fire was poured upon us as we advanced, but without avail, as nothing could stop the impetuosity of our men, who, without waiting to lead or even fix bayonets, rushed eagerly forward at a run, their cry being constantly, Forward! Charge! ... Arrived at a rocky ridge about 300 yards from where we commenced our victorious advance, we halted, taking the movement from the right, and engaged the enemy at short range. ... By this time, owing to the distance we had advanced in line of battle at a run, and the irregularity of the ground we had advanced over, we were in a deplorable state of confusion; men from every regiment in the division were intermingled with ours in one confused mass. While personally engaged in endeavoring to reform the regiment, and obtain something like order, I perceived the right of the line retiring. On inquiring the cause, I earned that the enemy had turned our right flank; also that all the senior officers of the brigade were either killed or wounded. In accordance with instructions received previous to entering the engagement, to regulate our movement by the right, I gave orders to retire...

As the sun was setting the Confederates were pushing through the Wheat Field after the retreating Federals. It appeared, on this portion of the field at least, that Lee might have won a victory in Pennsylvania.

Confederate in the Wheatfield

Gettysburg - Little Round Top

The attack on the Union left would be made by two divisions from Longstreet, McLaws' on the left and Hood's on the right. At about 4:30 pm, as the guns fell silent from a 30 minute bombardment, Hood, standing in his stirrups at the head of the Texas Brigade, shouted "Fix Bayonets, my brave Texans! Forward, and take those heights!" As Hood's division rushed toward the Round Tops the encountered rough, boulder stone ground in an area called Devil's Den. The division shifted off to the east as united struggled to avoid the obstacle. As the attack was being made the commander was lost, the mounted Hood was struck with a bullet and put out of action, Evander Law taking his place.

Confederate sharpshooter in Devil's Den

The Northern troops put up a fierce resistance around the rocky outcroppings, but they could not hold for long. Confederates began to get on their flank and even in their rear. Finally the Confederates pushed through Devil's Den, capturing three cannon that had defended it. The Confederates continued to push on around Big Round Top and towards Little Round Top. Until very recently the smaller hill had been bare of Federal troops other than a few signal men. Sickles had been instructed to anchor his line there, but had disobeyed the order. Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren, chief engineer of the army, rode to the hill and instantly saw the situation. He recognized that the hill was the key to the whole battlefield. Confederate artillery here could wreck havoc on the Federal lines. Warren quickly rode back and on his own authority sent Colonel Strong Vincent's 1,000 man brigade to occupy the hill, along with a battery of artillery. Vincent arranged his regiments on the hill, and they were soon attacked by troops from Hood's division. Already disorganized from the charge, their lines were broken as they tried to climb the rocky sides of Little Round Top. As they approached the top, they came under fire from Strong's men and were driven back. They came on again and again and a fierce fight developed. Reinforcements arrived for the Federals in the form of the 140th New York, a Zouve regiment with colorful uniforms. Which rushed forward and helped stabilize the Union line.

Hood's Attack

The unit on the far left of the Union position was the 20th Maine, commanded by Colonel Joshua Chamberlin. Today it is one of the most famous unites of the entire Civil War. The Confederates pushed hard against this regiment. Chamberlin remembered counting five separate attacks on his line. His troops were stretched very thin and his men were running low on ammunition. It was thought that the line was about to break, so he ordered a bayonet charge. The 20th Maine rushed down the hill, hit the Confederates and drove them into retreat, capturing a number of retreating rebels.

Through the quick action of Gouverneur Warren, the hard fighting of Vincient's brigade and the disorganization of the Confederates, Little Round Top was held for the Union. The man who got much of the glory for this fight was Joshua Chamberlin, although were other Union units on the hill that fought just as hard against the Confederate attacks.

Gettysburg - Preparations for Attack

Lee's Plan

The commanders of both armies around Gettysburg were up before dawn on the morning of July 2nd. Meade was posting his troops on the hills of south of Gettysburg, preparing to receive the attack he expected. Meanwhile Lee was looking for an opportunity to make that attack. He sent out scouting parties and one, venturing out in the direction of the Union left, reported that he had ridden to Little Round Top and there were no troops in the area. According to this report, there was nothing to stop Lee from moving around the Federal line and hitting them in the flank or even rear. This was just the opportunity he had been looking for, so he began seeing to the preparations for the attack. But in this he did not have the willing cooperation of Longstreet, who would be commanding the assault. Longstreet still wanted to fight a defensive battle. Lee had made it clear it was not going to happen, but his lieutenant was not content to just obey orders. Worse still, Lee's plan was based on faulty information. Somehow the scouting party must have been confused about their location, as Union reports show that there would have been plenty of troops visible in the Little Round Top area at that time.

Sickles examines his lines

The commander on the far Union left, where Lee planned to attack, was Dan Sickles. Sickles was not a military man, but a politician looking to overcome a bad reputation. Sickles was not satisfied with his position on Cemetery Ridge. He was concerned because of some higher ground a little over a half mile in front of him around a peach orchard. He thought that Confederates holding the slight rise would be able to break his line. About noon, without authorization from Meade, he moved his corps forward to cover the higher ground. Writing after the battle, Sickles acknowledged that it was done outside of his orders:

It was not through any misinterpretation of orders. It was either a good line or a bad one, and, whichever it was, I took it on my own responsibility.... I took up that line because it enabled me to hold commanding ground, which, if the enemy had been allowed to take - as they would have taken if I had not occupied it in force - would have rendered our position on the left untenable; and, in my judgment, would have turned the fortunes of the day hopelessly against us. 

Sickles

 But this move jeprodized the Union line. The new position was nearly twice as long, spreading his troops very thin and making them neglect the truly important position of Little Round Top, leaving it free to be captured by the Confederates. When Meade heard of this move, he was very angry. Without waiting a moment he gave orders that the stituation be corrected. But it was too late. For as he rode up to Sickles position, he discovered that the Confederates were massing for an attack.

Sickles

Gettysburg – End of the First Day

Meade

 In the afternoon of July 1st, Meade received more news of the developing fight at Gettysburg. Hancock, who had taken over the battle, told him that he thought he could hold Cemetery Hill until nightfall, and that it would be an excellent place to fight a battle. Meade therefore decided to abandon his Pipe Creek Plan and meet Lee at Gettysburg. He ordered all his troops in the area forward. Of his seven corps, four were already on the field or very close by, and only one was a long distance away. The Confederates also were planning their movements for the next days. Longstreet had arrived, and looking over the ground, told Lee:

If we could have chosen a point to meet our plan of operation, I do not think we could have found a better one than that upon which they are concentrating. All we have to do is throw our army around by their left, and we shall interpose between the Federal army and Washington. We can get a strong position and wait, and if they fail to attack us we will have everything in condition to move back tomorrow night in the direction of Washington, selecting beforehand a good position into which we can place our troops to receive battle next day. Finding our object is Washington and that army, the Federals will be sure to attack us. When they attack, we shall beat them ... and the probabilities are that the fruits of our success will be great.

Lee however fundamentally disagreed with Longstreet's defensive plan. Lee thought he had to keep control of the campaign. In the enemy's country, with Stuart gone, Lee knew little of the enemy's movements. If he tried a flanking maneuver he would be in real risk of being caught on the road and destroyed. He told Longstreet, “If the enemy is there tomorrow, we must attack him.”

Lee

Gettysburg – Union Retreat

As the Confederates deployed to prepare for another attack, across the field Doubleday was determined to hold his ground. He must have known that Reynolds had permission to fight on this ground. He was a West Pointer and had been an officer at Fort Sumter, and was said to have fired the first shot of the war. He worked to reinforce and expand the Union line. By now O. O. Howard's XI Corps was arriving. This corps was primarily composed of German immigrants, and they had been routed by Jackson's flank attack at Chancellorsville. The rest of the army disliked them for this debacle, and they disliked their commander, the "Christian General," because he had replaced their hero, Franz Sigel. When Howard arrived he was the senior officer on the field, so he took control of the battle. He placed his corps to the right of the I, curving to the right north of town.

Ewell arrives

More Confederates were arriving as well. Ewell's corps was joining Hill's at Gettysburg. He, like Hill, had been told to avoid a general engagement. He deployed his men opposite the right of the I Corps. When Ewell and Rodes, Ewell's division commander on the field, saw the XI Corps they thought they were about to be attack, so they decided to strike first. On their orders, the Confederate forces moved forward against the Federals with varying success. Alfred Inverson commanded one of Rodes' brigades. Inverson was a Georgian, but his troops were from North Carolina and they disliked him. The position Inverson had to attack proved to be difficult. There the Federal line curved inward, forming a V in which the Confederate brigade would be trapped. Also the Federals were under cover, so they could not be seen. Private John Vaultier of the 88th Pennsylvania wrote of the attack:

[T]he field in front was swarming with Confederates, who came sweeping on in magnificent order, with perfect alignment, guns at right shoulder and colors to the front. [We] waited quietly for the enemy to come within range, word being passed along to aim low, and at the command a sheet of flame and smoke burst from the wall with the simultaneous crash of the rifles, flaring full in the faces of the advancing troops, the ground being quickly covered with their killed and wounded as the balls hissed and cut through the exposed line.

The Confederate line was stopped in its tracks at 50 yards and the survivors hugged the ground. Then the Federal line charged forward. The North Carolinians were dismayed and did not put up a good resistance. Hundreds surrendered or were captured and two stands of colors were captured. Inverson was blamed for this disaster. He was already unpopular with his brigade, and he was arranging support for his men rather than leading them from the front. When the campaign was over he was removed from command and sent back to Georgia to organize the militia there.

The North Carolinians advance

While Inverson's brigade was being driven back, attacks were occurring on its right and left flanks. O'Neal on the left was unsuccessful, while advancing the left regiment was flanked and retreated, and the rest of the brigade followed. Rodes sent in two reserve brigades, Daniel on the right and Ramseur on the left. Daniel's brigade was very large, but was also inexperienced. It struck the Federals hard in the area of the railroad cut, but although they fought hard, they could make no progress. Ramseur too pressed the enemy. The Federals recognized the danger of their position. They were under heavy pressure. Four commanders of Paul's brigade were killed or wounded. Finally the Federals fell back with the 16th Maine as a rear guard. The Confederates closed in on the 16th, with Ramsuer himself leading the charge. The rear guard could not stand up for long. Many men fell and many prisoners were taken. The men tore up their flag and distributed it through the regiment so it would not be captured. 77% of the regiment was killed, wounded or captured.

The Railroad Cut

After Ramseur's success Daniel continued his attacks. He was fighting Stone's Pennsylvania Brigade. Several of the Union regiments carried the name Bucktails because they carried deer tails in their hats to boast of their marksmanship. Stone's men were able to drive back Daniel's brigade. But the Yankees suffered heavily from the Confederate artillery when they got stuck in the railroad cut. In the next attack the tables were turned. Daniel was again driven back, and the Confederates suffered many casualties in the railroad cut. After this Daniel avoided the dangerous area of the railroad cut and instead sent his men to aid in Ramseur's attack. But Stone had been wounded in the fighting, and his successor pulled back the brigade, leaving 850 men behind on the field.

Attacks on the I and XI Corps

As the I Corps was being forced back, the XI Corps was also under attack. Schimmelfenning's division was placed on the left and Barlow was on the right. The third division was not put into the fighting, it was in reserve on Cemetery Hill. Facing them was Early's division, which was almost on the right flank of the XI Corps. In front was John B. Gordon's Georgia brigade of 1,200 men, followed by a second line and a third reserve line. To meet this threat to the right Barlow moved forward to what is called Barlow's Knoll. It is the only high ground in the plains north of town. He thought if the Confederates occupied this hill it would be impossible for him to maintain his position. But the move forward formed a salient in the Union line, and overextended the XI Corps. Schurz, who had taken over the corps from Howard, was considering ordering a retreat, but before he made any move Early attacked.

Gordon

Gordon moved forward at the front of the line, mounted on a black horse, inspiring his men by his martial presence. Barlow's rightmost brigade put up a good resistance to Gordon, but it was useless. They were outnumbered and flanked. They soon broke and took the rest of the division with them. Gordon later wrote:

Moving forward under heavy fire over rail and plank fences, and crossing a creek whose banks were so abrupt as to prevent a passage excepting at certain points, this brigade rushed upon the enemy with a resolution and spirit, in my opinion, rarely excelled. The enemy made a most obstinate resistance until the colors on portions of the two lines were separated by a space of less than 50 paces, when his line was broken and driven back, leaving the flank which this line had protected exposed to the fire from my brigade. An effort was here made by the enemy to change his front and check our advance, but the effort failed, and this line, too, was driven back in the greatest confusion, and with immense loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Among the latter was a division commander (General [F. C] Barlow), who was severely wounded.

Early's men wrecked havoc on the XI Corps. Schurz tried to form a line on the outskirts of the town, but it was put in a bad position and soon broke. The rout of the XI Corps occurred at the same time as the retreat of the 1st. Heth had attacked again. Again the Federals made a firm resistance. When the 26th North Carolina's attack stalled, their officers grabbed the flag to lead the men forward. Officer after officer fell carrying the flag, but it was picked up again and the advance continued forward. Finally Lt. Colonel Lane, the commander, grabbed the flag and drove back the Federals. In this attack 13 flag bearers fell. Every one of the 3 officers and 88 men of company F were either killed or wounded.

The Federals could not stand up to these attacks and eventually fell back. Heth made little pursuit. His division had suffered badly and was completely worn out. Heth himself was temporarily disabled, when he had been struck with a mine ball in the head. He only survived because the bullet was mostly blocked by a paper stuffed in his new hat.

Gettysburg

The I and XI Union Corps retreated in a near rout through the town of Gettysburg. The streets were clogged as the Yankees struggled to get away from the pressing greybacks. Some Federals thought the battle was hopelessly lost. However, a provost guard formed on the other side of Cemetery Hill to stop the fleeing soldiers. It was there that a defense would be made. By this time Winfield Scott Hancock had arrived on the field. He was sent by Meade to take over after Reynold's death. He knew him better than Howard and had more confidence in him. Hancock worked with Howard to organize the remains of the two corps. They were down to around 7,000 men, but he still had 50 cannon and a strong position. More troops were on their way, and there would be plenty of reinforcements if they could hold out for the rest of the day.

Ewell

The Confederate high command considered an attack on Cemetery Hill. A. P. Hill said his men were too tired and the enemy was already routed. Lee gave Ewell permission to attack, but Ewell would not do it without an express order from Lee. Lee said in his report:

Without information as to its proximity, the strong position which the enemy had assumed could not be attacked without danger of exposing the four divisions present, already weakened and exhausted by a long and bloody struggle, to overwhelming numbers of fresh troops. General Ewell was, therefore, instructed to carry the hill occupied by the enemy, if he found it practicable, but to avoid a general engagement until the arrival of the other divisions of the army, which were to hasten forward.

Ultimately, Ewell did not make the attempt. Ewell did plan to occupy Culp's Hill, to the east of Cemetery Hill. A staff officer had found it unoccupied in the noon, but it was near dark before Johnson's division was sent to occupy it, and by that time the Federals had troops on that hill. There were many who, then and later, believed that if Jackson were there, he would have captured Cemetery Hill, and Ewell's indecision cost the Confederates the battle. However, the ultimate authority rested with Lee and if he believed it necessary to attack the hill, he could have ordered Ewell to do it. An attack probably should have been made, but it would not necessarily have been successful, as the defeated Federals might have been able to hold back the tired Southerners.

Gettysburg – McPherson's Ridge

The I Corps was deploying along McPherson Ridge with Cutler's brigade on the Union right and the Iron Brigade on the left. Facing Cutler was Joseph Davis's Mississippi Brigade. Davis was the nephew of president Jefferson Davis, and he advanced his men against Cutler. The Union troops were hard pressed, and eventually the three rightmost regiments were ordered to fall back. But the 147th New York did not get the order. The New Yorkers began to be surrounded by the Confederates, since the regiments next to them had retreated. However, General Wadsworth saw their plight and sent an officer to order them to retreat. With the order given they retreated at a run. The flagbearer was shot as he retreated and fell, and as the flag was a valuable symbol for the regiment, rather than leave it on the field a sergeant ripped the flag from the staff, rolled it up and carried it from the field. They had to pass through a railroad cut which went through the field, and many were shot by the Confederates as they stopped to climb the steep embankment.

The fight was also increasing in furry on the Union left. The Iron Brigade was sent into McPherson's woods against Archer's brigade. At first only the 2nd Wisconsin was sent in. The men had not been expecting a fight, so they had to load their rifles while running forward into battle. In the heavy fighting many men fell. The Yankees were soon reinforced by the rest of the Iron Brigade. They pushed through the woods and drove out the Confederates, taking those prisoner who did not retreat fast enough. Brigadier General James Archer himself was captured. His health had not been good and he did not have the strength to retreat. A private found him and brought him to the rear. He was the first general captured from the Army of Northern Virginia since Lee had taken command, a bad sign for Confederate victory in this battle.

On the right Davis's brigade pursued the rightmost regiments of Cutler's brigade. Wadsworth met this by sending in the 6th Wisconsin of the Iron Brigade, which had been held for such a need as this. The advance of the Wisconsin regiment was supported by several regiments from Cutler. Coming down on Davis's flank as they were advancing, they opened fire on the Confederates. Rufus Dawes, commanding the 6th Wisconsin, later wrote:

We were receiving a fearfully destructive fire from the hidden enemy. Men who had been shot were leaving the ranks in crowds. With the colors at the advance point, the regiment firmly and hurriedly moved forward, while the whole field behind streamed with men who had been shot,

Dawes

and who were struggling to the rear or sinking in death upon the ground. The only commands I gave, as we advanced, were, Align on the colors! Close up on the colors! Close up on the colors! The regiment was being so broken up that this order alone could hold the body together. Meanwhile the colors fell upon the ground several times but were raised again by the heroes of the color guard. Four hundred and twenty men started in the regiment from the turnpike fence, of whom about two hundred and forty reached the railroad cut. Years afterward I found the distance passed over to be one hundred and seventy-five paces. Every officer proved brave, true, and heroic in encouraging the men to breast the deadly storm, but the real impetus was the eager and determined valor of our men who carried muskets in the ranks.

There was hard fighting over the colors of the 2nd Mississippi, which had been placed out in front of the railroad cut which the Confederates occupied. The entire Confederate color guard was killed or wounded and the flag staff was splintered with many holes through the flag. Many Yankees were shot as they rushed for the flag. Finally Corporal Frank Waller killed the Confederate flag bearer and ripped it from his hands, and continued firing at the Confederates. For this action he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

When the Federals reached the Confederate line they found that the rebels had become disorganized and fled into the railroad cut. Dawes continued:

My notice that we were upon the enemy, was a general cry from our men of: Throw down your muskets! Down with your muskets! Running forward through our line of men, I found myself face to face with hundreds of rebels, whom I looked down upon in the railroad cut, which was, where I stood, four feet deep. Adjutant Brooks, equal to the emergency, quickly placed about twenty men across the cut in position to fire through it. ... I shouted: Where is the colonel of this regiment? An officer in gray, with stars on his collar, who stood among the men in the cut ... promptly handed me his sword, and his men, who still held them, threw down their muskets. ... It would have been the handsome thing to say, Keep your sword, sir, but I was new to such occasions, and when six other officers came up and handed me their swords, I took them also. I held this awkward bundle in my arms until relieved by Adjutant Brooks.

Around noon there was a lull in the fighting. Heth had expected to meet only light resistance on his move to Gettysburg, but instead he had gotten himself involved in a battle, and was loosing it. A. P. Hill and Lee had ridden to the sound of firing. Since the battle had already begun, Hill decided to deploy his entire corps. He placed them in a line which went along Herr ridge and then bent around on the left to Oak Hill. Artillery was deployed which opened fire on the Union line.

Union casualties

Gettysburg – The Battle Begins

As had been ordered by A. P. Hill the night before, the Confederate division under Harry Heth began advancing towards Gettysburg at 5:00 am. Approaching the town from the north, they encountered Union troopers from John Buford's command at 7:30 am. The rebel skirmishers pushed forward until they reached the main Union line, on McPherson's Ridge just north of town. It was clear the Confederates would need to deploy more than a few skirmishers to make it into Gettysburg. Heth deployed Archer's and Davis's brigades on Herr Ridge opposite the Union positions. They pushed towards McPherson Woods, supported by cannon fire. Their advance was slow. The Federal dismounted cavalry carried breechloading carbines which could be reloaded much faster than the rifles the infantry carried, but the Union line was much thinner. They grudgingly gave ground, slowly retiring. They held off the Confederate advance for two hours. As Archer's brigade crested the hill, thinking that they were finally really driving the Union cavalry, the sighted a line of Federal infantry. Reynold's I Corps had arrived.

John Reynolds of Pennsylvania was a gallant officer with battlefield experience and one of the most skilled generals in the army. His men had begun their march that morning. They didn't know they were going into a serious battle, they thought they were just there to support Buford in a cavalry skirmish. At the head of the First Corps were some of the best troops in the Army of the Potomac, including the Iron Brigade, known for their black Hardee Hats and hard fighting proven on many fields. When Reynolds arrived in Gettysburg ahead of his troops he was informed of the situation. Knowing that his friend Meade would be willing to fight Lee, he decided to hold the high ground north of Gettysburg. If necessary he could fall back to Cemetery Hill, a strong position just south of town. He told Buford to hold on until his infantry arrived to take over, and sent an order to O. O. Howard to move his 11th Corps to Gettysburg.

Reynolds

As the Iron Brigade was deploying between 10 and 11 am Reynolds sat on his horse near the front lines, encouraging his men to advance and drive the rebels out of the woods. As he looked behind him towards the seminary to look for more troops, he was struck in the back of the head by a Mine Ball. He fell to the ground, dead. The highest ranking Union general on the field had fallen. Abner Doubleday assumed command of the I Corps.