On This Date

Ace of Spades reminds us that on this date in 1863 the pivotal last fight in the Battle of Gettysburg took place:

On this date in 1863, the biggest battle in the American Civil War ended, having raged over the two previous days. It would be the most sanguinary battle of the most sanguinary war in America's history: there were approximately 51,000 casualties on both sides. Nearly 8 thousand of those soldiers in blue and gray were killed. It would prove the turning of the tide; though the war would grind on its bloody way for two more years, the fate of the Confederacy was sealed by their defeat over those three hot July days in southern Pennsylvania.

Robert E. Lee, the great Confederate general, lost 1/3 of his army on that terrible day. When the South began their retreat through Maryland, the train of hospital wagons stretched for 17 miles along the miserable, rutted roads. During the famous "Pickett's charge" up Cemetery Ridge, 6,555 southern soldiers were killed or wounded. Pickett lost three of his brigade commanders, and all thirteen of his regimental commanders in that single engagement.

On the Union side, entire formations were wiped out nearly to a man: the legendary 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry regiment took an astounding 83% casualty rate -- still the highest casualty rate during a single engagement of any military unit in American history.

The time and place were driven by the fact that footsore Southern soldiers needed shoes. The Southern army approached the Gettysburg crossroads from the north; the Northern army approached from the south.

I included a link to Killer Angels, Michael Shaara's great book about the battle and the source for the DVD Gettysburg also linked above.  Both are must haves for Civil War buffs.  They tell the story of that battle from the viewpoint of many of the major combatants on both sides, including Gen. Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, Gen. George Pickett from the South, and Gen. John Buford, Gen. Winfield Hancock and Col. Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine from the North.  Good stuff.

All three books in the Civil War trilogy are available as a set as well.  I've got them all and have read them more than once.  Rather than a dull recounting of history you feel like you're actually there listening to their conversations and seeing things from their viewpoint.  I highly recommend the series.