Learn Our History Today: On July 3, 1863, 150 years ago today, the Battle of Gettysburg came to an end after a final massive assault by the Confederates. Following the previous day’s battle, in which the Confederates had been pushed back, Confederate General Robert E. Lee devised a new plan. He concluded that, since he had attacked the Yankee’s flanks on the previous day, they would have taken steps to strengthen their flanks, leaving the center of their line undermanned. His plan was to first gather all the artillery possible, bombard the center of the Union line, and then charge the Union line over three quarters of a mile of open ground with three divisions of Confederate Infantry. This charge would become known as Pickett’s Charge, after Major General George Pickett, a commander of one of the three divisions. After the huge artillery barrage, which was the largest of the entire war and in which 150 cannons were used, the assault began. The rebels were under artillery fire almost immediately, taking chunks out of the massive lines of arrayed Confederate soldiers. As the Confederates came nearer, Union troops behind a stone wall began delivering a withering fire on their advancing rebel foe. By the time the rebels were within a few hundred yards of the Union positions behind the stone wall a great many of them had been killed, but a few men still continued on, some even making it over the wall and into the Union position. In the end, however, the epic rebel attack was repulsed with over 50% of the men who took part in it becoming casualties. In addition to Pickett’s Charge, the fighting again resumed on Culp’s Hill and a fierce Cavalry battle was fought on what became known as East Cavalry Field. However, there was another less remembered fight that took place that day. After the collapse of Pickett’s Charge, Brigadier General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick of the Union Cavalry ordered his subordinate, Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth, to lead a charge at confederate positions near the Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. Farnsworth initially refused, saying that there was absolutely no chance of success and that he would be leading his men to slaughter, but Kilpatrick kept the pressure on Farnsworth, even going so far as to call him a coward. Farnsworth would not stand this stab at his honor; he reluctantly agreed to make the charge, but Farnsworth first told Kilpatrick that he (Kilpatrick) would be held responsible for its outcome. Just as Farnsworth said, the charge suffered heavy losses. During the frivolous charge, Farnsworth himself was at the head of his men, crashing into rebel troops, but as he rode into large farm field men of the Confederate 15th Alabama Infantry cut down the gallant Farnsworth. Five bullets slammed into Farnsworth’s chest, but how he actually died has been a matter of argument and discussion for years. An account by Colonel William C. Oates of the 15th Alabama claimed that after Farnsworth was hit he was surrounded by southern soldiers and killed himself with a shot to the head to avoid capture. Although another account, by the Union surgeon who found Farnsworth’s body, claimed that Farnsworth had no gunshot wounds to his head at all. The true answer will most likely remain a mystery, but his willingness to lead a perilous charge, rather than be called a coward, seems to lead to the conclusion that someone this concerned with their honor would not do something as dis-honorable in those days as committing suicide. Following Farnsworth’s Charge and after three days of battle, the fighting at Gettysburg came to an end. More than 50,000 soldiers from both sides had been killed or wounded in the most devastating battle that North America had ever seen.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 04:13:23 +0000
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