Rookster
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Morning pepperj
THE Random Chat Thread - AKA "The RCT" - No shirt or shoes required - Open 24 / 7
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I looks like we're going into a heat wave system that everyday will be 90F feeling like 100-105F. The chickens are going to be panting for the next while outside so I'll put them in earlier each day where it's 20 degrees cooler in the shade of the insulated building.
RustyRelics
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At around 7:30 am on July 1st, 1863, Lieutenant Marcellus Jones, of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, noticed a column of rebel infantry through the humid mists while he was on picket duty along the Chambersburg Pike. He leveled a borrowed breech loading carbine on a fence rail, and fired the first shot of well over a million to be fired during the largest battle in the Western Hemisphere. General John Bufords men were stretched out over McPhersons Ridge and the Chambersburg Pike. Confederate General Harry Heth was unsure of what lay before him. Was it militia? Just a small regiment? He decided to press forward to brush these pesky cavalry men off. He ordered the 5th Alabama regiment into a skirmish line, to attack the dismounted troopers in his front.
Meanwhile, Buford himself was a short distance away, in the Cupola of the Lutheran Theological Seminary. It provided him with an excellent view of the battlefield, and the condition of his troops.
The Yankee horsemen quickly fired shot after shot at a very quick pace. These were cavalrymen, meaning that they used breech loading carbines. The Southerners used Muzzle loading rifled muskets. A good infantryman could fire about three rounds per minute- a cavalryman could fire six. It was this difference, that made the fighting somewhat equal. Buford had to hold the high ground until Reynolds could arrive with the I Corps.
General Heth ordered his two generals Archer and Davis to move forward. Then he ordered an artillery attack on Mcphersons Ridge.
By this time, at around nine in the morning, General Buford was in a worried state. The rebels were pushing, and pushing hard. Where in the heck was Reynolds!?
Then, in the distance, an aide noticed the flags of the I Corps, with General Reynolds at the lead. General Reynolds yelled up to the cupola, where Buford was standing, "What goes, John?" "There's the Devil to pay!" Buford shouted back . "Can you Hold?" questioned Reynolds. "I reckon I can" drawled the Kentucky native Buford. Buford held the line until he absolutely couldn't any more, an that's when the I Corps arrived.
The Union I corps contained the most famed, feared and spectacular Union brigade of all - the Iron Brigade. The units in the brigade consisted of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin Regiments. They were the toughest soldiers in the army, and wore a signature black hat.
"It's the d***** Black Hats!" shouted a furious Heth. The rebels were falling back slowly, firing as they went. General Reynolds went forward with his men shouting, "Forward men! For Gods sake, forward!" No sooner than when he spoke those words, a rebel sharpshooters bullet pierced his temple, and the general fell forward in his saddle, dead.
By now, Lee was angry at that an attack was made. He didn't want to engage the enemy until he was ready. But now an attack was here, and he ordered all of his command forward.
All up and down the union lines, from Mcphersons Ridge, to Barlows Knoll, the Yankees were having a tough time holding the confederates back. Men from the Pennsylvania "Bucktail" regiment held off the season veterans of the North Carolina "Tarheels" for a good long time, proving their battlefield worth. Union General Francis Barlow was severely wounded on the knoll that bears his name, and was left for dead. It has been said that a confederate Colonel John Gordon saw Barlow laying down in the field. He gave the general a drink of much needed water from his own canteen, and rushed back to rally his men. Whether this really happened or not is still a mystery.
By 4:00PM All hell broke loose on the union lines. The XI Corps buckled, and started to flee in every direction. The rebels gave chase, and finally broke through the union lines. The rebels captured the town of Gettysburg, and a bit of the surrounding countryside. General Lee was very pleased, but he asked CS General Ewell to take Cemetery Hill, "if practicable". General Ewell did not, despite protests from his subordinates. Within the hour, Union troops were on the hill, working on getting artillery placements. It is one of the biggest questions in all of Civil War history. If General Ewell took that hill, would they have won the battle? Would they have won the war? It s impossible to say, but historians agree it was probably the right decision at the time.
The sun fell that day with a Confederate victory, and over 9,000 Killed, wounded, or missing on either side.
The second day started off really slow. General Lee sent scouts out to go check the Union lines, and found them to be in the shape of a giant fishhook. Lee wanted Longstreet, his second in command, to attack the Union flanks. Longstreet made protest, but sadly gave in. He wanted to fall back, and move South to Washington. There, they could surround the nations capital, and force Lincoln into peace talks. Lee pondered a moment, before exclaiming that "The enemy is here! How could I ask these men to retreat in the face of what they have done this day?" "Not retreat sir, redeploy" replied Longstreet. Never the less, Lee wanted to attack, so Longstreet reluctantly followed orders. It was mainly quiet all day on the Union lines however.
Due to the fact that the confederates could be seen from the tops of the hills by the Yankees, Longstreet counter-marched the army for several miles. One unfortunate brigade under the command of Evander Law, marched over 25 miles since 1:00AM! They finally got into position at around 3:00PM.
Union General Daniel Sickles, commander of the III Corps, decided he was not in a good position. He thought that the rebels would win, if he stayed in his current position. Without any orders, Sickles moved his entire command forward, exposing the Roundtops, (hills). Union army General George Meade was furious, but it was already too late. AT 4:00 PM, Longstreet commenced his assault with fury.
Cannons boomed incessantly, hitting the Peach Orchard and Devils Den with shells. Confederate General Hood, was supposed to take his command to take Devils Den, and the Roundtops. General Hood argued that if he tried to take those rocky heights, his men would be slaughtered. General Longstreet replied, "I've been arguing that decision all day, I've argued against this assault, hell I've been arguing against any attack at all, but the commanding general won't allow you to move around those hills". "But sir, let me move around to the right!! Those hills are undefended and open!" replied Hood. "Sam, by the time you get artillery up there, it would be dark before you were in action. However if the Yankees get up there...we're gonna need buckets to catch the lead" said Longstreet. "They don't even need guns to defend that! said Hood. All they need o do is roll rocks down on you!" "Just take it" said Longstreet. With a salute, General hood rode forward with his men, into the hell of Devils Den.
Attacks swayed back and forth in the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and Devils Den. Bayonet charges, frenzied melees and bloody fighting took place. Little by little, the confederates gained ground.
While the bloody fighting surged back and forth below, Union General Gouveneur K. Warren was perched on little Roundop with his aides, looking through binoculars and spotted rebel troops moving in the distance. He immediately ordered troops to get onto the hill before the rebels could take it. Union Troops rushed onto the hill in the nick of time.
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was commander of the 20th Maine infantry regiment. He along with his men hurriedly rushed onto the hill just in time. They were the extreme left flank of the Union army. The line stopped there. They couldn't retreat or withdraw under any circumstance. The rebels eventually came and charged up the hill, which was repulsed by the 20th Maine. After repeated attacks, the 20th Maine's outlook wasn't good. They started the war with 1,000 men. They came to Gettysburg with 300. Now, they were hovering at 200. They were almost completely out of ammunition, when the rebels charged , and temporarily broke through. A desperate hand to hand struggle ensued, with men clubbing, punching and stabbing the foe. The rebels were pushed back again. The rebels were forming up to attack again, and the 20th were totally out of ammo. Colonel Chamberlain pondered his next move. The 83rd Pennsylvania, off to the 20ths right, couldn't give any ammunition, because they were having their own troubles. Chamberlain only had one decision. "BAYONETS!" He screamed. The word caught like wildfire, and everyone had there bayonets fixed.They charged down the slope, yelling and screaming frantically, sending the rebels into a panic, and driving them off, and capturing many. Some say that this act saved the Union flank at Gettysburg.
The third day began early, as the Confederates made a rush to grab Culps Hill at around 4:00AM , but the Union XII Corps counterattacked before they could reach it.
Culps Hill, an underappreciated section of the battlefield, was heavily contested for on July 2nd, and even more so on July 3rd. It could be said, that if the Confederates would have taken that hill, Gettysburg would be a Southern victory. Volley after volley, smashed into the rocks and trees making shrieking ricochet sounds. After multiple charges and heavy losses, the confederates pulled back at around 10:00AM. As the bloodied and battered rebel columns marched by, Confederate general Steuart, whose brigade of North Carolina and Maryland troops were in the thick of battle, wrung his hands and woefully moaned, "my poor boys! My poor boys!"
By this time, Lee had a problem. The loss of Culps Hill meant a drastic change in plans. After a while of thought, he came up with his master plan. Bombard the Union center, its weakest point, and afterwards a charge of over 18,000 men to assault the center. In his eyes, it was perfect. General Longstreet thought otherwise.
"No 10,000 men can ever take that ridge" he said. Lee told him that with the artillery, they would prevail. The enemy was here, and he wasn't going to let them there.
At around 1:00PM, General Longstreet rode up to the commander of the Washington Artillery, a Famous Louisiana regiment, to fire the signal shots from the Peach Orchard. What followed was a violent, terrific blast from over 120 Confederate cannon simultaneously. Union soldiers were surprised, as they weren't expecting an attack. Never the less, Union gunners quickly began to return fire. For almost three hours, the air was filled with the sounds of booming cannons, shrieking shells, and violent explosions. The ground quite literally shook with the sounds of almost 200 artillery pieces from both sides. Confederate soldiers and Union soldiers alike both suffered from the noise. A few reports of men going insane exist, some soldiers ears bled, and others simply went into shock. Due to a strange atmospheric occurrence, people as far away as Baltimore Maryland heard the battle. Citizens in Philadelphia, heard the noise as well as citizens in Pittsburgh and New York.
Colonel Porter, a young commander of artillery, rushed pleas to Longstreet to commence the attack, or they would run out of ammunition. Longstreet held off for as long as possible. General Pickett, whose charge his name bears, came to Longstreet, and asked if he could commence the attack. Longstreet bowed his head, and nodded.
The Call to Battle was played on the drums as regiment after regiment came out of the woods. A little under 18,000 men came out in a long line, ready to march. General Pickett rode to the lines, and in a speech that most couldn't hear, declared, "Up men! Up, and to your posts! And let no man forget that today, you are from, old VIRGINIA!" The Virginians gave a wild cheer, as the North Carolinian's looked on.
With that, they marched forward. Almost immediately, they came under fire from long range artillery. Case shot ripped through the lines. The rebels marched as if they were on parade. Union soldiers crouched behind a stone wall, waiting for the assault. The rebels had to march a distance of almost a mile, mostly uphill. The whole time, they were being ripped apart by artillery fire. As they neared the fence bordering the Emmitsburg road, they were temporarily halted. As they struggled to jump the fence, the were in range of Canister shot, shells packed with hundreds of round balls, shredded bodies. They were also in range of Union muskets, and they began to pour volleys into the now thinning rebel lines. Only about 200 men reached the stone wall, and they, along with their beloved general Lewis Armistead, began to overrun the Yankees. Yankee reinforcements rushed in, and repulsed the attack, and ended up mortally wounding Armistead. The attack was a failure, and Lee rode out to the men as they came in trom the field, bloodied, beaten and hanging on to life.
"Its all my fault!" Lee said. "It is entirely my fault!" The men quickly cried out that Lee wan't wrong. "Let us reform, and hit them again! They will surely break this time!" exclaimed one soldier.
Lee then found General Pickett standing, and staring into the field. "General Pickett, you must look to your division" Lee said. "General Lee. I have no division" was Pickett's morose reply.
After it was all said and done, over 51,000 casualties marked the end of the biggest battle in the western hemisphere. Lee had lost a major battle on Northern soil, and worse yet, Union general Grant captured Vicksburg Mississippi. Lee would pull out the next morning, defeated, but not finished.
After the third day of the battle of Gettysburg, over 51,000 casualties littered the fields. On the Union side, over 28% of men involved were lost, and on the Confederate side, 37%. 7,058 were killed, 3,155, for the Union, and 3,903 for the rebels. A combined 33,264 men were wounded, and over 10,790 were missing (either blown to bits, or unidentified, or in a prison camp). It was a ghastly price to pay, for the freedom of others, the rights of a region, and the Union of a country.
Every available home, church, school or barn became a field hospital. Surgeons were overworked with a non stop flow of patients. It reportedly took a 500 surgeon team one week to clear just one section of field. Amputations were done with little, to no anesthesia, and the unlucky soldier had to be held down by many men, while the doctor amputated the limb. Huge mounds of limbs piled up quickly, and the local children were sometimes the unfortunate souls who had to dispose of them into shallow pits.
Often the worse part of being a soldier was being wounded. It could be hours, days, and even a week or two before you were ever discovered. The wound would be infected, or worse, rotting. On the night of the fourth, a large rainstorm swept through, causing a flash flood, carrying live wounded men away, drowning them as they could not swim. Feral hogs ate others, whether they were alive or dead. And then there were the photographers, who repositioned bodies, and souvenir hunters who rifled through the clothes of the victims for memorabilia.
Where the dead lay in heaps, mass graves were dug. Among the bodies, two Southern women were found. They disguised their genders so they could fight for what they believed in. Many townspeople dug graves for weeks on end, in the summer heat. With that heat, came the smell of death that lingered for weeks. Over 5,000 horses and mules lay dead, and the bodies of these were burned over several weeks.
But out of all of this, acts of kindness were common. Many organisations for orphans whose fathers were killed in the battle sprung up, and citizens gave supplies to the wounded. In one case, an African American woman named Lydia Smith, provided what little she had to both Union and Confederate wounded.
It was later that year, in November, when president Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address, at the consecration of the Soldiers National Cemetery.
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Meanwhile, Buford himself was a short distance away, in the Cupola of the Lutheran Theological Seminary. It provided him with an excellent view of the battlefield, and the condition of his troops.
The Yankee horsemen quickly fired shot after shot at a very quick pace. These were cavalrymen, meaning that they used breech loading carbines. The Southerners used Muzzle loading rifled muskets. A good infantryman could fire about three rounds per minute- a cavalryman could fire six. It was this difference, that made the fighting somewhat equal. Buford had to hold the high ground until Reynolds could arrive with the I Corps.
General Heth ordered his two generals Archer and Davis to move forward. Then he ordered an artillery attack on Mcphersons Ridge.
By this time, at around nine in the morning, General Buford was in a worried state. The rebels were pushing, and pushing hard. Where in the heck was Reynolds!?
Then, in the distance, an aide noticed the flags of the I Corps, with General Reynolds at the lead. General Reynolds yelled up to the cupola, where Buford was standing, "What goes, John?" "There's the Devil to pay!" Buford shouted back . "Can you Hold?" questioned Reynolds. "I reckon I can" drawled the Kentucky native Buford. Buford held the line until he absolutely couldn't any more, an that's when the I Corps arrived.
The Union I corps contained the most famed, feared and spectacular Union brigade of all - the Iron Brigade. The units in the brigade consisted of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin Regiments. They were the toughest soldiers in the army, and wore a signature black hat.
"It's the d***** Black Hats!" shouted a furious Heth. The rebels were falling back slowly, firing as they went. General Reynolds went forward with his men shouting, "Forward men! For Gods sake, forward!" No sooner than when he spoke those words, a rebel sharpshooters bullet pierced his temple, and the general fell forward in his saddle, dead.
By now, Lee was angry at that an attack was made. He didn't want to engage the enemy until he was ready. But now an attack was here, and he ordered all of his command forward.
All up and down the union lines, from Mcphersons Ridge, to Barlows Knoll, the Yankees were having a tough time holding the confederates back. Men from the Pennsylvania "Bucktail" regiment held off the season veterans of the North Carolina "Tarheels" for a good long time, proving their battlefield worth. Union General Francis Barlow was severely wounded on the knoll that bears his name, and was left for dead. It has been said that a confederate Colonel John Gordon saw Barlow laying down in the field. He gave the general a drink of much needed water from his own canteen, and rushed back to rally his men. Whether this really happened or not is still a mystery.
By 4:00PM All hell broke loose on the union lines. The XI Corps buckled, and started to flee in every direction. The rebels gave chase, and finally broke through the union lines. The rebels captured the town of Gettysburg, and a bit of the surrounding countryside. General Lee was very pleased, but he asked CS General Ewell to take Cemetery Hill, "if practicable". General Ewell did not, despite protests from his subordinates. Within the hour, Union troops were on the hill, working on getting artillery placements. It is one of the biggest questions in all of Civil War history. If General Ewell took that hill, would they have won the battle? Would they have won the war? It s impossible to say, but historians agree it was probably the right decision at the time.
The sun fell that day with a Confederate victory, and over 9,000 Killed, wounded, or missing on either side.
The second day started off really slow. General Lee sent scouts out to go check the Union lines, and found them to be in the shape of a giant fishhook. Lee wanted Longstreet, his second in command, to attack the Union flanks. Longstreet made protest, but sadly gave in. He wanted to fall back, and move South to Washington. There, they could surround the nations capital, and force Lincoln into peace talks. Lee pondered a moment, before exclaiming that "The enemy is here! How could I ask these men to retreat in the face of what they have done this day?" "Not retreat sir, redeploy" replied Longstreet. Never the less, Lee wanted to attack, so Longstreet reluctantly followed orders. It was mainly quiet all day on the Union lines however.
Due to the fact that the confederates could be seen from the tops of the hills by the Yankees, Longstreet counter-marched the army for several miles. One unfortunate brigade under the command of Evander Law, marched over 25 miles since 1:00AM! They finally got into position at around 3:00PM.
Union General Daniel Sickles, commander of the III Corps, decided he was not in a good position. He thought that the rebels would win, if he stayed in his current position. Without any orders, Sickles moved his entire command forward, exposing the Roundtops, (hills). Union army General George Meade was furious, but it was already too late. AT 4:00 PM, Longstreet commenced his assault with fury.
Cannons boomed incessantly, hitting the Peach Orchard and Devils Den with shells. Confederate General Hood, was supposed to take his command to take Devils Den, and the Roundtops. General Hood argued that if he tried to take those rocky heights, his men would be slaughtered. General Longstreet replied, "I've been arguing that decision all day, I've argued against this assault, hell I've been arguing against any attack at all, but the commanding general won't allow you to move around those hills". "But sir, let me move around to the right!! Those hills are undefended and open!" replied Hood. "Sam, by the time you get artillery up there, it would be dark before you were in action. However if the Yankees get up there...we're gonna need buckets to catch the lead" said Longstreet. "They don't even need guns to defend that! said Hood. All they need o do is roll rocks down on you!" "Just take it" said Longstreet. With a salute, General hood rode forward with his men, into the hell of Devils Den.
Attacks swayed back and forth in the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and Devils Den. Bayonet charges, frenzied melees and bloody fighting took place. Little by little, the confederates gained ground.
While the bloody fighting surged back and forth below, Union General Gouveneur K. Warren was perched on little Roundop with his aides, looking through binoculars and spotted rebel troops moving in the distance. He immediately ordered troops to get onto the hill before the rebels could take it. Union Troops rushed onto the hill in the nick of time.
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was commander of the 20th Maine infantry regiment. He along with his men hurriedly rushed onto the hill just in time. They were the extreme left flank of the Union army. The line stopped there. They couldn't retreat or withdraw under any circumstance. The rebels eventually came and charged up the hill, which was repulsed by the 20th Maine. After repeated attacks, the 20th Maine's outlook wasn't good. They started the war with 1,000 men. They came to Gettysburg with 300. Now, they were hovering at 200. They were almost completely out of ammunition, when the rebels charged , and temporarily broke through. A desperate hand to hand struggle ensued, with men clubbing, punching and stabbing the foe. The rebels were pushed back again. The rebels were forming up to attack again, and the 20th were totally out of ammo. Colonel Chamberlain pondered his next move. The 83rd Pennsylvania, off to the 20ths right, couldn't give any ammunition, because they were having their own troubles. Chamberlain only had one decision. "BAYONETS!" He screamed. The word caught like wildfire, and everyone had there bayonets fixed.They charged down the slope, yelling and screaming frantically, sending the rebels into a panic, and driving them off, and capturing many. Some say that this act saved the Union flank at Gettysburg.
The third day began early, as the Confederates made a rush to grab Culps Hill at around 4:00AM , but the Union XII Corps counterattacked before they could reach it.
Culps Hill, an underappreciated section of the battlefield, was heavily contested for on July 2nd, and even more so on July 3rd. It could be said, that if the Confederates would have taken that hill, Gettysburg would be a Southern victory. Volley after volley, smashed into the rocks and trees making shrieking ricochet sounds. After multiple charges and heavy losses, the confederates pulled back at around 10:00AM. As the bloodied and battered rebel columns marched by, Confederate general Steuart, whose brigade of North Carolina and Maryland troops were in the thick of battle, wrung his hands and woefully moaned, "my poor boys! My poor boys!"
By this time, Lee had a problem. The loss of Culps Hill meant a drastic change in plans. After a while of thought, he came up with his master plan. Bombard the Union center, its weakest point, and afterwards a charge of over 18,000 men to assault the center. In his eyes, it was perfect. General Longstreet thought otherwise.
"No 10,000 men can ever take that ridge" he said. Lee told him that with the artillery, they would prevail. The enemy was here, and he wasn't going to let them there.
At around 1:00PM, General Longstreet rode up to the commander of the Washington Artillery, a Famous Louisiana regiment, to fire the signal shots from the Peach Orchard. What followed was a violent, terrific blast from over 120 Confederate cannon simultaneously. Union soldiers were surprised, as they weren't expecting an attack. Never the less, Union gunners quickly began to return fire. For almost three hours, the air was filled with the sounds of booming cannons, shrieking shells, and violent explosions. The ground quite literally shook with the sounds of almost 200 artillery pieces from both sides. Confederate soldiers and Union soldiers alike both suffered from the noise. A few reports of men going insane exist, some soldiers ears bled, and others simply went into shock. Due to a strange atmospheric occurrence, people as far away as Baltimore Maryland heard the battle. Citizens in Philadelphia, heard the noise as well as citizens in Pittsburgh and New York.
Colonel Porter, a young commander of artillery, rushed pleas to Longstreet to commence the attack, or they would run out of ammunition. Longstreet held off for as long as possible. General Pickett, whose charge his name bears, came to Longstreet, and asked if he could commence the attack. Longstreet bowed his head, and nodded.
The Call to Battle was played on the drums as regiment after regiment came out of the woods. A little under 18,000 men came out in a long line, ready to march. General Pickett rode to the lines, and in a speech that most couldn't hear, declared, "Up men! Up, and to your posts! And let no man forget that today, you are from, old VIRGINIA!" The Virginians gave a wild cheer, as the North Carolinian's looked on.
With that, they marched forward. Almost immediately, they came under fire from long range artillery. Case shot ripped through the lines. The rebels marched as if they were on parade. Union soldiers crouched behind a stone wall, waiting for the assault. The rebels had to march a distance of almost a mile, mostly uphill. The whole time, they were being ripped apart by artillery fire. As they neared the fence bordering the Emmitsburg road, they were temporarily halted. As they struggled to jump the fence, the were in range of Canister shot, shells packed with hundreds of round balls, shredded bodies. They were also in range of Union muskets, and they began to pour volleys into the now thinning rebel lines. Only about 200 men reached the stone wall, and they, along with their beloved general Lewis Armistead, began to overrun the Yankees. Yankee reinforcements rushed in, and repulsed the attack, and ended up mortally wounding Armistead. The attack was a failure, and Lee rode out to the men as they came in trom the field, bloodied, beaten and hanging on to life.
"Its all my fault!" Lee said. "It is entirely my fault!" The men quickly cried out that Lee wan't wrong. "Let us reform, and hit them again! They will surely break this time!" exclaimed one soldier.
Lee then found General Pickett standing, and staring into the field. "General Pickett, you must look to your division" Lee said. "General Lee. I have no division" was Pickett's morose reply.
After it was all said and done, over 51,000 casualties marked the end of the biggest battle in the western hemisphere. Lee had lost a major battle on Northern soil, and worse yet, Union general Grant captured Vicksburg Mississippi. Lee would pull out the next morning, defeated, but not finished.
After the third day of the battle of Gettysburg, over 51,000 casualties littered the fields. On the Union side, over 28% of men involved were lost, and on the Confederate side, 37%. 7,058 were killed, 3,155, for the Union, and 3,903 for the rebels. A combined 33,264 men were wounded, and over 10,790 were missing (either blown to bits, or unidentified, or in a prison camp). It was a ghastly price to pay, for the freedom of others, the rights of a region, and the Union of a country.
Every available home, church, school or barn became a field hospital. Surgeons were overworked with a non stop flow of patients. It reportedly took a 500 surgeon team one week to clear just one section of field. Amputations were done with little, to no anesthesia, and the unlucky soldier had to be held down by many men, while the doctor amputated the limb. Huge mounds of limbs piled up quickly, and the local children were sometimes the unfortunate souls who had to dispose of them into shallow pits.
Often the worse part of being a soldier was being wounded. It could be hours, days, and even a week or two before you were ever discovered. The wound would be infected, or worse, rotting. On the night of the fourth, a large rainstorm swept through, causing a flash flood, carrying live wounded men away, drowning them as they could not swim. Feral hogs ate others, whether they were alive or dead. And then there were the photographers, who repositioned bodies, and souvenir hunters who rifled through the clothes of the victims for memorabilia.
Where the dead lay in heaps, mass graves were dug. Among the bodies, two Southern women were found. They disguised their genders so they could fight for what they believed in. Many townspeople dug graves for weeks on end, in the summer heat. With that heat, came the smell of death that lingered for weeks. Over 5,000 horses and mules lay dead, and the bodies of these were burned over several weeks.
But out of all of this, acts of kindness were common. Many organisations for orphans whose fathers were killed in the battle sprung up, and citizens gave supplies to the wounded. In one case, an African American woman named Lydia Smith, provided what little she had to both Union and Confederate wounded.
It was later that year, in November, when president Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address, at the consecration of the Soldiers National Cemetery.
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
RustyRelics
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- Apr 5, 2019
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Good morning. Today my avatar is changed, for the honoring of the High Watermark of the Confederacy at Picketts Charge. That's on battle besides Omaha Beach I wish I was able to participate in.
bill from lachine
Gold Member
Good morning ARC, Jim, rook, RR and the rest of the gang.
bill from lachine
Gold Member
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