Gettysburg, July 1-3 1863

[DonC]

Bob, I got up at 4:00 am and drove there to spend a few hours - I was back in DC by 11 am! Luckily, I never saw a cop the whole time as I was going a bit fast for the posted limits. I got to see a really nice sunrise as I drove up Cemetery Ridge. I am definitely going back to spend at least a whole day - i did not get to see any of the July 1 battle sites north of town.



Don

[Kyle Harrington]

Great stuff Don

As a person fascinated by the Civil War these photos are extremely interesting and appreciated Don, thanks for posting !

Kyle

[DonC]

Here are some shots of the area known as Devil's Den - once again, Hood's brigade pushed Union infantry and artillery off the hill behind the Den and then forced Union troops out of Devil's Den itself, where they retreated to Round Top and Little Round Top. Hood, the Rebel commander, was hit in the arm by shrapnel, losing the use of that arm for the rest of his life, and playing no further part n the battle. The last area pictured was called the "Slaughter Pen" as Confederate soldiers trying to move up past the Den and onto Little Round top were shot down in droves by Union troops occupying the high ground. The Confederate forces used Devil's den as a natural redoubt, sniping at Union forces on Little Round Top prior to the Confederate assault on that position. Once again, this was not an area that was to have been defended, but Sickle's ignoring his orders led to another near catastrophe for the Union as there were no forces to speak of on the Round Tops at that point in the battle.

[Greg]

Really great photos, thanks for posting! My great-great-grandfather, Private Samuel N. Matheny, was wounded and captured on July 2 just west of your Devil's Den photos. He was in Co. H, 3rd Arkansas Infantry, which was attacking that area as part of Hood's Texas Brigade.

[DonC]

Here are some shots of Little Round Top, which was the next Confederate objective after having taken Devil's Den. Union General Gouvernor Warren discovered that there were no Union troops on Little Round Top as Sickles had pushed his corps too far forward in contravention of Meade's orders, and realizing the Confederates would be able to outflank the Union line, began to bring up Federal troopers to hold the hill against the coming Confederate attack. Most Union troops only got into position about ten minutes before the Confederates of Hood's Division struck. Hand to hand fighting and a desperate bayonet charge by the 20th Maine under Joshua Chamberlain staved off the rebel forces and the Union held the hill, which was important the following day as Union artillery that was brought up by hand to the top of Little Round Top was able to fire into the Confederate units making Pickett's Charge the following day.


The photos show the "Valley of Death" that Confederate units had to cross to get to Little Round Top as well as some of the still-extant Union breastworks facing the trees past the Slaughter Pen that Hood's Division came out of on the assault on Little Round Top. The statue of Gouvernor Warren is looking at the tree line where he saw the Confederate forces massing for the attack, leading him to bring up reinforcements:

[Geoff Walden]

Nice pics Don.

If that's what "swamped with work into the evening means" I want your job!
I brought a couple of friends there a few weeks ago and there was a reenactor and his son walking around so the son staged this pic for me. Close, but not a total match to Alexander Gardner's wartime photo.
vr
Bob

Close enough ... Gardner moved the body from its original location and staged it there anyway.
I was lucky to live about 45 minutes away from the battlefield at one time. That meant I could go over there early most any weekend morning and stay all day. If you have the time and inclination, I recommend one of the multi-hour horseback tours - they take you back into areas that are far off the beaten path.

[DonC]

OK, so the next segment is from the Confederate positions on Seminary Ridge. First, some general views across the valley between Seminary and Cemetery Ridges that "Pickett's Charge" had to negotiate to get at Union lines, all the while under artillery and later rifle fire. Rebel soldiers had to attempt to maintain their ranks while climbing over the split-rail fences. The final two pictures here are roughly where Pickett's Division stepped off for the attack - you can see the "Copse of Trees" in the distance on Cemetery Ridge.

[DonC]

Each state in the former Confederacy commissioned manuments tot he men of their state that served at Gettysburg - here are a few of the more impressive ones: North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Mississippi...

[DonC]

The Virginia monument is roughly at the center of the Confederate line. It almost looks as if Lee and Meade are staring right at each other from their respective monuments, as Lee looks toward the center of Cemetery Ridge and Meade does the same toward Seminary.


James Longstreet, Lee's principal commander (and thus it should be called "Longstreet's Charge" as he was the one to have ordered it) immortalized in bronze on his small horse "Little Sorrell".


Longstreet, and really most of the senior Confederate commanders, were not at their best those three days in July. Each failed in some significant way during the battle, from Lee to Longstreet to JEB Stuart. It is telling that in Pickett's division alone, every single brigade and regimental commander became a casualty. When Lee asked Pickett to rally his division in case the North counterattacked, Pickett is alleged to have said "General Lee, I no longer have a division."


Gettysburg was, in the words of Wellington, a close-run thing. No matter what people think of the South or the North, I think you have to admire the sheer guts that were displayed on both sides over those three days.

[Willi Z.]

Don, glad you enjoyed your trip to Gettysburg. While I am not a Civil War buff, it is still a special place to me, and IMO the "military history" capital of the US. For many years when we were 200+ miles away, we would come at least semi-annually for a weekend getaway there. Biking, hiking, shows, ghost tours, etc. When selecting a place to retire, while not the most important consideration, it was on the list. It is an amazing area!

[DonC]

A great and fast read that covers the battle succinctly and never lags is Beneath a Northern Sky by Steven Woodworth. I can't recommend this one enough. After touring the battlefield it really made everything come to life.


Don

[dragnet]

Fascinating thread👍

[starikurac]

Magnificient thread and pictures!

[Biber]

I hope to get there over the Thanksgiving holiday. Great to hear that there's a CD car tour available. Sure makes covering a lot of ground easier. We did that at Yorktown a year or so ago and it worked out really well - especially so because it was like 500 degrees in the shade when we went.

Too bad my effing car doesn't have a CD player!!! Few newer cars do I've been told. BS I say!!