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Jason O’Brien
4/16/12
Research Paper
Driving through Gettysburg people see statues and marking at different sites, if you’re do
not know much history you would still know that these markings are a symbols of fallen soldiers.
These soldiers never really needed to die but the North and South could not work out their
differences peacefully which caused a great war in U.S. history, The Civil War. One of the
biggest battles fought during the Civil War took place in the small city of Gettysburg. The battle
of Gettysburg was the biggest and bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Gettysburg is also known as
the turning point in the war.
Taking away the statues and most of the new development in the city we can see what
Gettysburg looked like to the soldiers that fought there. Stepping back through time, Gettysburg
was a calm city never expecting a great battle to be fought there.
Gettysburg was not even supposed to happen; it happened by mistake. The infantry under
the command of Lieutenant General Ambrose P. Hill led two divisions of soldiers into
Gettysburg to retrieve shoes for the war beaten Confederate soldiers. The Confederate advance
guard ran headlong into General John Buford’s Union Cavalry. “While both sides sent couriers
pounding off for reinforcements, Buford tried desperately to hold his ground (Ward, 216).”
By now, both sides were converging in Gettysburg because all roads in the area led to
Gettysburg. The Confederates were coming from the north and the Union was coming from the
south. The Confederates were the closest and was able to assemble their army faster. Union
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forces were slowly arriving at Gettysburg. After some intense fighting the Union troops broke
and were forced to retreat threw the town. “The rebels pushed them back through the town until
General Winfield Scott Hancock rallied the retreating troops into defensives positions on Culp’s
Hill and Cemetery Hill (Ward, 216).” General Robert E. Lee, head of the Confederate army, was
unsure of where exactly the Union was. “He had heard through the grape vine that there was
some Union cavalry heading into Gettysburg but he was not sure (Shaara, 74).” He had not yet
heard anything from General Stuart’s cavalry. General Stuart had run off on a sabotage mission
around the union army. This left General Lee completely blind for the Marjory of the battle. Lee
receiving reports of the Union retreat gave an order to Lt General Richard Ewell that is still
remembered to this day. “Tell General Ewell to push on and take the heights beyond the town if
practicable.” General Ewell believed that after a hard day fight that is wasn’t practicable to take
the heights beyond the town. This is seen as the greatest miss opportunity of the battle
Fighting at night was not respectful for the two sides, but the armies still gathered
throughout the night. In the morning, 65,000 Confederates faced 85,000 Union troops. The
Union lined Cemetery Hill on the right and Big and Little Round Tops at the left. Lee wanted the
heights taken. General Longstreet argued with Lee about what course of action they should take.
Lee wanted to attack and Longstreet wanted to retreat toward Washington and make the Union
attack them. Lee being the commanding General ordered an attack on the Union position.
Ewell’s troops were sent to capture Culp’s Hill; while General James Longstreet went after the
Round tops (Rhoads, 673).” The Union forces assigned to hold off Longstreet was the 3rd Corps,
under General Daniel Sickles, a turbulent ex-Tammany politician best known for having shot his
wife before the war. Sickles disobey orders by shifting his troops from the lower positions on
Cemetery Ridge onto the Peach Orchard leaving the Round top troops and the left flank open and
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undefended. “Before General Meade could order him back, Longstreet started his attack around
four o’ clock in the afternoon (Ward, 218).”
The Confederate first corps scrambled toward Big Round Top to come in on top of the
Union forces on Little Round top. “From Big Round Top’s summit, Colonel William C. Oates
saw his chance to try to have guns brought up to the summit of Little Round top, where the
Federal lines could be blown apart (Ward, 218).” Meade not sure what was going on at the
Round Tops, he sent General Gouverneur K. Warren, the Union’s chief engineer, and a young
lieutenant of engineers, Washington Roebling, to the top of Little Round top. Only a handful of
signalmen held the hill. Longstreet’s corps was moving down and around the Union’s left.
Sickles was pinned down in the Peach Orchard below. Warren sent out an order to keep Little
Round Top at all Hazards. The Union brought in the 20th Maine corps to help hold the hill. In
