Gettysburg - The first day

"Well General Hill, if you have no objections, I will take my division to Gettysburg tomorrow and go get those shoes."

So said Confederate General Heth to his commander General Hill, on the evening of June 30th 1863. His troops, many barefoot from the long march from Fredericksburg, Virginia to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, desperately needed footwear. A shoe factory operated in Gettysburg, and Heth resolved to "get those shoes." Upon approaching Gettysburg, instead of encountering the local militia he expected, he ran into 2 brigades of Federal cavalry, the advance guard of the Union Army of the Potomac. By the end of the first day, 2 Confederate and 2 Union infantry corps had been drawn into what would become the largest ever battle fought on American soil.

Now, for ease of reference for today's blog and for the next few days, I'm posting a map.


With today's action, we are concerning ourselves with the arrows above the town of Gettysburg. That's where Dad and I have been today, busying ourselves by going over the ground with a fine toothed comb. You see, for me, this is what you would call a dream come true. I know it sounds terribly corny, but bear with me. As most of you know, I am somewhat of an American civil war buff. I can converse with a reasonable degree of knowledge about most battlefields and actions during the civil war. But Gettysburg is the holy grail for me. It's the battlefield I've studied most, wrote a thesis on and numerous essays to boot. And to stand on this hallowed ground is literally, a dream come true.

Now, to give those of you unfamiliar with the terrain here at Gettysburg a chance to understand what I'm rambling on about, I'm going to tell the battle (a summarised version) with photos. They always say a picture is worth a thousand words, so with any luck we shall save you the reader some time, and me, the typer, my fingernails.

(This is where you consult the map.)

Let us cast our minds back. It's July 1st 1863, 10am to be precise, and Union General John Buford is a worried man. His cavalry brigades have been skirmishing against Confederate infantry since 7 am. After starting at Herr's Ridge, his brigades have been pushed back to McPherson's Ridge, and are struggling to hold back increasing numbers of Confederates. Buford has been promised by General Reynolds that Union infantry will be arriving at Gettysburg soon. Suddenly, he sees Reynolds, galloping across the fields towards him. Behind him, appearing over one of the numerous small hills, come Federal infantry. In the lead is the Iron Brigade, consisting of 1800 of the best soldiers in the Union army. With Reynolds at the lead, they take up position on McPherson's Ridge, which is heavily forested, and lay an ambush for the Confederates.


It is this sort of terrain which assists the Union. The Confederates attack shortly after 10am, thinking they are facing two tired cavalry brigades they have been fighting all morning. However, approaching these woods across open fields, they are greeted with a torrent of fire and lead. The union infantry under Reynolds has taken up position, and send the Confederates running.


Some of the Confederates take refuge in this railway cutting, just north of McPherson's Ridge. Hiding at the bottom, where the rails are, they are safe from Union fire, but rats in a barrel if Union forces reach the cutting. A Union regiment charges across the fields above, reaches the cutting, levels its rifles at the Confederates inside and demands the Rebs surrender. They do so, and some 300 Confederates throw down their rifles. The shoes General Heth wanted to requisition are becoming harder and harder to obtain.


Meanwhile, General Reynolds has already dispatched messages to the rest of the Union commanders, informing them that the terrain around Gettysburg is an excellent place to fight a battle. Plenty of defensive terrain. He urges them to hurry to Gettysburg with all possible speed. With that completed, he rides off to oversee the battle. Encountering a Union regiment, the 2nd Wisconsin, which is attempting to drive the Confederates from McPherson's Ridge, he yells out "Forward! For God's sake forward and drive those Rebels out those woods!"

As a Corps commander on horseback, he is a highly visible target.


The consequences are predictable. Reynolds is killed, a bullet piercing his skull. He is the first of many Generals who will die here. But his duty is done. He has brought his infantry up in time to save the Union cavalry, and chosen what will ultimately be the best location to fight the upcoming battle.


With the death of Reynolds, and the repulse of the initial Confederate attack, there is a lull in the fighting. However, the Confederates have reinforcements on the way, coming down the roads from Chambersburg and Carlisle. As Union forces move towards Oak Hill, seen in the distance of this photo, they are greeted with a blast of Confederate cannon. The union position on McPherson's Ridge is in danger of being outflanked.


This photo, taken from Oak Hill, shows the direction the Confederates attacked. The Confederate division that had seized Oak Hill attempted to attack those woods shown in the distance. However, the attacks were disjointed, and unsupported. Union forces in the woods slaughtered Confederates caught in the open fields, and the attack failed.


Likewise, another attack on McPherson's Ridge also met with failure. Confederate troops, moving in from the left encountered Union troops on the right side of this stream, known as Willoughby Run. With scarcely 10 metres separating them, they blaze away with rifles across this small creek, causing the waters to run red with blood. Two of the regiments involved, one Union and one Confederate, both consisting of over 400 men, suffer almost 80% casualties each. One eyewitness reported men "howling in the wood, like dogs, and frothing at the mouth - driven into temporary madness by the sheer slaughter."

Despite this heroic stand, Confederate numbers prove too strong. They are able to concentrate more men on the field, and eventually overwhelm Union forces to the north and west of the town. The Union forces break and run, retreating from Oak Hill, McPherson's Hill, back through Gettysburg.

There, they reform on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. The Confederates are too exhausted to continue the attack further. Thus, the first day draws to a close, with resounding Confederate success. They have conclusively routed the Union forces, and will no doubt be able to drive the Union forces off Cemetery Hill on the 'morrow. Confederate commanding general, Robert E Lee, is convinced he can win the battle. He will attack the area known as the Round Tops, with his best corps, that of Lt General James Longstreet.


Longstreet can be seen here on his horse, with his personal flagbearer. Tomorrow, the Round Tops will fall, and the road to Washington will be open!