How a Beaten Army Held the High Ground at Gettysburg (Civil War, 1863)

On the morning of July 1, 1863, two brigades of Union cavalry waited on the ridges west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. By 4 p.m., two Union corps had been driven through the streets of the town. Two days later, the same army was still on the hill south of it, and Pickett's Charge broke against its center. This is all three days, hour by hour, on the real ground. The clock runs, and at six moments it stops so you can see the order that was given: Buford on the ridges, Ewell's "if practicable", Lee's attack on the Union left, Warren on Little Round Top, Meade's council of war, and Lee's choice of the center. Chapters 0:00 July 1, dawn: the road from Cashtown 0:35 The real ground 0:45 Order 1: Buford on the ridges 1:00 Reynolds and the Iron Brigade 1:55 Midday: two more corps arrive 2:17 Ewell from the north, the Union line breaks 3:32 Order 2: Ewell, "if practicable" 3:47 The night: both armies march in 4:15 July 2: the fishhook 4:37 Order 3: Lee chooses the attack 4:52 Longstreet's march, Sickles moves forward 5:25 Order 4: Warren on Little Round Top 5:40 Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard 7:10 Dusk: East Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill 7:32 Order 5: Meade's council of war 7:47 July 3: Culp's Hill at dawn 8:15 Order 6: Lee chooses the center 8:52 The cannonade 9:22 Pickett's Charge 10:52 After three days Terrain: real elevation data (terrain tiles, USGS), height exaggerated two times. Unit positions and times follow the National Park Service, the American Battlefield Trust and published accounts of the battle.