J O U R N a L Gettysburg
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Our Position Was Finely Adapted to Its Use...”
"...Our Position Was Finely Adapted To Its Use...” The Guns of Cemetery Hill Bert H. Barnett During the late afternoon of July 1, 1863, retiring Federals of the battered 1st and 11th corps withdrew south through Gettysburg toward Cemetery Hill and began to steady themselves upon it. Following the difficult experiences of the first day of battle, many officers and men were looking to that solid piece of ground, seeking all available advantages. A number of factors made this location attractive. Chief among them was a broad, fairly flat crest that rose approximately eighty feet above the center of Gettysburg, which lay roughly three-quarters of a mile to the north. Cemetery Hill commanded the approaches to the town from the south, and the town in turn served as a defensive bulwark against organized attack from that quarter. To the west and southwest of the hill, gradually descending open slopes were capable of being swept by artillery fire. The easterly side of the hill was slightly lower in height than the primary crest. Extending north of the Baltimore pike, it possessed a steeper slope that overlooked low ground, cleared fields, and a small stream. Field guns placed on this position would also permit an effective defense. It was clear that this new position possessed outstanding features. General Oliver Otis Howard, commanding the Union 11th Corps, pronounced it “the only tenable position” for the army.1 As the shadows began to lengthen on July 1, it became apparent that Federal occupation of the hill was not going to be challenged in any significant manner this day. -
Catherine Mary White Foster's Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Gettysburg, with Background on the Foster Family Union Soldiers David A
Volume 1 Article 5 1995 Catherine Mary White Foster's Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Gettysburg, with Background on the Foster Family Union Soldiers David A. Murdoch Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ach Part of the Military History Commons, United States History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Murdoch, David A. (1995) "Catherine Mary White Foster's Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Gettysburg, with Background on the Foster Family Union Soldiers," Adams County History: Vol. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ach/vol1/iss1/5 This open access article is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Catherine Mary White Foster's Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Gettysburg, with Background on the Foster Family Union Soldiers Abstract Catherine Mary White Foster lived with her elderly parents in the red brick house on the northwest corner of Washington and High Streets in Gettysburg at the time of the battle, 1-3 July 1863. She was the only child of James White Foster and Catherine (nee Swope) Foster (a former resident of Lancaster county), who married on 11 May 1817 and settled in Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania. Her father, James White Foster, had served his country as a first lieutenant in the War of 1812. Her grandparents, James Foster and Catherine (nee White) Foster, had emigrated with her father and five older children from county Donegal, Ireland, in 1790, and settled near New Alexandria, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. -
VOL. XLIII, NO. 8 Michigan Regimental Round Table Newsletter—Page 1 August 2003
VOL. XLIII, NO. 8 Michigan Regimental Round Table Newsletter—Page 1 August 2003 "It wasn't like a battle at all…it was more like Indian warfare," remembered John McClure, a young private in the 14th Indiana Infantry. "I hid behind a tree and looked out. Across the way…was a rebel aiming at me. I put my hat on a stick…and stuck it out from behind the tree-as bait. Then I saw him peep out of the thicket and I shot him. It was the first time I'd ever seen the man I'd killed, and it was an awful feeling." This deadly incident, on May 5, 1864, was only one of such commonplace bloody episodes that occurred in the bitter struggle known as the Wilderness. Beginning in 1864 North and South stood in weary stalemate. All of the Federal victories from the previous year, including Gettysburg and Vicksburg, had seriously weakened the Confederacy, but, it remained bowed, not broken. For the North to win the war, now starting its fourth year, the Confederate armies must be crushed. The South, conversely, had one final hope: stymie the North's plans and count upon a war-weary Northern home front to force the conflict to the peace table. Now in early May of 1864, the two most notable titans of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, were about to come face-to-face in a final showdown to determine the war's outcome. Grant, whose roller coaster career had nearly ended on several occasions, was given the revitalized rank of Lieutenant General by President Lincoln, and the amazingly difficult task of besting the Army of Northern Virginia, something his predecessors had found nigh impossible. -
Cal Reader of ARMY, “Who Is the Most Famous General Of- Ficer Of
Remembering MG George G. Meade: Th e Forgotten Victor Of Gettysburg f one were to ask the average American or even the typi - By COL Kevin W. Farrell U.S. Army retired cal reader of ARMY, “Who is the most famous general of - Ificer of the American Civil War?” the most likely answer would be “Robert E. Lee.” Similarly, “Gettysburg” would overwhelmingly be the answer to a query as to which is the most important and most famous battle of that war, even if some historians might argue that the Union victory at Vicks - burg, Miss., on July 4, 1863, the day after Gettysburg ended, was actually more important to the ultimate Union victory. On the other hand, counterintuitively, the victor of the Battle of Gettysburg, MG George G. Meade, is largely forgotten to - A monument to MG George G. Meade stands on Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg day. To military personnel, his memory lives on dimly at the National Military Park, Pa. MG Meade is shown atop his horse, Old Baldy, who U.S. Army post that is his namesake: Fort Meade, Md. Other survived the general by 10 years. 44 ARMY I July 2013 e l e e t S s i n n e D July 2013 I ARMY 45 MG Meade, circa 1864. than a few memorials at the Gettysburg Battlefield and in the cities of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., his is a name largely unknown to the vast majority of Americans. Even the most popular works on Gettysburg—the eponymous 1993 film and the 1974 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels , on which it was based—barely address the Union victor of the battle, con - tinuing a historical oversight that dates almost to the battle itself. -
James Longstreet and the Retreat from Gettysburg
“Such a night is seldom experienced…” James Longstreet and the Retreat from Gettysburg Karlton Smith, Gettysburg NMP After the repulse of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Assault on July 3, 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee, commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, knew that the only option left for him at Gettysburg was to try to disengage from his lines and return with his army to Virginia. Longstreet, commander of the army’s First Corps and Lee’s chief lieutenant, would play a significant role in this retrograde movement. As a preliminary to the general withdrawal, Longstreet decided to pull his troops back from the forward positions gained during the fighting on July 2. Lt. Col. G. Moxley Sorrel, Longstreet’s adjutant general, delivered the necessary orders to Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws, commanding one of Longstreet’s divisions. Sorrel offered to carry the order to Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law, commanding John B. Hood’s division, on McLaws’s right. McLaws raised objections to this order. He felt that his advanced position was important and “had been won after a deadly struggle; that the order was given no doubt because of [George] Pickett’s repulse, but as there was no pursuit there was no necessity of it.” Sorrel interrupted saying: “General, there is no discretion allowed, the order is for you to retire at once.” Gen. James Longstreet, C.S.A. (LOC) As McLaws’s forward line was withdrawing to Warfield and Seminary ridges, the Federal batteries on Little Round Top opened fire, “but by quickening the pace the aim was so disturbed that no damage was done.” McLaws’s line was followed by “clouds of skirmishers” from the Federal Army of the Potomac; however, after reinforcing his own skirmish line they were driven back from the Peach Orchard area. -
Battle of Gettysburg Day 1 Reading Comprehension Name: ______
Battle of Gettysburg Day 1 Reading Comprehension Name: _________________________ Read the passage and answer the questions. The Ridges of Gettysburg Anticipating a Confederate assault, Union Brigadier General John Buford and his soldiers would produce the first line of defense. Buford positioned his defenses along three ridges west of the town. Buford's goal was simply to delay the Confederate advance with his small cavalry unit until greater Union forces could assemble their defenses on the three storied ridges south of town known as Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill, and Culp's Hill's. These ridges were crucial to control of Gettysburg. Whichever army could successfully occupy these heights would have superior position and would be difficult to dislodge. The Death of Major General Reynolds The first of the Confederate forces to engage at Gettysburg, under the Command of Major General Henry Heth, succeeded in advancing forward despite Buford's defenses. Soon, battles erupted in several locations, and Union forces would suffer severe casualties. Union Major General John Reynolds would be killed in battle while positioning his troops. Major General Abner Doubleday, the man eventually credited with inventing the formal game of baseball, would assume command. Fighting would intensify on a road known as the Chambersburg Pike, as Confederate forces continued to advance. Jubal Early's Successful Assault Meanwhile, Union defenses positioned north and northwest of town would soon be outflanked by Confederates under the command of Jubal Early and Robert Rodes. Despite suffering severe casualties, Early's soldiers would break through the line under the command of Union General Francis Barlow, attacking them from multiple sides and completely overwhelming them. -
General AP Hill at Gettysburg
Papers of the 2017 Gettysburg National Park Seminar General A.P. Hill at Gettysburg: A Study of Character and Command Matt Atkinson If not A. P. Hill, then who? May 2, 1863, Orange Plank Road, Chancellorsville, Virginia – In the darkness of the Wilderness, victory or defeat hung in the balance. The redoubtable man himself, Stonewall Jackson, had ridden out in front of his most advanced infantry line to reconnoiter the Federal position and was now returning with his staff. Nervous North Carolinians started to fire at the noises of the approaching horses. Voices cry out from the darkness, “Cease firing, you are firing into your own men!” “Who gave that order?” a muffled voice in the distance is heard to say. “It’s a lie! Pour it into them, boys!” Like chain lightning, a sudden volley of musketry flashes through the woods and the aftermath reveals Jackson struck by three bullets.1 Caught in the tempest also is one of Jackson’s division commanders, A. P. Hill. The two men had feuded for months but all that was forgotten as Hill rode to see about his commander’s welfare. “I have been trying to make the men cease firing,” said Hill as he dismounted. “Is the wound painful?” “Very painful, my arm is broken,” replied Jackson. Hill delicately removed Jackson’s gauntlets and then unhooked his sabre and sword belt. Hill then sat down on the ground and cradled Jackson’s head in his lap as he and an aide cut through the commander’s clothing to examine the wounds. -
George Pickett
George Pickett This article is about the American Confederate general. 2 Early military career For the British physicist, see George Pickett (physicist). Pickett was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in George Edward Pickett (January 16,[1] 1825 – July 30, the U.S. 8th Infantry Regiment. He soon gained na- 1875) was a career United States Army officer who be- tional recognition in the Mexican-American War when came a major general in the Confederate States Army he carried the American colors over the parapet during during the American Civil War. He is best remembered the Battle of Chapultepec. Wounded at the base of the for his participation in the futile and bloody assault at wall, Pickett’s friend and colleague Lt. James Longstreet the Battle of Gettysburg that bears his name, Pickett’s handed him the colors. Pickett carried the flag over the Charge. wall and fought his way to the roof of the palace, unfurl- ing it over the fortress and announcing its surrender. He received a brevet promotion to captain following this ac- 1 Early life tion. In 1849, while serving on the Texas frontier after the war, he was promoted to first lieutenant and then to captain in Pickett was born in Richmond, Virginia, the first of the [3] eight children of Robert and Mary Pickett,[2] a promi- the 9th U.S. Infantry in 1855. In 1853, Pickett chal- nent family of Old Virginia of English origins, and one lenged a fellow junior officer, future Union general and of the “first families” of Virginia. He was the cousin opposing Civil War commander Winfield Scott Hancock, of future Confederate general Henry Heth.[3] He went to a duel; (they had met only briefly when Hancock was to Springfield, Illinois, to study law, but at the age of 17 passing through Texas). -
2018-05 Knapsack
The Knapsack Raleigh Civil War Round Table The same rain falls on both friend and foe. May 14, 2018 Volume 18 Our 207th Meeting Number 5 http://www.raleighcwrt.org May 14 Event Features Scott Mauger Speaking on the Life of ‘Gallant Pelham’ The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s May 2018 Scott lives in Hopewell Va., with his wife, Anne. He meeting will feature a presentation by researcher has three adult children and five grandchildren. His and historian Scott C. Mauger. talk at our May 14 event is titled “It is Glorious to See Such Courage in One So Young” — The Life of Scott was born in Pennsylvania the ‘Gallant Pelham.’ and moved to Virginia as a child. He retired in 2017 after working as a journeyman structural iron- worker for 46 years and has been a student of the Civil War ~ Maj. John Pelham, CSA ~ for about 58 years. John Pelham was an artillery officer who served He is nationally recognized as an with the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart. expert grave researcher, and has He revolutionized the use of light artillery. located numerous gravesites for Civil War historians and authors. Scott conducts tours of Hampton’s Beefsteak Raid and Stuart’s Ride Around McClellan (sometimes with J.E.B. Stuart IV, the famous Confederate horseman’s great-grandson). He is also an expert on the Civil War campaigns in Virginia, and has worked to help locate, restore, and conserve the gravesites of Confederate officers at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. He is a longtime member of the Richmond Civil War Pelham fought in many of the major battles in the Round Table, serving as that group’s president in Eastern Theater of the Civil War. -
CUSTER BATTLEFIELD National Monument Montana (Now Little Bighorn Battlefield)
CUSTER BATTLEFIELD National Monument Montana (now Little Bighorn Battlefield) by Robert M. Utley National Park Service Historical Handbook Series No. 1 Washington, D.C. 1969 Contents a. A CUSTER PROFILE b. CUSTER'S LAST STAND 1. Campaign of 1876 2. Indian Movements 3. Plan of Action 4. March to the Little Bighorn 5. Reno Attacks 6. The Annihilation of Custer 7. Reno Besieged 8. Rescue 9. Collapse of the Sioux 10. Custer Battlefield Today 11. Campaign Maps c. APPENDIXES I. Officers of the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn II. Low Dog's Account of the Battle III. Gall's Account of the Battle IV. A Participant's Account of Major Reno's Battle d. CUSTER'S LAST CAMPAIGN: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY e. THE ART AND THE ARTIST f. ADMINISTRATION For additional information, visit the Web site for Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument or view their Official National Park Handbook (#132): Historical Handbook Number One 1969 The publication of this handbook was made possible by a grant from the Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association, Inc. This publication is one of a series of handbooks describing the historical and archeological areas in the National Park System administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Price lists of Park Service publications sold by the Government Printing Office may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402. The National Park System, of which Custer Battlefield National Monument is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and enjoyment of its people. -
Did Meade Begin a Counteroffensive After Pickett's Charge?
Did Meade Begin a Counteroffensive after Pickett’s Charge? Troy D. Harman When examining the strategy of Union Major General George Gordon Meade at the battle of Gettysburg, one discovers lingering doubts about his leadership and will to fight. His rivals viewed him as a timid commander who would not have engaged at Gettysburg had not his peers corralled him into it. On the first day of the battle, for instance, it was Major General John Fulton Reynolds who entangled the left wing of the federal army thirty miles north of its original defensive position at Westminster, Maryland. Under the circumstances, Meade scrambled to rush the rest of his army to the developing battlefield. And on the second day, Major General Daniel Sickles advanced part of his Union 3rd Corps several hundred yards ahead of the designated position on the army’s left, and forced Meade to over-commit forces there to save the situation. In both instances the Union army prevailed, while the Confederate high command struggled to adjust to uncharacteristically aggressive Union moves. However, it would appear that both outcomes were the result of actions initiated by someone other than Meade, who seemed to react well enough. Frustrating to Meade must have been that these same two outcomes could have been viewed in a way more favorable to the commanding general. For example, both Reynolds and Sickles were dependent on Meade to follow through with their bold moves. Though Reynolds committed 25,000 Union infantry to fight at Gettysburg, it was Meade who authorized his advance into south-central Pennsylvania. -
Gettysburg: Three Days of Glory Study Guide
GETTYSBURG: THREE DAYS OF GLORY STUDY GUIDE CONFEDERATE AND UNION ORDERS OF BATTLE ABBREVIATIONS MILITARY RANK MG = Major General BG = Brigadier General Col = Colonel Ltc = Lieutenant Colonel Maj = Major Cpt = Captain Lt = Lieutenant Sgt = Sergeant CASUALTY DESIGNATION (w) = wounded (mw) = mortally wounded (k) = killed in action (c) = captured ARMY OF THE POTOMAC MG George G. Meade, Commanding GENERAL STAFF: (Selected Members) Chief of Staff: MG Daniel Butterfield Chief Quartermaster: BG Rufus Ingalls Chief of Artillery: BG Henry J. Hunt Medical Director: Maj Jonathan Letterman Chief of Engineers: BG Gouverneur K. Warren I CORPS MG John F. Reynolds (k) MG Abner Doubleday MG John Newton First Division - BG James S. Wadsworth 1st Brigade - BG Solomon Meredith (w) Col William W. Robinson 2nd Brigade - BG Lysander Cutler Second Division - BG John C. Robinson 1st Brigade - BG Gabriel R. Paul (w), Col Samuel H. Leonard (w), Col Adrian R. Root (w&c), Col Richard Coulter (w), Col Peter Lyle, Col Richard Coulter 2nd Brigade - BG Henry Baxter Third Division - MG Abner Doubleday, BG Thomas A. Rowley Gettysburg: Three Days of Glory Study Guide Page 1 1st Brigade - Col Chapman Biddle, BG Thomas A. Rowley, Col Chapman Biddle 2nd Brigade - Col Roy Stone (w), Col Langhorne Wister (w). Col Edmund L. Dana 3rd Brigade - BG George J. Stannard (w), Col Francis V. Randall Artillery Brigade - Col Charles S. Wainwright II CORPS MG Winfield S. Hancock (w) BG John Gibbon BG William Hays First Division - BG John C. Caldwell 1st Brigade - Col Edward E. Cross (mw), Col H. Boyd McKeen 2nd Brigade - Col Patrick Kelly 3rd Brigade - BG Samuel K.