The largest military conflict in North American history begins this day when Union and Confederate forces collide at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The epic battle lasted three days and resulted in a retreat to Virginia by Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
Two months prior to Gettysburg, Lee had dealt a stunning defeat to the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville, Virginia. He then made plans for a Northern invasion in order to relieve pressure on war-weary Virginia and to seize the initiative from the Yankees. His army, numbering about 80,000, began moving on June 3. The Army of the Potomac, commanded by Joseph Hooker and numbering just under 100,000, began moving shortly thereafter, staying between Lee and Washington, D.C. But on June 28, frustrated by the Lincoln administration’s restrictions on his autonomy as commander, Hooker resigned and was replaced by George G. Meade.
Meade took command of the Army of the Potomac as Lee’s army moved into Pennsylvania. On the morning of July 1, advance units of the forces came into contact with one another just outside of Gettysburg. The sound of battle attracted other units, and by noon the conflict was raging. During the first hours of battle, Union General John Reynolds was killed, and the Yankees found that they were outnumbered. The battle lines ran around the northwestern rim of Gettysburg. The Confederates applied pressure all along the Union front, and they slowly drove the Yankees through the town.
By evening, the Federal troops rallied on high ground on the southeastern edge of Gettysburg. As more troops arrived, Meade’s army formed a three-mile long, fishhook-shaped line running from Culp’s Hill on the right flank, along Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge, to the base of Little Round Top. The Confederates held Gettysburg, and stretched along a six-mile arc around the Union position. Lee’s forces would continue to batter each end of the Union position, before launching the infamous Pickett’s Charge against the Union center on July 3.
the official last flag of the Confederate States of America, lol.
[/img]
[img
Wrong, that flag is missing the Blue Field in the corner with the Red Cross.
Duty, honor, and country is a southern saying.
[img
[/img]
Lee’s big mistake was in trying to hold a position on ground he was unwilling to abandon instead of moving on to conquer other ground that was easier and that could be more easily conquered and held.
Fight against an enemies weaknesses, not against his strengths.
IMO, of course. This battle has been rethought so many times it almost becomes a total lesson in warfare depending on how you look at it.
“hit ’em where they ain’t” Willie Keeler
If you’ve ever been to Gettysburg, you like the Federals’ position.
After many successes, Lee was over-optimistic about this one. “Pickett’s Charge?” WTF?
Then again, he felt the South needed a knockout blow because the weight of Northern industry was weighing very heavily by this time.
Pettigrew’s Charge.
The whole War of Secession turned out to be one Big Gettysburg of disadvantages and errors for us Southerners that we are want to avoid; the Original Intent of the 10th Amendment has not changed and the abuse of it has continued to skyrocket, thus Conservative People Groan (Prov 29:2). Trump is doing a pretty good job picking up where Reagan left off considering the Democrats are at war with him and God. They have destroyed the economy, culture and language (gay=queer, progressive=metastasize, choice=murder etc); established, funded and mobilized a MSM and FSA of Useful Idiots for the “Soft Civil War”. TPTB are desperate to disarm US and establish their NWO on our Backs. May all their battles become Bull Runs and their War For Slavery become their Gettysburg.
Robert E. Lee fucked up by not invading and occupying Washington DC. After that he could have marched up the NE seaboard all the way to Boston.
Thank you, we’ll take that into serious consideration and use Gen Sherman’s tactics.
The Revolutionary War was won because we did not engage in large, confrontational battles of force. The guerilla tactics of the freedom-fighter, ridding his land of an infestation, were what won the day. Lee forgot that and instead engaged in far too many of the types of battles the Union was better-prepared to win….especially Gettysburg. As for DC, it was not a war to conquer the capital and control the government. it was simply a war to live as they wished, free of that worthless government.
Several of my ancestors were in Pickets charge, 7th Tenn, and according to the report written by Col. Shepard who went into battle in charge of Co G, came out of the charge as commanding officer of the 7th, they actually made it over the wall at the bloody angle before being driven back. J. H. Moore keep their flag from being captured by ripping it off the staff and concealing it inside his jacket.