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... a half miles long, following strategic landmarks of the area, later to be a part of the Gettysburg Cemetery, which resembled a large fish hook. The Union had a distinct advantage in this battle because they seized the high ground before the Confederates. They were on the defensive, on their own turf.
The Confederates had also assembled quite a formidable force, about 50, 000 strong commanded by General Lee and his Major Generals Ewell and Hill. The federals had 60, 000 on Cemetery Ridge, and another 20, 000 in transit led by George Meade. His strategy was simple, break through any part of the fishhook defense. In the heavy fighting that ensued, the Federals lost their senior officer on the field, Major General John F. Reynolds, and were obliged to retire. Major General Winfield S.
Hancock replaced Reynolds for the rest of the battle. Lees plan was as follows: early on July 2, Longstreet's fresh troops would assault from the southern end of Seminary Ridge, with their axes of advance northeast to a point beyond the Emmitsburg Road where Lee conjectured, wrongly, that the Union left flank was posted. In formulating his offensive, Lee anticipated that the weight of the oblique onslaught would be sufficient to roll up the entire Federal line along Cemetery Ridge. As soon as Longstreet's attack began, Ewell's II Corps would demonstrate against Meade's right flank, with permission to mount a full-scale assault if the chances for success looked promising.
A. P. Hill was to create a diversion in the center, mainly by cannonading. With luck, the Federals would not be able to tell where the main blow was falling until it was too late. The success of his army in the fighting on July 1 encouraged Lee to renew the battle on July 2. An early morning reconnaissance of the Federal left revealed that their line did not extend as far south as Little Round Top.
Lee directed Longstreet to take two divisions of I Corps and march south until they reached the flank of the Federal forces. They would attack from this point, supported by a division of A. P. Hill's corps - a total force of nearly 20, 000 men. While Longstreet carried out the main offensive, Ewell was ordered to conduct a demonstration against the Federal right. However, he was given discretion to mount a full-scale attack should the opportunity present itself.
The Federal army was well prepared for Lee's offensive. Six of its seven corps had arrived on the battlefield, and VI Corps was making a thirty-six-mile forced march to reach it. Meade had deployed his army in a fish-hook-shaped formation, with the right on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill, the center along Cemetery Ridge, and the left on Little Round Top. The left of the Federal line was held by Major General Daniel Sickles's III Corps. Sickles was dissatisfied with his assigned position and in the early afternoon, without orders, he advanced his line nearly half a mile west in order to take advantage of the high open ground around a nearby peach orchard. Soon after Sickles took up this new position, Longstreet attacked.
Third Corps was hard pressed and Meade sent V Corps and part of 11 Corps to reinforce Sickles in the Peach Orchard. But, after furious fighting, Longstreet's forces broke through, causing Sickles's entire line to collapse. The Confederates pursued to the base of Little Round Top, but Federal reinforcements, including elements of VI Corps, checked their advance. Col.
Lawrence Chamberlain of a Maine regiment ran out of ammunition on Little Round Top and charged the Confederates with bayonets. The Maine regiment prevented to fall of the Federal left side and probably won the battle of Gettysburg as a result of their bravery. Farther north, elements of a division of the Confederate III Corps advanced to the slopes of Cemetery Ridge before they too were forced to retire. On the Federal right, Ewell did not attack until evening, after Longstreet's onslaught had subsided. The effort to storm Cemetery Ridge was ultimately unsuccessful.
Ewell's attacks were also repulsed at Culp's Hill, although a foothold was gained near the base of the hill. The second day's fighting had cost each army some 9, 000 casualties. Lee's forces had again gained ground, but had failed to dislodge the Federal army from its strong position. Lee's confidence was unshaken by the events of July 2. That night, he ordered Longstreet, who had been reinforced by Major General George Pickett's division, to renew his assault on the Federal left. Simultaneously, Ewell, who had also been reinforced, was to storm Culp's Hill.
Stuart's cavalry, which had rejoined the army late that day, was ordered to march well east of Gettysburg, and attempt to penetrate to the Federal rear where they might disrupt communications and distract Meade. Meanwhile, Meade had determined to hold his position and await Lee's attack. However, at Culp's Hill he authorized XII Corps to drive Ewell's forces out of the captured Federal trenches at daylight. The Federal effort opened with a concentrated artillery bombardment which precipitated a tremendous musketry battle. With Ewell already engaged, Lee rode to Longstreet's headquarters to observe his preparations for the attack on the Federal left. Longstreet misunderstood his orders and was planning instead a movement to turn the Federal left.
With the hope of a coordinated attack now lost, Lee was forced to modify his plans. He determined to shift his main attack to the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge. Longstreet was placed in command of the effort. The plan was first to subject the Federal position to bombardment by nearly 140 cannon, then to send Pickett, Pettigrew and half of Trimble's divisions (formerly Heth's and Pender's) - nearly 12, 000 men - forward to smash the Federal center. While Longstreet made his preparations during the morning, Ewell's forces were defeated in their counterattacks on Culp's Hill, and withdrew around 11: 00 a. m.
At l: 00 p. m. , Longstreet opened the great bombardment of the Federal line. The Federal army replied with approximately 80 cannons and a giant duel ensued which lasted for nearly two hours. After the bombardment subsided, the infantry went forward. Federal artillery, followed by musketry, cut their formations to pieces and inflicted devastating losses.
A small Confederate force effected one small penetration of the Federal line, but was overwhelmed. The attack ended in disaster, with nearly 5, 600 Confederate casualties. Meanwhile, three miles east of Gettysburg, Stuart's cavalry was engaged by Federal cavalry under Brigadier General David Gregg. The cavalry clash was indecisive, but Stuart was neutralized and posed no threat to the Federal rear. The battle was over and the Confederates were crushed. Annotated Bibliography Coddington, Edwin B.
The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command, 1968. The best and most complete treatment of the campaign in a single volume. Long and detailed but essential reading. Suitable for anyone who really wants an in-depth view of the Gettysburg Campaign.
Freeman, Douglas Southall. Lee's Lieutenants, 1944. Volume 3 deals with the time frame of Gettysburg to Appomattox. Expert analysis written from the Confederate point of view. Also contains biographical sketches on significant Confederate leaders.
Outstanding portrait of the Army of Northern Virginia. Gallagher, Gary W. ed. Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander, 1989. Probably one of the most unbiased accounts by any Civil War participant.
Alexander participated in all the "big ones. " Has some interesting comments on Longstreet's actions on the second day at Gettysburg. Alexander served as Longstreet's chief of artillery during a significant portion of the Civil War, including Gettysburg. Gallagher, Gary W. ed.
The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership, 1992. Essays written by Gallagher, A. Wilson Greene, Alan T. Nolan, and Bob Krick are all excellent. These essays all focus on controversial leadership issues on the opening day of Gettysburg. The essays are well written and are by extremely knowledgeable Civil War historians.
Gallagher, Gary W. ed. The Second Day at Gettysburg: Aces on Confederate and Union Leadership, 1993. Gallagher, Krick, and Greene return and are joined by William Glenn Robertson and Daniel Scott Harris.
Focus shifts to controversies on the second day. Again, well researched essays by first rate historians. Longstreet, General James. From Manassas to Appomattox. , 1895. Longstreet's controversial memoirs in which he tells his "side of the story. " Interesting but requires careful use. Longstreet tends to use his memoirs to support and defend his position and attack his numerous post-war enemies.
Luvaas, Jay and Nelson, Harold W. The U. S. Army War Cowlick Guide to the Battle of Gettysburg, 1987. Outstanding guide to the battlefield. Will not suffice as general background because it is not a "history" of the campaign / battle , but a valuable work for anyone who wants to tour the battlefield.
Written using primary sources: after-action reports, diaries, official correspondence. Later editions are more in line with the way the battlefield is laid out today (one way roads, etc. ). Pfanz, Harry W. Gettysburg The Second Day, 1987. Exhaustive treatment of action at the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, and Cemetery Ridge on the second day of the battle. Spends a lot of time getting the confused action at the Wheatfield straightened out.
Pfanz was a historian at Gettysburg for ten years and retired in 1981 as the Chief Historian of the National Park Service. Great maps; some of the best available for portraying events on the battlefield. Truck, Alice Rains. In the Hands of Providence: Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War, 1992. Recently published.
Terrific scholarship and fun to read. Chapter Five concentrates on events of Gettysburg, but if possible read the first four chapters as well War of the Rebellion: Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1889. The Gettysburg Campaign is covered in "SERIES I, VOLUME XXVII, PARTS I-III. Tremendous primary source. All the official documents available, official correspondence, reports, messages, etc.
Views presented are often self-serving and some after action reports were written well after the campaign had ended. Authors attempted to affix blame elsewhere or deny culpability.
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Research essay sample on Battle Of Gettysburg Peach Orchard
