PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: General Meade After Pickett's Charge Did Meade want to fight at Gettysburg? Did Meade want to retreat on the evening of July 2nd? Why didn't Meade counter-assault the Army of Northern Virginia after the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge? National Park Service addresses these questions DVD | # American Civil War Battle Gettysburg Pennsylvania July 1-3 1863 In July of 1863, General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met, by chance, when a Confederate brigade sent forward for supplies observed a forward column of Meade's cavalry. Of the more than 2,000 land engagements of the Civil War, Gettysburg ranks supreme. Although the Battle of Gettysburg did not end the war, nor did it attain any major war aim for the North or the South, it remains the great battle of the war. Here at Gettysburg on July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, more men actually fought and more men died than in any other battle before or since on North American soil. | The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign June 3 - July 13, 1863 The Maps of Gettysburg plows new ground in the study of the campaign by breaking down the entire campaign in 140 detailed original maps.

## Day 1 In June, Robert E. Lee decided to take the war north. He planned to destroy the railroad bridge at Harrisburg, then "turn my attention to Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington as may seem best for our interest." After the long march north, Confederate troops were spread from Chambersburg, through Carlisle, and into York. Towns across southern Pennsylvania were being "explored" for much needed supplies to continue the Southern offensive. While looking in Gettysburg, Pettigrew's brigade spotted Buford's cavalry on a ridge a mile west of town. The Battle of Gettysburg Pennsylvania began on July 1 with Confederate troops attacking that Union cavalry division on McPherson Ridge, west of town. Out-numbered, the Union forces managed to hold, and even drive the Confederate army back, after the addition of John Reynold's Infantry division (and Reynold's subsequent death on the front lines). They prevailed until afternoon, when they were overpowered by additional southern troops, and driven back through town. In the confusion, thousands of Union soldiers were captured before they could rally on Cemetery Hill, south of town. Long into the night Union troops labored over their defenses while the bulk of Meade's army arrived and took positions. | Gettysburg--The First Day A detailed tactical description of the first day's fighting. The engagements in McPherson Woods, at the Railroad Cuts, on Oak Ridge, on Seminary Ridge, and at Blocher's Knoll, and the retreat of Union forces through Gettysburg Gettysburg Book Titles Gettysburg Reenactor Loging Hotels and Camping

## Day 2 On July 2, the battle lines were drawn up in two sweeping arcs. The main portions of both armies were nearly a mile apart on two parallel ridges; Union forces on Cemetery Ridge in the famous "fish hook", facing Confederate forces on Seminary Ridge to the west. Lee ordered an attack against both Union flanks. On the south, James Longstreet's thrust on the Union left broke through D.E. Sickles' advance lines at the Peach Orchard, left the Wheatfield and Plum Run (now known as Bloody Run) strewn with dead and wounded, and turned the rocky area called the "Devils Den", at the base of Little Round Top, into a shambles. Only a very observant General G. K. Warren saved Little Round Top for the Union, when he saw that the strategic hill was unmanned. To the north, R. S. Ewell's attack ultimately proved futile against the entrenched Union right on East Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, even though they were able to take possession of the southern slope of Culp's Hill on one occasion. The frequent lack of effective communication would prove the downfall of the Confederacy this day. If they had only known that they were only a few hundred yards away from taking the Unions supply trains...if only Rodes had moved through the streets of Gettysburg to aid in the attack on Cemetery Hill... | Selected Letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1865-1914 Known as the hero of Little Round Top and the commanding officer who accepted the Confederates' surrender at Appomattox.
## Day 3 On July 3, Lee decided to press the attack to the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. At 1 in the afternoon, the southern artillery opened a bombardment that for a time engaged the massed guns of both sides in a thundering duel for supremacy, but did little to soften up the Union battle lines. Then came the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg...with a salute from Longstreet, General George E. Pickett, in a desperate attempt to recapture the partial success of the preceding day, spearheaded one of the most incredible efforts in military history...a massed infantry assault of 15,000 Confederate troops across the open field toward the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. One mile they marched, while being pounded by artillery and rifle fire. Through it all, Pickett's men reached but failed to break the Union line, and the magnificent effort ended in disaster. The tide of the Confederacy had "swept to its crest, paused, and receded." In 50 minutes, 10,000 in the assault had become casualties, and the attack - forever to be known as Pickett's Charge - was now history. | Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg Pickett's July 3, 1863 charge up Cemetery Ridge is the climactic event of the Battle of Gettysburg and a defining moment of the Civil War
July 3 3:00 PM | 3:30 PM Click to enlarge | 3:45 PM
With the failure of Pickett's Charge, the battle was over - the Union was saved. Lee's retreat began on the afternoon of July 4. Behind him, this small town of only 2,400 was left with a total (from both sides) of over 51,000 casualties. Over 172,000 men and 634 cannon had been positioned in an area encompassing 25 square miles. Additionally, an estimated 569 tons of ammunition was expended and, when the battle had ended, 5,000 dead horses and the other wreckage of war presented a scene of terrible devastation. The Confederate army that staggered back from the fight at Gettysburg was physically and spiritually exhausted. Lee would never again attempt an offensive operation of such proportions. Meade, though he was criticized for not immediately pursuing Lee's army, had carried the day in the battle that has become known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. The war was to rage for two more terrible and tormenting years but the Confederacy never recovered from the losses of Gettysburg. And through the deepening twilight of Confederate military might, all who had been to Gettysburg would remember. | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Pickett's Charge - Pettigrew's Perspective The legendary exploits of the Union and Confederate armies come to life with these informative tours of Gettysburg National Park DVD

### Large Area Map The cemetery after the Battle Gettysburg Campaign Map Unfinished Confederate grave near the center of battle-field of Gettysburg. [Stereograph] Click to enlarge Picture |

American Civil War DVD Titles
Horses of Gettysburg Civil War Minutes Filmed in high definition with charging horses, battlefield panoramas and no "talking heads," this cinematic documentary tells the story of the estimated 72,000 horses and mules that fought at the Battle of Gettysburg and uncovers the strategies employed to ensure that the millions of animals in service with the North and South remained healthy and well-trained for action. | Gettysburg and Stories of Valor - Civil War Minutes III DVD Box Set This 3-hour documentary captures the scenic beauty of the Gettysburg battlefield, examines rare Civil War artifacts and tells the personal stories of the men who fought in the war. | Gettysburg / Gods and Generals The tide of the war changes during three fierce days of combat at Gettysburg [Disc 1] the gripping saga of the tactics command errors and sacrifices behind the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Gods and Generals [Disc 2] reveals the spirited allegiances and fierce combat of earlier Civil War struggles | Civil War Journal West Point Classmates - Civil War Enemies Beyond the pages of history and into the personal stories behind the Great Conflict
PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Lee's Retreat Through Monterey Pass | PCN Gettysburg Battlewalks: The First Shots | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Valley of Death | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Armistead's Brigade
PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Culp's Hill | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Codori Farm | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Awe-Inspiring Confusion at Devil's Den | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Maj. General Pender on Seminary Ridge
PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Spangler's Spring | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Power's Hill | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Henry Hunt at Cemetery Ridge | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Wounded and the Dead
PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Bucktail Brigade | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Herbst Woods | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Wiekert, Trostle, and Klingle Farms | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The 13th Vermont Infantry
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: Pickett's Charge - Pettigrew's Perspective The legendary exploits of the Union and Confederate armies come to life with these informative tours of Gettysburg National Park | PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: General Meade After Pickett's Charge Did Meade want to fight at Gettysburg? Did Meade want to retreat on the evening of July 2nd? Why didn't Meade counter-assault the Army of Northern Virginia after the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge? National Park Service addresses these questions | History Channel Presents The Civil War From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.

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