Scenes From Gettysburg: Cemetary Ridge

The view from Cemetary Ridge. In the distance you can see the Virginia Monument.

The copse of trees. This was the focal point of Pickett's assault

The Angle. The Confederates briefly broke the Union line at this point.

The Pennsylvania Monument. For the only time of the war the Pennsylvanians fought to defend their own land. It could be argued this extra measure of incentive invigorated the previously demoralized Army of the Potomac. Noted commanders George Meade and Winfield Scott Hancock were both from Pennsylvania.

From their position behind the stone wall, the Federals watched in amazement as the long gray line of Confederates approached their position. As if in parade, the divisions of Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble approached and then crossed the Emmitsburg Road. Soon, the Federal cannons, some loaded with double grapeshot, opened tearing huge holes in the lines. Still the gray wave came forward.

Considered by some to be the Confederate "high water mark", the brigade of Brigadier General Lewis Armistead reached the section of the wall known as "The Angle" and briefly breached the Federal line. General Hancock quickly rushed re-inforcements in the breach and Armistead's Virginians, having no support, fell back. As the assault began to fail, the Union infantry began taking prisoners over the wall, one even remarking as he pulled his counterpart from the hellish fury, "come over to the side of the Lord".

The assault broke as rapidly as it peaked with Confederate soldiers streaming back across the field. Pickett's division suffered almost 80% loss and every regimental commander was either wounded or killed. It was so completely ruined, it would participate in no major action for 18 months.

With the shattering of the attack, any chance of Lee achieving victory also dissolved. Following a quiet 4th of July interrupted only by a cannon salute by the Federals, Lee withdrew his damaged army and returned to Virginia. It would be the last time a Confederate force of any size set foot in a Northern state.

Scenes From Gettysburg: Seminary Ridge

Spangler Woods. From these trees, on the third day, the long gray line of Confederates emerged.

The view from the Confederate lines prior to the charge. Cemetary Ridge is almost 1.5 miles in the distance.

The Virginia Monument. Lee watched the assault from this location.

On July 3rd, Lee, known for his audacity, decided to make one last gamble. Encouraged by Anderson's near success the day before and the belief that previous attacks on each flank had weakened the Federal center, he chose to attack directly across the open field separating the two armies.

Although he only commanded one of the three divisions involved, the assault would forever bear the name of Major General George Pickett.

Scenes From Gettysburg: The Wheat Field and Sacrifice

The Wheat Field. Cemetary Ridge lies just beyond the trees.

The First Minnesota Monument.

As Lee's attack on the second day moved north, Anderson's Division encountered elements of Dan Sickles corps in the Wheat Field and the Peach Orchard. After a fierce fight which included the critical wounding of Sickles, the Federals were routed from both, leaving nothing protecting Cemetary Ridge.

Noting the situation, General Winfield Scott Hancock observed the only reserve on hand, the 1st Minnesota. Seeing an entire brigade of Confederates charging up the hill towards the gap, Hancock ordered the regimental commander to "take those colors". Although they knew the sacrifice asked, the Minnesotans charged down the hill temporarily staunching the oncoming tide and allowing a full division to be maneuvered in the gap. Of the 262 men who charged down the ridge only 47 returned.

Scenes From Gettysburg: Little Round Top

The view from the 20th Maine's position as the 15th Alabama began its assault

The wall where the 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama struggled

The 20th Maine Monument

At the beginning of the second day of battle, the rocky, bare little hill now known as Little Round Top was occupied by only a few Federal signalmen. Riding the lines, the chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac General Gouverneur K. Warren noted the hill was an ideal position for artillery to enfilade the entire federal line. He ignored the larger hill just to the south as it was too densely wooded for any meaningful strategic advantage.

With Confederate activity in the area, Warren on his own and without orders extended the Federal line to include the Little Round Top. On the far left of the extension rested the brigade of Col. Strong Vincent. At the end of the brigade line among the trees of the southeast slope spread the 20th Maine. The absolute end of the Federal line, Col. Joshua Chamberlain, a professor from Bowdoin College with only text book knowledge of tactics, and his men were ordered to hold at all cost.

Following a circuitous route over the Big Round Top, the men of Evander Law's 15th Alabama charged up the Little Round Top to face the Maine men. The fate of the battle and arguably the entire war rested in the bloody struggle between a few hundred farm boys from Alabama and a few hundred lumberjacks and fishermen from Maine.

After withstanding three assaults, Col. Chamberlain ordered a charge and the 20th Maine swept the Alabamians from the hill. The left of the Federal line held.

Scenes From Gettysburg: The Devil's Den

The view from the ridge where Hood and McLaws staged their assault. The Devils Den can be seen just to the left of the Round Tops

The Devils Den

The close quarters of the Devils Den. In these nooks and crannies the soldiers fought a bloody, hand to hand battle.

On July 2nd, 1863, the two armies faced each other across an open field; the Federals occupying the higher Cemetary Ridge just southeast of the town and the Confederates on Seminary Ridge just southwest of the town.

Despite the Federal's formidable position, Lee decided to attack. With knowledge the Federals left flank was "in the air", Lee sent General James Longstreet on a roundabout march with two divisions of his First Corps to attempt to turn this end of the federal line.

In the intervening period, Federal Major General Dan Sickles, noting his position just right of the Round Tops was significantly lower than the ground in front of him, moved his corps forward in a salient covering the Devil's Den, a wheat field and a peach orchard. The wisdom of this move is still debated today.

The attack began en echelon from south to north beginning with McLaws division then to Hood's division. Encountering the Federals where they expected empty space, McLaws struck at the Round Tops and Hood became entangled in a knot of rocks called The Devil's Den. All order was lost and Hood later described the encounter as "indian fighting" meaning it was every man for himself.

Scenes From Gettysburg: Oak Ridge

View from Oak Ridge towards Barlow's Knob. The Federal right extended into the woods.

View of the Railroad Cut from Oak Ridge. The Confederate flank attack drove the Federal XXI corps across this open ground and through the streets in the town. In the distance can be the Seminary.

Lee's Headquarters for the remainder of the battle.

Oak Ridge lies just north of McPherson's Ridge and was occupied by elements of the Federal XXI Corps and Army of Northern Virginia 2nd Corps.

From this hill elements of the 2nd Corps Army of Northern Virginia assaulted elements of the Federal XIth Corps. Already under attack from a superior position the Federal corps was suddenly assaulted on its right flank at Barlow's Knob by the 3rd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. The line crumbled completely and the Federal forces were routed through the streets of Gettysburg. They were rallied Generals O.O Howard and Winfield Hancock on the crest of Cemetary. This ended the first day of the battle and General Lee, now convinced he could destroy the federal army on this ground, moved his headquarters to the edge of town next to the Seminary.

Scenes From Gettysburg: McPherson's Ridge

Behind McPherson's Ridge looking towards the Seminary

Looking towards the woods from McPherson's Ridge. This would have been the view of the Iron Brigade as the Confederates emerged from the woods.

Maj. General John Reynolds Monument

On July 1st, 1863, Federal calvary under Brig. General John Buford engaged elements of the Heth Division of The Army of Northern Virginia just north of the town of Gettysburg, Pa. As the southern infantry pushed the horse soldiers back onto McPherson's ridge, they were suddenly met with a thunder of musket. They now faced the Iron Brigade of the First Corps, Army of the Potomac. Composed of hard men from the midwest the "Black Hats" put up fierce resistance eventually forcing Heth to commit his full division. Faced with superior numbers, the Iron Brigade began to fall back towards the town. The cost however was high as one of the first casualties was their corps commander Major General John Reynolds. Reynolds was considered the finest soldier in the northern army and had just days previously turned down command of the entire force. He was felled by a single shot to head from a Confederate sharpshooter.