What happened on the first day of the Battle at Gettysburg?

Answer 1

Confederate General James Longstreet broke through Union Lines at the Peach Orchard, and gave a rocky area now known as Devils Den its name. Union General G.K. Warren noticed that Little Round Top was unmaned and he rushed to get men on that hill. Confedrate General R.S. Ewells attack on on East Cemetary and Culps Hills proved futile.

Answer 2

The day began when Confederate Troops attacked the Union Calvary Division at McPherson Ridge, the Union forces though outnumbered where able to push back the invading Confederates. But the afternoon brought additional southern troops that managed to push the Union troops back through the town where many Union soldiers were captured before they could regroup on Cemetary Hill. Meade's Army arrived in the night and toiled on their defenses for the next days battle.

Answer 3

On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederate forces attempted yet one more attack against their Union opponents. This time, the attack ordered by General Robert E. Lee was directed against the center of the Union defenses, just south of the town of Gettysburg itself. The Union repulsed this attack, known famously as Pickett's Charge, with such success that the Confederate army was by nightfall in full retreat from the battlefield.

Answer 4

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On July 3rd, 1862 Slocum attacked Culp's Hill in an effort to regain Confederate control of the area to the north. The battle raged on until mid-morning when the Confederates were forced to retreat across Rock Creek.

Answer 5

The Confederates attacked both ends of the Union line. These were supposed to be simultaneous attacks, but were delivered at different times. At the north end Confederates of Richard Ewell's Second Corps attacked Yankees atop Culp's Hill, without much success. At the southern end Rebels of James Longstreet's First Corps attacked Union forces on a hill called Little Round Top. There was severe fighting in areas called the Peach Orchard and Devil's Den as well as on the sides of Little Round Top. Yankee officers in the area made important decisions that probably saved the day for the Union, most notably Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, colonel commanding the 20th Maine regiment. Chamberlain "refused" the flank of the Union army, meaning he bent the union line back ninety degrees, so part of his command was facing south instead of west. This intercepted the Confederates who were trying to "flank" the Yankees - meaning to come in attacking from the end of the Yankee line and behind it. If successful this maneuver usually caused the defenders to have to pull back.

This fighting at the south end of the line is still controversial today. After the war former Confederate officers who were editors of a magazine called the Southern Historical Society Papers blamed Longstreet for the failure of this attack, alleging that Longstreet was "late" in delivering the attack, that Longstreet was half-hearted about it and did not want to make the attack. Since Gettysburg was a pivotal battle blaming Longstreet for single-handedly losing it by implication meant Longstreet lost the war for the Confederates. The officers making these charges waited until after General Lee was dead to try this smear; they were angry at Longstreet, who had turned Republican after the war and had gotten a government job from his old army friend, President "Sam" Grant. This was about the worst thing a former Confederate officer could do, joining the Republican Party. Also the officers making these charges were responsible themselves for fumbling away opportunities on the first day of the battle which if taken may have driven the Yankees completely from the field. They went so far as to allege that General Lee wanted Longstreet's attack delivered at daybreak, which was ridiculous. Longstreet's troops were not yet even all on the battlefield until about noon. Then they had to march miles, keeping out of view of the Yankees on the hilltops opposite, to get into position to make the attack, which they did about four in the afternoon. Had they managed to attack even a half hour earlier, there were no Yankees on the Little Round Top, and they might have "rolled up" the entire Yankee line. But alert Yankees had recognized the importance of this hill at the end of their line and occupied it moments before the Confederates attacked. Longstreet himself, stung by years of criticism and blame, wrote a book forty years after the war, claiming that he wanted to move farther east before attacking northward, so he would have been more in the rear of the Yankee's position. As it was, Lee ordered him to attack as ordered, even after Longstreet had discovered and reported that following the attack plan he had been given would put part of his men attacking on an angle into the very front of the Yankee position on the high ground, which gave little prospect of success for that part of his attack. As results played out it was a very near thing for the Yankees, and if Longstreet's desire to move farther east before going in had been allowed, the Confederates might have prevailed. The controversy persists to this day, with modern authors still claiming Longstreet was "late". Longstreet's apostasy in turning Republican was never forgiven. Longstreet commanded the First Corps (and the largest) of Lee's Army throughout the war, and Lee called him affectionately "my old war horse", but there is not a single statue of Longstreet anywhere in the south.

Answer 6

The south over ran the northern skirmishers and advanced but little did they know that union reinforcements were yet to come.

Answer 7

someone turned into a rock