''Pickett's Charge'', ''High Water Mark of the Confederacy'', ''The Grand Assault''...call it what you will, it was a grand failure on the part of the Confederacy. I can't imagine many who made the assault on the afternoon of July 3 thought it had much chance of success, yet on they went across nearly a mile of open fields, using precious minutes being shot up at the Emmitsburg road dismantling fences, and on to the gentle slope beyond where some would engage in hand to hand combat, but most never made it that close.
Confederate General James Longstreet argued with Lee for hours against the assault, Longstreet's chief of artillery, a young Lt.Col. Edward Porter Alexander had no grand illusions for a Southern victory. Alexander had directed the Confederate Artillery on the July 2 assault and predicted it's failure. With a sense of foreboding, Longstreet ordered Alexander's guns to commence firing on the Union center from Seminary ridge at 1:00.
The majority of the Confederate guns fired high, missing their targets. Union Artillery answered with deadly accuracy, (Confederate General John B. Gordon once said, ''Give me Yankee Artillery and Confederate Infantry, and I'll beat the world!'') Union artillery chief, General Henry Hunt knew the assault was coming and went along the Union line on Cemetery Ridge ordering his guns to conserve ammunition, silencing some batteries, ordering some to cover for the moment, and slowing the fire of others, this not only assured the Yankee gunners ample ammunition to meet the infantry assault, but lulled the Southern gunners into thinking their bombardment was effective, encouraging them to expend their ammunition.
With a mile of open fields to cross, Confederate Infantry began their assault after an hour bombardment. Union artillery on the flanks chewed at the Rebel lines as soon as they stepped off, but the center held it's fire, awaiting sure targets and full effect from their guns. Yankee infantry lay low behind whatever cover they could find with some having gathered several muskets, loaded them and waited. Hunt had ordered his guns back to the line and open with shot and shell when the Southern line reached it's halfway point. At 200 yards, double canister was poured into the assaulting troops and Union Infantry fired volley after volley into them. Only on the left center of the Union line did Longstreet's men manage to pierce the Union line, but only briefly. Those not killed were taken prisoner and the broken Rebel line began falling back to Seminary Ridge where their commander, Robert E. Lee greeted them, hat in hand, tears streaming down his cheeks saying, ''It's all my fault...It's all my fault my brave men...It's all my fault...''
Part of the union center looking south and what's left of the stone wall, Round Tops in the distance.
Copes of trees which guided the Confederate assault of July 3, also part of the ''High Water Mark'' of the assault
Southern flank of the Union line, again Round Tops in the distance
Union line near the center, fences along the Emmitsburg Road to the front.
Artillery on the Union right
Union guns and limbers in the center
Union caissons behind the above artillery position
Union left center looking across to Seminary Ridge where the grand assault started, South Mountain in the distance, fences along Emmitsburg Road middle, Virginia Monument barely visible in front of the trees to the left