Gettysburg - The Second Day

When we last left our two armies, they were both licking their wounds and continuing to bring-up their men.  The Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were preparing for further assaults in the morning, after General Ewell yielded the high ground to the retreating Union forces.  The Federals, on the other hand, consolidated their position on the superior defensive ground of Cemetery Ridge, Culp's Hill and the Big and Little Round Tops.  The night also saw the last of the Union forces join the main army and Meade arrive as well.  Though defeated on 01 July 1863, the Federal forces, through a combination of luck, courageous defenders and Confederate reluctance, held the best ground in Gettysburg.  Here is a map of the assembled forces, from right to left:

1)  Slocum holds Culp's Hill and will be facing off against Ewell's Corps.

2)  While Howard, Newton and Hancock are aligned on Cemetery Ridge and will come under fire from A. P. Hill's Corps.

3)  On the Union left is Sickles fighting in the Peach Orchard, Ward is fighting in the Devil's Den and the Federals defending the Wheatfield and Little Round Top all endured attacks from Longstreet's Corps, courtesy of McLaws and Hood respectively. 

02 July 1863 --- General Lee's plan for this day was an attempt to capitalize on the success of Heth and Ewell of the day before, when they had forced Union troops to retreat off of Seminary Ridge.  To do so he launched his Army of Northern Virginia in multiple attacks on both ends of the Union line, trying to turn their flanks.  General Longstreet, for his part, counseled a more strategic move, the Army should leave its current position and swing around the Federal's left, thereby inviting an attack, Longstreet argued that would force Meade to attack the Confederates on ground more advantageous to them.  Lee rejected this suggestion due to the confidence he had in his army's ability to succeed in any endeavor and concern over the morale of his soldiers if they were forced to give-up the ground they had fought to hard to win the previous day.  No, Lee was determined to whip the Yankees here and on July 2nd.  In order to do so, Lee needed to seize the high ground south of Gettysburg, principally Cemetery Ridge.  This ridge dominated the town of Gettysburg, the Union supply lines and the main road to Washington.  He determined that an attack up the Emmitsburg Road would be the best approach.  Lee's orders to his subordinates were as follows:

1)  Ewell would demonstrate against Culp's Hill, thereby pinning down the forces on the Union right flank, thereby preventing them from reinforcing the left flank.

2)  While Longstreet would begin his primary attack against the Union left flank as soon as he was in position to do so.  The object was to roll-up this flank, collapsing the line of Union corps onto each other and eventually seize Cemetery Hill. 

The best laid plans of mice and men, never seem to take into account the unpredictableness of human nature.  In this case, Lee never factored into his plans the stupidity and desire for fame of one Union General Daniel Sickles. 

The Union Army, on the morning of 02 July 1863, had 6 out of 7 corps present and benefited from holding the high ground, as well as having superior interior lines.  The corps were arranged as previously stated along Cemetery Ride and Culp's Hill (the Round Tops were only loosely manned at this time).  The Federals were thus is an excellent position to repel any Confederate attacks that might come their way.......until General Sickles started thinking for himself and disobeying orders.

General Sickles' III Corps was originally positioned by Meade on Cemetery Ridge, linked with the II Corps on his right and his left anchored on Little Round Top.  This was a strong position.  However, a slightly higher piece of ground in front of his corps, a peach orchard began to give Sickles some concern as it might be used as an artillery platform.  Without authorization from Meade, Sickles marched his corps out to occupy the battleground that would forever after after be known as the Peach Orchard.  Unfortunately, while Sickles might now hold this marginally higher "high ground", he was now occupying lines were much larger than his corps could could successfully defend and, more importantly, his position had now taken the form of a salient, which now easily be attacked from multiple sides.  This had the potential to spell disaster for the Union and could only help the Confederates roll-up the Union left. 

Longstreet, who's attack was delayed by a long, circuitous route his men were forced to take in order to avoid being seen by the Union Signal Corps observers stationed on Little Round Top, finally commenced his assault at around 4:00 p.m., beginning with a 30-minute artillery barrage that was particularly punishing to the III Corps stationed in the Peach Orchard.  At 4:30, Hood and his Texas Brigade slammed into the III Corps in multiple locations.  The fiercest fighting would be seen in the Devil's Den and on Little Round Top. 

Panoramic View of Little Round Top (left) and Big Round Top (right)

In the aftermath of Sickles' illegal move, Little Round Top, which only had a Union Signal Corps on it, was left unprotected.  Brig. General Gouverneur Warren, sent by Meade to ascertain the situation, observed the glint of bayonets in the woods surrounding the Round Top and realizing that a Confederate attack was probably imminent, he set-off to find any available help.  This help arrived in the form of Maj. General George Sykes, commander of the V Corps.  He dispatched a messenger to order his 1st Division to occupy Little Round Top.  But before these orders could reach the division commander, Colonel Strong Vincent, commander of the 1st Division's Third Brigade, seized the initiative and ordered his four regiments to Little Round Top without waiting for orders.  His actions, more than even Colonel Chamberlain's (whom we shall meet in a moment) saved the Union left flank and probably the battle itself.  Strong and his company bugler rode ahead to guide the four regiments into place and almost immediately came under fire from the Confederates.  In place only about ten minutes before the first Rebel attack, Vincent ordered his brigade to take cover and wait, while to Chamberlain, commanding officer of the 20th Maine, he ordered to HOLD his position at all costs.  Chamberlain suddenly found himself at the extreme left of the Union Army, he was the flank that the Confederates were trying to get around.  But all these 386 men could do was wait.

 The 20th Maine didn't have long to wait however.  They weren't in position long before a brigade of Rebels, commanded by General Law, from Alabama and Texas made their first assault on Little Round Top.  Hot and thirsty, the men were quickly thrown back down the hill.  When the 15th Alabama, commanded by Col. Oates attempted to shift around his left flank, Chamberlain reformed his men into a straight line that could bend and stretch as the Confederates tried to flank him.  In this way the Federals could "refuse the line", form an angle that continually bent back on itself to prevent being flanked. 


However, after 90-minutes of fierce fighting and at least 3 Confederate charges, the 20th Maine had endured heavy casualties and out of ammunition.  For his final charge Col. Chamberlain made an unusual decision, a bayonet charge.  He ordered his left flank, which had been pulled back to advance in a right-wheel formation, as soon as they were in line with the rest of the regiment, the entire regiment charged, looking for all the world like a giant door swinging shut.  This simultaneous frontal assault and flanking maneuver halted this last attack by the 15th Alabama.  The rest of the Confederates forces retreated back down Little Round Top, where they were continually assaulted by Company B of the 20th Maine and a handful of sharpshooters, who had been placed there by Col. Chamberlain to guard against a potential envelopment. 

Despite this successful defense of the Union's left flank, other areas of the line did not fair so well, with Col. Vincent's 16th Michigan taking a nasty beating and it was only with the help of reinforcements, in the form of the 140th New York that Federals were able to drive the Texans back and secure the hill for the Union.  Unfortunately, among the casualties was the man, who's quick thinking and even faster moving had saved the Union's left flank, one Col. Strong Vincent.  Though he would survive long enough to see the Federals victorious at Gettysburg and to receive a deathbed promotion to Brigadier General, Strong would succumb to his wounds on 07 July.  Though skirmishing would continue throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, with Federal forces coming under almost continual fire from Confederate sharpshooters stationed in the Devil's Den, fighting on the Union left flank ended with the final charge of the 140th New York. 

Meanwhile, on the Union right, with Hood's attack reaching its height, Longstreet ordered General McLaws to send in his men in en echelon attack, one brigade after another.  This resulted in some of the bloodiest encounters of the battle:  the "Wheatfield" and the "Peach Orchard". 

In the Wheatfield, the fighting consisted of numerous attacks and counterattacks over the course of two hours by more then ten brigades which earned the field the nickname of "Bloody Wheatfield".  Though the Union initially held the ground, due to a never-explained decision by Brig. General Barnes, they were forced to yield it to the Confederates.  Once the Federals had received reinforcements though, the ground changed hands again, this time with vicious hand-to-hand fighting.  Unfortunately once the Union forces ran-out of ammunition, they retreated and the Wheatfield changed hands once again. Though additional attempts were made by the Federals to reclaim the Wheatfield again, even with regular army troops, they were unable to do and retreated back to the safety of Little Round Top in good order, despite heavy casualties and pursuing Confederates.  The bloody Wheatfield would remain quiet for the rest of the battle, but this back-and-forth action did a heavy toll of the men involved, on both sides.  Of about the 20,000 men engaged, about 30% were casualties and some of these casualties managed to crawl their way to Plum Run, where they stained the water red with their blood.

While the Confederates and Federals were playing a deadly game of tug-a-war with the Wheatfield, two additional brigades of McLaws troops charged into the Peach Orchard.  These men plowed into Sickles' Corps, where a cannon ball took of the General's leg, forcing him to leave the battlefield.  The Confederates continued their assault, causing Union artillery to be placed in a dangerous situation and forcing their retreat. 

On the far Union right, Maj. General Anderson, from A. P. Hill's Corp, attacked Hancock's Corps on Cemetery Ridge.  As the fighting became desperate Meade and Hancock struggled to find reinforcements, as many had been sent to the left flank to deal with Longstreet's attacks.  Hancock needed to buy some time for a large body of men to arrive, so he turned to the only ones he could find:  the 1st Minnesota, Harrow's Brigade, of the 2nd Division of the II Corps, who had placed there to guard a battery.  Hancock pointed to the Confederates advancing and order Colonel Colvill to "Advance and take those colors!" Never hesitating, despite the overwhelming odds, the 262 Minnesotans charged the Alabama brigade with bayonets fixed, and blunted their advance at Plum Run but at a terrible cost, 215 casualties (82%), one of the largest regimental single-action losses of the war.  But the 1st Minnesota had bought Hancock the time he needed and stopped the Confederate attack in its tracks.  The Alabamians were forced to withdraw.  Though fighting continued, after the actions for the Minnesotans, the Confederates were never close to breaking the Union lines again. 

General Ewell's demonstrations against the Union right caused little damage to the Federal troops, but he took a great deal himself and accomplished very little.  General Jubal Early attacked East Cemetery Hill late in the evening, even reaching the crest, but Union reinforcements arrived to drive him off. 

Eventually at around 10:30, the fighting died down, but the strange music made by the cries of the wounded and the dying played on, as councils of war met in both Confederate and Union headquarters to decide what actions would be taken the next day.  While Meade, out of character for a Union general, vowed to stay and fight it out tomorrow, Lee vowed, over Longstreet's strenuous objections, to also say and fight it out.  Tomorrow would bare witness to the greatest class of arms that this country would ever see.