A Ride to Death

As the Battle of Gettysburg was nearly over, the Confederate position around the Slyder Farm remained strong even after Pickett's Charge had been driven back two miles north. Union General Judson Kilpatrick, ordered to attack the enemy's right and rear, brought his cavalry here and directed General Elon Farnsworth to lead a charge from a wooded hill across the fields ahead. The ground, broken by large boulders, fences, and woodlots, was poorly suited for cavalry. Farnsworth objected to what he saw as a hopeless mission, but Kilpatrick insisted. With 300 troopers, Farnsworth charged over rocks and through timber under deadly fire. Captain H.C. Parsons of the 1st Vermont Cavalry recalled that each man felt he was summoned to ride to death. The charge ended in disaster.

Freedom Township, Pennsylvania · United States