Battle of Gettysburg

The battles of Gettysburg was held 1 {{er}} with the July 3rd 1863 with Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) during the American Civil War.

Leaving discreetly Fredericksburg (Virginia) on June 3rd, the general of the States confederated of America Robert E. Lee and its army of Virginia of the North of 75.000 veterans go towards the west, follow then the valley of Shenandoah (an affluent of the Potomac) to advance towards north in the enemy back-country, by threatening Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington; when Lee learns the presence from the army of Potomac with Frederick (Maryland), it gathers its three army corps in Cashtown, located 10 km at the west of Gettysburg.

The northern army of Potomac, strong of 90.000 men, is ordered recently by the general George Meade, who replaces the Hooker general.

In the afternoon of June 30th, advanced elements see in the west of Gettysburg, a village of 2.400 inhabitants located at the crossroads of many roads. The infantry Southerner withdraws itself by seeing the northerner cavalry, but returns in force as of the following day.

The army of Potomac

Commander: major general George Gordon Meade

Ier body: 3 division, major general John.F.Reynolds/Général of division Abner Doubleday (11 550 men); 7 brigades;
IIe body: 3 division, major general Winfield Scott Hancock/Brigadier general John Gibbon (10 195 men); 10 brigades;
IIIe body: 2 division, major general Daniel E. Major general Sickles/David B. Birney (10 005 men); 6 brigades;
Ve body: major general George Sykes (10370 men), 3 divisions, 8 brigades;
Life body: major general John Sedgwick (12445 men), 3 divisions, 8 brigades;
XIe body: major general Oliver O. Howard (8300 men), 3 divisions, 6 brigades;
XIIe body: major general Henry W. Slocum (9165 men), 2 divisions, 6 brigades;
body of cavalry: major general Alfred Pleasanton (11700 riders), 3 divisions, 8 brigades; 2 artillery brigades with horse.

The army of Virginia of North

Commander: general Robert Edward Lee

1st body: lieutenant-general of army James Longstreet (: 17235 men), 3 divisions (McLaw, Hood, Pickett), 11 brigades;
2nd body: lieutenant-general of army Richard S. Ewell (: 18770 men), 3 divisions (Early, Grind, Johnson), 13 brigades;
3rd body: lieutenant-general of army A.P. Hill (: 20120 men), 3 divisions (Heath, Pender, Anderson), 13 brigades;
Imboden brigade: brigadier general J.D. Imboden (: 2100 men);
body of cavalry: major general J.E.B. Stuart (: 8665 riders), 6 brigades, 1 artillery brigade with horse.

July 1st

Early in the morning, the riders of Buford (Anger division of cavalry) are pushed back of Mc Pherson Ridge by Confédérés. Later, the general Reynolds (Ier body) arrives with reinforcements, but its adversary also receives some (Ewell, Rodes); the northerner chief on the ground, the Reynolds general, is killed during the engagements for the heights in the west and the north of the city. In end-of-day, the Northerners are folded up on a curved defensive line of 4 km on the slope in the south of the city, by occupying the wooded hillock of Culp' S Hill, the heights close to Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge, like two nipples, Little Round Signal and Big Round Signal. Ewell decides not to try the catch of attack of these lines in height.

July 2nd

The 1st body of the Longstreet general was to launch an attack towards the North-East, since the southern end of Seminary Ridge, when IIIe body of the Sickles general, who reinforced the left wing of the northerner positions (in the south of Cemetery Ridge, and around Little Round Signal and of Big Round Signal) went ahead towards Peach Orchard without referring about it to his superiors.

Towards 16:30, Confédérés attacks in the south of the battle field: the general McLaw, of the 1st body, pushes back the Federal ones of Peach Orchard and Wheatfield; during this time, the general Hood, also of the 1st body, attacks the Round Signal but its men are stopped with the foot of Little Round Signal by the Northerners, in particular thanks to the heroic resistance of the 20th regiment of Maine ordered by colonel Chamberlain. Prevented arrival of the troops Southerners by an observer at the top of Little Round Signal, the Warren general had been able to arrange himself to send reinforcements to it in time.

July 3rd

Lee, believing wrongly the center of the northern army weakened, decides to attack it, in spite of the opinion of Longstreet which recommends to overflow the northern army by the line. With 13:00, begins an intense bombardment from the Southerners on Cemetery Hill which will last two hours.

To 15:00, approximately 13.000 Confédérés leaves the cover of the trees in bottom of Seminary Ridge and moves towards the northerner positions. This attack against the northerner center will be known under the name of Pickett' S Charge http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/gettysburg/images/img14.gif. Progressing to overdraft, under the shootings of northerner artillery, approximately a hundred and fifty infantrymen only manage to cross the enemy lines, with the Armistead general at their head, which is killed at the time of the attack.

Nonconstant by the engagement of new Confederated units, the survivors of the attack must beat a retreat; they leave approximately 7000 men on the ground.

During this attack, the cavalry of Stuart tries to take the northerner positions with reverse, but it is blocked to 4 km in the east by important elements of northerner cavalry, with the rows of which the brigadier general Custer was.

July 4th

The feastday of Independence, the armies face without seeking the combat. Lee makes evacuate the theater of the engagements after fallen the night and is folded up in Virginia. It is the large one turning of the American Civil War on the face is: from now on, the Southerners will be reduced there to an increasingly painful defensive.

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