Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Battle of Gettysburg

Starting point is 00:00:00 In the summer of 1863, after two years of war, Confederate General Robert E. Lee felt it was possible to swiftly end the conflict by taking the fight to the Union. Up until this point, almost all the fighting had taken place in Virginia. Lee felt that by moving to the north, he could achieve several objectives that would lead the Union to seek peace. His march to the north resulted in the largest battle of the war, which would ultimately be the turning point of the entire conflict. Learn more about the Battle of Gittiesburg, why it happened and how it was resolved on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong?

Starting point is 00:00:51 ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. By the summer of 1863, the Confederate Army, particularly General Robert E. Lee's army of Northern Virginia, was in a state of high morale, but increasing logistical strain. While the army had achieved a string of impressive battlefield victories, it was also facing

Starting point is 00:01:30 serious challenges. Lee defeated the Union Army at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862, and then at Chancellorsville in May of 1863. Lee's Army was in high spirits after Chancellor'sville, despite losing General Stonewall Jackson, one of his most trusted commanders. Despite the major victories, the Confederate situation was perilous at this time. Operation Anaconda, which I've covered in a previous episode, had caused the Confederacy economic hardship, with blockades limiting trade and supplies to the rest of the world. Inflation was skyrocketing, and there were growing food shortages in the South. Confederate President Jefferson Davis struggled to maintain unity among Southern states,

Starting point is 00:02:10 some of which were reluctant to fully support the central Confederate government. The army was poorly equipped compared to the Union forces, particularly in shoes, clothing, and ammunition. Up until this point, the vast majority of the war had been fought on Confederate soil, in particular Virginia. Even if Robert E. Lee could keep winning battles, time was not on his side. The Union had more resources, more men, and access to trade with the outside world. What Lee did have was the Army of Northern Virginia, which had about 75,000 men. New recruits were becoming harder to come by, and while the Confederates were doing well in the East, they were not doing nearly as well in the Western Theater, in particular in the siege of Vicksburg.

Starting point is 00:02:56 After the Battle of Chancellorsville, Lee felt his best option was to take the fight to the Union and march north. He had to strike while the iron was hot, because if he didn't do it now, he might never be able to. His decision to invade the North was influenced by several strategic political and logistical factors. The Confederacy had been fighting many battles in Virginia, and Lee wanted to shift the war out of the South, giving his home state a break from the devastation. Doing so might allow food production to increase, which was becoming necessary. By moving into Union territory, Lee hoped to disrupt northern supply lines, damage morale, and force the Union to divert troops away from other fronts. Disrupting supply lines would put the two armies on a more

Starting point is 00:03:41 equal footing as Lee's forces were low on supplies. The rich farmlands of Pennsylvania also provided an opportunity to gather food, horses, and other supplies that were scarce in the south. However, there were political motivations for a march into Union territory as well. The war had been dragging on, and Lee believed that a Confederate victory on northern soil might weaken Northern resolve and increase calls for peace. He also felt that a major Confederate victory in the north might persuade Britain or France to formally recognize the Confederacy and provide support which could break the blockade in the South. Before moving north, Lee reorganized his army into three corps under the command of three generals. James Longstreet, his most trusted commander, was in charge of the first Corps.

Starting point is 00:04:26 Richard Ewell took over Stonewall Jackson's old command and led the second Corps. Finally, AP Hill was promoted the Corps command despite having health issues and led the Third Corps. The Union Army of the Potomac was under the command of General Joseph Hooker, who had lost to Lee at Chancellorsville in May. On June 15th, the Confederate Army began crossing the Potomac and moved into Maryland. On June 24th, the Union Army crossed over, keeping between Lee and Washington, D.C. Lee tried not to antagonize the local population. They did seize food and horses, but reimbursed civilians with Confederate currency, which was totally useless in the north.

Starting point is 00:05:06 They also captured about 60 African Americans. Some of them had fled slavery and some were freemen, but all of them were put in chains and sent back to the south. On June 28th, President Abraham Lincoln replaced General Hooker as the commander of the Army of the Potomac with General George Mead, a move that Lincoln had been wanting to make for quite some time. The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg began as an unlawful, unintended clash between elements of the Union Confederate armies. Neither side initially planned

Starting point is 00:05:35 for a major battle, but events quickly escalated into a full-scale engagement. On the morning of July 1, 1863, the Battle of Gittiesburg began unexpectedly when Confederate forces under General Henry Heth advanced towards the town seeking supplies. In particular, they had heard rumors that there were shoes in the town. They encountered Union cavalry under Brigadier General John Buford, who had positioned his troops on the ridges to the west of Gittiesburg to slow the Confederate advance. Recognizing the importance of the high ground, Buford's men held off the initial attacks until reinforcements from Major General John Reynolds' first corps arrived. The Union soldiers put up a strong resistance, but during the intense fighting near McPherson's

Starting point is 00:06:16 ridge, Reynolds was shot and killed, a significant blow to the Union leadership. Despite his loss, Union forces continued to hold the line for several hours against increasing Confederate pressure. As the battle escalated, additional Confederate forces from AP Hills and Richard Ewell's Corps arrived, increasing pressure on the Union defenders. By midday, the Union 11th Corps under Major General Oliver O. Howard moved in to reinforce the northern flank, but found themselves in an exposed position. Confederate divisions attacked from both the West and the North, creating a pincer movement that overwhelmed the Union defenders. The 11th Corps was particularly vulnerable and soon collapsed under the assault, retreating chaotically through the streets of Gettysburg.

Starting point is 00:06:59 Meanwhile, the First Corps, despite fighting bravely, was also forced to fall back under relentless Confederate attacks. By late afternoon, Union forces had been pushed out of Gettysburg and retreated to Cemetery Hill to the south of town. Although the Confederates had secured a tactical victory on the first day by driving the Union Army from the field, they had not yet achieved a decisive breakthrough. General Robert E. Lee, who arrived on the battlefield late in the day, chose not to press the attack on Cemetery Hill, believing his men were too disorganized to launch a coordinator assault. The decision allowed the union forces to fortify their positions overnight, setting the stage for much larger and bloodier confrontations that would unfold over the next two days.

Starting point is 00:07:42 On July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sought to break the Union defensive position, which had solidified. along a strong fishhooked-shaped line from Culp's Hill on the right through Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge down to Little Round Top on the left. Believing the union flanks were vulnerable, Lee ordered Lieutenant General James Longstreet to attack the Union left, while Lieutenant General Richard Ewell was tasked with pressuring the Union right. However, delays in Longstreet's movements postponed the attack until the late afternoon, giving Union forces more time to prepare. When the assault finally began, some of the bloodiest fighting of the war erupted across key locations such as Devil's Den,

Starting point is 00:08:24 the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Little Roundtop. Longstreet's men launched a ferocious attack on the Union left, first striking at Devil's Den, a rocky outcrop defended by Union troops. After intense combat, Confederate forces managed to capture the position and turn their attention to the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard, where repeated charges and counter charges resulted in heavy casualties for both sides. Meanwhile, at Little Roundtop, Union troops under Colonel Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine

Starting point is 00:08:54 found themselves at the extreme left flank of the army. They were ordered to hold at all costs, and after repelling multiple Confederate assaults, Chamberlain led a desperate bayonet charge, which successfully drove the enemy back and secured the Union position. Had Little Roundtop fallen, the Confederate Army might have been able to roll up the entire Union line. On the Union right, Uval's forces launched assaults against Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill,

Starting point is 00:09:22 but struggled to coordinate their attacks effectively. While some Confederate troops managed to breach Union defenses at certain points, they were unable to hold their gains. The fierce fighting lasted well into the night, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. At the end of day two, the Union Army still held its strong defensive positions, and Lee's hope for a major breakthrough had not been realized. Though the Confederates had inflicted heavy casualties, they also suffered significant losses and had failed to break the Union line. On July 3, 1863, the final day of the Battle of Gittiesburg, General Robert E. Lee sought to deliver a decisive blow to the Union Army.

Starting point is 00:10:02 After two days of fierce combat with no clear breakthrough, he decided to concentrate his efforts at the center of the Union line, believing it to be the weakest point. The plan called for a massive infantry assault led by Major General George Pickett, supported by divisions under Generals James Pidigrew and Isaac Trimble. Before the attack, Lee ordered an intense artillery bombardment to weaken the Union defenses along Cemetery Ridge. For nearly two hours, Confederate cannons rained fire on Union positions, but much of the bombardment overshot its targets, leaving the Union defenses largely intact. Once the artillery fire subsided, around the Army.

Starting point is 00:10:41 12,500 Confederate soldiers stepped forward in what became known as Pickett's Charge. The men advanced across an open field, marching nearly a mile under relentless Union artillery and rifle fire. As they approached the Union line, they encountered devastating resistance. Only a small number of Confederates managed to breach the stone wall at the angle, a focal point of the Union defense, but they were quickly repelled in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Confederate attack collapsed, with thousands of men killed, wounded, or captured. Pickett's division was nearly annihilated, and when Lee ordered him to rally his troops for possible defense, Pickett reportedly responded, quote, General, I have no division.

Starting point is 00:11:26 With the failure of Pickett's charge, Lee was forced to abandon hopes of victory at Gettysburg. That evening, he began preparing for a retreat back to Virginia. General George Mead, the commander of the Union Army, chose not to launch an immediate counterattack, allowing Lee's army to withdraw. Although the battle was over, it had come at a tremendous cost. The Confederate suffered over 28,000 casualties, nearly a third of Lee's army, while the Union lost around 23,000 men.

Starting point is 00:11:56 While the casualties were similar in size, it was a far bigger blow to the South, who didn't have the population and manpower of the North. Giddiesburg marked a turning point in the Civil War, as Lee's defeat ended his ability to wage, offensive campaigns in the north. Combined with the fall of Vicksburg, the very next day on July 4th, the Confederate war effort suffered a blow from which it would never fully recover.

Starting point is 00:12:22 The Civil War would continue for two more long years, but in many ways, Gettysburg marked the beginning of the end. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Oaken and Cameron Kiefer. Today's review comes from listener DPK-1267 over on Apple Podcasts in the United States. They write, producers, what happened to Ben Long? Thanks, DPK. The producers for the show are just the top levels of support over on Patreon,

Starting point is 00:12:56 and they will change every so often. In the case of Ben, I'm actually friends with him. I usually see him about once a week. He's saving up for some projects he's working on, and I told him to just save his money because when the producer slots open up, they're usually filled almost immediately. So over time, you will see some turnover in the producer positions, and that is totally normal.

Starting point is 00:13:17 Remember, if you leave a review or send me a boostagram, you two can have it read on the show.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Battle of Gettysburg

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