Pivotal Battle of the Civil War

This year the town of Gettysburg will be recognizing the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg that originally occurred on July 1-3, 1863. It can be argued that this is one the most important battles of the Civil War and specifically within the three days the battle for Little Round Top was the most significant of the that struggle.

The Confederate and Union forces first engaged on July 1,1863 at a point north of the town known as MacPherson's Ridge. The two armies engaged in battle that day, a day that saw the Union forces enjoying early success only to be driven back through the town and occupying what is known as Culps Hill and Cemetery Hill forming the curve of the fish hook Union line that would extend south along Cemetery Ridge. The Confederate army would line up along Seminary Ridge.

During the evening and the early morning hours of the July 2, General Lee pondered what to do next. Having looked across the way at the Army of the Potomac, Lee saw the two peaks, Little and Big Round Tops, were not occupied. After a discussion with his officers, Lee decided that the blow would come on the left flank of the Union on July 2nd and once the gunfire was heard Confederate forces would again attack the right flank of the Union.

Not all of Lee's officers were thrilled with going on the offensive, particularly Longstreet, Lee's "Old War Horse". Longstreet, who was to lead the attack on the Union left, much preferred to have the enemy come to them, the strategy that had been so successful up to this point. Lee had determined that he would have to go on the offensive if he was going to be successful on his push into the North. Thus he ordered his troops to attack up the Emmitsburg Road on the way to taking Little Round Top.

Meanwhile the Union was in the process of extending their line south along Cemetery Ridge. The forces of Hancock, Sykes, and Sickles ran from north to south toward Little Round Top but no forces from either army had as yet occupied either peak.

It was nearly 4 PM before the Confederate forces got into position. Hood had spotted the build up of Union forces in the area and asked Longstreet four times to allow him to swing and attack the Union head on but Longstreet said that Lee's orders were to be obeyed.

Meanwhile General Gouverneur Warren, the chief engineer of the Union Army discovered that there were no troops on Little Round Top. Warren immediately moved to resolve the problem. Ordering a signalman to wigwag to get attention, word got to General Meade who ordered Sykes to send troops to Little Round Top.

It was Colonel Strong Vincent who would arrive about fifteen minutes ahead of the Alabamans and Texans. Strong, the youngest brigade commander, showed up with four regiments who would stall the Confederate attack. Warren would bring up reinforcements in the form of cannons and troops.

The struggle on Little Round Top was great. The Confederate attack on Little Round Top was broken by the 20th Maine under Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a minister prior to the war. Chamberlain and his men were the left flank of the Union line and they would face the brunt of the attack by the Alabamans and Texans. With half his force down and low on ammunition, Chamberlain would order is men to fix bayonets and charge. The Confederates were stunned by the attack and their lines would break as they ran. Chamberlain was wounded and would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The defeat at Little Round Top was critical for Union success. Had the Confederates taken that peak they could have brought artillery to the top and devastated the Union line along Cemetery Ridge. In so doing the Army of the Potomac would have been destroyed and Lee could have north and onto Washington, DC. Conceivably the war could have ended with different results thus the fight for Little Round Top becomes a pivotal battle of the American Civil War.

On July 3, 1863, came Pickett's charge. It was a brutal fight that the Confederates would lose. Lee would get his troops out of town heading south never to come north during the course of the war. More importantly General Grant would win another crushing battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi and Lincoln would call Grant east. The days of the Confederacy were numbered.