Gettysburg

Lee’s Plan
Pickett’s Division
Opening Moves
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
What of George Pickett?
Photographs
Addenda

Opening Moves.

From his correspondence it would appear that Longstreet was fully in favour of another invasion of Northern soil, stating that, “We should make a great effort against the Yankees this summer…every available man and means should be brought to bear against them…[1]. No mention is made of any defensive attitude to be adopted, or any word of caution concerning the probability of a Union counter offensive. Longstreet, despite his post war claims that he had urged Lee to consider “defensive tactics”, and that he had received a “promise” from Lee to this effect, would seem to have been in complete harmony with his commanding general’s plans.[2]

Leaving A.P.Hill’s Third corps to guard his rear, Lee concentrated the First and Second corps around Culpeper on 8^th June. Thereafter the Union commander, “Fighting Joe” Hooker, instigated a series of reconnaissance operations, which brought on the engagements at Franklin’s Crossing (5^th June) and Brandy Station (9^th June), both of which alerted Lee to the fact that Hooker could be intending a move against Richmond. In case of this event Lee ordered Ewell’s Second corps to destroy the Union garrison in the Shenandoah Valley which would cause the authorities in Washington to move Hooker back in order to cover the capitol. On 25^th June Lee’s army was crossing the Potomac River, but did not know that Hooker had been shadowing him on his eastern flank. The problem for Lee was that he had allowed General J.E.B.Stuart’s cavalry, “the eyes of his army”, to go dashing off around the Union Army on one of his raids. It was at this stage of the campaign that President Abraham Lincoln, who had lost his faith in Hooker’s ability to command the Union forces, replaced him, on the 28^th June with Major General George Mead. The Union Army of the Potomac numbered over 100,000 men.

Lee now decided to recall Ewell’s corps, and with his army united between Cashtown and Gettysburg he sought to threaten Washington, Philadelphia or Baltimore. By so doing he hoped to encourage Mead to attack.

Major General  George Gordon Mead.  (Library of Congress)

On the morning of 28^th June, Ewell was ordered to cross the Susquehanna River and take the town of Harrisburg while the other two corps moved to join him. Mead also moved towards Harrisburg in an attempt to threaten Lee’s communications, which would still allow the Union army to cover Washington. Also Mead had reconnoitred a strong defensive position at Pipe Creek, about fifteen miles southeast of Gettysburg where he hoped Lee would try to attack. It will be seen from this that both commanding generals were not anxious to be the aggressor until such time as the strategic picture became clearer, and it was possible that Mead never even contemplated any offensive operations after what he had seen at the battle of Fredericksburg the previous winter. He was quite content to cover Washington and let the Confederates come at him. The encounter at Gettysburg on 1^st July therefore was neither planned nor expected by either side, but like most encounter battles it gradually sucked in both armies until neither side was left with any alternative other than to see it through to the end.

[1] Edwin B.Coddington, The Battle of Gettysburg, A Study in Command. Page, 11

[2] See James Longstreet, “Lee in Pennsylvania,” Annals, 417. Also his account of, Lee’s Invasion of Pennsylvania,” Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol.III, page, 245-247. The subject is discussed at some length in Edwin B. Coddington’s, The Battle of Gettysburg, A Study in Command. Notes. Page, 601