North Florida Writer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Life Around Us
  • Contact
  • MY BOOK PAGE

A Strange Place to Meet: Gettysburg, July 1, 1863

7/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Scenic Gettysburg Battlefield
When General Robert E. Lee crossed the Potomac with his Army of Northern Virginia, his plan was to move into Pennsylvania as a show to the North that his forces could do so, then move east and south toward Washington, DC, which if successful could destroy morale of Union forces and quickly end the war. Lee knew he had to do something dramatic, for the Confederacy couldn't survive a long and dragged out war with limited manpower and even more limited resources to maintain the fight. After all, the Confederate Army had nowhere near the firepower or logistical support of the Union Army and after two years of war had suffered heavy losses and difficulty in getting supplies due to the total coastal blockade.  Contrast that with the industrial might of the North which was providing munitions and needed wartime supplies at a record pace. The only thing Lee had in his favor was the fervor and loyalty of his men and the fact that, in the end, all he had to do was protect the homeland and expel invaders to attain separation from the United States.  By successfully invading the North, it would show that his men could go anywhere and that no Union territory was truly safe.

War, however, has  a way of throwing surprises at even the best of plans and the Gettysburg story is no exception, and when newly selected Commanding General of the Army of the Potomac George Gordon Meade took charge, the usual conservative approach to battle was thrown to the wind.  Meade was no General George McClellan who had been sacked by President Lincoln and on his first full day in command he ordered his ninety-four thousand man Army to march north after Lee. When Lee learned, late on June 29th, of this action, he told his generals to marshal their forces near the town of Cashville, northwest of Gettysburg. At the time they were spread out between Chambersburg and Harrisburg, foraging and seeking provisions for their troops who were hungry and much in need of boots.  He figured it would take the Union Army two days to cover the distance separating them, for he had been accustomed to a more conservative approach by his opponents in waging war. The fact that a commander like George McClelland, a very methodical practitioner of war, was now replaced by George Meade, a man who wanted to get the job done quickly, was already changing that capacity.

On the morning of July 1st, Brigadier General Pettigrew took his brigade of troops into Gettysburg and found a few Union troops on horseback in the town.  He was directed not to make contact with the enemy by Lee, but after discussing the matter with his immediate senior,  Major General Henry Heth, it was decided to pursue them, for they were thought to be a small contingent of Pennsylvania militiamen.  What they didn't know was they were part of General Buford's  two cavalry brigades and both sides immediately called for additional infantry troops. The fighting was bloody, particularly so for the Confederates although the Union would lose one of it's best infantry leaders, Major General John Reynolds. The fighting stopped around noon, but just over two hours later it was rejoined when the Confederate second Corps and the Union eleventh Corps, both rushed forward due to the circumstances,  came head to head just north of Gettysburg.  The Union was pushed back, but was able to hold on to the high ground at Cemetery Ridge and the battle that Lee didn't want yet was now underway with full fury. It was quiet that night, but all knew that this wouldn't be over until someone was victorious and someone was vanquished.  That would only come after two more bloody days.

War plans always have to be changed, because war has an ebb and flow just like a football game. Sometimes it's because orders aren't followed, perhaps it's due to weather, or even just fate. But the side that has either the best and most equipment and manpower or a much more earnest reason to fight to the finish is often aided by those unknown events which always come in the chaos of warfare. In the case of Gettysburg, a little know town in hilly south central Pennsylvania would soon be a household name for the history books due to the fateful actions of that day.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

    Archive

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    America
    American Sports
    Animals
    Armed Forces Day
    Conservatism
    Doctorpatient0717615167
    Elections-2016
    Florida
    Florida-politics
    Freedom
    Freedom-of-speech
    Geese
    God
    Gods Glory0546cd6883
    Health Care
    Honor
    Integrity
    Jesus Christ
    Koch-brothers
    Leisure-time
    Love
    Military
    Nature
    Primaries
    Proverbs
    Safety
    Savior
    The Future
    Top-political-donors-list
    Tyrannical-government

    RSS Feed

Thanks for contacting northfloridawriter.com.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Arian Zwegers, trvlto, thomas pix, taberandrew, Justin A. Wilcox, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, ckay, phalinn, curtis palmer, bnpositive, oddsock, HooLengSiong, jespahjoy, illustir, ljlphotography, Out at Bob's, The Labour Party, ljlphotography, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, eli.pousson, JasonParis, Fibonacci Blue, wht_wolf9653, bsabarnowl, ` TheDreamSky, Ken_Hoffman, dsearls, NCinDC, James Byrum, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, cliff1066™, possan, dpape, David Holt London, akeg, Waiting For The Word, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, MilitaryHealth, yukali, infomatique, goforchris, cliff1066™, Wootang01, dctim1, Donald Lee Pardue, LizMarie_AK, campdarby, CedarBendDrive, bill85704, faeparsons, TMAB2003, cliff1066™, Rennett Stowe, KOMUnews, cliff1066™, chris.huggins, USDAgov, mat_walker, gruntzooki, DonkeyHotey, ljlphotography, Elvert Barnes, Paulsasleepwalker, facebook.com/snapshotsofthepast, foto3116, Miller_Center, digitonin, BostonCatholic, Watt_Dabney, jepoirrier, EpicFireworks, derekskey, cletch, DonkeyHotey, KOMUnews, DonkeyHotey, ravensong75, Alan Cleaver, Francisco Diez, hermmermferm, cod_gabriel, Marxchivist, Fibonacci Blue, dbgg1979, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, David Barrie, rjs1322, Just Another Wretch, Keith Laverack, Waiting For The Word, whoohoo120, AFS-USA Intercultural Programs, Brett Jordan, yisris, Michael Hodge, Waiting For The Word, MilitaryHealth, doceggman, AlmazUK, taberandrew, cliff1066™, krossbow, shinya, The Jewish Agency for Israel, kudumomo, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, cliff1066™, johntrainor, emilio labrador, cliff1066™, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), **emmar**, Mrs. Gemstone, Andrea Westmoreland, Jeff Kern, Waiting For The Word, Abdulsalam Haykal, Donald Lee Pardue, roberthuffstutter, Dougtone, b1mbo, DonkeyHotey, paularps, kaatjevervoort, Simon Davison, BONGURI, Marion Doss, ex_magician, Bergfels, Brett Jordan, Tim Evanson, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Jeff Kubina, sskennel, DonkeyHotey, VirtKitty, Rodrigo_Soldon, resistealeau, MilitaryHealth, edalisse, Mervi Eskelinen aka tasselflower, Kaz Andrew, nitram242, Andrew Aliferis, uitdragerij, Paul J Everett, Joe Shlabotnik, Jeffrey, Harry Thomas Photography, Tim Evanson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Ron Cogswell, Nationalmuseet, escapedtowisconsin, Michael Cory, DonkeyHotey, timsamoff, mrbillt6, bnilsen, themonnie, valeehill, dichohecho, Waiting For The Word, technochick, cliff1066™, RTD Photography, Randy Wick, Enokson, Rising Damp, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, SteveNakatani, Fovea Centralis, Dru Bloomfield - At Home in Scottsdale, lisaclarke, Mulad, Roswell_UMC, Bengt Nyman, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, FreedomHouse2, SuperFantastic, Rory Finneren, Alaskan Dude, Larry1732, Mr. T in DC, ikewinski, Ivy Dawned, RLHyde, Waiting For The Word, heartajack, dyogi, dailymatador, David Paul Ohmer, Pleuntje, Leonard Bentley, midwestnerd, Donald Lee Pardue, DonkeyHotey, Oli-Oviyan, PatrikWalde, flamesworddragon, The U.S. Army, Zach Heller Photography, DonkeyHotey, EvinDC, Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections, Ronnie Macdonald, Gerry Dincher, The U.S. Army, Jeff Belmonte, DonkeyHotey, Texas Military Forces, jim.greenhill, Ben Sutherland, the Original Jeff Martin, Loz Flowers, CBP Photography, spbpda, OCVA, Hot Rod Homepage, brianholsclaw, dozodomo, quinn.anya, KOMUnews, wtstoffs, Leo Newball, Jr., lilli2de, dmott9, Justin A. Wilcox, sören2013, boboroshi, newagecrap, CoreBurn, simminch, ninahale, EvinDC, Mister Awesome, HeyRocker, beggs, Donald Lee Pardue