On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, approximately 12,000 to 13,000 Confederate soldiers emerged from Seminary Ridge and began advancing across exposed fields toward the Union center.

General Robert E. Lee believed a concentrated assault could break the line on Cemetery Ridge. Lieutenant General James Longstreet believed the troops could not sustain the advance. After a massive artillery bombardment, the infantry moved forward anyway.

CC and Kitty trace the route of Pickett’s Charge, the confusion and losses across the field, Brigadier General Lewis Armistead’s brief penetration of the Union position at The Angle and the collapse that followed. Approximately 6,000 to 6,555 Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded or captured during the assault.

They also examine Lee’s reported acceptance of responsibility, Longstreet’s complicated legacy and why the area later became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy.

Listen and follow Wreckage & Ruins for weekly investigations into disasters, decisions and what came afterward.

Sources:

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weather/severe/this-day-in-weather-history-july-1-1863-the-battle-of-gettysburg

https://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/maps.htm

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/gettysburg-picketts-charge-july-3-1863

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/picketts-charge

https://www.nps.gov/places/the-angle.htm

https://npshistory.com/publications/gett/index.htm

https://historynet.com/james-longstreet/