"Death was upon every breeze,
And lurked in every flower."
The division pressed on. Round shot, shell, canister and rifle balls were poured into them at close range from the front, and a battery on Round Top raked the line from the right.
Pickett was expecting to be supported by Pettigrew's brigade on the left, and Lane's brigade on the right. Those brigades, however, were coming up, but were being met by such strong opposition that they were entirely outdistanced and fell back finally with Pickett's retreat, thus leaving Pickett with his three brigades alone in front. The Confederate ranks were thinning as far as eye could see. Garnett was killed leading his brigade, his being in the lead. Kemper, coming up next to the distance of sixty yards behind, brought his brigade to a halt to give Armistead time to come up for the last and final charge.
They were fired upon by the enemy, posted along the edge of the woods. This murderous fire almost disorganized them. Armistead, urging his men forward with his hat on his sword, holding it up as a guide, crossed over the Union breastworks, and for a time the Confederates seemed to gain some advantage, but were presently surrounded by overwhelming numbers. General Armistead was mortally wounded, and nearly all the other officers of the division were either killed or wounded.
Pickett, seeing the hopelessness of the charge, ordered a retreat of his shattered lines.
Out of 4,800 men that followed Pickett, scarcely 1,200 to 1,300 got back into the Confederate lines. Out of eighteen field officers and four generals, Pickett and one lieutenant colonel alone remained unharmed.
Pickett's division, together with the supporting brigades under Lane and Pettigrew, numbered about 14,000 men. Where General Armistead fell is considered to be the highest point, figuratively speaking, that was reached by the Southern Confederacy.
Pickett's charge will be remembered by all future Americans as the English remember that of the Light Brigade, and the French that of the old guard under Marshal Ney at Waterloo.
The battle of Gettysburg was now over. The loss was about 50,000 men, which was about equally divided between the two armies.
General Lee decided to lead his army back to Virginia. The Confederates were much discouraged, for on this same day Vicksburg had been surrendered to General Grant.
All through the night of July 3d Lee's army was making ready to march and at the break of day A. P. Hill swung his corps into line of march through a downpour of rain. The next to follow was Longstreet's corps, which followed close upon A. P. Hill, and the last to leave was Ewell's corps, and the retreat was covered by Stuart's cavalry.
General Hood had with him 4,000 prisoners. The wounded were carried with the retreat in wagons and other ways of conveyance, and were under the charge of General Imboden.
BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA
This battle derives its name from Chickamauga Creek, which is but a few miles from Chattanooga, Tenn., and is considered one of the greatest battles of modern times. It was exceeded in our Civil war only by Gettysburg and the Wilderness; compares with Waterloo, and twice bloodier than Wagram or Austerlitz. General D. H. Hill said that he had never seen the Federal dead lie so thickly on the ground save in front of the sunken wall at Fredericksburg. The late General John B. Gordon, whose pen was never weary of writing the praises of the Confederate soldiers, said that in his opinion the battle of Chickamauga was even greater than that of Gettysburg, but it is thought that he was somewhat partial to Chickamauga, having been reared there, and when a boy fished in Chickamauga Creek, and had ridden behind his father over the country which was later made a great battlefield.
General Braxton Bragg was in command of the Confederate army, known as the Army of the Tennessee, which was concentrated around Chattanooga.
General Rosecrans was in command of the Federal army, known as the Army of the Cumberland. It was made up of three corps under Generals Crittenden, Thomas and McCook. They began to advance on Chattanooga and endanger Bragg's line of communication.
On September 8th Bragg abandoned Chattanooga and fell back toward Rome, Ga. The Federals took possession of the city of Chattanooga. Rosecrans, believing that Bragg was in full retreat, ordered Crittenden to pursue. Meanwhile Bragg was concentrating his forces near Lafayette, about twenty-five miles from Chattanooga. He was joined by Generals S. B. Buckner and Breckinridge. General Longstreet was hastening from Virginia with about 12,000 men from Lee's army to join him, the men being fresh from the field of Gettysburg.
Rosecrans' army was somewhat divided, as he was not expecting a general battle. Bragg was quick to grasp this opportunity of making a general assault on the Union forces while they were divided. The attack was made on the 13th of September by General Polk, but from some misapprehension of orders he did not move in time, and thus gave Rosecrans time to unite his forces, thus losing Bragg this opportunity of breaking up the Army of the Cumberland.
The Federal forces under Crittenden now took position at Gordon's Mills, on the left bank of Chickamauga Creek, and the remainder of their troops were within supporting distance, and were under the command of Thomas and McCook, the total Union strength being estimated at about 60,000 men.
The Confederate army lay on the east side of the stream, and was under the immediate command of Generals Polk, D. H. Hill and Buckner.
On the 18th Longstreet arrived with his troops. Thus the two mighty armies were now face to face.
Bragg endeavored to flank the Federal left and thus intervene between it and Chattanooga, and on the morning of September 19th the Confederates, under General Polk, made a grand assault upon the Federal left, under General Thomas. Meanwhile the Federal right was being heavily pressed by General Hood, commanding Longstreet's corps. This was kept up the entire day and when darkness came the Federals had been forced back from the creek, but the result was indecisive.
During the night preparations were made for the renewal of the battle on the next morning, which was Sunday, September 20th.
It is strange to say that some of the greatest battles of the war were fought on Sunday.
General Longstreet now took command of his troops which had arrived, but part of his corps did not arrive in time for the battle, having been delayed on trains that were behind time. This brought their strength up to equal that of the Federals.
General Thomas had taken position on Snodgrass Hill, and was anticipating a Confederate attack, which was made late in the morning by General Polk, who was supported by Generals Breckinridge and Patrick Cleburne, the last-named being an Irishman formerly from the County of Cork.
This assault was made time after time with desperate loss to both sides. At length, by some misunderstanding of orders, one of the Federal divisions under General Wood withdrew from its position. By this movement a large opening was made in the center of their battle line.
This was quickly taken advantage of by three divisions of the Confederates, which rushed in with an impetus that was irresistible.
General Hood, one of the Confederate division commanders, was severely wounded in this movement with a minie ball, and was carried from the field.
The Federals under Wood, Sheridan and Van Cleve were driven from the field. General Longstreet now assumed chief command, and here gave a fine exhibition of his military genius. He succeeded in separating the two wings of the opposing army. The right wing already being in full retreat, he wheeled and compelled the further withdrawal of Federal troops in order to save being surrounded. The retreating Federals fled in confusion toward Chattanooga, after suffering the loss of several thousand prisoners and forty pieces of artillery.
The Confederates now concentrated their attack upon Thomas, who had taken position on a ridge. They were led by the indomitable Longstreet, but were repulsed and hurled back with fearful slaughter. The Confederates were endeavoring to flank Thomas' division by sending Hinzman to the left and Kershaw with his divisions to get in the rear. The fighting grew fiercer and at intervals was hand-to-hand, and continued the entire afternoon.
This attack on Thomas is considered one of the heaviest made on a single point during the war. General Thomas, in his stand at Chickamauga, won for himself the name "The Rock of Chickamauga." He was one of the bravest and most able generals in the Union army, being a Virginian by birth.
Under the cover of darkness Thomas withdrew his army in good order to Rossville, and the following day joined Rosecrans in Chattanooga.
This battle is generally considered a Confederate victory, but left the Federal army in possession of Chattanooga. The personal daring and courage displayed in the ranks of both armies has never been excelled on any battlefield.
The total loss exceeded 30,000 men, which was probably divided about equal.
THE BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND MISSIONARY RIDGE
After the battle of Chickamauga, Rosecrans' army was cooped up in Chattanooga, and his sources of supplies were entirely cut off by Bragg, except from the north of Chattanooga, by which he received his supplies over mountainous wagon roads, and, on account of heavy rains which fell during October, the roads became almost impassable. These trains were attacked by Confederate cavalry under General Forest, and in one day 300 wagons were destroyed and about 1,800 mules were either killed or captured. One soldier said "the mud was so deep that we could not travel by the road, but we got along pretty well by stepping from mule to mule as they lay dead by the way." Starvation threatened the camp, and the army must be relieved.
Vigorous measures were now taken. General Grant was now made commander of the western armies. He had about 80,000 men in addition to Burnside's force at Knoxville. The Confederates had about 60,000. General Sherman was directed to reënforce Grant at Chattanooga from Vicksburg and transported his forces by boat to Memphis, and from there marched overland.
The authorities at Washington also determined to reënforce Rosecrans from the Army of the Potomac, and 23,000 men, under General Hooker, were transported by rail to Chattanooga. This brought the Army of the Cumberland to numbers far exceeding those of the Confederates. The immediate command of all the Federal forces was given to General Thomas until such time as General Grant should arrive. Grant telegraphed to Thomas to hold Chattanooga at all hazards. Thomas replied, "I will do so till we starve."
The first and great question of the Federals was to relieve their line of supplies. General Hooker was sent with a portion of his troops against a strong position taken by some Confederates in Lookout Valley, and, after a short but decisive battle succeeded in driving the Confederates back, which left him in possession of the immediate country, and thus opened up a route to Brown's Ferry, over which a route for abundant supplies was at once available. This relieved the Army of the Cumberland of its perilous position.
Thomas was being reënforced from all sides; Hooker was already on the ground; Sherman was advancing rapidly from Memphis, while Burnside's forces at Knoxville offered protection for the left flank of the Federal army.
General Bragg had his forces in a line extending a distance of twelve miles across to Missionary Ridge, and was strengthened by entrenchments throughout the lowlands. He determined to attack Burnside at Knoxville, and dispatched Longstreet over his protest with 20,000 men to do this, thus weakening his extended lines. This has been considered a very great mistake of Bragg, as his total force was much less than had opposed Rosecrans at Chickamauga. Grant had now arrived and had assumed command of the entire Federal forces, and had planned to attack Bragg on November 24th, but on receiving information, which proved to be unreliable, that Bragg was preparing to retreat, he decided to make the attack on the 23d, and ordered Thomas to advance upon Bragg's center. This attack took the Confederates by surprise. After some severe fighting, they fell back more than a mile and left the Federals in command of some advantageous positions, thus ending the first day's battle.
Preparations were made during the night for a general engagement the next day.
Sherman was in command of the left wing, while Thomas held the center, and Hooker the right, and they had planned to sever communications between Bragg and Longstreet, and thus keep the Confederate army divided.
Early on the 24th Sherman moved against the Confederate right, and with little opposition occupied the northern end of Missionary Ridge. The Confederates, after discovering this advantageous position taken by Sherman, fought desperately in the afternoon to regain it, but were finally repulsed.
While this was going on, General Hooker, with a division of Sherman's army, was making a desperate struggle for the capture of Lookout Mountain, whose rugged crests towered above the clouds. This mountain was ably defended by the Confederates, but they were finally pushed back by overwhelming numbers and made their final stand within the breastworks about the Craven house, but were finally dislodged from this place and retired within their entrenchments in the valley.
This has been termed "The Battle in the Clouds."
On the morning of the 25th preparations were made for the final battle on Missionary Ridge. The attack was made by General Sherman, and it seemed that the Confederates must recede from the terrific onslaught, but they succeeded, after a stubborn struggle, in repulsing the Federals at this particular time, and they were pushed back by General Hardy, who captured several hundred prisoners. The Federals, quickly re-forming their lines, renewed the assault and, after waiting for Hooker to bring up his division, Grant ordered a general advance, and the battle was now on in earnest. Bragg opened on them from the crest of Missionary Ridge with fifty pieces of artillery and a line of musketry. Even this did not stop the impetuous charge. The first line of entrenchments of the Confederates was carried with little opposition, and, as the Confederates retired through other brigades, the confusion was great, and the retreat became almost a rout.
Had it not been for a division of North Carolinan soldiers under Major Weaver, who succeeded in rallying his troops, and was successful in holding the Federals in check, the retreat would have become a rout of the entire Confederate army.
This gave the Confederates a little time to rally their lines, and they were able to retire from the field in good order.
The battle was now over, and the field was left in possession of the Federals, Bragg retiring with his army into Georgia.
BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS
This was one of the great battles of modern times, being second only to Gettysburg in our Civil war. Napoleon never fought a battle on the Continent of Europe that was equal to the Wilderness. It was three times bloodier than Austerlitz, after which battle it is said Napoleon's triumphant march from Freize to Paris was more grand than Queen Elizabeth's tour of England after the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
The Battle of the Wilderness, together with Spottsylvania, is thought to be more destructive to the Federal forces than both Antietam and Gettysburg combined.
On Lee's sudden departure from Gettysburg there were many stragglers left behind, who were taken prisoners by the Federals. Some of them were not aware that the army had gone; others, on account of slight wounds and sickness, were not able to keep up with the army.
Lee succeeded in crossing the Potomac above Harper's Ferry about the middle of July with but little opposition from the Federals, and led his army across the Rapidan, and there entrenched himself to dispute the Federals under General Meade, who had by this time succeeded in crossing the Potomac and was moving upon Culpeper Court House, at which place he concentrated his forces. There was but little fighting done during the remainder of the year, except an unsuccessful cavalry expedition under Kilpatrick, who sought to take Richmond by surprise.
During the early months of 1864 the authorities at Washington became discouraged with General Meade's management of the Army of the Potomac. They thought that he should have destroyed Lee's army on its retreat from Gettysburg; while it is now conceded that Meade's management was good, and that he did all that any general could have done under the circumstances. General Grant had come into great favor in the North on account of his successive victories in the West, and it was decided to give Grant command of all the Federal forces, with the rank of lieutenant-general. This high grade in command had been held only by Generals Washington and Scott, thus bringing together two great generals. One the idol of the North: the other of the South. Cæsar said he would rather be first man in a village in Gaul than second in Rome.
Grant found under his command in the Army of the Potomac 140,000 men.
Lee found under his command scarcely 60,000 men, but that spirit burned in the breast of his soldiers notwithstanding their defeat at Gettysburg and their loss of Vicksburg, that many hard battles would be fought before the heel of the invader should tread upon the streets of their cherished capital, Richmond.
Grant determined to move upon Richmond and by doing so began with the Wilderness a series of battles which are unequaled in history.
Grant's army was divided into three corps, commanded by Hancock, Warren and Sedgwick. Sheridan was in command of the cavalry. Burnside was in command of another division of the army, protecting the Orange and Alexandria railroad.
Lee's army consisted of three corps of infantry, commanded by Longstreet, Ewell and A. P. Hill, and the cavalry by Stuart. A notable fact in the organization of the Confederate army was the few changes made in commanders.
Early on the morning of May 4th Grant's army began crossing the Rapidan below Lee's entrenchments. This being anticipated by Lee, he at once prepared to set his own army in motion and throw himself across the path of his foe. Both armies were now near Chancellorsville, in a wilderness country, where a great battle had been fought the year before. This country was covered by underbrush and ragged foliage, with scrub pine, and dotted here and there with small clearings. This wilderness country was pierced by a few roads leading from the fords of the river. The Federals had advanced up these roads as far as the Wilderness Tavern, in which General Grant established his headquarters.
This wilderness country was entered by two roads from the southwest known as the "Old Orange Turnpike" and the "Orange Plank Road." Along these two roads the Confederates moved their army to meet the advancing hosts of the Federals, General Ewell leading his corps along the turnpike and A. P. Hill along the plank road. General Longstreet was hastening up from Gordonsville, and it was very evident that a great battle was near at hand.
On the morning of May 5th Ewell came in contact with Warren's corps at a cross-road near Parker's store, and this meeting precipitated the beginning of the great battle.
About this time it became known to General Grant that A. P. Hill was advancing by the plank road, and he ordered Sedgwick to entrench and prepare to receive the attack from A. P. Hill. Hill came up very soon, and the battle began in earnest. The musketry fire was continued with great severity until late in the evening without a decided advantage to either side. The loss was great and the Federals had suffered the loss of General Hays, who had been shot through the head. The Confederates had suffered the loss of General John M. Jones.
This ended the first day's struggle, and during the night both armies entrenched themselves directly in each other's front.
Early on the morning of May 6th the Federals were reënforced by Burnside's corps, and A. P. Hill by that of Longstreet.
General Grant issued orders for a general attack all along the line, and soon the battle was raging along the five-mile front, which became a hand-to-hand contest. Artillery played but little force in this battle, on account of the dense growth of timber and underbrush, and it was chiefly a battle of musketry.
The branches were cut from the trees by the leaden missiles, and saplings were mowed down as grass by a scythe.
The Confederates were finally driven back and seemed on the verge of a panic. At this moment General Lee rode through the lines to the front and called on his soldiers to follow him. This instantly gave courage to his army, which rallied and began to push the Federals back. General Lee was called back by his own men: "General Lee to the rear! General Lee to the rear!" This brave act on the part of General Lee, and the arrival of Longstreet, restored order and courage in the ranks, and they soon regained their lost position.
General Longstreet, while riding with Generals Kershaw and Jenkins, at the head of Jenkins' brigade, were mistaken for the enemy by their own men and fired on, and when the smoke lifted Longstreet and Jenkins were down—Longstreet seriously wounded, and Jenkins killed outright. This was a serious loss to the Confederacy, as they had suffered the loss of one general and had incapacitated another from service. A similar thing had occurred a year before at Chancellorsville when General Jackson was mortally wounded.
The fighting continued the rest of the day, the advantage being first with one side and then the other.
Darkness ended the two days' undecisive Battle of the Wilderness, one of the greatest struggles in history.
It was Grant's first measure of arms with General Lee. While Grant had been defeated in his plan to pass around Lee to Richmond, yet he had made a new record for the Army of the Potomac.
The loss of the Federals in killed and wounded was about 17,000, while that of the Confederates was about 12,000.