Pickett’s Charge – 12 Remarkable Facts About Gettysburg’s Deadly Climax

Lee hoped an attack on the Union centre at Gettysburg would shatter the Yankee army and leave the Confederates with an open road to Washington and total victory.

“The Confederacy had reached its symbolic ‘high water mark’ that fateful afternoon – never again would the Rebellion be presented with such a chance to achieve a decisive victory.” 

IF GETTYSBURG WAS the turning point of the American Civil War, then the battle’s pivotal moment, Pickett’s Charge, could rightly be called the decisive moment of the entire conflict.

Named for Confederate Major General George Pickett, a flamboyant 38-year-old West Pointer from Virginia, the July 3, 1863 Rebel assault on the Union lines saw as many as 15,000 soldiers advance nearly a mile up Cemetery Ridge in a go-for-broke bid to shatter the Union army and end the war. Unfortunately for the South, it was an unmitigated disaster.

In less than an hour, Federal artillery and musket fire decimated the Rebels leaving the field littered with bleeding and mutilated bodies. Many claim that the Confederacy never fully recovered from the slaughter it suffered during Pickett’s Charge. And while the war would continue for another two gruelling years, the Confederacy had reached its symbolic “high water mark” that fateful afternoon – never again would the Rebellion be presented with such a chance to achieve a decisive victory.

Here are 12 essential facts about this legendary and ill-fated attack.

George Pickett. (Image source: WikiCommons)

It was supposed to end the war

Pickett’s Charge took place on the third and final afternoon of the Battle of Gettysburg. After two days of bloody stalemate, the commander of the Confederate forces at Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee, ordered a massive last-ditch assault on Yankee centre to force an end to the contest. The charge would be carried out by three full divisions of infantry – between 12,500 and 15,000 men, all of which would converge on an area surrounding a small cluster of trees just behind the Union line. At the appointed hour, the attackers would break from the cover of a forest on the edge of Seminary Ridge and advance with set-piece precision across nearly a mile of open country to smash the enemy centre and drive the Northern army from the high ground. Once the Federal line was split, Lee would be free to march on Washington D.C. from the rear, thus ending the war in a matter of days.

(Image source: WikiCommons)

It shouldn’t be called “Pickett’s Charge”

Despite the fact that Pickett commanded only a third of the attacking force, the fiasco would unfairly go on to bear his name alone. Yet Brigadier General J. Johnston Pettigrew and Major General Isaac Trimble also led divisions that took part. As such, a number of historians refer to the operation as the “Pettigrew, Pickett and Trimble Charge.” And considering that all three generals were assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia’s First Corps, which was commanded by the redoubtable James Longstreet, others believe the “Longstreet Assault” is an even more fitting name.

James Longstreet. (Image source: WikiCommons)
James Longstreet. (Image source: WikiCommons)

Longstreet tried to talk Lee out of it

Although it was Longstreet’s corps that carried out the charge, the 42-year-old South Carolina native considered the assault foolhardy and vigorously lobbied Lee to rethink the plan. “It is my opinion that no 15,000 men ever arrayed for battle can take that position,” he supposedly protested. Undeterred, Lee insisted his orders be carried out. Longstreet was so distraught over the plan, when Pickett finally sought permission to sound the advance, the general couldn’t bring himself to speak. “I could only indicate it by an affirmative bow,” Longstreet later recalled.

A lot of open ground to cover -- the site of Pickett's Charge today. (Image source: WikiCommons)
A lot of open ground to cross. The site of Pickett’s Charge today. (Image source: WikiCommons)

Delays cost the South dearly

Despite Lee’s instructions that the charge take place in the early morning, orders to have the divisions assemble weren’t issued until well after daybreak. Even then, it would take until the afternoon for the First Corps to finish massing, by which point the Rebel army was baking in the hot July sun. Lee hoped a diversionary maneuver on the northern flank of the Federal line would confuse the enemy, but that foray, which took place at Culp’s Hill, was already spent by the time Pettigrew, Pickett and Trimble had their divisions ready. Worse, the commander of Union forces at Gettysburg, George Meade, anticipated Lee’s plan and massed his numerically superior forces on Cemetery Ridge.

Picketts Charge was preceded by the largest artillery bombardment of the entire war. (Image source: WikiCommons)
Pickett’s Charge was preceded by the largest artillery bombardment of the Civil War. (Image source: WikiCommons)

It began with the largest artillery barrage of the war

Just prior to the assault, Lee ordered a massive artillery bombardment – the largest in the history of the Western Hemisphere. More than 150 guns took part in the hour-long cannonade, which was intended to wear down the Yankee defences. Despite its scale and ferocity, the barrage had little effect. Most of the shells flew over the Union line to explode harmlessly in the rear, although one round did nearly kill Meade at his headquarters while he and his adjutants were having lunch. An orderly serving the officers was sliced in two by the stray shot. At first, 75 Union guns returned fire, but the Northern commanders soon ordered their batteries to cease and desist – partly to conserve ammo for the expected infantry onslaught, but also to lull Lee into thinking that the Federal artillery had been destroyed.

Pickett commanded just three of the 11 brigades that made the famous assault.

Six Southern states took part

At 2 p.m., the guns fell silent and Longstreet’s generals signalled to their divisions to advance. “Up men and to your posts,” cried Pickett. “Don’t forget today that you are from Old Virginia.” Interestingly, at least five other Confederate states committed troops to the assault: Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. Once on the move, the line of infantry stretched more than a mile across. Union soldiers looked on with a mix of fear and amazement as the Southern legions came on. One described it as “an ocean of men sweeping upon us.” Another recalled it being “the most beautiful thing I ever saw.” As the Rebel troops strode forward in parade-square precision with bayonets fixed, Union batteries from across the battlefield began directing their fire onto their enemy. The advancing regiments struggled to keep in formation as shells and round shot ripped through their orderly ranks. Casualties began to mount, but the worst was yet to come.

A view of Pickett's Charge from the Union line. (Image source: WikiCommons)
A view of Pickett’s Charge from the Union line. (Image source: WikiCommons)

It was a bloody mess

As the foremost units closed to within a few hundred yards of the Yankee lines, Union batteries switched from exploding shells to canister shot — cylindrical rounds packed with hundreds of lethal anti-personnel projectiles. The fearsome ammunition transformed the cannons into oversized shotguns that could easily shred whole platoons in a single blast. Federal infantry, some of which were behind the cover of a long stone wall, joined in the conflagration as volley after volley of hot lead pulverized the advancing army.

Canister shot. (Image source: WikiCommons)

“They were at once enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke and dust,” recalled a Union officer who witnessed the fusillade. “Arms, heads, blankets, guns and knapsacks were tossed into the clear air.” The Confederate line narrowed to less than a mile across as soldiers closed ranks in the face of increasing losses. Over the ear-splitting din of battle could be heard Union infantry chanting “Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!” To many of those in blue, Pickett’s Charge offered the chance to repay the South for the casualties inflicted during the horrific Federal assault the previous December in Virginia.

Armistead famously urged his men on by sticking his hat on the tip of his sword. (Image source: WikiCommons)
Armistead famously urged his men on by sticking his hat on the tip of his sword. (Image source: WikiCommons)

Many called it the ‘high water mark of the Confederacy’

Only a handful of Confederate units ever reached the Union positions. Rebel troops led by one of Pickett’s brigade commanders, Lewis Armistead, chased the Yankees from a protruding corner of a stone wall near the centre of the Federal line dubbed “the Angle.” One stubborn group of artillerymen refused to give ground and fired canister shot at point blank range into the faces of the attackers while Northern infantry rallied to retake the position. The South’s forlorn fight to capture the Angle is often referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy” – many saw the brief but savage struggle there as the turning point of Pickett’s Charge — and by extension the Battle of Gettysburg and even the entire war. Ironically, Armistead, who was mortally wounded in the assault’s dying moments, was close friends with Union general Winfield Scott Hancock, commander of the Army of the Potomac’s II Corps, whose troops defended the Angle. Hancock himself was injured minutes earlier.

The aftermath of Gettysburg. (Image source: WikiCommons)
The aftermath of the battle. (Image source: WikiCommons)

Lee accepted full blame

Unable to dislodge the Federal troops, the Confederate attack melted away. In less than an hour, half of those who’d made the charge were dead, wounded or missing. In fact, nearly 7,000 men (a quarter of all Confederate casualties suffered at Gettysburg) were injured or killed during Pickett’s Charge. Division commanders Trimble and Pettigrew were both hit by enemy fire, the former having lost a leg and the latter having sustained a wound to his hand. Dozens of other officers were slain and whole regiments, like the University of MississippiGreys,” ceased to exist. With the attack beaten back, cheers erupted from across the entire Yankee line “making the very heavens throb,” recalled one Union soldier. Lee met his dazed soldiers as they hobbled to the rear. “It’s all my fault,” he cried. Later he would offer Jefferson Davis his resignation; it was refused. Pickett was less charitable claiming that “[the] old man had my division slaughtered.” Longstreet called it the saddest day of his life. It was a bloody afternoon for the Union, too — 1,500 men became casualties repulsing the Rebel attack.

Confederate troops head South after Gettysburg.
Confederate troops shuffle South after Gettysburg. The army’s failed invasion of the North and the fall of Vicksburg on the Mississippi the following day are seen as turning points of the war.

The North missed its chance to crush the Rebellion after Pickett’s Charge

The following day, the bloodied Rebel army limped home. To President Lincoln’s frustration, the triumphant Meade mounted no counter attack, nor did he try to force a follow-up battle to destroy the Confederates. Critics blasted the Union general for passing up an opportunity to crush the Army of Northern Virginia once and for all; others have maintained that after three days of hard fighting his soldiers needed time to recover.

Pickett's name would again be linked to failure. In the war's final days he presided over the debacle at Five Forks. (Image source: WikiCommons)
Pickett’s name would once again be linked to failure. In the war’s final month, he presided over a debacle at the Battle of Five Forks. (Image source: WikiCommons)

Pickett would have more misfortunes

Despite having failed to break the Union line at Gettysburg, many Southerners heaped praise on Pickett’s division for having advanced the farthest across the field that day. Virginia newspapers referred to the assault as ‘Pickett’s Charge’ and the name stuck. But not everyone was convinced the general was a hero. Some questioned why with so many other Confederate officers wounded or killed in the attack did Pickett himself emerge unscathed? Unfortunately, the abortive assault at Gettysburg would not be the last humiliation he’d suffer. During the Battle of Five Forks, which saw Federal troops advance on the Confederate capital of Richmond, the 40-year-old Virginian was enjoying a picnic far in the rear when the Union army pushed through the Confederate lines. More than 90 percent of his 10,000-man army was killed, wounded or captured in the onslaught. Pickett was unaware the battle was even taking place until it was largely over. The day was April 1, 1865 (April Fools’ Day). Even after the war, Pickett supposedly held a grudge against Lee for ordering the infamous charge at Gettysburg. Yet shortly before his death of liver disease in 1875, a journalist asked the general whom he blamed for the disaster. “I’ve always thought the Yankees had something to do with it,” he quipped.

Confederate veterans recreate Pickett's Charge 50 years after the battle.
Confederate veterans recreate Pickett’s Charge 50 years after the battle.

Vets reenacted the charge 50 years later

Thousands of survivors of Pickett’s Charge would return to the infamous killing ground in 1913 as part of a reunion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gettysburg. More than 53,000 veterans of the battle, most in their 70s, gathered at the site of the legendary clash. The three-day reunion ended with a re-enactment of Pickett’s Charge in which the aging Southerners advanced once more up Cemetery Ridge. This time they marched not to the rattle of musketry and the crash of cannon fire but to the sound of the cheers and applause of their former foes. Upon reaching the Angle both groups met to embrace.

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20 thoughts on “Pickett’s Charge – 12 Remarkable Facts About Gettysburg’s Deadly Climax

  1. Interesting article! The popular name “High Water Mark of the Confederacy” for action at the Angle following Pickett’s Charge, is something of a misnomer. The actual northernmost fighting by Confederate forces during the war did occur during the Gettysburg Campaign but took place at the Battle of Sporting Hill, north of Gettysburg but south of the state capital, Harrisburg, on June 30, 1863.

      1. My son would like to use this article as a source for a 5th grade history project he is doing. I can not find the author’s name. Could you help me out please?
        Thanks

    1. “High Water Mark of the Confederacy” does not refer to the northermost fighting. It refers to the best chance the Confederacy had to win the war.

  2. I thought Pettigrew commanded Heth’s III Corps division.
    In addition, wasn’t Trimble a II Corps officer in temporary command of Pender’s Division (also from III Corps). While Longstreet was in overall command on the charge two of the three divisions came from Hill’s III Corps.

  3. The main reason the Confederates lost at Gettysburg was the absence of Stone wall Jackson.
    The Confederates could have seized the high ground at Cemetery Ridge before the Union arrived.
    Jackson would have done it but as he was killed a short while before , the first Confederate Generals on the field delayed until it was too late.

    1. Really second guessing things here aren’t you? Jackson was obviously dead by this time so your statement is meaningless. The south lost because the Federal forces on the field put up a better fight than the Confederate forces on July 1 , 2 and 3. Lee had no strategy and on July 3rd he made the biggest blunder of the war.

      1. The failure of Pickett’s charge was not because Lee did not have a strategy, or because the Union soldiers fought so well (although they fought valiantly). In war, like life itself, some things go better than planned, and some things go worse. Seldom do things go exactly as planned, but also seldom do things go as poorly as they did for the Confederate Army at Gettysburg. Recall that the Union General, Meade, having been appointed only 3 days before the battle, was not even present for Day One. However, he acquitted himself well, and at about every turn, things went well for him and for the North. He should and does get the credit for this, and deserves it, but he had good fortune on his side.

        Although it may seem odd today, Lee’s frontal attack plan was accepted military strategy in those times. Split the opposing forces, disrupt their command structure, turn their flanks and force an unruly retreat. Success in Pickett’s charge would have split the Union Army and may have forced a massive retreat similar to that of 1st Manassas. I suspect Lee was hoping for this. Had any of a number of things gone right for the South that day, the outcome might well have been very different. Jackson (dead less than a month) may have prosecuted Lee’s orders far more aggressively than Longstreet did (mostly to attack earlier in the day, as ordered), Stuart’s Cavalry could have come in from behind the Union forces as planned and ordered to help split the line (they did not show up), the cannon attack could have been much more effective (eliminating the North’s cannon capability prior to the charge), the diversionary attack on Culp’s Hill could have been better coordinated (keeping Union forces tied down away from the center), and the main attack could have started earlier in the day while Union forces were still fighting on Culp’s Hill (not working to get to the center and build the numerical superiority they had later on that day). The fact that none of these things happened is still Lee’s responsibility and they collectively doomed Pickett’s charge to failure, but had a few of these plans gone as intended, Gettysburg could have been a tactical victory for the South, albeit a very costly one. As it turned out, it was a tactical defeat and a strategic failure, and yes it all hinged on Pickett’s charge.

        I personally doubt that after the losses at Gettysburg, even had the South carried the day at Pickett’s charge, that Lee could have moved on to Washington, but we shall never know. Remember that Vicksburg and the Campaign in Mississippi was over for the South by the time Gettysburg was over and Lee’s campaign had done nothing to change this. While it is fashionable to say Pickett’s charge was the high-water mark for the Confederacy, by June 1863, the Southern effort was already in serious trouble, and the combination of the outcomes at Gettysburg and Vicksburg (1 day apart) effectively signaled that the South could not win. Lee and his Army survived Gettysburg and marched back into Virginia to fight again, while General Pemberton and his entire remaining Army of Mississippi were killed or captured at Vicksburg. To me, Vicksburg was the real turning point of the Civil War.

        1. Excellent thoughts Mr. Owen! Thanks for your your mature, balanced assessment of the “charge.”

  4. If anyone was to blame it was General Ewell who didn’t carry out Lee’s order to occupy the then undefended Cemetery Ridge

  5. It should be called Armisteads Charge. He was the General that led his men to the Stone wall or Angle

  6. Thank you for writing this. Amazing details which stirs the heart and breaks it as well. God bless those who came before us to form this extraordinary experiment called the United States.

  7. If you believe in God, it’s not the battles, the casualty or north or south, but “THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATAED EQUAL” that’s what the U.S. Constitution, and the Bible Said’s (Galatians 3:28, Romans 2:11, James 2:8-9, Acts 10:34 just to name a few) I know that not everyone believes in the Bible, but not everyone believes and the Constitution.

  8. I feel the charge was very much a military marvel and had it been successful the end of the war could be very different and i feel the whole united states as we now know it could be different in fact we might be several different countries similar to what we see in Europe.

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