On July 3,1863, on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett’s charge began.  Lee had ordered 12,000 men to march over 1,000 yards across open ground.  The Confederate line would stretch over a mile.

When the attack began over one hundred Confederate guns opened fire along the Union lines.

The attack started from Seminary Ridge with Pickett and Trimble’s division and they started moving eastward. Union batteries from Cemetery Hill immediately opened fire on the advancing line opening temporally gaps in the unit.  When the Confederates were within 400 yards the Union began firing canisters and were also within Union rifle range.

Major General George E commanded three of the nine brigades in the attacking Confederate forces.  Pickett is a 38-year-old career solider from Virginia.  Pickett’s division spearheaded the assault, advancing with parade precision.  Almost immediately, gaps were blown in the Confederate lines from Union artillery positions.  Under orders not to fire and not to let loose their Rebel Yell, the Confederate closed the gaps in their lines and kept advancing.  Union artillery changed from shells to canisters. Canisters are tin cans packed with iron balls that made giant shotguns out of the canons, and they mowed great swaths through the Confederate ranks.  As the attackers continued to close, Union infantry sent volleys of minie balls into the Southern troops that were ordered to stay put.  Surviving Rebels returned fire and charged the Union line.  Hand to hand fighting ensued as the Union line was penetrated, but there were not enough Confederates left after the charge to hold the line.  The Confederates, only choice was to surrender or go back across the open ground.

The artillery exchange preceding Pickett’s Charge was heard 140 miles away in Pittsburgh making it one of the loudest noises on the North American continent up to that time.

Almost 4,000 Confederate soldiers were captured. General Pickett’s division lost 75% of his men.  The Union forces, just half as numerous as the Rebel attackers, suffered only 23,000 casualties and the Confederate had 28,000 casualties.

This is a house right in the center of Pickett's charge.

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Matthew Salsbury