Posted on 07/02/2008 6:08:10 AM PDT by mware
July 2, 1863
The morning of July 2 found the two armies facing each other from two nearly parallel ridges separated by a plain of open farmland. Overnight, Longstreet had arrived with the divisions of McLaws and Hood, bringing the strength of the Confederate Army to 50,000. As of this morning, Pickett's division had not arrived. The Union Army had also received reinforcements during the night, bringing their numbers to over 60,000.
While Meade's attention was directed towards Ewell's corps on Culp's Hill to the north, Lee decided to attack from the south. In the afternoon, Hood's division encountered Federal forces with hand-to-hand combat in an area of rock-strewn confusion of large boulders known as "Devil's Den." The Confederates worked past Devil's Den and for a short time nearly overtook Little Round Top before being repulsed by the 20th Maine regiment. The Confederates withdrew to Devil's Den where sharpshooters kept up a deadly exchange with Federal troops on Little Round Top.
A little later in the afternoon, McLaw's division overpowered Sickles' Federals with hand- to-hand combat at the Peach Orchard and the adjacent wheat field. However, losses were great and the Confederate push lost momentum at the creek at the base of Little Round Top known as Plum Run.
Next, Anderson made a run on Hancock's center Federal position which had been weakened in an attempt to aid Sickles. The Confederates were successfully pushing towards the Federal's ridge position when Hancock ordered the First Minnesota regiment to counterattack. Although the First Minnesota suffered enormous casualties, they managed to give Hancock enough time to establish a new line of defense. Anderson's men had to withdraw to Confederate positions across the valley.
To the north, Ewell's divisions had some success with late afternoon attacks in and around Culp's Hill. Early's division temporarily broke through Federal lines as darkness fell, but with lack of support and Federal counterattacks, had to withdraw. Lee had come close to success causing Meade to consider a possible retreat. The 2nd of July 1863 became one of the bloodiest days in American military history with each side losing about 10,000 men.
And after the War it was The Unites States IS.
....It made us an IS."
Shelby Foote
What a fortunate name for an artist to have, Mort Artist (in German).
That may have been Anderson, Hill and Lee's view, but probably not Longstreet's. He was not happy with the way the Second Day went at all, obviously, and saw the writing on the wall.
Was it Shelby Foote who said that like the Japanese after Midway there was no more victory, just different degrees of losing?
I think it was Foote.
I think the main thing is that Lee would never command a force of over 70,000 effectives again as he did the day Gettysburg began, while Meade ended the battle with 70,000 effectives and his successor - thanks to the victory at Gettysburg and the increased enlistments it inspired - would spend the rest of the war outnumbering Lee almost 2 to 1.
He was the only one who came home from his family.
Two died at The Battle of Wilderness (they fought against each other in that battle), another died at Andersonville.
What a horrible loss.
“Thanks for posting this. I went to Gettysburg a couple of years ago and it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. If every American were required to make one “patriotic pilgramage” in their lifetime, I would nominate Gettysburg as the destination.”
I had the same experience. It’s hallowed ground.
Happy Birthday!
Bowden & Ward: Last Chance for Victory c2001
My point here is only this: it was a very close thing. Except for some critical mistakes, the victory was Lee's and the world today would be a much different place.
The painting is entitled Chamberlain’s Charge by Mort
Kunstler.
But would it? Lee wins and then what? He's hundreds of miles behind Union lines with tens of thousands of casualties to care for and having shot off most of his ammunition. So he goes back to Virginia, what else can he do? In the mean time the Army of the Potomac is still intact, Grant still takes Vicksburg, Lincoln still calls him east in the fall. Spring comes and Grant still moves South, Sherman still goes after Atlanta, and at the end of the day the South still loses.
Had Lee won at Gettysburg then we'd be talking about the upcoming 145th anniversary of Vicksburg, and Gettysburg would be just another Chancellorsville.
I stand corrected.
Lots of IF and IF ONLY's, in that battle.
Actually, I was too lazy to go down stairs and check my
book of his paintings. Have a Good 4TH of July.
A shorter work could be written about Meade's failure to press his advantage in victory and defeat Lee's forces in detail.
Even if Lee had been victorious, he could not have ended the war that day or secured "inevitable" Confederate victory - but if Meade had capitalized on his success and destroyed the Army of Northern Virginia within hours of the fall of Vicksburg, he could have ended the war.
Thanks for this thread. Very interesting.
My kids were at the “At High Tide” reenactment at Gettysburg this past weekend. My teenage son was tremendously proud to march in the ranks carrying an Enfield as his ancestors once did.
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