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On July 3, 1863, the fighting at Gettysburg began where it had ended
the previous night, on Culp's Hill. At 4:30 in the morning, Union
artillery open fire on General Johnson's artillery and infantry as they
prepared for another attack on the Union positions. The effect was
devastating, but the Confederates attacked anyway, with little success.
The Union position proved to be just too strong, and fighting on Culp's
Hill ended with the withdrawal of Johnson's Division, badly mauled.
With the Confederate left unable to turn the Union right, General Lee
had to come up with a new plan. The plan he devised was a frontal
assault against Meade's center, focusing on a copse of trees near a
stonewall at Cemetery Ridge defended by Gibbon's and Hay's divisions of
Hancock's II Corps. This attack would become known as Pickett's
Charge. (In reality, it was the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge.)
Pickett's Division, which had just arrived on the field, would
make up the center of the charge. On his left would be Heth's
Division (commanded by Pettigrew because Heth has suffered a severe would
on the 1st day of battle), and on Pickett's right would be two brigades
(Anderson's and Wilcox's) from Anderson's Division.
The terrain to be traversed was open fields hundreds of yards
long. The men attacking would be exposed for virtually the entire
advance. Defending the attack would be Hancock's II Corps, which had
seen some action the previous couple of days, but were still relatively
fresh. The Confederates hoped that an artillery barrage would weaken
the defenders by the time the infantry made it to the wall.
The Confederates massed 140 guns for their artillery barrage,
stretching from Oak Hill on the northern end to the Peach Orchard, some
two miles to the south. At 1:07, the barrage began. Union artillery
responded in kind. The Confederate artillery had little effect on
the defenders, as their aim was too high. Smoke covered the field,
and the Confederates never realized they were off target. The Union
artillery however, proved much more eff
THESE ARE ARCHIVED PAGES OF THE OLD EHISTORY SITE click here for the NEW eHistory site These pages are not actively maintained and may have errors in content and functionality
On July 3, 1863, the fighting at Gettysburg began where it had ended
the previous night, on Culp's Hill. At 4:30 in the morning, Union
artillery open fire on General Johnson's artillery and infantry as they
prepared for another attack on the Union positions. The effect was
devastating, but the Confederates attacked anyway, with little success.
The Union position proved to be just too strong, and fighting on Culp's
Hill ended with the withdrawal of Johnson's Division, badly mauled.
With the Confederate left unable to turn the Union right, General Lee
had to come up with a new plan. The plan he devised was a frontal
assault against Meade's center, focusing on a copse of trees near a
stonewall at Cemetery Ridge defended by Gibbon's and Hay's divisions of
Hancock's II Corps. This attack would become known as Pickett's
Charge. (In reality, it was the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge.)
Pickett's Division, which had just arrived on the field, would
make up the center of the charge. On his left would be Heth's
Division (commanded by Pettigrew because Heth has suffered a severe would
on the 1st day of battle), and on Pickett's right would be two brigades
(Anderson's and Wilcox's) from Anderson's Division.
The terrain to be traversed was open fields hundreds of yards
long. The men attacking would be exposed for virtually the entire
advance. Defending the attack would be Hancock's II Corps, which had
seen some action the previous couple of days, but were still relatively
fresh. The Confederates hoped that an artillery barrage would weaken
the defenders by the time the infantry made it to the wall.
The Confederates massed 140 guns for their artillery barrage,
stretching from Oak Hill on the northern end to the Peach Orchard, some
two miles to the south. At 1:07, the barrage began. Union artillery
responded in kind. The Confederate artillery had little effect on
the defenders, as their aim was too high. Smoke covered the field,
and the Confederates never realized they were off target. The Union
artillery however, proved much more effective,
