Thread by @pptsapper

It's around 0730 on the sunny, already-humid morning of July 1, 1863. One of the many blue-coated cavalry patrols and videttes posted to the roads surrounding the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania spots the movement of heavy columns of butternut uniforms west of the town

The troopers have had a long night in their outposts, heavy with dew, snatching as much sleep as a saddle and wet blanket will allow. The 8th Illinois Cavalry, nicknamed the Abolition Regiment, is posted on the Chambersburg Pike, which is now in the path of Beth's rebel division

Lt Marcellus Jones borrows the carbine of one of his troopers. He raises it, sights it onto a rebel officer, and fires. He misses. The heavy air echoes with the sound, soon replaced by the morning birdsong of Pennsylvania. But not for long. The crackle of carbines begins to grow

US cavalry BG John Buford has only about 2,700 men around Gettysburg. As the eyes & ears of the Army of the Potomac, he has found the enemy & is determined to hang on to them until the infantry can arrive. As the pops of the carbines are telling him, his long morning is beginning

Gunsmoke wafts up from the lines of videttes along the Chambersburg Pike, Confederate rifles joining in, as Lt. John Calef of Gloucester, Ma, unlimbers his six 3" ordnance rifles of Btty A, 2d US Artillery. Only one year out of West Point, Calef, too, will have a long morning

Confederate skirmishers fan out in long lines, pushing into the dense vegetation below Herr's Ridge, trading potshots with what they're now realizing is US cavalry, not local militia as their commander had thought. Undeterred, Heth continues to advance, bringing up his own guns

The steady thump of artillery resounds across the ridges west of town as the iron and brass tubes warm to their work. Troopers fire a fusillade from their carbines and scamper back, the line of outposts slowly giving way to Heth's Confederates, forcing them to deploy in line

Rippling waves of musketry announce that Heth has his division deployed in line, rippling ranks pushing up against Buford's troopers, who are falling back to McPherson's Ridge. Calef's guns are spitting fire with case and solid shot, each shock wave reverberating in the hot air

Buford's tattered regiments fade off the line as the first infantry regiments of the I Corps arrive at the double quick, dust clouds following, and Hall's 2nd Maine Battery drops trails and opens a rapid fire with case and canister on the approaching rebel infantry

The two US infantry brigades crash into battle along the Chambersburg Pike, the Badgers, Hoosiers, and Wolverines of the Iron Brigade deploying to the left of the pike, their tall black hats distinctive against the ripening corn and wheat fields. The sound of battle swells

Maj Gen John Reynolds, commanding the I Corps, while riding his line and placing the Iron Brigade is struck by a bullet, killing him nearly instantly. Reynolds had refused command of the Army of the Potomac just weeks before this. His men continue the fight as the heat rises

As Archer's Tennesseans splash across Willoughby Run, they're greeted by a sheet of flame and iron from the Iron Brigade, practically at point blank range - most of the brigade is captured, including Archer. MG Abner Doubleday, an old colleague greets him warmly.

"I'm glad to see you," says Doubleday. "I'm not glad to see you by a damned sight!" growls Archer, as he's led off.

Fierce fighting erupts around an unfinished railroad cut, hand to hand in places. Rebels swarm up close to Hall's Battery, to be blasted back by double canister

Col Rufus Dawes of the 6th Wisconsin leads a counterattack that blunts the Confederate push into the railroad cut, leaving him holding 7 swords of rebel officers. The musketry begins to fade away, only the pop shots of the pickets can be heard as a lull settles over the fields

If seen from above, the road networks around Gettysburg are like the spokes of a wheel. A high-flying bird might have seen miles of marching men converging on the town. From the north, Ewell's Corps was arriving by brigade, going into line from Oak Hill spreading east

To the west, Heth was joined by Pettigrew and Pender's divisions. Heth's reconnaissance in force was bringing the whole army into action, something Lee had expressly warned against. But in an army drunk on the legacy of victory, orders went by the wayside.

Up from the south comes the tramp-tramp-tramp of the XI Corps, the jingling rattle of Osborne's artillery and its attendant caissons, as the corps goes into line to the right of the I Corps, stretching in a wide arc north of the town. They are too few to hold this ground

The one-armed commander of the XI Corps, MG Oliver Howard, makes the key decision to post one of his divisions on Cemetery Hill, the dominant rise just south of the town. This is the only reserve for the two corps as they adjust their lines and prepare for what will come next

Atop Oak Hill, Confederate MG Rodes is perfectly situated to strike the angle of the I Corps line, where it bends east to link in with the XI Corps. With his three brigades, he can hit the one US brigade at that angle - Baxter's - with fire from three sides. He begins the attack

But Rodes does not coordinate his attacks. He keeps one brigade of Georgians back and orders O'Neal and Iverson's brigades forward. No officer of the division conducts a reconnaissance. In the heavy heat of the early afternoon, O'Neal attacks Baxter's right flank

O'Neal's brigade is raked with musketry and by the particularly galling fire of two batteries of XI Corps artillery on his left flank. One of these is Battery I, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, commanded by Hubert Dilger, a German-born and trained artillery officer with deadly aim

Rodes deploys his own batteries to silence the US guns, but Dilger methodically picks apart the rebel guns, dismounting 5 of them. He sighted one particular shot; his spotter informed him that he'd missed. "Oh no" Dilger replied, "I think you'll find that I plugged the muzzle"

Nicknamed "leather britches" for his penchant for wearing leather trousers into combat, Dilger advances a section against more rebel batteries. Cut up in his front and flank, O'Neal is forced to withdraw with heavy losses.

Iverson's North Carolina brigade of about 1,300 men began their attack, without their commander, from the left of Oak Hill, soldiers' boots scuffing into the rich farmland, flags fluttering as if on parade, lines dressed, but no skirmishers ahead to feel out the enemy defenses.

Baxter, a miller from Michigan and militia captain before the war, shifts his brigade behind a stone wall & orders the men to lay down behind it, concealing flags and muskets. The Tarheel troops approach the wall, with their front & flank exposed, the only sound the tramp of feet

At 80 yards, Baxter gives the order, and the stone wall blossoms, first with the blue of the NY, PA, and MA troops as they rise with colors taking the wind, and then flame and smoke, as the entire brigade levels one of the most lethal volleys of the war. The NC line disappears

The 88th NY and 90th PA fire a buck and ball combination from their smoothbore muskets, absolutely murderous at short range. Rifle fire from the other regiments decimates the Tarheels, with over 600 struck down, dead and wounded, helpless under the gale of fire

"Up, boys, and give them steel!" Baxter shouts over the roar and his men charge forward, seizing over 300 prisoners and three battle flags. Iverson's brigade ceases to exist as a fighting force. Just like that, Rodes' division, one of the largest in the ANV, is cut to shreds

It is now 2:30 in the afternoon, and Robert E Lee finally arrives on the field. Seeing that he has two of his corps already in action against what appears to be a much smaller US force, he gives the order for general battle. Hill and Ewell may now attack from the west and north

Attacking from the west Pettigrew's brigade of North Carolinians strikes the Iron Brigade, lapping around their southern flank, striking the 19th Indiana particularly hard. Men load, fire, load, fire in mechanical frenzy in some of the hottest close-in fighting of the war

The attack spreads from south to north, Pender and Heth's division pounding on the I Corps, although Pender is showing a lack of aggression. The tired I Corps is fighting with spirit but running low on ammunition. Baxter's Brigade is out, and replaced by Paul's Brigade

Two more of Ewell's brigades pound Paul from Oak Hill, but with no more success than Rodes had. But now Ewell's attack ripples down the line to the north, striking at the XI Corps, overextended and holding precarious ground, their flank exposed

Unlike Rodes, Jubal Early's division coordinated its assault on the exposed division of Francis Channing Barlow, positioned too far forward to allow for mutual support. Under attack from front and both flanks, the division held, faltered, and then buckled, with Barlow wounded

The fighting on Blocher's Knoll, Barlow's position, is brutal & fierce. 19-year old Bayard Wilkeson, commanding Battery G, 4th US Artillery, is unhorsed by a rebel shell, his leg horrifically mangled. Still directing the fire of his guns, he amputates his own leg with a penknife

Bayard's father is a Sam Wilkeson, a war correspondent, who hears of his son's wounded and travels thru the lines under a flag of truce that night. He is with his son in his final hours when he dies later that night.

With both of the XI Corps divisions in retreat, Howard now pushes Coster's Brigade into the roiling maelstrom. This unit buys precious time for the remainder of the corps to escape, minus 1,400 prisoners, as the US line quickly nears full collapse

Back to the west, Pender's Division is still pounding on the I Corps, which has fallen back to Seminary Ridge, gunners retreating by recoil when their battery horses are killed off - firing their guns and reloading as the crews haul the gun further back to reload

Scales' brigade of five North Carolina regiments attacks along the Chambersburg Pike, only to meet the combined fury of Charles Wainwright's I Corps artillery. The guns blast the rebel lines with case & canister, utterly pulverizing it. Only 500 men and one LT return out of 1400

But one rebel brigade finds the weak spot in the line and pours through a gap. The afternoon air rings with musketry, shouts, screams, curses, and the road of the artillery. The Iron Brigade bends back and grudgingly gives way as the I Corps line begins to crumble

Wainwright, seeing what's coming, begins to withdraw the US guns. He orders the batteries to move at a walk, so as not to alarm the infantry. However, as the rebels breach Seminary Ridge, the order to gallop is given, and the batteries tear off at full speed, 3 teams abreast

These guns speed their way to Cemetery Hill, where they are quickly placed in dominant positions, alongside the XI Corps reserves. This is the rallying point for the exhaust US troops, some falling back in good order, some no better than a rout

On the I Corps left flank, Paul's Brigade is in grave danger of being cut off and surrounded. They must fall back, but to do so, they must have time. The division commander orders a forlorn hope: one single regiment that will hold to permit the rest to escape. The 16th Maine

Col. Charles Tilden leads his band of just over 250 men back to the stone wall to face off two rebel divisions. 20 minutes is what they buy the I Corps, permitting most men to escape to Cemetery Hill. Surrounded on nearly every side, the regiment yields. But not fully.

The colors are ripped from their staff by the color guard & torn into shreds, each man tucking a piece into a pocket. Tilden stabs his sword into the ground and breaks it off at the hilt. After this act of defiance, the regiment scatters. Only abt 40 make it back to Cemetery Hill

The 157th New York, raised from near the center of the state, also sacrifice themselves in a counterattack outside the town to buy time for the XI Corps to clear the town, taking 75% casualties in the process.

The sacrifices pay off. As the shadows lengthen, the US regroups

One officer and his staff have arrived on Cemetery Hill. II Corps commander MG Winfield Scott Hancock, sent by Meade to assess the ground and situation. Hancock confers with Howard, who defers to Hancock's seniority. They agree that this position is where the army will fight

Hancock and Howard are working hard to create order out of chaos; placing regiments and batteries, directing the wounded rearwards, providing direction for wayward groups of men who are still streaming in, escaping the maelstrom in the town and Seminary Ridge

Lee, too, is attempting to bring about order in his chaotic lines, as the evening draws closer and as he gains the reports of his commanders. Hill's Corps, he finds, has been extensively mauled in the fighting that day. Its one division not engaged is still in reserve

Ewell's Corps is untangling itself from fighting in the town, but is best disposed to continue the fight. Lee asks Ewell to take the heights beyond the town, if practicable. Lee's orders are vague, broad, and not directive. But Ewell begins a recon with his officers

Cemetery Hill bristles with artillery, the guns posted here and there amongst the white tombstones. But the neighboring height, Culps Hill - wooded and rocky, not open like its neighbor - appears to be undefended. This inspection takes some time to complete

Upon completing his recon, Ewell opts not to attack Cemetery Hill - perhaps fearing losing everything. His division commanders are also reluctant to attack, urging him to wait for Johnson's division to arrive before they attack. Ewell requests assistance from Hill, who says no

As dusk falls and fireflies mingle with the lanterns going to and fro from ambulances, Ewell moves two brigades of Johnson's fresh division towards Culps Hill, but halts them, as US troops are spotted. A rebel patrol is met with an ambush, capturing their officer; the rest flee

This is the newly arriving US XII Corps, which moves into position on Culp's Hill. Hancock's II Corps and portions of Dan Sickles' III Corps go into line south of Cemetery Hill, along the low crest of Cemetery Ridge. George Sykes and his V Corps are but a few hours march away

Losses have been grievous - slightly higher on the US side, but no less horrific for the rebels. And now Lee is bound by his own mistakes and those of his commanders to fight a battle on unknown ground, against an unknown enemy. He still has troops marching up from Chambersburg

Those troops - & those of Hill and Ewell - did not leave the Pennsylvania towns unmolested. They demanded payments of cash from many towns. But far, far more grievous are the hundreds of free African-Americans living in PA who are swept up by Lee's army & sent south: into slavery

Stuart's cavalry, still absent, is engaged in the same despicable behavior. African-American communities are devastated by marauding Confederate bands sweeping up people. The intent is clear: no Emancipation Proclamation will stop the slavers from prosecuting their brutal war

But in US regiments across the battlefield, there existed an anomaly that historians are still piecing together: Black soldiers in supposedly all-white regiments. While many were present as cooks, still others were combat troops. Some state units turned a blind eye to race.

I will say that this is a vitally understudied field - Juanita Patience Moss has been compiling rosters that number over 1,000 men who served in white regiments. This seems to have been especially common in the northeast. It is a study that breaks apart our conceptions

Darkness encloses the Gettysburg battlefield, where the murmurs and screams of the wounded float across the warm evening air. The occasional pop and crack of rifles tells the tale of jittery pickets forward of the main lines. The stage is now set for a second day of conflict

July 2, 1863 in Adams County, PA begins as a slightly overcast, muggy day, in the high 70s, climbing towards 80. The overall popular of the county has increased by over 100,000 by now, as the majority of both armies have arrived on the field, although more troops are on the march

George Meade has met with his corps commanders upon his arrival just after midnight this morning and has agreed to remain on the line picked by Hancock and Howard. His chief engineer, Gouverneur Warren, has ridden the line and confirmed the position's defensive attributes

The US line runs from the XII Corps on Culp's Hill, to the I and XI on Cemetery Hill, turning south where the II and III Corps occupy Cemetery Ridge. At first light this morning, Meade was up and riding every inch of his line, inspecting positions, and making recommendations

While meeting with the III Corps commander, MG Dan Sickles - the prickly Tammany Hall politician made famous for shooting his wife's lover & being exonerated on the grounds of temporary insanity - Meade is alarmed to hear that Sickles wants to move his whole corps forward

Sickles is convinced that if he could occupy the higher ground about a mile to his front, a low rise dominated by a peach orchard, then he would be in a better position. He tells Meade that where his corps is posted now is in low ground and requests permission to advance

Meade denies the request amidst much discussion, but Sickles is still concerned and will brood on this all morning.

Satisfied with his positions, and with the V Corps coming up in reserve, Meade decides to hold to the defensive and see if he can get Lee to attack him

Across the best and orderly farm fields, on Seminary Ridge, Lee is, in fact, planning to do just that. His plans call for a demonstration on the US right, to be developed into a full scale attack against Culp's Hill should the opportunity arise. The main assault is on the US left

Lee wanted an early morning attack, but Ewell balked at moving his corps and Longstreet reminded Lee that he had but one of his 3 divisions on hand. Lee compromises, allowing Longstreet to wait for the divisions of Hood and McClaws to fully arrive before making an assault

Lee firmly believes the US line is anchored on the Emmitsburg Road - it is not. His entire plan is based on a two division assault, launched en echelon from the south, rolling up the US flank. Once again, rebel recon fails to pierce the screen of Buford's troopers on the left

The morning is far from silent. Ever since the early morning birdsong and the rising sun, the lines of skirmishers have been active while rebel sharpshooters in Gettysburg have opened fire. One house in front of the 55th Ohio near Cemetery Hill is being of particular annoyance

The sharpshooters bring down a gunner or horse of the nearby artillery with every shot, so 1LT Fred Bolt of Norwalk, OH leads a storming party of 20-25 men from the 55th who creep close to the house and then burst through the doors, killing or capturing the occupants

Rebels from Early's division moving around Culp's Hill are finding that US sharpshooters are particularly galling - "it was almost certain death for a man to stand upright." All along the line, the crack of rifles waxes and wanes as skirmishers engage in their own private battles

Infantry from the III Corps replace Buford's tired troopers who have been skirmishing all morning on the picket line near Pitzer's Woods, across the Emmitsburg Road. The 1st US Sharpshooters supported by the 3rd Maine Infantry move forward into the grove of trees

The sharpshooters open fire on Wilcox's brigade of Alabamans, part of Hill's Corps posted on Seminary Ridge in preparation for the attack later in the day. The 3rd Maine arrives to find a roiling firefight, and begins trading volleys with two Alabama regiments at close range

After 20-25 minutes of this fighting, the sharpshooters and the 3rd Maine withdraw, having ascertained that the rebels are extending their lines further down Seminary Ridge. This confirms Sickles' suspicions that his position is being targeted by the enemy for an attack

Sickles is repeatedly sending staff officers to Meade, requesting permission to move. That permission is not given. His temper is rising.

Lee, too, is getting frustrated. Longstreet is seemingly slow to move his divisions to the south of the line, despite having most of his men

At around 1:30 PM, US troops on Cemetery Ridge are greeted by a shocking sight: the entire III Corps, some 12,000 men, is advancing. Without orders, without flank support, Sickles has decided to take things into his own hands and is moving his whole corps towards the high ground

Meade, a man whose temper has a hair-trigger in the best of times, is utterly livid, and gallops forward to tell Sickles in matter-of-fact terms that his corps will be destroyed & that he has no time to withdraw it. Furious, Meade knows he must arrange for support for III Corps

Meanwhile, a signal station on Little Round Top has thrown off Longstreet's attack plan. Longstreet has had to alter his approach march because the aide from Lee's staff sent to guide him led his columns directly into view of the enemy. This countermarch adds additional hours

The new US line is in a wide inverted V, the left resting on the rock-strewn refuse of the glaciers' passage, Devil's Den, then passing along Houck's Ridge and a wide wheat field, finally rising to the peach orchard - Sickles' goal - then bending back at an angle towards US lines

Like the XI Corps on July 1, the III Corps is now overextended on terrain of dubious tactical value. Sickles does not have enough troops to join his right with the II Corps left, leaving a wide gap. The terrain he holds contains much dead ground - unable to be swept by guns

Longstreet's deployment of his divisions down the line continues, a movement that is taking an hour and a half longer than expected. Skirmishing continues around Cemetery Hill, with the occasional rumble of cannon echoing across the valley

By now, the III Corps movement is complete, with all units in their positions. Buford's cavalry videttes which had been covering the corps' advance come galloping back. No rest for these troopers and their mounts. Blue-clad skirmishers shake out across the new lines

Because of the reconnaissance earlier, Sickles knows that the enemy is out there. Just how many, he is not sure, nor their full intent. Meade, fearing the worst, gives orders to the II and XII Corps to be prepared to give support, and sends word for the V Corps to support the III

In the XII Corps is 62yo BG George Greene, an engineer by trade. All day long on Culp's Hill, his men are occupied with pick and shovel, felling trees and digging earthworks. The grim engineer is determined that any fight that is coming will not be a fair fight.

On the extreme US left, the tiny companies of the 2nd US Sharpshooters take up their places. The green-clad men, expert shots all, are using cover and concealment as they move to cover Sickles' left flank. Spotting rebel skirmishers, they open fire, beginning a small firefight

Atop a small rocky hill overlooking Devil's Den, chief engineer GK Warren is visiting the signal corps station. He notes no other troops on this height, only the men of Ward's Brigade down the slope . He sends a message to the NY battery there: fire into the woods to your front

The New Yorkers fire down the slope, over the heads of the 124th NY, the "Orange Blossoms." Looking thru his binos, Warren spots the sun flashing off moving barrels and bayonets in the treeline. Rebels. He immediately sends his aides dashing off to find reinforcements

It is now just about 4 PM, and the semblance of quiet is broken by the roar of 36 Confederate cannon opening the attack on the left flank. On the right, Ewell is doing his due diligence and opening a barrage of his own against the US guns on East Cemetery Hill

Longstreet has arranged Hood's division to the south and McClaws' to the north. But as they recon the ground, they find with a shock that the III Corps is not where it was supposed to be. Hood argues to outflank them but Longstreet reminds him of Lee's battle plan

A staff officer from Warren reaches MG Sykes, V Corps commander, who sends an aide galloping off to tell MG Barnes to bring up his division for LRT. The aide meets Col Strong Vincent en route. Upon hearing the peril, Vincent orders his brigade forward, not waiting for orders

Hood now gives the order for the infantry assault, personally charging in with the Texans. Moments later, he is felled with a wound and leaves the field. His large brigades continue the attack on their own. Laws' exhausted Alabamans press into Devil's Den but get distracted

The green-clad sharpshooters - recruited from MN, MI, PA, NH, ME, & VT - are drawing Laws' flank regiments away from their objective of Ward's flank - only 2 will head there. 3 veer off in pursuit of the sharpshooters, who gradually fall back up the wooded slopes of Big Round Top

The Texas Brigade slams into Devil's Den, overlapping Ward's flanks. The 124th NY counterattacks, their commander leading on horseback: "The men must see us this day." He is shot down, the attack falters, then falls back. Smith's battery is now blasting canister into the Texans

On East Cemetery Hill, meanwhile, Ewell's demonstration is coming to grief, as the well-aimed shots of the US gunners dismount gun after gun. The artillery duel roars to a conclusion as the rebels withdraw what they can by hand. Meade's attention is not drawn towards his right

Ward's brigade rallies and retakes the crest above Devil's Den, some units clearing it with the bayonet, with intense fighting on all sides. Hood's second wave, two more large brigades now strike the beleaguered US troops as reinforcements are rushed over from the wheat field

On Little Round Top, Col Vincent, a Harvard-trained lawyer from PA, hastily places his brigade: the 16th MI, 44th NY, 83rd PA, and 20th ME, from right to left along the steep crest. His orders to Bowdoin's professor of rhetoric commanding the 20th: hold at all hazards

Law's brigade summits Big Round Top, unsure of their bearings. they veer left, hoping to find the undefended wagon trains of the US and the enemy rear. Robertson's Texans have creased the gap on Ward's flank and are headed for the face of Little Round Top's rocky slopes

Hood's last brigade, Anderson's Georgians, attempt to find the crease in the III Corps line near the Wheatfield, but run up against the dug-in 17th Maine, supported by a NY battery. The obstinate Mainers refuse to yield, even as their neighbors retire. The GA units fall back

But now McClaws' division unleashes its assault, thousands of rebel infantry slamming into the wheatfield, pushing US troops back, and against the salient in the peach orchard. Sickle's entire line is awash in flame and smoke. The guns in the peach orchard are barking viciously

In Devil's Den, the fighting grows more fierce. Reinforcing units end up in short range fights with rebels in a rocky knoll later called the slaughter pen. Ward is outflanked on both sides, in danger of being entirely overrun. He gives the order to retire across the valley

Hood's Texans are mounting the slopes of Little Round Top, greeted by concentrated volleys from the 16th Michigan, fire rippling down the line to the 44th NY and 83d PA. Shielded by the boulders on the slope, the Texans pour a sustained and deadly fire into Vincent's men

The Alabamans are moving cautiously along into the saddle between the two hills, hearing the rising gale of musketry from the other side of the hill. The 15th and 44th AL move towards the spur of Little Round top when they are hit with volleys from the 20th ME

With Devil's Den taken, the rebels sweep left, taking the US troops in the Rose Woods and wheatfield in the flank as two more brigades strike from the front. V Corps reinforcements arrive and the fight swirls back and forth the now-trampled and bloody wheat, ground into the earth

Col Vincent is standing atop a boulder on LRT, encouraging the 16th MI. "Don't give an inch!" he roars, brandishing his wife's riding crop. He is mortally wounded moments later as the fight for the crest roars on. Infantry drag the guns of Hazlett's battery up the slope

II Corps reinforcements arrive in the wheatfield, including the now-diminished Irish Brigade, which comes roaring across the bloody field with colors flying, driving the rebels back towards the stony hill. But only for the moment, when another rebel attack hits their flank

This comes from the Peach Orchard, where after holding on as long as possible, Sickles' line is crumbling. Overlapped on both flanks, as Anderson's division attacks, the line closes back in on itself. Sickles is carried from the field, wounded in the leg, smoking a cigar

The Alabamans are pressing the 20th Maine hard, continuously moving to the left. Joshua Chamberlain, in command of the 20th, pulls his line back at right angles and continues to fight, even as ammunition is running perilously low. He must hold at all hazards

In the Peach Orchard, the artillery is trying to escape the trap around them. The gunners of the 9th MA Battery are retiring by prolonge, all the battery horses being dead, the gunners rapidly firing double canister as they haul the guns off. The line gives way

Victorious rebels from the Peach Orchard are streaming down into the wheatfield, where they are met by the two US Army Regular brigades. In heavy fighting, the Regulars are forced back, which they do with precision, about facing to fire volleys as they retire

On LRT, Vincent's men are wavering, breaking. Suddenly, the 140th NY under Col PJ O'Rorke charges across the crest with bayonets fixed, throwing back the attackers, with O'Rorke going down almost at once. The rest of Weed's Brigade joins the counterattack. The crest is secure

The 20th Maine is out of ammunition. The exhausted Alabamans are still pressing the attack. With no other options than to disobey his orders, Chamberlain gives the astonishing order, "Bayonet, forward!" A shout along the line as the Mainers sweep down the slope

The tired Alabamans waver, and then flee in the face of northern steel, the woods and rocks echoing with the shouts of victory and defeat. An officer fires at Chamberlain but misses, surrendering his sword with Chamberlain's sword point at his throat. The left is secure

Determined Confederates from the wheatfield press down into Plum Run Valley, the stream clogged with the dead and wounded, and up against the north slopes of Little Round Top. The PA Reserves Division meets them with a charge that drives them back to Stony Hill

With the III Corps broken, victorious and disorganized rebels surge towards the gap on the II Corps left flank. They are met first by the blast of over 16 cannon, assembled by Ltc Freeman McGilvery, the remnants of batteries that he has thrown together

But rebel infantry fire silences gun after gun, until McGilvery has only two left firing, salvaging ammunition from broken caissons. But it is enough time. Infantry from the XII Corps dash up and into line, sealing the gap and sending the rebels spilling back

Just to the north, Wilcox's AL brigade spots another gap in the II Corps line. Hancock rides up to Col Colvill: "What unit is this? "The 1st Minnesota." Pointing to the enemy brigade, Hancock orders, "Attack that line." Like a thunderbolt, the Minnesotans charge

Their headlong charge carries them through the first rank and they become embroiled in hand to hand fighting, buying time for supports to come up and seal the gap. Out of 262 men who charged, only 47 make it back to Cemetery Hill, with no men captured

As the shadows lengthen, Hill's Confederates make one more attempt against Cemetery Ridge but are driven back by the rifle fire of the II Corps. Hancock's men will not give any more ground. The din of battle here slowly diminishes as night falls. But not on the right

Meanwhile, on Culp's Hill, only Greene's Brigade of 1,400 men is left, as Ewell begins his infantry attack with Johnson's Division, some 4,700 troops. Several units from the I and XI Corps arrive to bolster who Greene, who brushes back the first rebel attacks

The rebel infantry are shocked to find strong entrenchments, and the withering fire from Greene's men - who each kept several loaded rifles next to them in their trenches - sends them reeling back down the hill with severe losses. Greene's losses are few

On the extreme right of the US line is the 137th NY Infantry led by Scottish-born Col David Ireland. Fighting in the darkness, they are dueling with the 23rd and 10th Virginia, who are trying to flank their line. The New Yorkers drive them back with 2 bayonet charges

Finally reinforced, the 137th NY and Greene's Brigade hold the line. Returning XII Corps troops are annoyed to find rebels occupying some of their old works. Rather than ignite another fight, they bivouac nearby with plans to attack in the morning

Fighting continues even in the darkness on Culp's Hill. US troops in the trenches aim at muzzle flashes from the slopes below them. Even at night their fire is deadly, finally sending the Louisiana troops tumbling back down the hill in retreat

By 10:30 PM, the musketry from Culp's Hill subsides. The darkness covers both battered armies who now take stock of their shocking losses. In only about six hours of fighting, there have been a shocking total of 16-18,000 casualties: dead, wounded, and missing

Few believe that today's colossal struggle will be the last. At a council of war that night, Meade tells General Gibbon in the II Corps that if Lee attacks tomorrow, it will be on his front. For himself, Meade is content to see if Lee will repeat his mistakes

The battered hills, fields, and woods bear silent witness to the shock and horror of July 2. Trees cut in two by cannon fire; rocks shattered and chipped from the incessant firing. And over all, the grim carpet of bodies, as bobbing lanterns search for the living

The still air of July 3, 1863 is broken by the rattle of musketry and boom of cannon. Ewell has orders to attack, but before he can do so, the men of the XII Corps have attacked to get their entrenchments back. The fighting is desultory, fading away as the morning draws on

Meade has given orders for the XII Corps to cease their attack while Lee cancels Ewell's offensive. The crescendo on the right of the US line rises then falls into the normal skirmishing. The day is already warm, with the promise of being hot, into the mid-80s.

It is the surgeons and the hospital tents who are having the busiest morning. Two days of blood-letting have meant that surgeons, orderlies, litter-bearers, and ambulance drivers have been moving in a non-stop rhythm, as the stream of pain and suffering comes in off the field

It is the surgeons, also, who are discovering that some soldiers are not what they seem. One wounded 15yo drummer boy in a US unit is found to in fact be an 18yo girl. A wounded Confederate soldier captured by the US, whose leg has to be removed, is also found to be a woman

Five women disguised as men serving in the ranks are discovered because of their wounds at Gettysburg, two US, 3 rebel. One of the US women is quietly put out of the Army once she recovers from her wound; she almost immediately reenlists under another identity.

Across the battlefield, most men on the line are recovering from the previous days' ordeals. All but those on skirmish duty, that company or regiment assigned the detail for that day or period of the day. Skirmish lines form the vital barrier between the main line & the enemy

As a company is ordered to skirmish duty, the commander gives the command "take intervals," clusters of 4 men are distributed 20 paces apart from each other, who in turn form a single line 5 paces from each other. The skirmish line will then advance ahead of the main line

Skirmishing is an individual task. Each soldier is expected to find cover, fire and load with his file-mate, choose his targets, and gather intelligence all on their own. Throughout all 3 days of battle, skirmishers have been heavily engaged even when the field is "quiet"

On Cemetery Hill, BG Alexander Hays becomes annoyed with rebel small arms fire and deploys a platoon from the 1st Massachusetts Sharpshooter Company which occupies a small knoll overlooking Confederate rifle pits. The sharpshooters take a heavy toll on the rebel infantry

On the US left, skirmishing has been constant since daybreak. Lt Linscott of the 20th Maine on Big Round Top is killed while taking a shot from his skirmish line. Firing spreads across both hill, and is especially fierce around Devil's Den, where rebel marksmen are hidden

In the Wheatfield, 6,000 dead and wounded have yet to be evacuated. As dawn lightens the battlefield, the "crack of rifles & zip of bullets into the wheat" elicits a low groan from the thousands of wounded men who hug the earth to escape this new peril that threatens them again

Rebel marksmen climb trees in the Rose Woods and begin to shower the US troops in the Wheatfield and on Houck's Ridge with a galling and accurate fire. The 1st PA Rifles "the Bucktails," armed with Sharps breach-loading rifles, deploy 2 companies to engage in counter-sniper work

Companies from the PA Reserves also advance into Rose Woods, groups of 3-4 men working in teams to draw the fire of the rebel "tree frogs." Once identified, the groups would scatter and fire from different angles, dropping the marksman from his leafy perch

Far from being a quiet morning, the lines are ablaze with gunfire. Culp's Hill remains a contested area, even after Ewell's men grudgingly fall back after 3 hours of failing to dislodge the XII Corps. Marksmen on both sides continue their busy work all day long and into the night

In the center, the Bliss farm provides cover for Mississippi troops to annoy the II Corps lines. At 10 AM, Hays orders the 165 men of the 14th Connecticut "the Nutmeg Regiment"to attack & seize the farmstead and its outbuildings, which it carries out in a column of companies

The Nutmeg Regiment takes the buildings but find that they are now the target of a vicious Confederate cannonade, round shot tearing great holes thru the barn walls, causing casualties. The Connecticut men fall back, torching the buildings. The smoke hangs & drifts in the air

Lee has decided against trying the US flanks, too heavily defended. He deems that a dual attack, infantry against the center, cavalry against the rear, will cause the US line to break. Three divisions will crack the center, preceded by a two hour artillery barrage

The divisions are to be Pickett's fresh division, as well as the divisions of Pettigrew and Trimble, which have both been significantly bloodied in fighting with the I Corps on July 1. Longstreet will have overall command. He is far from optimistic on the chances of success

Stuart and his cavalry have reached their positions from where they will launch their attack against the Baltimore Pike, the main US line of supply. Stuart has already been detected by US cavalry who are now moving into position to oppose him

28 year old Edward Porter Alexander has command of over 100 artillery pieces and most of the Army of Northern Virginia's supply of reserve artillery ammunition. His orders are to silence US batteries and suppress or break up the US infantry in the center of the line

The artillery arm of the Army of Northern Virginia is its weakest. It lacks a strong corps of properly trained artillerists, guns are captures or imports, and their ammunition is of an inferior quality, causing rounds to explode well before or after they are supposed to

At around 1 PM, the report of two rebel guns heralds the beginning of the barrage. Seminary Ridge blossoms with flame-stabbed smoke, as solid shot and explosive shells furrow the earth of Cemetery Ridge or burst overhead with thunderous report, a tremendous noise rising over all

Guns from the Peach Orchard join in, long lines of roiling smoke, disrupting the mid-day meal of the II Corps staff, tossing solid shot through Meade's headquarters building, rending branches from trees that fall with a mighty crash

US artillery begins to slowly respond in measured tone, no less deafening. Batteries from Round Top to Cemetery Hill open fire, sweating gunners sponging the barrel, loading new shot, ramming it home, pulling the lanyard, repeating, frenetically, soot-grimed and disheveled

To the east, Stuart is beginning his cavalry attack. The 5th Michigan Cavalry's tenacious skirmishers are defeating his plan to pin the US cavalry in place and flank them, so he sends in the 1st Virginia Cavalry at a galloping charge, scattering the skirmish line

The Virginians are checked in their course by the wild charge of the 7th Michigan Cavalry, led by Ohioan George A Custer, calling out, "Come on you Wolverines!" Stuart sends in additional regiments, scattering the bluecoats, then orders Hampton's brigade to charge the center

Hampton's brigade advances at the walk, then trot, then gallop, in textbook style, but is met by counter charges from Gregg's and Custer's US cavalry brigades in their front and on both flanks, sabers flying. Hampton is driven back. Stuart's plan is foiled. Lee's is unraveling.

The Confederate bombardment is still in full throat, the rumble and thunder of guns has not subsided. Chief of US artillery, Henry Hunt, knows that an infantry attack is coming. In order to preserve his artillery, he orders some batteries to fall silent and slowly withdraw

Confederate fire is beginning to slacken. They have taken losses and are running low on ammunition. They have been overshooting & have done little harm to the US infantry, who are laying down behind a low stone wall in front of the crest, joking amidst an inferno

The Confederate guns rumble to a silence. They have caused havoc to the hospital tents in the rear of Cemetery Ridge, but not much more. There is a sudden and pervading stillness in the hot mid-day, the air still reeking of sulphur and broken timber

From along Seminary Ridge, line after line of butternut and gray troops can be seen emerging. "None on that crest now need be told that the enemy is advancing. Every eye could see his legions, an overwhelming resistless tide of an ocean of armed men sweeping upon us!"

The divisions of Gibbon and Hays of the II Corps hold the US center, perhaps 7,000 men against these advancing 14,000. All is quiet, save for the clink of musket barrels on the stone wall, or the click of the iron wheels of guns being wheeled forward

Hancock had been upset when Hunt ordered the guns to cease, but he now bears witness to the full throat and fury of US gunnery as battery after battery roars into life. McGilvery rolls 44 guns over the crest of the ridge and opens a murderous crossfire down the rebel lines

On the crest, "in front the grand old ensign that first waved in battle at Saratoga in 1777, and which these people coming would rob of half its stars, stood up, and the west wind kissed it as the sergeants sloped its lance towards the enemy."

"I believe that not one above whom it then waved but blessed his God that he was loyal to it, and whose heart did not swell with pride towards it, as the emblem of the Republic before that treason’s flaunting rag in front."

US guns fire round shot, which bounce in infernal madness, striking legs, arms, torsos, skipping off the ground, then shrapnel, steel casings exploding overhead, ripping gaps in the line, "an iron greeting to the rebellion, the compliments of the wrathful Republic"

The mile-long line of rebels has shrunk to half a mile. On the left of the rebel assault, Pettigrew's division is being severely punished - some regiments simply disintegrate under artillery fire. The 8th Ohio adds to the chaos, swinging out and firing into the exposed flanks

Hay's division rises and unleashes murderous volleys from behind their stone wall, riflemen stacked four deep, loading and firing in a continuous gout of flame and smoke. The batteries of Cushing and Woodruff are firing canister, then double canister

On the Confederate right, Pickett's division veers towards the low clump of trees, exposing its flank to the fire of McGilvery's massed batteries. Stannard's Vermont Brigade - untried, enlistments due to expire - wheels right and fires directly into the Virginians rear

Gaps open in the US line, however. The 71st PA at the angle suddenly withdraws at the order of its commander, leaving the 69th PA to battle hand to hand with the rebels converging on the angle. Young Alonzo Cushing fires his last blast of canister and is shot down

To the south, the 59th NY suddenly breaks, leaving Cowan's battery unsupported and alone. Hunt is there and helps the battery load double canister, firing all guns simultaneously. Nothing is left in front of them. Reserve infantry floods in to seal the gap

Several hundred Confederates are over the wall at the angle, including General Armistead, Hancock's pre-war friend, who is shot down at Cushing's guns. The 72nd PA, held in reserve, charges forward in a melee at the angle, as reserve regiments surge to seal the gap

As quickly as it began, Pickett's charge is over. The attackers have left half their number dead and wounded on the field, thousands being taken into captivity. A Confederate attempt to reinforce the attack with 2 brigades is broken up by artillery and the Vermonters

Along Cemetery Ridge, unbridled jubilation reigns. Hays kisses his aide, mounts his horse, and rides the length of his cheering line, dragging a captured rebel flag in the dirty behind him. Hancock has been wounded but sees the engagement to its conclusion

There are about 1,500 US casualties, "the thick dead of Maine and Minnesota, and Michigan and Massachusetts, and the Empire and Keystone States, who, not yet cold, with the blood still oozing from their death-wounds, had given their lives to the country upon that stormy field"

The battle, however, is not over. Focus shifts south, to the Round Tops, where Meade is making a visit to see if an attack might be possible, to roll up the Confederate flank with the V and VI Corps. Rebel sharpshooters in Devil's Den are being particularly annoying

The infantry on Little Round Top are greeted by the sight of dark-green clad snipers of the 1st US Sharpshooters, 3 companies from Michigan. They begin unpacking rifles, spotting spotting scopes, and bipods, the bearded professionals telling the infantry to get under cover

For the next hour, the expert marksmen keep up a continuous and lethal fire on the rebel sharpshooters in Devil's Den, forcing them under cover and causing multiple casualties. Further south, US cavalry officer Judson Kilpatrick orders a suicidal charge thru rocky terrain

Thinking that the rebel flank is open, Kilpatrick, nicknamed "kill cavalry" for his disregard for human life and for logical tactics, orders a mounted charge against dug in rebel infantry by Farnsworth's Brigade which only serves to kill horses, men, and Farnsworth himself.

From Little Round Top, Meade asks the V Corps to mount a reconnaissance in force to see how strongly the Wheatfield is held. Sykes details 5 regiments for the job, with another 4 from the VI Corps, all under the command of Col. William McCandless, some 2,500 men in all

Close to 6 PM, the lead wave of Pennsylvania regiments charges across the Wheatfield, routing several units and recapturing some guns and caissons lost the day before. Their path carries them deeper into the Rose Woods, dispersing the 15th GA & capturing their colors & many men

McCandless is deep in Confederate lines, but is alone & unsupported. If he is attacked on either flank, he is too far from the main lines to be assisted. Probably with Sickles' fate in mind, he secures his prisoners and any US wounded, & returns to the east edge of the Wheatfield

Save for the small-scale skirmishing that continues this night and into July 4, the three-day saga of Gettysburg is at an end. Meade and his army have defeated Lee's stratagems at every turn. Under cover of darkness and rain, Lee will begin his retreat, Meade following

Over 150,000 troops have clashed across the woods, fields, hills, and rocks around Gettysburg. The town's 2,400 inhabitants are now surrounded by over twice their number in dead around the battlefield. The wounded number in the tens of thousands, in varying degrees of seriousness

Nature - the physical landscape - will heal. The rifle pits will be tilled under. The graves will be covered with grass and moss. Trees will grow again. But the nation remains physically and mentally scarred to this day, as we try to come to terms with the magnitude of the battle

The nation has not healed from the wounds of the Civil War. Bandages have been placed over them, but they are superficial, and hide the deep scarring. For one side to so earnestly strive in a cause as hideous as that of human slavery is something unpleasant for us to think about

So, in the intervening years, we have created multiple narratives. These range from a romanticizing of the war as the thing that forged the US, to the idea of the Lost Cause - that the unified south fought only for their rights as states against an evil Federal government

Many of these narratives leave out the enslaved persons themselves. Many focus only on the battles and the courage of all the soldiers, leaving the messy causes to the political scientists.

But to refuse to look into the face of the cause of the war is to lose the war entirely

Lincoln said it best, in his speech just mere months after the close of the battle, where the lure of Gettysburg was already drawing people in. "We here highly resolve, that these dead shall not have died in vain." The nation was to have a "new birth of freedom." And it still is.

The Battle of Gettysburg only means anything as long as we hold to "that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion." Otherwise, it is nothing but a tragedy of useless carnage. It only means something once the promise embodied in the Declaration is true for all

Epilogue

This is my 3rd or 4th time doing a live-ish tweet thread of Gettysburg, and probably my last; it's hard to enjoy a holiday weekend when you're researching, writing, and tweeting, although I do enjoy the topic

Now, many people ask, why not Vicksburg?

Folks, Vicksburg is a long and convoluted campaign over several months that ends in a siege - sieges are hard to tweet about. A live tweet of that campaign would take up a great deal of time, time that the Army would rather I use doing what you pay me to do.

In addition, I've never been to Vicksburg, I don't know the ground, I am not as intimately familiar with the people, places, and things as I am of Gettysburg, a battle that has captured my imagination since the age of 10. So no, no Vicksburg live-tweet. Drunj tweeting, however...

There are long and good debates to be had about the memorialization of Gettysburg, the whitewashing of it, the nation's obsession over it to the exclusion of other campaigns, and the Disneylandification of the site today. But those I leave for another time.

Sources

I have several DMs asking about sources I've used. Much came from memory of the place; more came from Harry Pfanz's Gettysburg trilogy, Sears' "Gettysburg," Coddington's "The Gettysburg Campaign: A study in Command," and Trudeau's "Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage."

For firsthand quotations, I used transplanted Vermonter in Wisconsin Lt Frank Haskell's eloquent "THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG," published posthumously after his death in battle in 1864, the full version can be read here:
gutenberg.org/files/33121/33…

I am especially indebted to the @GettysburgNMP Seminar Papers for their detail into obscure things like sharpshooters, artillery leadership, and more:

npshistory.com/series/symposi…

npshistory.com/series/symposi…

npshistory.com/series/symposi…

Thanks to @JABell27 for pointing me to DeAnne Blanton & Lauren Cook Wike's "They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War."

And thanks to all of you who enjoy these, read them, and RT them. I expect to lose followers every year when I do this and instead somehow gain them. This is still confusing to me, and probably is a glitch, but I appreciate it, and you.

Finis.