The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 (1)

The First Day

Timothy Orr, Steve Noon, Timothy J. Orr

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781472848390
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472848390
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

This first volume of three discusses the tactical decisions made on day one and the ensuing combat, while also including a brief summary of the grand strategy in the Eastern Theater of the war, the conduct of the Pennsylvania Campaign from June 6 to 30, 1863, and the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict.

The Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1–3, 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, PA resulted in the largest number of casualties of the entire American Civil War and is seen as the key turning point in the conflict. On its first day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia sought to destroy the Union army, forcing its men to retreat through the streets of the Pennsylvania town to the hills just to the south.

This volume, the first of three to cover the battle in depth, includes the morning cavalry skirmish, the morning clash at the Herbst's Woodlot and at the railroad cut, the afternoon clash at Oak Ridge, the afternoon fight at the Edward McPherson farm, the afternoon rout of the 11th Corps, the last stand of the 1st Corps at Seminary Ridge, the Union retreat through town, and the positions of the armies at nightfall.

OPPOSING ARMIES

Heavy losses occurred on July 1 because the two opposing forces that clashed at Gettysburg consisted of combat-tested units filled with men who believed their nation’s existence was staked in the battle’s outcome. Although each army believed in oppositional values, both were equally willing to sacrifice life and limb to achieve victory.

The Army of Northern Virginia came into existence on April 6, 1862, with the passage of Special Order Number 6. That order consolidated several scattered commands from within the “Department of Northern Virginia” to create an army of the same name. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston assumed command, and after his wounding at the Battle of Seven Pines, Lee replaced him, holding command of the army until it surrendered in April 1865.

Although the Army of Northern Virginia did not exist officially until 1862, most soldiers who belonged to it had been in service since 1861. By Gettysburg, Lee’s soldiers had compiled an impressive record, having fought at Big Bethel, Bull Run, Ball’s Bluff, the Shenandoah Valley, the Peninsula Campaign, the 1862 Manassas Campaign, the Maryland Campaign, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Siege of Suffolk. In June 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia numbered 70,226 officers and men. The soldiers were in high spirits and eager to invade Pennsylvania. A Georgian in Longstreet’s corps spoke for many when he wrote home on June 26: “[W]e are now making the greatest movement of the war and will make Yankeedom howl and I hope to God, make them cry out ‘Peace, peace.’ … Our army is in good condition enjoying plenty to eat and wear and confident of success. Molly, I think this is the last year of the war, God grant it.”

This photograph depicts two members of the 12th North Carolina Infantry, Pvt. Thomas D. Hilliard (left) and Corp. John Hilliard (right). The 12th North Carolina fought at Oak Ridge, losing 79 of its 219 officers and men. Both Hilliard brothers outlived the Battle of Gettysburg, but Thomas was killed at the Battle of Harris Farm, May 19, 1864. (Library of Congress)

Four division...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Origins of the Campaign
• Chronology
• The Invasion of Pennsylvania
• Opposing Commanders
• Opposing Armies
• Opposing Plans
• The First Day
• The Battlefield Today
• Bibliography
• eCopyright