Lee's Mistake: Learning from the Decision to Order Pickett's Charge
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GRADE 8 Brigadier General L ewis A. Armistead & GRADE 11 Major General Winfield Scott Hancock Best F riends and E nemies The life of Lewis Armistead was full of setbacks and disappointments. Before the Civil War, he: • Was forced to resign from West Point twice. Once was for hitting future Confederate General Jubal Early over the head with a dinner plate. The other time was due to an extensive illness. • Suffered from Erysipelas, but was successfully treated for this disease which destroyed skin tissue • Lost his first wife, Cecilia Lee Love, and his four-year old- daughter • Lost his family farm when it burned to the ground • Remarried, but lost his infant daughter. Then he lost his second wife in an epidemic of cholera — Lewis Armistead Biography Lewis Armistead met Winfield Scott Hancock, and his wife, Almira, for the General Lewis Armistead. From first time in 1844. The three became close friends, and Hancock and Battles and Armistead fought together in the Mexican War. The Mexican War became a Leaders III . “training ground” for many future Civil War generals. Hancock and Armistead stayed friends, despite the fact that Armistead went off to fight for the Confederacy and Hancock decided to stay with the Union. The decision to fight for the Confederacy was a difficult one for Armistead. Like Lee, he felt that his first duty was to protect his home state of Virginia. On the night of his departure, Armistead gave Hancock’s wife his prayer book with Trust In God And Fear Nothing inscribed inside, and he gave Hancock a new major’s uniform (Lewis Armistead Biography ). -
Immersed Into History
Immersed into History Experience the Battle of Gettysburg from both sides of the battle lines! DAY ONE Visit the Seminary Ridge Museum and stand on the very grounds where the battle began on July 1, 1863. Look out the very windows Union soldiers used, as the Confederate Army charged the hills. Tour the museum and see artifacts, mini movies and displays of war time experiences. Next a Licensed Guide dressed as a Union soldier will board your group’s bus for a two hour tour of the battlefield. The guides knowledge and expertise will bring the battle to life, as your group tours the hallowed grounds where battle lines were drawn. Enjoy a hearty lunch at the Historic Dobbin House. After lunch, tour the Jennie Wade House Museum. The home where the only civilian was killed during the three day battle. Hear how she lost her life and how her family had to make their way to safety. You will follow the same way the family traveled as the battle raged around them. Check into one of our many group friendly hotels and enjoy another great meal before your last stop of the night, a 90 minute ghost tour with: Ghostly Images of Gettysburg! Return to your hotel to relax after such a History filled day! Immersed into History Experience the Battle of Gettysburg from both sides of the battle lines! DAY TWO Begin your day by visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center, there you will see the Film, Cyclorama and Museum, before diving back into the battlefield. -
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. -
The Battle of Sailor's Creek
THE BATTLE OF SAILOR’S CREEK: A STUDY IN LEADERSHIP A Thesis by CLOYD ALLEN SMITH JR. Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2005 Major Subject: History THE BATTLE OF SAILOR’S CREEK: A STUDY IN LEADERSHIP A Thesis by CLOYD ALLEN SMITH JR. Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Approved by: Chair of Committee, Joseph Dawson Committee Members, James Bradford Joseph Cerami Head of Department, Walter L. Buenger December 2005 Major Subject: History iii ABSTRACT The Battle of Sailor’s Creek: A Study in Leadership. (December 2005) Cloyd Allen Smith Jr., B.A., Slippery Rock University Chair: Dr. Joseph Dawson The Battle of Sailor’s Creek, 6 April 1865, has been overshadowed by Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House several days later, yet it is an example of the Union military war machine reaching its apex of war making ability during the Civil War. Through Ulysses S. Grant’s leadership and that of his subordinates, the Union armies, specifically that of the Army of the Potomac, had been transformed into a highly motivated, organized and responsive tool of war, led by confident leaders who understood their commander’s intent and were able to execute on that intent with audacious initiative in the absence of further orders. After Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia escaped from Petersburg and Richmond on 2 April 1865, Grant’s forces chased after Lee’s forces with the intent of destroying the mighty and once feared iv protector of the Confederate States in the hopes of bringing a swift end to the long war. -
Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM
Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM 1 Teachers’ Guide Table of Contents Purpose and Procedure ...................................3 FYI ...BackgroundInformationforTeachersandStudents CausesoftheAmericanCivilWar .........................5 TheBattleofGettysburg .................................8 CivilWarMedicalVocabulary ...........................12 MedicalTimeline ......................................14 Before Your Field Trip The Oath of Allegiance and the Hippocratic Oath ...........18 Squad #1 Activities — Camp Doctors .....................19 FieldTripIdentities .........................20 "SickCall"Play..............................21 CampDoctorsStudyMaterials ................23 PicturePages ...............................25 Camp Report — SickCallRegister .............26 Squad #2 Activities — BattlefieldDoctors .................27 FieldTripIdentities .........................28 "Triage"Play ...............................29 BattlefieldStudyMaterials ...................30 Battle Report — FieldHospitalRegister ........32 Squad #3 Activities — HospitalDoctors ...................33 FieldTripIdentities .........................34 "Hospital"Play..............................35 HospitalStudyMaterials(withPicturePages) ...37 Hospital Report — CertificateofDisability .....42 Your Field Trip Day FieldTripDayProcedures ..............................43 OverviewoftheFieldTrip ..............................44 Nametags .............................................45 After Your Field Trip SuggestedPost-VisitActivities ...........................46 -
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). -
PICKETT's CHARGE Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT
PICKETT’S CHARGE I Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Pickett's Charge A Student Education Program at Gettysburg National Military Park TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 How To Use This Booklet ••••..••.••...• 3 Section 2 Program Overview . • . • . • . • . 4 Section 3 Field Trip Day Procedures • • • . • • • . 5 Section 4 Essential Background and Activities . 6 A Causes ofthe American Civil War ••..•...... 7 ft The Battle ofGettysburg . • • • . • . 10 A Pi.ckett's Charge Vocabulary •............... 14 A Name Tags ••.. ... ...........• . •......... 15 A Election ofOfficers and Insignia ......•..•.. 15 A Assignm~t ofSoldier Identity •..••......... 17 A Flag-Making ............................. 22 ft Drill of the Company (Your Class) ........... 23 Section 5 Additional Background and Activities .••.. 24 Structure ofthe Confederate Army .......... 25 Confederate Leaders at Gettysburg ••.•••.••• 27 History of the 28th Virginia Regiment ....... 30 History of the 57th Virginia Regiment . .. .... 32 Infantry Soldier Equipment ................ 34 Civil War Weaponry . · · · · · · 35 Pre-Vtsit Discussion Questions . • . 37 11:me Line . 38 ... Section 6 B us A ct1vities ........................• 39 Soldier Pastimes . 39 Pickett's Charge Matching . ••.......•....... 43 Pickett's Charge Matching - Answer Key . 44 •• A .•. Section 7 P ost-V 1s1t ctivities .................... 45 Post-Visit Activity Ideas . • . • . • . • . 45 After Pickett's Charge . • • • • . • . 46 Key: ft = Essential Preparation for Trip 2 Section 1 How to Use This Booklet Your students will gain the most benefit from this program if they are prepared for their visit. The preparatory information and activities in this booklet are necessary because .. • students retain the most information when they are pre pared for the field trip, knowing what to expect, what is expected of them, and with some base of knowledge upon which the program ranger can build. -
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. -
“Never Have I Seen Such a Charge”
The Army of Northern Virginia in the Gettysburg Campaign “Never Have I Seen Such a Charge” Pender’s Light Division at Gettysburg, July 1 D. Scott Hartwig It was July 1 at Gettysburg and the battle west of town had been raging furiously since 1:30 p.m. By dint of only the hardest fighting troops of Major General Henry Heth’s and Major General Robert E. Rodes’s divisions had driven elements of the Union 1st Corps from their positions along McPherson’s Ridge, back to Seminary Ridge. Here, the bloodied Union regiments and batteries hastily organized a defense to meet the storm they all knew would soon break upon them. This was the last possible line of defense beyond the town and the high ground south of it. It had to be held as long as possible. To break this last line of Union resistance, Confederate Third Corps commander, Lieutenant General Ambrose P. Hill, committed his last reserve, the division of Major General Dorsey Pender. They were the famed Light Division of the Army of Northern Virginia, boasting a battle record from the Seven Days battles to Chancellorsville unsurpassed by any other division in the army. Arguably, it may have been the best division in Lee’s army. Certainly no organization of the army could claim more combat experience. Now, Hill would call upon his old division once more to make a desperate assault to secure victory. In many ways their charge upon Seminary Ridge would be symbolic of why the Army of Northern Virginia had enjoyed an unbroken string of victories through 1862 and 1863, and why they would meet defeat at Gettysburg. -
My Brave Texans, Forward and Take Those Heights!”1
“My brave Texans, forward and take those heights!”1 Jerome Bonaparte Robertson and the Texas Brigade Terry Latschar These words echoed through the battle line of the Texas brigade on July 2, 1863 on a ridge south of Gettysburg as Major General John Bell Hood ordered Brigadier General Jerome Robertson, commander of Hood’s famous Texas brigade, to lead his men into action. General Robertson then repeated those words with the authority and confidence needed to move his 1,400 men forward under artillery fire to engage the enemy on the rocky height 1,600 yards to their front. What kind of man could lead such a charge, and what kind of leader could inspire the aggressive Texans? Jerome Bonaparte Robertson was born March 14, 1815, in Christian County, Kentucky, to Cornelius and Clarissa Robertson. When Jerome was eight years old, his father passed away and left his mother penniless. One of five children, and the oldest son, Jerome quickly left his childhood behind. As was the custom of the time, he was apprenticed to a hatter. Five years later Jerome’s master moved to St. Louis, Missouri. After five more years of industrious and demanding labor, when he was eighteen, Jerome was able to buy the remainder of his contract. During his time in St. Louis, Jerome was befriended by Dr. W. Harris, who educated him in literary subjects. The doctor was so taken with Robertson that he helped Jerome return to Kentucky and attend Transylvania University. There Jerome studied medicine and, in three years, graduated as a doctor in 1835. -
Gettysburg National Military Park Pemns Ylvania Contents
GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK PEMNS YLVANIA CONTENTS Page UNITED STATES Gettysburg National Military Park . 4 The Campaign and Rattle of Gettysburg . 4 DEPARTMENT The Armies Converge on Gettysburg . 7 OF THE INTERIOR The Gettysburg Terrain .... 9 HAROLD L. ICKES, Secretary Second Day at Gettysburg . 10 N A T I O N A I, PA R K S E R VI C E The Crisis 11 ARNO B. CAMMERER, Director The Third Day 12 The Retreat 15 CIVILIAN CONSERVAT ION CORPS ROBERT FECHNER, Director ADVISORY COUNCIL THE COVER Tiie cover shows a silhouette profile of Lincoln and GEORGE P. TYNER, Brigadier General a reproduction of a portion of the second manu Representing the Secretary of War script copy of the Gettysburg address, made by Abraham Lincoln on the morning of November CONRAD L. WIRTH, Supervisor of Recreation and 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, and used by him in giving Land Planning, National Park Service. the address that day. There are five manuscript Representing the Secretary of the Interior copies of this address in Lincoln's handwriting: the first, partially written in Washington before the FRED MORRELL, Assistant Chief Forester, United States Forest Service. Representing the trip to Gettysburg and finished on the evening of Secretary of Agriculture his arrival there; the second, written in Gettysburg the following morning; a third, made for George CIIESI.EY W. BAILEY. Representing the Veterans' Bancroft; a fourth, written to be sold with the Administration manuscript of Edward Everett's address at the New York Sanitary Fair; and a fifth and final manuscript copy, written by Lincoln in 1864 for purposes of publication in Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors Gettysburg National Military Park THREE MONTHS and sixteen days after the ordeal of the Diplomatic Corps, and other ranking officials.