Page 18 - Gettysburg weekend book

Day 3. July 3, 1863

Strategy-Meade had determined to hold his position and await
Lee's attack. Lee was still confident that he could defeat the Fed-
erals. He ordered Longstreet to renew his assault on the Federal
left. Ewell was to storm Culp's Hill. Stuart's cavalry was ordered
to march well east of Gettysburg, and attempt to penetrate to the
Federal rear. At daylight, the Federals opened an artillery bom-
bardment on the Confederates at the base of Culp’s Hill and a
fierce musketry fight followed. With Ewell already engaged, Lee
determined to shift his main attack to the Federal center on Cem-
etery Ridge. Longstreet was placed in command of the effort. The
plan was first to unleash a bombardment by nearly 140 cannons,
then to send Pickett, Pettigrew and half of Trimble's divisions,
nearly 12,000 men, forward to smash the Federal center.

Longstreet objected to the plans, expressing that the units as-
signed could not cross the mile-wide distance between the two
lines without being slaughtered but Lee insisted. After Ewell’s
forces were defeated in the attack on Culp’s Hill, much of the
battlefield was now quiet: the Rebels forming in the tree line and
the Federals preparing for the expected attack.

Confederate Artillery Bombardment-At l:00 p.m., Rebel artil-
lery opened the bombardment of the Federal line. The Federal
army replied with approximately 80 cannon but the Union artil-
lery ceased firing to save ammunition for the assault expected to
follow. The Confederate bombardment lasted for nearly two
hours but unknown to them, mostly overshot their targets. Then
infantry went forward in what has been known throughout history
as "Pickett's Charge."

Pickett’s Charge-The assault was centered on a small Copse of
Trees on Cemetery Ridge that was defended by Gen. Winfield
Hancock’s II corps. Federal artillery, followed by musketry, cut
the Confederate formations to pieces and inflicted devastating
losses.