Pickett's Charge
At one o' clock on July 3, the tension was building. Lee had given orders to mount a charge against the Union line taking cover behind the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge. As the charge neared, the other generals and officers voiced their doubts about the charge, with Pickett himself going so far as to protest against it. However, Lee refused to budge, and ordered the charge to continue.
The beginning of Pickett's March began with a massive barrage of Confederate cannon meant to knock out the Union batteries. However, it was not very effective, and while the Confederates wasted ammunition, the Union troops held fire. This mistakenly made Longstreet believe that the Union batteries had been knocked out, so he ordered Pickett to begin the charge. Later, this would be a terrible mistake in hindsight. For after the charge had begun, the Union batteries were able to pour grapeshot and canister into the Confederate ranks, causing terrible casualties.
Pickett rallied his men and charged forwards, but the charge exposed his left and right flanks to fire. The men charging were dropped in huge masses. The Union defenders behind the wall had formed five ranks, so that there would be a continuous wave of fire being poured into the Confederate charge. The charge finally reached The Angle, a weak point in the Union defenses. However, reinforcements poured in around the breach, and that was the farthest the Confederate had ever pushed north. The Confederate Charge had been repulsed, and with terrible consequences
The beginning of Pickett's March began with a massive barrage of Confederate cannon meant to knock out the Union batteries. However, it was not very effective, and while the Confederates wasted ammunition, the Union troops held fire. This mistakenly made Longstreet believe that the Union batteries had been knocked out, so he ordered Pickett to begin the charge. Later, this would be a terrible mistake in hindsight. For after the charge had begun, the Union batteries were able to pour grapeshot and canister into the Confederate ranks, causing terrible casualties.
Pickett rallied his men and charged forwards, but the charge exposed his left and right flanks to fire. The men charging were dropped in huge masses. The Union defenders behind the wall had formed five ranks, so that there would be a continuous wave of fire being poured into the Confederate charge. The charge finally reached The Angle, a weak point in the Union defenses. However, reinforcements poured in around the breach, and that was the farthest the Confederate had ever pushed north. The Confederate Charge had been repulsed, and with terrible consequences