If you never have been moved by being at a historical site, you may have never been to Gettysburg. It may be the most important and revered site in all of American history.
I write this on July 1, 2013. It was 150 years ago this very day that the battle of Gettysburg began. It was a three day battle. On the first day, a small expedition of Confederates marched toward Gettysburg, ostensibly looking for supplies and shoes for their veterans. They had just made the long journey on foot from Virginia to Pennsylvania to bring the war to the North.
Meanwhile, Union cavalry had approached the town from the South and saw the Confederates were approaching the town. The cavalry’s commander, General John Buford made the bold decision to dismount his troops and fight. He new he had to defend the high ground and delay the Confederates so the rebels could not have it before the nearby Union Army arrived.
His troops fought hard, and the rebels started bringing up reinforcements. Then the first contingents of Union infantry came into town and the battle kept escalating. Before the end of the day, it turned into a major battle. The Union Army was driven back, through the town and up into the hills. You could say the rebels won the day, but they did not get the high ground.
That was crucial to the final outcome of the battle. On the second day, the Southerners tried to sweep around the very end of the Union lines at Little Round Top. They almost succeeded, but were eventually driven back. The Union troops had the high ground and could not be dislodged.
On the third day, General Robert E. Lee made the fateful decision to marshal his troops and attack the center of the Union line. To do that, his troops had to march a mile across open ground, and be subject to intense Union artillery and rifle fire from Union troops lined up by the thousands behind a stone wall.
One part of the Confederate troops made it to the fence, but were cut down or made prisoners. The majority were killed or retreated back to their own lines. This third day of battle is known as Pickett’s Charge as it was led by Confederate General George Pickett.
The next day, the rebels started their long march back to Virginia. For some unexplained reason, the Union Commander, General George Meade, did not pursue. Had he done so, the war would not have continued for another two years.
There is more to this battle than I briefly talked about here. If you go to the Wikipedia Site, you can get more detail. But to summarize, the battle was costly to both sides, with a total casualty figure of around 50,000 soldiers and civilians.
I was able to spend two days in Gettysburg and visited most of the major battle sites. I even walked partway across the open field where Pickett’s Charge took place. My hotel was next to General Lee’s headquarters. Trust me…it was all very moving. I am so glad I got to make the trip.
The photograph, made to look like it was taken back in 1863, is of a Union Captain re-enactor. He and his company of Union soldiers gave an interesting demonstration of the Union line of battle, how the troops marched in formation then changed in battle formation…even firing muskets. It was all very interesting…and loud. Thank God for the re-enactors who keep the history of the civil war alive for all of us to appreciate and understand.
PS: If you have not seen the movie “Gettysburg,” you need to. It may be the most accurate movie Hollywood ever made…Pickett’s charge and other scenes were filmed where the real events took place. Thousands of re-enactors were used as troops. There is a new Director’s Cut of the movie out and I recommend you see that one.
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