![]() ![]() The copse of trees, currently a prominent landmark, was under ten feet (3 m) high in 1863, visible to a portion of the attacking columns only from certain parts of the battlefield. The much-debated theory suggests that Lee's general plan for the second-day attacks (the seizure of Cemetery Hill) had not changed on the third day, and the attacks on July 3 were also aimed at securing the hill and the network of roads it commanded. However, recent scholarship, including published works by some Gettysburg National Military Park historians, has suggested that Lee's goal was actually Ziegler's Grove on Cemetery Hill, a more prominent and highly visible grouping of trees about 300 yards (274 m) north of the copse. Historical treatments such as the 1993 film Gettysburg continue to popularize this view, which originated in the work of Gettysburg Battlefield historian John B. Traditionally, the " copse of trees" on Cemetery Ridge has been cited as the visual landmark for the attacking force. The specific objective of the assault has been the source of historical controversy. Meade's headquarters were just behind the II Corps line, in the small house owned by the widow Lydia Leister. Stannard and the 121st Pennsylvania under the command of Col. Abner Doubleday's division of the I Corps, including the 2nd Vermont Brigade of Brig. Alexander Hays, and to the south was Maj. To the north of this position were brigades from the division of Brig. On the night of July 2, Meade correctly predicted to Gibbon at a council of war that Lee would try an attack on Gibbon's sector the following morning. Directly in the center was the division of Brig. The target of the Confederate assault was the center of the Union Army of the Potomac's II Corps, commanded by Maj. Anderson's division (Hill's Corps) were to support the attack on the right flank: Brig. Dorsey Pender's division, had the brigades of Brig. Pickett's Charge was planned for three Confederate divisions, commanded by Maj. Often cited as one of the turning points of the war, the farthest point reached by the attack has been referred to as the high-water mark of the Confederacy.īackground Military situation įurther information: Gettysburg Confederate order of battle Plans and command structures Although some Confederates were able to breach the low stone wall that shielded many of the Union defenders, they could not maintain their hold and were repelled with over 50 percent casualties. Approximately 12,500 men in nine infantry brigades advanced over open fields for three-quarters of a mile (1200 m) under heavy Union artillery and rifle fire. The infantry assault was preceded by a massive artillery bombardment that was meant to soften up the Union defense and silence its artillery, but it was largely ineffective. However, on the night of July 2, Meade correctly predicted to General John Gibbon, after a council of war, that Lee would attack the center of his lines the following morning and reinforced that area with additional soldiers and artillery. Lee believed that, after Confederate attacks on both the left and right flanks of the Union lines on July 2, Meade would concentrate his defenses there to the detriment of his center. Lee determined to attack at that point, and the execution was assigned to Longstreet. ![]() Perceiving that by forcing the Federal lines at that point and turning toward Cemetery Hill would be taken in flank and the remainder would be neutralized. . where, sloping westward, formed the depression through which the Emmitsburg road passes. His military secretary, Armistead Lindsay Long, described Lee's thinking: Pickett's Charge was part of Lee's "general plan" to take Cemetery Hill and the network of roads it commanded. The charge is popularly named after Major General George Pickett, one of three Confederate generals (all under the command of Lieutenant General James Longstreet) who led the assault. Suffering from a lack of preparation and problems from the onset, the attack was a costly mistake that decisively ended Lee's invasion of the north and forced a retreat back to Virginia. Confederate troops made a frontal assault toward the center of Union lines, ultimately being repulsed with heavy casualties. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania during the Civil War. Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. ![]()
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