A Change in Plans

Following the fighting on July 2, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered Generals Ewell and Longstreet to launch coordinated morning assaults on both ends of the Union line, but around 4:30 am Federal artillery fired on Culp’s Hill, forcing Ewell to accelerate his attack while Longstreet’s men did not advance. Lee then revised his battle plan and decided to attack what he believed was the weakest point of the Union position, the center. Ordering a charge across low, open fields against an enemy holding the high ground was an enormous risk, and Longstreet objected that “no 15,000 men ever arrayed for battle can take that position,” but Lee remained determined. From 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, 150 Confederate cannon pounded the position to prepare for the frontal assault known as Pickett’s Charge. Earlier, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, an ominous silence had blanketed the field as Union infantry behind the stone wall waited uneasily for what might happen next, then hunkered down when the Confederate guns opened up to avoid murderous iron.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · United States