The Battle of Gettysburg Part 3

Meanwhile, Confederate troops made a brilliant charge to the base of Cemetery Hill and overran Union troops stationed behind stone walls. Through the gap poured soldiers from Louisiana, called "Louisiana Tigers", who attacked Union artillery at the summit. Union reinforcements rushed to the scene and immediately attacked with rifles and bayonets, driving off the Confederates. Though General Meade's line had been heavily beaten on and almost broken, he was still able to hold his position on Cemetery Ridge.

Fighting erupted on Culp's Hill early on the morning of July 3 when Union troops attacked Confederates who had taken a portion of the hill the night before. The Confederates had been reinforced by other troops and tried to drive the Union troops off of the summit of the hill, but could not get beyond the Union earthworks because of the stubborn defense they put up.

After six hours of intense fighting, the Union succeeded in driving off the southerners. General Lee decided to alter his strategy. Having already ordered his cavalry chief, J.E.B. Stuart, to ride around the Union army and attack the Union supply line, Lee decided to strike the weakened Union center. He issued orders for a bombardment of the center followed by an infantry assault to be commanded by his trusted corps commander, General James Longstreet. General Longstreet's assault, better known today as "Pickett's Charge", would be Lee's last gamble for victory at Gettysburg.
The Southern cannonade began at 1 o'clock and lasted for almost two hours. It was followed by the charge of 12,000 Confederates, half of them Virginia troops commanded by General George E. Pickett, and the other half commanded by Brig. General James J. Pettigrew. The Confederates succeeded in breaking the Union line at the angle near a copse of trees, but were thrown back with heavy losses. A down hearted General Lee saw the results of the charge and rode into the field to rally his soldiers.

That evening, General Lee ordered his troops to prepare to retreat to the Potomac River where they would cross back into Virginia. General Meade, satisfied that his army held a superior position, waited for Lee's next move but then followed the Confederates as they marched away from Gettysburg and wound their way west to Williamsport, Maryland on the Potomac River. Swelled by heavy rains, the river could not be crossed and the Confederates were forced to build defenses in case of a Union attack. But Confederate engineers were able to place floating bridges across the river and the last troops of Lee's army stepped onto the Virginia side just as Meade's soldiers began to close in. The bloody Gettysburg Campaign was over.

Once back in Virginia, General Lee reported to President Jefferson Davis on what happened at Gettysburg and how is soldiers had done their best to win the battle.

The general never criticised any of his commanders for mistakes that may have been made, nor did he write badly of his soldiers. He knew how hard they had fought and how many of them had been left behind, including many good officers. General Meade also reported to President Lincoln and though the president was disappointed that the Union army had not destroyed Lee's army, he thanked the general for doing such a good job. Congress also thanked General Meade for the victory at Gettysburg, but there were some Union officers who were not quite so pleasant to the general, including General Sickles. General Meade was forced to defend his actions for many years to come.

The cost of the battle was high- 51,000 casualties, which are all of the soldiers who were killed, wounded, captured, or missing. Every home and church in Gettysburg was a hospital, and every field and yard held a grave of a soldier, hastily dug and filled. To provide a proper burial for the Union dead, local citizens began a project for a national cemetery to be placed at Gettysburg. It was dedicated on November 19, 1863, and featured a short speech by President Lincoln. The president's Gettysburg Address is the best remembered and most revered speech of the Civil War.