The Battle of Gettysburg: The Country, the Contestants, the ResultsStorrick, W. C. (William Clayton)
History
The Battle of Gettysburg: The Country, the Contestants, the Results
Storrick, W. C. (William Clayton)
Gettysburg National Military Park (Pa.); Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
The entire surface of the Park consists of low ridges and intervening
valleys, beginning on the north in Herr’s Ridge, upon which Heth’s
Division was deployed at the opening of the battle on July 1st. Opposite
this ridge, and extending in the same direction, is McPherson Ridge,
where the Union cavalry forces under Buford were deployed. Along
Willoughby Run, which flows between these ridges, the battle opened on
July 1, 1863. The next elevation, immediately north and west of the
town, is known as Oak Ridge at its northern extremity and as far south
as the Chambersburg Pike; from this point to its southern extremity it
is called Seminary Ridge, taking its name from the yet existing Lutheran
Theological Seminary. It was held by the Union Army on the first day of
the battle and formed its principal line of defence. On the second and
third days it was the principal Confederate line.
Seminary Ridge at its southern extremity drops off to a small ravine
beyond which is Warfield Ridge, which extends in a southerly direction
opposite Big Round Top; this formed the right of the Confederate line of
battle on the second and third days.
South and southwest of the town is Cemetery Ridge, of which Big Round
Top and Little Round Top are spurs, named from the Evergreen Cemetery
and the site of the National Cemetery after the battle.
[Illustration: Ricketts’ Battery.—Ricketts’ Battery on East Cemetery
Hill was remanned four times. Owing to the slope, the guns could not
be sufficiently depressed, and the defenders fought with sticks and
stones]
Cemetery Ridge formed the main line of battle of the Union Army during
the battles of the 2nd and 3rd. A short distance east of the cemetery it
bends sharply to the right, forming two rocky and wooded prominences,
Culp’s Hill and Spangler’s Hill. Between Seminary Ridge on the west and
Cemetery Ridge on the east, a low ridge along the line of the Emmitsburg
Road is designated Emmitsburg Road Ridge. This extends to the Peach
Orchard. It was crossed on the afternoon of the 3rd by the assaulting
column of Pickett’s Charge, and is one of the interesting points of the
battle. Another ridge on the west front of Little Round Top contains
Devil’s Den, a mass of enormous granite rocks, apparently tossed in
confusion by some giant hand. In this picturesque spot Longstreet made
his famous assault against the Union left on the afternoon of July 2nd.
The trend of these various ridges conforms generally to that of the Blue
Ridge.
[Illustration: Guns Supporting Pickett’s Charge.—These guns took
part in the great artillery duel which preceded Pickett’s Charge]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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