Battle of Gettysburg : Seminary Ridge

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Seminary Ridge Pickett’s Charge Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett’s Charge Cemetery Ridge Battle of Gettysburg, Army of Northern Virginia Seminary Ridge, Army of the Potomac Culp's Hill Cemetery Ridge Hills

Seminary Ridge: The Confederate batteries
Seminary Ridge.jpg
(Gettysburg NMP)

Seminary Ridge was the primary Confederate position west of Gettysburg for the final two days of the battle. Named for the Lutheran Theological Seminary that overlooks Gettysburg from its northern point, the ridge runs southward to the Millerstown Road where it becomes Warfield Ridge. This latter ridge extends further southward, turns to the southeast and intersects the Emmitsburg Road. For General Lee, this ridge offered him high ground for observation of the distant Union line and an excellent artillery position to bombard Union positions on Cemetery Hill. Seminary Ridge also offered his troops cover from prying Union eyes, acting as a barrier for him to shift his troops north, south, or against the Union line. On the evening of July 1st, General A. P. Hill aligned the tired infantrymen of his corps along this ridge and these troops occupied it throughout the remainder of the battle. The guns in this photograph stand in an area south of the McMillan Farm. Infantry fighting did not extend up to this location on July 2, but batteries here supported the Confederate attack on Cemetery Ridge, approximately one mile distant.

Seminary Ridge.jpg

(Picture to the Right: Tree cover on Seminary Ridge concealed Confederate troops and artillery from view until the attack began. Gettysburg NMP.)
 
Early on the morning of July 2nd, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was positioned on Seminary Ridge and extended northward, through Gettysburg and then east on the Hanover Road. Meade's Army of the Potomac occupied Culp's and Cemetery Hills, with his line extended southward on Cemetery Ridge toward Little Round Top. The U-shaped lines of both armies matched each other. General Lee still held an advantage in numbers that morning and decided to move his troops into positions to strike at Meade from both flanks. General James Longstreet's Corps was ordered southward toward the southern tip of the Confederate line to attack the Union left flank near the Round Tops. Once Longstreet's troops were engaged, General Ewell would send his Confederates against Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill on the Union right flank. General A.P. Hill's Corps was positioned between the two other corps and remained on Seminary Ridge at this location. Hill's men were ordered to lay in reserve until they were needed to support the attack, though heavy skirmishing with Union troops took place in the fields west of the ridge throughout the day. Darkness called a halt to the Confederate assault before the last of Hill's troops could be called into battle.

Seminary Ridge.jpg

(Photograph to the Left: Cemetery Ridge from Seminary Ridge at the McMillan Farm. Little & Big Round Top are to the right. Gettysburg NMP.)
 
It was from this location on July 3, that Confederates commanded by Generals Pettigrew and Trimble stepped off to participate in the attack on the Union center. Though this attack is called "Pickett's Charge", it was not just Virginia troops under General Pickett who made the assault- regiments from North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi made up the column that marched from this area. The long treeless slope ahead of the Confederates offered no cover from the withering Union cannon fire on Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge. When the left brigade of Pettigrew's line began to crumble and retreat, General Trimble pushed his two brigades to the left to fill the gap. The men marched on to the Emmitsburg Road and assaulted the Union line north of the Angle. Like Pickett's men, they too were thrown back after considerable loss.

Seminary Ridge today is marked by West Confederate Avenue, a park road designed and constructed at the turn of the century. It is lined with markers to Confederate brigades and artillery batteries accompanied by almost 80 artillery pieces, including many original guns of Confederate manufacture, that mark the general locations of Confederate units during the battle. The majority of monuments erected by southern states are located on West Confederate Avenue, most notably the North Carolina and Tennessee monuments, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Arkansas monuments, and the Virginia Monument, which has the equestrian statue of General Lee.


Commander of a Division for One Charge

General Trimble.jpg
(Generals in Gray)

Major General Isaac R. Trimble accompanied the Army of Northern Virginia northward to Gettysburg without troops to command though he was an experienced officer having previously served under "Stonewall" Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley and at Second Manassas where he had been wounded. Reorganization of the army after Chancellorsville left the general without troops to command, so he rode with the army attached to General Ewell's headquarters, a role he was evidently dissatisfied with and expressed his displeasure to General Lee. As fate would have it, the injury to General William Dorsey Pender on July 2nd left a vacancy that Trimble could fill and he was assigned to command Pender's Division in the great attack on the Union center known as "Pickett's Charge." Unfortunately, Trimble's tenure in command was short. He was seriously wounded near the Emmitsburg Road during the charge when a musket ball slammed into his leg, shattering the bone. He relinquished command with the remark: "If the troops (I) had the honor to command today for the first time cannot take that position, all hell can not take it!" That night, the general's leg was amputated in a Confederate field hospital. Captured when the Confederate army retreated, the general convalesced in a Federal hospital for prisoners in Philadelphia. Trimble was exchanged in 1865 but his career as a field officer was finished. After the close of the war, he returned to the city of Baltimore where he had previously been employed as general superintendent of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, and lived a quiet life as a consulting engineer until his death in 1888.


North Carolina's Sacrifice at Gettysburg

North Carolina Monument
North Carolina Monument.jpg
(Gettysburg NMP)

The North Carolina Monument is dedicated to its forty-two regiments and batteries which served at Gettysburg. The North Carolina legislature appointed a special commission of veterans to visit the battlefield park in 1913 and return with a design proposal for a state monument to be place there, but the advent of World War I put the state's plans on hold. It was not until 1927 when the plan was rekindled by the North Carolina Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Governor Angus McLean. The state appropriated $50,000 to purchase the site, contract with an artist for the design and manufacture, and provide landscape features as an appropriate setting.

Dedicated on July 3, 1929, the North Carolina Monument is the work of world re-known sculptor Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) whose most famous work is the four presidents on Mount Rushmore. The monument represents a group of North Carolina soldiers in "Pickett's Charge". Fifteen North Carolina infantry regiments, all of which had suffered heavily during the first day's battle, participated in the attack. The monument is accompanied by dogwoods, which is the state tree, and a stone monolith that lists the North Carolina  commands present at Gettysburg.

The state's sacrifice at the Battle of Gettysburg was humbling; one in every four Confederate soldiers who fell here was from the "Old North State".

Source: National Park Service; Gettysburg National Military Park

Recommended Reading: Gettysburg--The First Day, by Harry W. Pfanz (Civil War America) (Hardcover). Description: Though a great deal has been written about the battle of Gettysburg, much of it has focused on the events of the second and third days. With this book, the first day's fighting finally receives its due. Harry Pfanz, a former historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and author of two previous books on the battle, presents a deeply researched, definitive account of the events of July 1, 1863. Continued below…

After sketching the background of the Gettysburg campaign and recounting the events immediately preceding the battle, Pfanz offers a detailed tactical description of the first day's fighting. He describes the engagements in McPherson Woods, at the Railroad Cuts, on Oak Ridge, on Seminary Ridge, and at Blocher's Knoll, as well as the retreat of Union forces through Gettysburg and the Federal rally on Cemetery Hill. Throughout, he draws on deep research in published and archival sources to challenge some of the common assumptions about the battle--for example, that Richard Ewell's failure to press an attack against Union troops at Cemetery Hill late on the first day ultimately cost the Confederacy the battle.

 

Recommended Reading: Gettysburg--The Second Day, by Harry W. Pfanz (624 pages). Description: The second day's fighting at Gettysburg—the assault of the Army of Northern Virginia against the Army of the Potomac on 2 July 1863—was probably the critical engagement of that decisive battle and, therefore, among the most significant actions of the Civil War. Harry Pfanz, a former historian at Gettysburg National Military Park, has written a definitive account of the second day's brutal combat. He begins by introducing the men and units that were to do battle, analyzing the strategic intentions of Lee and Meade as commanders of the opposing armies, and describing the concentration of forces in the area around Gettysburg. He then examines the development of tactical plans and the deployment of troops for the approaching battle. But the emphasis is on the fighting itself. Pfanz provides a thorough account of the Confederates' smashing assaults—at Devil's Den and Little Round Top, through the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard, and against the Union center at Cemetery Ridge. He also details the Union defense that eventually succeeded in beating back these assaults, depriving Lee's gallant army of victory. Continued below...

Pfanz analyzes decisions and events that have sparked debate for more than a century. In particular he discusses factors underlying the Meade-Sickles controversy and the questions about Longstreet's delay in attacking the Union left. The narrative is also enhanced by thirteen superb maps, more than eighty illustrations, brief portraits of the leading commanders, and observations on artillery, weapons, and tactics that will be of help even to knowledgeable readers. Gettysburg—The Second Day is certain to become a Civil War classic. What makes the work so authoritative is Pfanz's mastery of the Gettysburg literature and his unparalleled knowledge of the ground on which the fighting occurred. His sources include the Official Records, regimental histories and personal reminiscences from soldiers North and South, personal papers and diaries, newspaper files, and last—but assuredly not least—the Gettysburg battlefield. Pfanz's career in the National Park Service included a ten-year assignment as a park historian at Gettysburg. Without doubt, he knows the terrain of the battle as well as he knows the battle itself.

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Recommended Reading: Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill (Civil War America) (Hardcover). Description: In this companion to his celebrated earlier book, Gettysburg—The Second Day, Harry Pfanz provides the first definitive account of the fighting between the Army of the Potomac and Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill—two of the most critical engagements fought at Gettysburg on 2 and 3 July 1863. Pfanz provides detailed tactical accounts of each stage of the contest and explores the interactions between—and decisions made by—generals on both sides. In particular, he illuminates Confederate lieutenant general Richard S. Ewell's controversial decision not to attack Cemetery Hill after the initial southern victory on 1 July. Continued below...

Pfanz also explores other salient features of the fighting, including the Confederate occupation of the town of Gettysburg, the skirmishing in the south end of town and in front of the hills, the use of breastworks on Culp's Hill, and the small but decisive fight between Union cavalry and the Stonewall Brigade. About the Author: Harry W. Pfanz is author of Gettysburg--The First Day and Gettysburg--The Second Day. A lieutenant, field artillery, during World War II, he served for ten years as a historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired from the position of Chief Historian of the National Park Service in 1981. To purchase additional books from Pfanz, a convenient Amazon Search Box is provided at the bottom of this page.

 

Recommended Reading: Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage. Description: America's Civil War raged for more than four years, but it is the three days of fighting in the Pennsylvania countryside in July 1863 that continues to fascinate, appall, and inspire new generations with its unparalleled saga of sacrifice and courage. From Chancellorsville, where General Robert E. Lee launched his high-risk campaign into the North, to the Confederates' last daring and ultimately-doomed act, forever known as Pickett's Charge, the battle of Gettysburg gave the Union army a victory that turned back the boldest and perhaps greatest chance for a Southern nation. Continued below...

Now, acclaimed historian Noah Andre Trudeau brings the most up-to-date research available to a brilliant, sweeping, and comprehensive history of the battle of Gettysburg that sheds fresh light on virtually every aspect of it. Deftly balancing his own narrative style with revealing firsthand accounts, Trudeau brings this engrossing human tale to life as never before.

 

Recommended Reading: Pickett's Charge, by George Stewart. Description: The author has written an eminently readable, thoroughly enjoyable, and well-researched book on the third day of the Gettysburg battle, July 3, 1863. An especially rewarding read if one has toured, or plans to visit, the battlefield site. The author's unpretentious, conversational style of writing succeeds in putting the reader on the ground occupied by both the Confederate and Union forces before, during and after Pickett's and Pettigrew's famous assault on Meade's Second Corps. Continued below...

Interspersed with humor and down-to-earth observations concerning battlefield conditions, the author conscientiously describes all aspects of the battle, from massing of the assault columns and pre-assault artillery barrage to the last shots and the flight of the surviving rebels back to the safety of their lines… Having visited Gettysburg several years ago, this superb volume makes me want to go again.

 

Recommended Reading: Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg (Hardcover). Description: Pickett's Charge is probably the best-known military engagement of the Civil War, widely regarded as the defining moment of the battle of Gettysburg and celebrated as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. But as Earl Hess notes, the epic stature of Pickett's Charge has grown at the expense of reality, and the facts of the attack have been obscured or distorted by the legend that surrounds them. With this book, Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. Continued below...

Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, he creates a moving narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives, analyzing its planning, execution, aftermath, and legacy. He also examines the history of the units involved, their state of readiness, how they maneuvered under fire, and what the men who marched in the ranks thought about their participation in the assault. Ultimately, Hess explains, such an approach reveals Pickett's Charge both as a case study in how soldiers deal with combat and as a dramatic example of heroism, failure, and fate on the battlefield.

 

Recommended Reading: Pickett's Charge in History and Memory. Description: Pickett's Charge--the Confederates' desperate (and failed) attempt to break the Union lines on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg--is best remembered as the turning point of the U.S. Civil War. But Penn State historian Carol Reardon reveals how hard it is to remember the past accurately, especially when an event such as this one so quickly slipped into myth. Continued below...

She writes, "From the time the battle smoke cleared, Pickett's Charge took on this chameleon-like aspect and, through a variety of carefully constructed nuances, adjusted superbly to satisfy the changing needs of Northerners, Southerners, and, finally, the entire nation." With care and detail, Reardon's fascinating book teaches a lesson in the uses and misuses of history.

 

Recommended Reading: The Artillery of Gettysburg (Hardcover). Description: The battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the apex of the Confederacy's final major invasion of the North, was a devastating defeat that also marked the end of the South's offensive strategy against the North. From this battle until the end of the war, the Confederate armies largely remained defensive. The Artillery of Gettysburg is a thought-provoking look at the role of the artillery during the July 1-3, 1863 conflict. Continued below...

During the Gettysburg campaign, artillery had already gained the respect in both armies. Used defensively, it could break up attacking formations and change the outcomes of battle. On the offense, it could soften up enemy positions prior to attack. And even if the results were not immediately obvious, the psychological effects to strong artillery support could bolster the infantry and discourage the enemy. Ultimately, infantry and artillery branches became codependent, for the artillery needed infantry support lest it be decimated by enemy infantry or captured. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had modified its codependent command system in February 1863. Prior to that, batteries were allocated to brigades, but now they were assigned to each infantry division, thus decentralizing its command structure and making it more difficult for Gen. Robert E. Lee and his artillery chief, Brig. Gen. William Pendleton, to control their deployment on the battlefield. The Union Army of the Potomac had superior artillery capabilities in numerous ways. At Gettysburg, the Federal artillery had 372 cannons and the Confederates 283. To make matters worse, the Confederate artillery frequently was hindered by the quality of the fuses, which caused the shells to explode too early, too late, or not at all. When combined with a command structure that gave Union Brig. Gen. Henry Hunt more direct control--than his Southern counterpart had over his forces--the Federal army enjoyed a decided advantage in the countryside around Gettysburg. Bradley M. Gottfried provides insight into how the two armies employed their artillery, how the different kinds of weapons functioned in battle, and the strategies for using each of them. He shows how artillery affected the “ebb and flow” of battle for both armies and thus provides a unique way of understanding the strategies of the Federal and Union commanders.

 

Recommended Reading: Into the Fight: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Description: Challenging conventional views, stretching the minds of Civil War enthusiasts and scholars as only John Michael Priest can, Into the Fight is both a scholarly and a revisionist interpretation of the most famous charge in American history. Using a wide array of sources, ranging from the monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield to the accounts of the participants themselves, Priest rewrites the conventional thinking about this unusually emotional, yet serious, moment in our Civil War. Continued below... 

Starting with a fresh point of view, and with no axes to grind, Into the Fight challenges all interested in that stunning moment in history to rethink their assumptions. Worthwhile for its use of soldiers’ accounts, valuable for its forcing the reader to rethink the common assumptions about the charge, critics may disagree with this research, but they cannot ignore it.

 

Recommended Reading: Pickett's Charge: Eyewitness Accounts At The Battle Of Gettysburg (Stackpole Military History Series). Description: On the final day of the battle of Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee ordered one of the most famous infantry assaults of all time: Pickett's Charge. Following a thundering artillery barrage, thousands of Confederates launched a daring frontal attack on the Union line. From their entrenched positions, Federal soldiers decimated the charging Rebels, leaving the field littered with the fallen and several Southern divisions in tatters. Written by generals, officers, and enlisted men on both sides, these firsthand accounts offer an up-close look at Civil War combat and a panoramic view of the carnage of July 3, 1863.

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