Standard of Learning Enrichment...dilemma of combining frontal assaults with envelopments and...

Standard of Learning Enrichment Educational Enrichment for Young Patriots

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

Upon completion of this enrichment you will meet (and hopefully exceed)

the requirements for the History and Social Science Standards of Learning

for Virginia Public Schools, adopted in 2015, by the Board of Education of

the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specifically, you will:

Political Growth and Western Expansion: 1781 to the Mid 1800s

VS.7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the issues that

divided our nation and led to the Civil War by describing Virginia’s role in

the war, including identifying major battles that took place in Virginia.

Educational Enrichment for Young Patriots

the Union Soldier

The typical uniform of the Union

soldier consisted of a blue forage

cap with black leather visor, a dark

blue sack coat (flannel), blue wool

trousers, and leather brogans. He

carried a knapsack, which

contained half of a two-man tent, a

groundsheet, an overcoat, and his

personal effects. A rolled blanket

was fastened with straps above the

knapsack. A haversack carried

rations.

The first sergeant of infantry wears

a dark blue sack coat and light

blue chevrons, noncommissioned

officer's sword and red sash. He is

wearing the light blue trousers

adopted for regimental officers and men.


Soldiers of both armies carried most commonly the muzzle-

loading.58 caliber M1861 Springfield and English-made

Enfield percussion rifled muskets. They were about 53

inches long and weighed about nine pounds. They were

accurate at about 200 yards and effective at 1,000 yards.

They fired “Minie Balls”- with a hollow-based lead slug about

one inch in diameter and one inch long. A good soldier

could fire his rifle about three times a minute.

The Springfield Armory and other contractors produced

about 265,000 rifles. The front sight doubles as a lug for the

angular bayonet. The rifle had a two-leaf rear sight, three

barrel bands, a steel ramrod, iron mountings, and a walnut

stock.


Soldiers also carried a M1861 sword bayonet, which was affixed to the end

of the musket. They also carried a cartridge box, canteen, and a haversack.



the Confederate Soldier

The typical uniform of the

Confederate soldier was a

forage or slouch hat, gray or

butternut wool shell jacket,

gray, butternut, or blue trousers,

and brogans. A haversack was

used to carry personal items.

Confederate soldiers usually

traveled lighter than their Union

counterparts; instead of a

knapsack, they typically carried

their bedding rolled in their

blanket and slung across one

shoulder.


The People: Leaders Just Like You Army of the Potomac

Major General George Gordon Meade

Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds

Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard

Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles

Brig. Gen. John Gibbon

Brig. Gen. John Buford, Jr.

Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain

Army of Northern Virginia

General Robert Edward Lee

Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell

Lt. Gen. James Longstreet

Maj. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill

Maj. Gen. George Edward Pickett

Maj. Gen. Isaac Ridgeway Trimble

Brig. Gen. James Johnston Pettigrew


Shortly after the Army of Northern Virginia won a major victory over the

Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville (30 April – 6 May

1863), Robert E. Lee decided upon a second invasion of the North (the

first was the unsuccessful Maryland Campaign of September 1862).

Such a move would upset Federal plans for the summer campaigning

season and possibly reduce the pressure on the besieged Confederate

garrison at Vicksburg.

It would allow the Confederates to live off the bounty of the rich Northern

farms while giving war-ravaged Virginia a much needed rest.

In addition, Lee's 72,000-man army could threaten Philadelphia, Baltimore,

and Washington, and possibly strengthen the growing peace movement in

the North.


During the afternoon of 30 June

1863 outposts of both armies

clashed north and west of the quiet

little Pennsylvania market town of

Gettysburg. The terrain in the area

included rolling hills and broad,

shallow valleys.

Gettysburg was the junction of

twelve roads that led to Harrisburg,

Philadelphia, Baltimore,

Washington, and the mountain

passes to the west that General

Robert E. Lee controlled.


You are the commanding General

Why was it important to capture Gettysburg?

• Gettysburg was the main railroad hub (center), which offered the Union Army access

to the states west of the Mississippi River

• Gettysburg was the junction of twelve roads that led to Harrisburg, Philadelphia,

Baltimore, Washington, and the mountain passes to the west

• Capturing Gettysburg would allowed the Confederates to live off the bounty of the

rich Northern farms while giving war-ravaged Virginia a much needed rest


On 1 July Union cavalrymen

under the command of Brig.

Gen. John Buford, Jr., fought a

dismounted delaying action

against infantry troops of

General Hill’s Third Corps

northwest of town. By this

stage of the war cavalrymen,

armed with saber, pistol, and

breechloading carbine, were

often deployed as mounted

infantrymen who rode to battle

but fought on foot.

The range and accuracy of the infantry’s rifled muskets made it next to

impossible for mounted men to attack foot soldiers in position, but in this

instance the infantry was attacking dismounted troopers in defensive

positions.



How would you employ cavalry?

• With their superior speed, mobility, and firepower, cavalrymen were

especially useful for screening and reconnaissance.

• For advance guard actions in which they seized or held important hills,

river crossings, and road junctions pending the arrival of infantry.


During the morning

hours of 1 July, this

was the role Union

horsemen played on

the ridges north and

west of Gettysburg.

Buford, with a keen

eye for terrain and

confidence in his

troops, identified the

key terrain of

Cemetery Hill and held

the enemy in place

until the arrival of Maj.

Gen. John F.

Reynolds’ I Corps at

ten o’clock in the

morning and Howard’s

XI Corps by noon.


By midday on 1 July,

two corps of the

Union Army of the

Potomac were

locked in battle with

Hill’s Confederate

Corps, with

elements of Ewell’s

Corps moving up to

support it.


Ewell’s Corps

advanced from the

north and northeast,

broke the stretched

lines of the Union XI

Corps and drove the

Federals back

through Gettysburg

in confusion. The

Union infantry rallied

behind artillery

positioned on

Cemetery Hill south

of the town.



With Federal soldiers on the run, what should you do?

• Let them get away and make peace

• Press the attack and take advantage of the confused Federal forces

Lee, who reached the field about 2:00 P.M., ordered Ewell at about 4:30 or

5:00 to take Cemetery Hill, "if he found it practicable.“ However, before

preparations were complete for an attack, it began to get dark and Ewell

failed to press his advantage. By nightfall the Confederates settled into

positions extending in a great curve from northeast of Culp’s Hill, westward

through Gettysburg, thence south on Seminary Ridge.

During the night the Federals, enjoying interior lines, moved troops in

strength onto the key points of Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery

Ridge, forming a great inverted "fishhook."


Was General Lee decisive?


Union Major General George G. Meade

arrived on the battlefield at midnight

and, despite the confusion inherent in

arriving in the midst of operations,

quickly had a grasp of the battle. He

decided to fight on that ground and not

retreat. Accordingly, he put his forces in

movement for a major defensive battle

and by the morning of 2 July completed

his dispositions.

The Union line was strong except in

two places. In the confusion of battle,

Little Round Top was unoccupied

except for a series of small signal

detachments.

By early afternoon, five corps were

arrayed along the Union battle line with

one in reserve and one more still

marching to reach Gettysburg.



How should General Lee proceed?

• Lee could continue the attack, despite the unfavorable ground and the fact that not

all his troops were yet in place.

• Lee could play it safe and wait, bring up the rest of Longstreet’s corps, or even try to

get the Union Army to attack him in his own strong position on Seminary Ridge.

• Lee could break contact and retreat, hoping to bring the Union Army out of its

positions and maneuver against it as it attempted to pursue him.

Fact: Lee was not in the mood to retreat or passively defend; he wanted to attack despite

his disadvantages.


Lee was faced with the usual

dilemma of combining frontal assaults

with envelopments and flanking

movements, but the difficulty of timing

and coordinating the movements of

such large, often not fully trained,

bodies of men in broken terrain made

intricate maneuvers difficult.

Lee wanted to bring up Longstreet’s

corps to strike at the Federal left while

Hill and Ewell attacked to their fronts.

However, coordination broke down.

The attack did not start until almost

four in the afternoon. As they moved

forward, they struck strong Union

positions at a jumbled pile of rocks,

south of the Peach Orchard and

forward of Little Round Top,

nicknamed the Devil’s Den.


Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain

20th Maine Infantry

Late in the afternoon of 2 July 1863, the

20th Maine repulsed three confederate

assaults against the extreme Union left

among the boulders and trees along the

southern slopes of Little Round Top.

Again, enemy infantry climbed the hill.

Low on ammunition with no help

available and retreat inadmissible, a

wounded Chamberlain ordered a

bayonet charge. Those Confederates

not killed or captured fled in panic; and

Little Round Top, key to the Union line,

was secured. Chamberlain received the

Medal of Honor.


With Little Round Top secured by the

Union, Longstreet threw a second

division against Sickles’ troops in the

Peach Orchard and Wheatfield; this

cracked the Federal line, and the

Confederate troops drove as far as

Cemetery Ridge before Meade’s

reserves halted their advance.

Lee attempted to coordinate his units

so that they would attack from right

to left. One of Hill’s divisions

assaulted Cemetery Ridge piece-

meal but was driven off.

In the north, Ewell attacked about

8:00 P.M. and captured some

abandoned trenches near Culp’s Hill,

but Federals posted behind stone

walls proved too strong. As the day

ended the Federals held all their

main positions.



How would you dislodge the enemy?

• Sustained rifle fire and an attack by cavalry

• Artillery bombardment

Facts: The infantry’s main fire support during the war was provided by direct-firing

field artillery. Rifled guns of relatively long range were available and could

have provided indirect fires, but the soldiers on both sides preferred the 12-

lb. smoothbore cannon, especially the popular Napoleon.


Around 1 PM on 3 July,

Confederate gunners

opened fire from 140

pieces along Seminary

Ridge in the greatest

artillery bombardment

witnessed up to that

time. For two hours the

barrage destroyed

Union artillery and

caissons in the center of

the line. The Union

infantry was able to

shelter behind a stone

wall that ran in front of

its position and was

relatively unharmed.


A lone cannon and the field of Pickett's Charge. The Copse of Trees (focal point

of the charge) is the right-most cluster of trees on the ridge, "The Angle" is

marked by the single tree to the left of the Copse of Trees.


The field of "Pickett's Charge" viewed from the tower on Seminary Ridge south

of Millerstown Road. In this view the battlefield appears much as it probably did

in 1863. The Peach Orchard is just out of the picture to the right, the barn near

the right side of the photo is on the Emmitsburg Road.


On the third day of the battle of

Gettysburg, that the Confederates

launched an assault intending to

break the Union line on Cemetery

Ridge. Under the overall tactical

command of General Longstreet,

around 11,000 men emerged from

the woods on Seminary Ridge,

dressed their three lines as if on

parade, and began the mile-long,

twenty-minute march toward

Cemetery Ridge.

The assault force, forty-seven

regiments altogether, moved at a

walk until it neared the Union lines

then broke into a run as it neared

the summit of the ridge. Union

artillery on the south end of the

ridge opened fire and enfiladed the

gray ranks.


Despite heavy casualties the Confederates kept their formation until they came

within rifle and canister range of the Union II Corps; by then the lines and units

were intermingled.


You are the commanding General Portions of Pickett’s three brigades actually reached and crossed the stone

wall defended by Brig. Gen. John Gibbon’s 2d Division of the II Corps, only to

be quickly cut down or captured.

Pettigrew’s men were hit in the front and flank by deadly rifle fire and canister

and fell short of breaching the Union lines north of a sharp turn in the stone

wall called the Angle.

Trimble’s men tried to support Pettigrew’s attack but were broken by Union fire

and could go no farther. The survivors of all three divisions withdrew to

Seminary Ridge, and the field fell quiet.

Should you continue to fight?

What could you have done instead?


Both Union and

Confederate forces were

too exhausted for further

attacks.

Among 90,000 effective

Union troops and 75,000

Confederates, there

were more than 51,000

casualties. The Union

Army of the Potomac lost

3,155 killed, 14,529

wounded, and 5,365

captured or missing. Of

the Army of Northern

Virginia, 3,903 were

killed, 18,735 wounded,

and 5,425 missing or

captured.


Gettysburg was clearly Lee’s greatest defeat; yet the defeat did not unnerve him

or reduce his effectiveness as a commander. The invasion had patently failed,

and on 4 July General Lee began to retreat toward the Potomac.

As that river was flooded, it was several days before Lee was able to cross. Mr.

Lincoln thought the war could end in 1863 if Meade launched a resolute pursuit

and destroyed Lee’s army on the north bank of the Potomac. But Meade’s own

army was too mangled; and the Union commander moved cautiously, permitting

Lee on 13 July to return safely to Virginia.

Gettysburg was the last important action in the Eastern Theater in 1863. Lee

and Meade maneuvered against each other in Virginia, but there was no more

significant fighting in the East.


Fact 1: Identify the role Virginia played during the Civil War.

• In twenty-six major battles and more than 400 engagements of the Civil

War, more men fought and died in Virginia than in any other state.



• The Confederate capital was moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to

Richmond and that the Union capital was located in Washington, D.C.

When people go to war, the strategy is to capture the capital of the enemy,

because that is where the leadership and decision-making take place.



• Richmond and Washington, D.C. are only 90 miles apart, the Union and

Confederate soldiers battled on Virginia soil.


Question 1: Why was Gettysburg important?

• Gettysburg was the junction of twelve roads that led to Harrisburg,

Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and the mountain passes to the west

that General Robert E. Lee controlled.


Question 2: How did the Union cavalry stop the

Confederates before Gettysburg?

• Union cavalrymen under the command of Brig. Gen. John Buford, Jr.,

fought a dismounted delaying action against infantry troops of General

Hill’s Third Corps northwest of town.


Question 3: Two and a half to three hours after General Lee

reached the field at about 2:00 P.M., he ordered Ewell to take Cemetery

Hill, "if he found it practicable.“

How did the Union troops strengthen their positions?

During the night the Federals, enjoying interior lines, moved troops in

strength onto the key points of Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery

Ridge, forming a great inverted "fishhook."


Question 4: Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain , commander of the

20th Maine Infantry, repulsed three confederate assaults against the

extreme Union left flank. The confederates launched another attack. The

20th Maine was low on ammunition with no help available and retreat was

not an option.

What did Chamberlain order?

Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge. Those Confederates not killed or

captured fled in panic; and Little Round Top, key to the Union line, was

secured. Chamberlain received the Medal of Honor.


Question 5: How did the confederates try and

dislodge the union troops?

• Artillery bombardment

Facts: The infantry’s main fire support during the war was provided by direct-firing

field artillery. Rifled guns of relatively long range were available and could

have provided indirect fires, but the soldiers on both sides preferred the

12-lb. smoothbore cannon, especially the popular Napoleon.


Question 6: The assault force, forty-seven regiments altogether,

moved at a walk until it neared the Union lines then broke into a run as it

neared the summit of the ridge.

How did the Union troops hold off the Confederate

charge led by Pickett?

Union artillery on the south end of the ridge opened fire and enfiladed the

gray ranks. Despite heavy casualties the Confederates kept their

formation until they came within rifle and canister range of the Union II

Corps; by then the lines and units were intermingled.


Question 7: After the Confederate attack had failed

and the Army of Northern Virginia retreated behind the

Potomac, what did Lincoln want General Meade to do?

Mr. Lincoln thought the war could end in 1863 if Meade launched a

resolute pursuit and destroyed Lee’s army on the north bank of the

Potomac. But Meade’s own army was too mangled; and the Union

commander moved cautiously, permitting Lee to return safely to Virginia

on 13 July.


Question 8: In 1863, what was the last important

battle in the East?

Gettysburg was the last important action in the Eastern Theater in 1863.

Lee and Meade maneuvered against each other in Virginia, but there was

no more significant fighting in the East.


Question 9: How many officers and non-

commissioned officers that were at Gettysburg in

leadership positions were different from any of you?

ZERO

All of you are potentially great leaders of men and women. Set yourself

goals and always keep them in your mind in everything you do. For your

daily life at home and at school, apply leadership values, which include

loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal

courage.

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