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| Battle of Gettysburg Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
In the fall of 2013 my sister
Sandy, brother-in-law Pat, husband Doug, and I spent two days touring the
museum and the battlefield at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. My husband and I first visited
the museum and battlefield in 2008, but that visit was quite short and
inadequate. I, particularly, wanted to
revisit the site since my 2nd great grandfather, Alexander Balus
West, was wounded on July 3, 1863, during the battle of the third day.
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| Eternal Light of Peace |
We found our experience to be
profoundly sad, sobering, and humbling.
Even though it has been almost a year since our visit, I want to share
with my readers some information about the battle and some photographs regarding
this experience. I think that I, being
perplexed and intimidated by the enormity and complexity of such a narrative,
have postponed writing about the visit until now.
Our first day at Gettysburg was
spent touring the museum with all of its photos, artifacts, exhibits, and video—so
much to absorb and comprehend. On the
second day of our visit we toured the battlefield using a self-guided, auto
tour. The information that I am sharing
in this blog is taken from our tour book, park museum brochures, and additional
information from the Internet. In addition, I have included some of the beautiful photographs
from Jen Goellnitz’s website, Draw the Sword, and have complied with her
protocol for their use as described in her website.
THE ARMIES
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| Virginia Memorial Gen. Robert E. Lee Representatives of Typical Soldiers |
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| Gen. George G. Meade Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
The Union army was formerly known
as the Army of the Potomac with George Gordon Meade as the Commanding General.
It was later referred to as the United States Army (USA). He had 95,000 troops and 356 cannons. The Confederate army was first known as the
Army of Northern Virginia and later called the Confederate States Army (CSA). Robert Edward Lee was the Commanding General
with 75,000 troops and 275 cannons.
THE BATTLE, DAY 1: July 1, 1863
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| McPherson Farm Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
The Battle at Gettysburg, the
largest battle of the Civil War, began when the first shot was fired by the
Confederates at 7:30 a.m. on July 1 at McPherson Ridge near the McPherson barn
with Union cavalry confronting Confederate infantry. As more forces from both sides arrived, heavy
fighting ensued along this ridge. About
1 p.m., Confederate forces under Major General Robert E. Rhodes attacked threatening
Union forces that were on McPherson Ridge and Oak Ridge. Union forces were able to hold Oak Ridge until
about 4:00 p.m. when they retreated through the town of Gettysburg to Cemetery
Hill. At the end of this first day of
battle, the Confederate Army appeared to have the upper hand. General Lee decided to continue the offensive
the next day with his 70,000 men against General Meade’s 93,000 men.
By evening the Union troops were
entrenched on Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill on the south side of the town of
Gettysburg. Union General George Greene, known as “Pop” Greene and the oldest
general fighting at Gettysburg, ordered his men to build entrenchments on
Culp’s Hill. These entrenchments, made
of earth, wood, and rock, contributed to the successful defense of the Union’s
right flank on Culp’s Hill. General
George “Pop” Greene survived the war returning to work as an engineer and
helped build the Central Park Reservoir in New York City. A boulder from Culp’s Hill marks his grave in
Rhode Island.
THE BATTLE, DAY 2: July 2, 1863
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| Cemetery Ridge |
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| Seminary Ridge (Wooded Area) |
On the morning of July 2, battle
lines were drawn about one mile apart on parallel ridges, Cemetery Ridge and
Seminary Ridge. Most of the Confederate
troops were on Seminary Ridge with most of the Union troops on Cemetery Ridge.
The Confederate troops were also stationed through the town of Gettysburg and north
of Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. At
that time, Union forces also occupied Culp’s Hill and south along Cemetery
Ridge to the Round Tops.
The Confederate soldiers were
repulsed at Little Round Top by the Union forces. Fighting continued throughout the day. It was on Cemetery Hill that Colonel Isaac
Avery of North Carolina, as he lay dying, penned a message to his father,
“Major, Tell my father I died with my face to the enemy.”
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| Gen. James Longstreet |
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| The Wheatfield Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
About 4:30 in the afternoon, Confederate General James Longstreet, placing his First Corps of Confederate soldiers along Warfield Ridge, began his assault directing his forces against Union soldiers who were ensconced in areas known as Devils Den, the Wheatfield, and the Peach Orchard and against Meade’s undefended flank at the Round Tops. By 6:30 p.m. Confederate forces occupied the Wheatfield with deaths in the Wheatfield numbering over 4,000 dead and wounded from both sides. Battles raged at the Peach Orchard and Plum Run. Confederate forces secured the Peach Orchard as Union forces retreated to Cemetery Ridge. Meade’s troops were alerted about the threat to Little Round Top and brought in reinforcements to shore up the forces there.
Between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.,
Confederate General Richard S. Ewell’s Second Corps attacked the Union troops
at Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill. They were able to occupy the lower slopes of
Culp’s Hill.
Another interesting story is one about
Wesley Culp who moved from his family farm at Gettysburg
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| Henry Culp Farm Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
to Virginia. However, when the war broke out he joined the
Confederate Army in the Stonewall Brigade and returned to Gettysburg in July
1863. He was killed on Culp’s Hill near
his family’s farm.
The fighting at Devil’s Den, the
Wheatfield, and the Peach Orchard was among the fiercest and bloodiest battles
at Gettysburg. During the humid,
moonlight night after the the battle in the Wheatfield, it is said that the
wounded who lay on the field were moaning, praying, and singing. Confederate survivor, George Hillyer, wrote,
“One of our soldiers began to sing.
Hundreds of wounded lay within easy hearing of the singer, whose fine
voice echoed down the valley.” Later,
officer George Hillyer became a politician in Georgia and the mayor of Atlanta.
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| Devil's Den |
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| The Peach Orchard Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
At dusk, the Union forces repelled a Confederate assault that reached the top of East Cemetery Hill.
THE BATTLE, DAY 3: July 3, 1863
The Confederate soldiers
controlled the lower portion of Culp’s Hill but were repelled at its summit on
the evening of July 2. However, between
4:30 and 11:30 a.m. on July 3, they again tried to gain control of the
summit. After seven hours of fighting,
much of which was fierce hand-to-hand, the Union forces drove the Confederates
back and held the position.
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| Daniel's Brigade Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
It was at Culp’s Hill on July 3
that my 2nd great grandfather, Alexander Balus West, was
wounded. He didn’t die at Gettysburg but
was killed a year later at the Third Battle of Winchester. During July and August of 1863, he was a
patient in the Wayside Hospital (General Hospital No. 9) in Richmond, Virginia.
He, also, may have spent part of those two months on sick leave recuperating at
home from the injuries he received at Gettysburg. According to the information
that I have obtained about him and the marker that is on the battlefield, he
was in the Army of Northern Virginia, Ewell’s Corps, Rodes’ Division, Daniel’s
Brigade, the 53rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment, and Company K. Company K was from Wilkes, North
Carolina. A 3rd great uncle, Thomas C.
Land, and the brother-in-law of Alexander Balus West, was a lieutenant in
Company K. Cousin Glenn Land says that
the brigade of which the 53rd regiment was attached “actually fought on the opposite end of the line from where
Pickett's Charge took place. They were some of the first Confederates that
arrived on the field July 1st. They spent the entire first two days trying to
secure the high ground known as Culp's Hill. By the 3rd day they were fought to
a “frazzle.”
A couple of other events occurred
on Day 3: an artillery bombardment between
1 and 3 p.m. and a cavalry battle on East Cavalry Field between 1 and 4 p.m.
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| The Copse of Trees Cemetery Ridge |
However, the culminating battle
occurred about 3 p.m. on July 3, 1863, when General Robert E. Lee ordered
13,000 Rebel soldiers to charge from their location on Seminary Ridge across a
mile-wide open field and attack the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. After a two-hour “cannonade,” 7,000 Union
soldiers, who were situated near a clump of trees, known today as “the Copse of
Trees,” repulsed a 12,000 to 13,000-man Confederate charge known as Pickett’s
Charge. Even though it has been given
the name “Pickett’s Charge,” the divisions of Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble
composed the group. This event, called
the High Water Mark, was the climactic moment of the battle. It marked the beginning-of-the-end of the
Battle of Gettysburg with General Lee and his army in retreat.
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| Field of Pickett's Charge Courtesy of Jen Goellnitz http://www.drawthesword.goellnitz.org |
I assume that Confederate General
James Longstreet was addressing General Robert E. Lee prior to the defeat of
the Confederate troops at Cemetery Ridge on July 3 when General Longstreet made
this statement, “General, I have been a soldier all my life…It is my opinion
that no 15,000 men ever arrayed for battle can take that position.
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| North Carolina Memorial Seminary Ridge |
Robert E. Lee offered to resign
his post as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia after Gettysburg, but
Jefferson Davis refused to accept it. George
Meade was eventually relieved of his position by President Lincoln who
appointed Ulysses Grant as commander. However,
Meade remained in the Union army. The
day after the surrender at Appomattox, Meade rode through the Confederate lines
to meet Lee. He saluted his former
adversary, and Lee asked, “What are you doing with all that gray in your beard?” Meade responded, “That you have a great deal
to do with!"
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| North Carolina Soldiers Seminary Ridge |
Sources
· Boritt, Gabor, Stephen Lang, and Jake
Boritt. The Gettysburg Story, Battlefield Auto Tour. Right to Rise, Boritt
Films, LLC, 2010.
· “Gettysburg and Touring the Battlefield,” National
Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Gettysburg National Military Park,
Pennsylvania, 2013.
