Annual Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment

Early in the morning on July 1st Confederate General Henry Heth moved toward Gettysburg from Cashtown on the Chambersburg Pike in search of supplies. Heth’s entire division was mustered for the march after one of his brigade’s had returned and reported a sizeable force of Union cavalry near Gettysburg. After exchanging a few shots with a Union cavalry picket post near Marsh Creek, Heth believed he may be facing some local militia and a small Union force as he approached Herr’s Ridge and Willoughby Run. This belief was short-lived. Heth discovered the Rebels were facing General Buford’s dismounted cavalry, which were sent forward at Willoughby Run to stall the Confederate advance. Colonel William Gamble’s brigade of Buford’s division, supported by Lt. John H. Calef’s U.S. Battery with their breech loading carbines, did a fine job of delaying the Confederate approach. The Rebels were stalled - but only for a short period. The intense fighting of the First Day was just beginning.

Two brigades commanded by Generals Archer and Davis pressed slowly ahead crossing Willoughby Run. On Seminary Ridge from the copula of Schmucker Hall, General Buford was watching his men being pushed back from Willoughby Run when General John Reynolds, riding ahead of his First Corps coming up in support, asked Buford to hold out until his troops arrived. “The devil’s to pay” exclaimed Buford. Then he simply said “I reckon I can.” At the end of the first day the battle locations west of Gettysburg such as Herr’s Ridge, McPherson’s Woods, Willoughby Run, The Railroad Cut, Iverson’s Pits, Oak Hill, Schmucker Hall and Seminary Ridge would be etched into American history. The Union forces were eventually driven back through the town, but the First Day’s delaying action gave the Union reinforcements enough time to arrive and secure the strategic advantage on Cemetery Ridge. Experience this exhilarating First Day battle action on Friday, July 4th, 1:30 p.m. at the 145TH Gettysburg Anniversary Battle Reenactment.

After driving the Union army back through the town of Gettysburg, Confederate forces commanding the east side of town stopped short of Culp’s and East Cemetery Hill as night enveloped the battlefield. General Lee left the decision to press the July 1st attack on Culp’s Hill up to General Ewell. Since Ewell had only two brigades available and could not depend on reinforcements, he decided not to attack the Union force on the hill. Although that decision has been the subject of strong debates both pro and con, there is no doubt it gave the Union troops a greater opportunity to entrench and fortify their positions on the hill. The Cemetery Hill fighting opened at dusk on July 2nd with General Early’s division pressing from south and southeast of town and Rhodes’ division intending to attack from the town to the west. Troops from Early’s division included Brig. General Harry T. Hays with the Louisiana Tigers and Col. Isaac Avery’s North Carolinians gamely punched through weak spots in the Union line. The attackers reached the Federal guns on East Cemetery Hill and battled the Union cannoneers and troops driven from the base of the hill. Reinforcements from the Union Eleventh and Second Corps helped fill the gap and repulse Early’s assault. Unfortunately for the Confederates, Rhodes’ division was not ready for the fight until after Early’s fight was over so Rhodes’ division halted their attack on July 2nd.

The intense battle for Cemetery and Culp’s Hill during the evening and night of July 2nd was only a prelude to another ferocious Confederate assault early the next morning on July 3rd. Don’t miss the experience of this battle “Holding the High Ground” – Defense of Cemetery Hill on Friday, July 4th, 6:00 p.m. at the 145th Gettysburg Anniversary Battle Reenactment.

Although there were many other significant cavalry actions on the bloody fields of Gettysburg, the large cavalry action three miles east of Gettysburg on July 3rd is one of the most recognized. Today the area is known as East Cavalry Field located just north of the Hanover Road. At approximately 2:30 p.m. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart and Union General David M. Gregg, for a span of three hours, engaged in a series of charges and counter charges that resulted in one of the most ferocious cavalry battles in American history.

General Stuart and three brigades of cavalry reached the Gettysburg area on the afternoon of July 2nd from Carlisle. On July 3rd Lee sent Stuart with four brigades to guard the Confederate’s left flank and to be in position for the attack on Cemetery Ridge during Pickett’s Charge. While attempting to skirt the Union right flank Stuart met two brigades of Union cavalry commanded by Brig. General Gregg three miles east of Gettysburg on the Rummel Farm.

The battle opened up with dismounted skirmishing and ended with violent charges and counter charges with intense frontal impact. After several hours of indecisive and intermediate range shooting, Stuart decided that he needed to sweep aside the Federal horsemen if he was to be any help to Lee during the simultaneous Confederate frontal assault on Cemetery Ridge. Confederate cavalry led by Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee and Chambliss charged again and again only to be repulsed by Union cavalry led by Custer, McIntosh and Miller. The southern horsemen were accustomed to the Union cavalry normally withdrawing in the face of their mounted charges--that did not happen at Gettysburg. The well coordinated attacks, flank attacks and strategic execution repeated by the Federal cavalry during this engagement finally convinced Stuart’s brigades to withdraw to Cress Ridge while Gregg’s cavalry remained in possession of the field.

With the conclusion of this engagement one of the largest cavalry battles of the war was considered a draw. Stuart had been thwarted and any attempt to obtain Confederate cavalry assistance from the rear of Cemetery Ridge had been cut off by this valiant action.

Thrill to the sight and sounds of the largest cavalry battle reenacted since the Gettysburg 135TH Anniversary reenactment in 1998. Hundreds of mounted and dismounted cavalry will reenact the battle of East Cavalry Field followed by a Grand Cavalry Review. Don’t miss "Polished Sabers Dazzling in the Sun"--Cavalry Engagement Hanover Road on Saturday morning, July 5th at 11:00 a.m. at the 145th Gettysburg Battle Anniversary--an experience you will never forget!

On July 2nd Major General Daniel Sickles marched his Third Corp from the base of Little Roundtop, across the Wheatfield, to the D.F. Klingle Farm and the Sherfy Peach Orchard located on the east side of Emmitsburg Road. Sickles made the march against orders and almost caused a Federal disaster in the process. By moving forward from the Federal line Sickles exposed his corps to enfilading fire during a massive attack from Longstreet’s Corps.

As Confederate General William Barksdale’s Mississippi brigade overpowered two Union regiments placed just west of the Sherfy house, it was evident that Sickles delicate line could no longer be held. The Excelsior Brigade of New York regiments positioned along the Emmitsburg Road fought back furiously and temporarily blocked the Mississippians. The 120th New York infantry raced to fill the gap and met Barksdale’s men head on. As the Confederates moved forward, Union General A.A. Humphreys fought a stubborn withdrawal by slowing the pulling of his men back and having them turn and fire at the rapidly advancing Confederates. As the Third Corps line fell apart, the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge was exposed, vulnerable and hung in the balance.

The valiant delaying action at the Klingle Farm and Peach Orchard allowed Generals Meade and Hancock time to position their troops and stop the Confederate onslaught. Hancock led Col. George Willard’s brigade of his Second Corps to meet Barksdale’s advancing line just west of Plum Run. He then rallied the 1st Minnesota Regiment to strike the tired Alabamians. Meade also led Union troops from the First and Second Corps into the melee to halt the Confederate advance.

Although General Longstreet would later write that on July 2nd the men of his corps had done “the best three hours of fighting done by any troops on any battlefield” it had not been enough to secure victory and shatter the very precarious Federal defensive line on Cemetery Ridge. Don’t miss the experience of this exciting battle - "Hold the Line" – Gallant Rally at the Klingle Farm on Saturday, July 5th, 5:00 p.m. at the Gettysburg 145th Anniversary Battle Reenactment.

After Lee’s monumental Pickett’s Charge failure on the afternoon of July 3rd, the Confederate Army spent a rainy July 4th digging in and awaiting an attack from Meade’s army that never came. Heavy rains made the Confederate retreat beginning on July 5th very difficult. The Confederate army slogged its way back toward Virginia on muddy roads using routes through Cashtown and Frederick. Their objective was to reach the Potomac at Hagerstown and cross back into Virginia. When the last of the Confederate army reached Hagerstown on July 7th, Lee discovered the Potomac was too swollen to cross and prepared for a Union attack while his army entrenched and waited for the river level to fall.

Lee ordered General Imboden and his brigade of cavalry, who had arrived at Gettysburg too late to participate in the battle, to protect the train of Confederate wounded from the pursuing Union cavalry. The train of wounded had reached Williamsport, Maryland late on July 5th. The next day Union cavalry attacked the town of Williamsport in strength. The fight was tilted toward a Union victory until a fresh supply of ammunition and an attack to the Union rear by the Confederate cavalry commanded by J.E.B. Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee settled the contest. This was only one of numerous cavalry clashes between Union and Confederate cavalry during the retreat.

The Army of the Potomac had also been severely damaged at Gettysburg and needed to re-supply in Frederick. The Army of the Potomac finally pushed forward to the Potomac River on July 14th. It was too late! The water of the Potomac River had subsided enough that the Confederates were able to cross it during the night. The Federal cavalry found only a Confederate rear guard at the pontoon bridge at Falling Waters, Maryland. Although Lee’s army was crippled and would never launch another major offensive, Meade’s hesitation to pursue along with Confederate cavalry protecting the retreat would result in two more years of civil war. You can experience this exciting battle at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning July 6th at the Gettysburg 145th Battle Anniversary.

“Pickett’s Charge” Just the mention of those two words brings forth a flood of visual and sensory perceptions. Steaming humidity, ripe rye fields, lush green pastures, thundering cannon, suffocating smoke and row upon row of Confederate soldiers advancing across open fields into the face of a Federal inferno on Cemetery Ridge.

At precisely 1:07 p.m. – a field piece from the Washington Artillery, posted near the Peach Orchard, opened up the greatest cannonade in the annals of American history. It was a signal for the entire Confederate artillery line to let loose their terrific blast. The volcanic eruption lasted for almost two hours with Confederate artillery pounding the Federal position on Cemetery Ridge in an attempt to soften the Federal center for the pending frontal assault. Correspondent Samuel Wilkenson of the New York Times was at General Meade’s headquarter and reported, “the Confederate shells burst and screamed as many as six a second and made a very hell of a fire that amazed the older officers – men were cut in two and horses died still fastened by their halters.” It is difficult to even comprehend 140 Confederate guns and 100 Federal guns belching fire, smoke, destruction and death.

Approximately two hours later Colonel Porter Alexander observed from his position near the Peach Orchard that the Federal guns had slackened fire and his own supply of ammunition was running low. He sent word to General Pickett who in turn rode over to General Longstreet, who had persistently opposed Lee’s plan. Longstreet merely nodded approval and Picket saluted saying “I am going to move forward, sir.” With those words spoken, the Confederate infantry, three divisions totaling 12,000 men, majestically advanced from the woods on Seminary Ridge, across the open valley toward 6,000 troops on Cemetery Ridge. (General Hunt had earlier ordered a partial cessation of Federal guns, to cool them and conserve ammunition; this lull lead the Confederate army to believe that they had broken through the Federal line.) The Confederates were received by a fearful hurricane of missiles, which included solid shot, shrapnel, spherical-case, shell, canister and every other invention of warfare at the time.

At a terrible cost in human life, the Federal line was broken at the “Copse of Trees” when determined Confederate forces crashed into Union troops at the “Angle” and forced them back over the ridge. For a moment of high suspense, victory hung trembling in the balance. Union troops under Webb, Harrow, Hays & Stannard swiftly rose to the challenge and repulsed the Confederate assault to the heart of the Union. The Battle of Gettysburg was over. “The Copse of Trees” also known as “The Angle” unquestionably became the symbolic “High Tide of the Confederacy.”

Very seldom do you have this once in a lifetime opportunity to experience such a vast number of troops reenacting one of the most famous battles in the history of the world. Come to the 145th Gettysburg Anniversary Battle Reenactment and experience a lifetime memory: Pickett’s Charge – "The High Tide Crashes In" on Sunday, July 6, 3:00 p.m. at the Gettysburg 145th Anniversary Battle Reenactment.