"The Battle of Gettysburg".. Turning Point in The Civil War..Part 1

   The few weeks back it was an exciting time for som folks who appreciate the history of our American Civil War as we celebrated with honor the 150th Anniversary of the greatest land battle on our North American continent..The Battle of Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg which took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was a three (3) day battle fought from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863 whereas over 160,000 men would pound away at each other for 72 hours, bloodying the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside with historic, courageous, and often futile charges.

Driving the small population of Gettysburg of only 2,200 people to flee their homes as the battle swirled through the quaint town itself, as well as the outlying fields and ridges that are now dotted with over 400 monuments..a testament to the dozens of dynamic and deadly actions that occurred in that short period.

Names like Culps' Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, The Peach Orchard, The Wheat Field and Devils' Den would go down in our American Civil War History as the solemn places where men from both sides, Union and Confederate would die by the thousands..both sides fighting like tigers fully knowing what was at stake.

Most historians agree that another defeat for the Union Army of the Potomac..especially this battle would have been the end of The Civil War with final victory falling to the South. Lincolns' dream of keeping the Union and the nation whole would have been lost forever. The American History we know after 1863 would have been changed dramatically..and not in a good way.

Had the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under the leadership of possibly the finest general of The Civil War, Robert E. Lee achieved victory at The Battle of Gettysburg..they simply would have continued their march and taken Washington D.C itself to offer terms to Lincoln.

After so many previous Union defeats and Confederate victories such as the Battle of Antietam which was a standoff, Battle of Fredericksburg ( a clear and devastating Union loss), Battle of Chancellorsville ( another swift and terrible Union loss)..the Northern war moral was at an all time low.. and many in the North were more than ready to capitulate with the South..and stop what they felt was useless bloodshed.

Another Union defeat would have been enough to push the scales of public opinion to ending the war.. and the United States of America to being divided .. forever.  England and France, disgusted with the carnage and tremendous losses had pulled back their curious interests temporarily..but a Confederate victory at Gettysburg certainly would have fanned the still hot embers of European interest.

But thankfully the bold plans of Robert E. Lee to invade the North for the second time and finish off the Union Army of the Potomac for good did not succeed. Lees' feeling at this time is simply that his army of lean and battle hardened Southerners is unbeatable. Lee is overconfident that he can march North and find a spot to make a stand..go on the defensive which has been his best tactic in past victories..and defeat the Union Corps "in detail" ( using your larger force to defeat smaller units in sequence) as they arrive one by one.

He would than march his victorious Confederates to Harrisburg, Pa. ( capital of Pennsylvania ) , possibly Baltimore and Philadelphia and than to our nations' capital..Washington D.C itself.  End of war and story !

But as they say "timing is everything"..and it is certainly true in military battles..and especially true at Gettysburg.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee had been moving north up through Virginia since June 3rd, where he will meet Union resistance at several locations such as Brandy Station, Martinsville, and Winchester. Brandy Station will be of special note as the largest cavalry engagement of The Civil War..where approx. 15,000 Confederate and Union troopers combined will fight it out..the Union finally being repulsed. The Confederate cavalry will however remember that the revamped Union cavalry under Alfred Pleasonton is much improved from the old Union cavalry which was second rate to the Confederates .. up to now.

By June 15th, Lee is crossing the Potomac River and will advance his seperate corps from 3 different directions while Union General Hookers army is staying between the Rebels and the capital..Washington D.C.

Confederate cavalry and infantry have been already passing through and occupying parts of the Gettysburg area since mid June..but moving on for their final plan to regroup all Rebel corps in one position..Lee is aiming for Cashtown, Pa. as a place where he can dig in and defeat Hookers Union army as it arrives piecemeal.

But fate will intervene as Lee himself is not well..suffering from the effects of being in the field and under great stress for the last 2 years. His confidence in his commanders is so great that his orders are vague, leaving his officers to make decisions that will force Lee to amend his original plans.

The evening of June 30th will be the initial contact between the 2 vast ( but spread out ) armies as Union cavalry commander Brig. General John Buford Jr. operating south of Gettysburg will be alerted to the approach of concentrated Rebel troops. The lines of Confederate troops, one brigade under Confederate General Pettigrew from General Heths' Division, A.P.Hills' corp have been sent out east of Cashtown for supplies...especially shoes.

When they do run into Bufords mounted Union troopers..they are confident that it is a small unit of local militia..but as per orders from Lee and Heth..they do not engage, and pull back for the night toward Cashtown.

But Union cavalry commander John Buford understands his valuable position and that night spreads his small force of 2,400 dismounted troopers in an arc west of town on the 3 highest ridges..Seminary Ridge, Herr Ridge, McPherson Ridge. Had the Rebel army stayed in Cashtown..history might have been changed at this time.

But at 5am on July 1st..Confederate General Heth sends not one but two brigades back to Gettysburg for more supplies thinking they will cut through the small Union force, get supplies and return to Cashtown without any major engagement or setbacks.

Now Union General Buford will change all of the future plans of Robert E.Lee that hot and hazy summer morning of July1st..as he hears his vedettes ( mounted pickets ) 3 miles away firing their Spencer repeaters at the advancing Rebel brigades as they advance toward Gettysburg. The vedettes are soon driven in and return to their place on the line as Buford sees before him the advancing gray lines of Pettigrews two brigades coming right at him down the Chambersburg Pike.

The initail shots are than traded, the Confederates now break marching column order and taking own fences begin to form up in battle lines across the fields from Bufords dismounted Union cavalry. Just what one would expect..but totally against the strict orders of Robert E. Lee to "not engage the Union forces until the Confederate Army was concentrated".

Union General John Buford has set the stage and actually begun the epic battle we know as the Battle of Gettysburg. The Union army is now on the defensive..and Lees' forces present are just 2 brigades but twice the size of Bufords' small force of 2,400 troopers.

I consider Union General John Buford to be one of the main players in this battle and the man to whom we owe so much. Buford knows he can only hold out so long with his "stopgap" ( a tactic to simply buy time ) measure to keep the Rebel brigades from sweeping over him and occupying the surrounding heights at Cemetery Ridge, Culps Hill and Cemetery Hill. They are the high ground that if occupied by the Rebel army.. will offer the Union army great loss when they try to retake them later.

"Hold the highground..."

Buford has performed stopgap measures before..he know the risk to his men. But he also has been informed by courier that the Union 1st Corp is marching with haste to his aid..but they are hours away. Those 4-5 hours are the linchpin to the battle of Gettysburg.

Had Buford been overwhelmed, and the Rebel army occupied the high ground..Lee would have reconnected and his plan to decimate advancing blue lines would again have been an option. Buford and his Federal troopers will hold for 5 hours..slowly losing men and ground as they are driven back.

This dramatic and timely part of the early battle will be performed so well by one of my favorite actors, Sam Elliott who plays Union General John Buford in the movie "Gettysburg".  His sense of calm urgency, prediction of the possible outcome, and finally his patient but stress filled frustration is well acted as he maneuvers his slowly shrinking force..fighting to buy time..and be reinforced by the approaching Union 1st Corp under General John Reynolds.

Lee himself is hearing the reports of the action and is unhappy and impatient knowing his orders not to engage have not been followed..as well as he now learns the once Commander of the Union Army of the Potomac , Fightin' Joe Hooker has been replaced. Lee remembers that Joe Hooker lost his nerve at Chancellorsville..and it cost the Union the battle. Fighting the same commander who you defeated is easier one would feel.

Hooker has in fact been replaced just 2 days previous by General George Gordon Meade..a Pennsylvania man and tenacious officer who is generally more cautious a commander than the previous Hooker. Lee still feels he can win when he predicts his 2 brigades at Gettysburg will simply disengage after the short skirmish and victory..to rehook back to the main Confederate body west near Cashtown.

But that will not be the case as Bufords dismounted cavalry put up the fight of their lives..hold the Confederate brigades in place after several fallback measures..and finally at approx. 10:20am when they finally see from the heights of the Lutheran Seminary cupola the guidon of the Union 1st Corp racing toward them with General John Reynolds and staff galloping up to Buford to get advice of the situation and offer confidence and congratulations .. on a job well done.

"We can take it from here John " .. Reynolds states to the exhausted Buford..who is by now close to tears.

The 1st Corp ( approx. 15,ooo men ) arrives and takes the high ground, forming  battle lines against the Confederates as The Battle of Gettysburg begins in earnest.

General John Buford has gambled..and won. He has engaged the first Rebel units .. he has forced them to stop and engage his troopers..he has held for 5 hours against superior numbers until reinforced. He has held the high ground !

This will be the first of several key tactical advantages won in the coming hours by the boys in blue. And Robert E. Lee must now weigh his new options as his once tactical advantages are now slipping away.

Another well known disadvantage Lee has fallen on is his cavalry Commander General J.E.B. Stuart was given orders from Lee a few days previous that were also a bit vague..and now Lee begins his fight without his most competent horsemen. Lee has other cavalry and competent officers..but the relation that had developed between Lee and Stuart was one where they did not have to speak..they knew what each must do.

But Stuart has been taken by the idea that is is better to ride far around the whole Union army..undetected .. rather than just get to the now opening battle fast. General J.E.B. Stuart , the eyes of the Confederate army will not arrive until the next day, July 2nd..costing the Confederate army much from their lack of intelligence typically reported by cavalrymen.

But that will be tomorrow as today, July 1,1863 the Battle of Gettysburg is being brought to that savage level as more men arrive to from both sides..and are now being promptly ordered into that deadly wall of flame and lead .. and terrible sound.. and death.

Back for Battle of Gettysburg..Part 2... as General Robert E.Lee is forced to the offensive more than he planned for the next 60 hours.

Thanks,
Brian