Chamberlain at Gettysburg

8/13/2019 Chamberlain at Gettysburg

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F A C T OR F I C T I O N ? C O L O N E L J O SH U A L. C H A M B E R L A I N A TG ET TY SB UR G A S D E P I C T E D I N M I C H A E L S H A AR A S ,T H E K I L L E R A NG EL S

A t h e s i s presen ted t o t h e f a c u l t y o f t h e U . S . A r m yC o m m a n d and G e n e r a l S t a f f C o l l e g e i n p a r t i a lf u l f m e n t o f t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r t h edegreeM AS TE R O F M I L I T A R Y A R T AN D S C I E N C E

G e o r g e A . L a t h a m 11 M A J , U S AB . A . , N o r w i c h U n i v e r s i t y , N o r t h f i e l d , V e r m o n t , 1978.

F o r t L e a v e n w o r t h , K a n s a s99

A p p r o v e d f o r p u b l i c r e l ea se ; d i s t r i b u t i o n i s u n l i m i t e d .


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MASTER OF MILITARY AR T A N D S C I E N C ET H E S I S APPROVAL PAGE

Name o f cand id ate : MAJ George A Latham I1T i t l e o f Th es is : Fa c t o r F i c t i o n ? Co lo ne l Joshua L .Chamberlain a t G et tysburg as d ep ic ted i n Michae l Shaara 's , heK i l l e r A ngels

Approved by:

f& ),@. , Thesis Committee ChairmanD r Robert H Ber l in , Ph.D.Member, Grad uate F a c u lt yLTC Terry L. Morr ison, M A

d2.L Member, Co ns ul t in g Fa cu ltyMAJ ~ t e d h e n Coats, M A

Acceped t h i s d~ ay o f '& 1991 by:

, Director , Graduate DegreeP h i l i p J . Brookes, Ph.D. Programs

The op in io ns and conc lus ions expressed her e i n are those o f thes tudent au thor and do not nece ssa r i ly represen t the v iews o ft h e U S Army Command and General S t a f f C ol le ge o r any o th e rgovernmental agency. (References t o t h i s s tudy shou ld inc lud ethe fo rego ing s ta temen t . )


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ABSTRACT

FACT OR FICTION? COLONEL JOSHUA L . CHAMBERLAIN A TGETTYSBURG A S DEPICTED I N MICHAEL S H A A R A S THE KILLERANGELS. A h i s t o r i c a l a n a l y s i s o f C o lo n el C ha mb erla in andt h e 2 0 th Maine I n f a n t r y , and t h e i r a c t i o n a t t h e B a t t l e o fGe t t ysbu r g on 2 Ju l y 1863 i n compari son w i t h t h e nove l heK i l l e r A ngel s , by Ma jo r George A . Latham 11 U S A , 143 Pages.

T h i s s t u d y a n a ly s e s M i c ha e l S h a a ra s p o r t r a y a l o f t h eB a t t i e o f G e tt ys b u rg f r om t h e N o r th e r n p e rs p e c t i v e . tb r i e f l y d e s c r ib e s how t h e U . S . Army uses t h e no ve l TK i l l e r An ge ls f o r m a l l y a nd i n f o r m a l i y t o co nd uc t l e a d e r s h i pt r a i n i n g and t o s t u dy th e B a t t l e o f G et ty s bu rg . M ic ha elSha ara s c ar ee r and background as an aut ho r as w e l l as howhe resear ched and w r o te t he P u l i t z e r P r i ze w inn ing nove l a r edesc r i bed . The s t r a teg y o f t h e N o r the r n and S ou the rn se n io rl ea d er sh ip r e s u l t i n g i n th e B a t t l e o f G et ty sb ur g i sana lyzed . The backgr ound o f t h e 20 th Ma ine and i t s co lon e la re s t u d i e d f o r t h e i r s i g n i f i c a n c e i n t h e outcome o f t h eb a t t l e . A c om pa ris on o f e v e n ts l e a d i n g t o G e t ty s b u rg a sw e l l as t h e a c t u a l f i g h t on 2 J u l y 1863 f o r t h e L i t t l e RoundTop i s con duc ted t o p o r t r a y h i s t o r i c a l i n a cc u r ac i es and t or e i n f o r c e a c c u r a c ie s . E v en ts as t h e y r e i a t e t o C o lo n el~ o s h u aC h a m be rl a in s c h a r a c t e r , l e a d e r s h i p a nd a c t i o n s a r et h e f o c us f o r t h e t h e s i s a n a l y s i s . The s t u d y d e ve lo p s ana n a l y s i s u s e f u l t o s up ple me nt The K i l l e r A n ge ls i n Armyl e a de r s hi p i n s t r u c t i o n .


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T h i s t h e s i s i s d e d i c a t e d t o t h e memory o f G en era :oshuaL . C h a m b e rl a in , t h e T w e n t i e t h M a in e I n f a n t r y R e gi me nt andK ichae Shaara . T Genera? Cha rnber?ain and t h e Tw en t i e t hMaine f o r t h e i r s a c r i f i c e i n t h e p r e s e r va t i o n o f s u rc o u n y r y . To b icb:ae S ha ara f o r p r ov + < j: -c j t h e c f f < c e r - ~ c r s sw i t h a work 7 make u s r e a : i z e o u r :mrnense r e s p c c s ~ c i : : ~ y .

M:ke, Torn anc Dan t h a n ~ s . ~ i mv c ~ i n a a acarez:a;ea l l t h e h e l a and e nc ou ra ge me nt . T i n a , t h e a d d i t ? s n a ;b b r de n s y ou assum ed i n t h e p a r t n e r s h i p , made t n i s h a pa en .


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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

T H E S I S A P P R O VA L P A G E ..BSTRACT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vT A B L E OF C O N T E N T S . .L I S T OF MAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vCHAPTER I N T R O D U C T I O N 1.CHAPTER 2 : NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN STR ATE GY OF THEG E T T Y SB U R G C A MP A I G N 7CHAPTER 3: J OS H UA C H A M B E R L A I N AN D T H E 2 0 T H . M A I N E

R E G IM E N T 2C HA PT ER 4 : H I S T O R I C A L I N A C C U R A C I E S AN D T H E I R

S I G N I F I C A N C E I N T H E C H A M B E R LA I N C HAP TE RS O FT H E K I L L E R A N GE LS , 29 J U N E AND 1 J U L Y 1 8 6 3 . . . . 7 3CHAPTER : H I S T O R I C A L I N A C C U R A C I E S AND T H E I R

S I G N I F I C A N C E I N T H E C H A M B ER L A IN C HA PT ER S OFT H E K I L L E R A NG EL S, 2 J U L Y AND 3 JU L Y 1 8 6 3 3

C H AP TE R 6 : C O N C L U S I O N 2 4I B L IO G R A P H Y . 1 3 3

I N I T I A L D I S T R I B U T I O N L I S T 1 3 9


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CHAPTER

I N T R O D U T I O NT h is t h e s i s i s an h i s t o r i c a l a n a l y s is o f M ic ha el

S haa r a s nove l The K i l l e r A ngel s as t p e r t a in s t o t hepo r t r ay a l o f C o lone l Joshua Chamber la in , h i s Tw en t i e t h Ma ineI n f a n t r y Regim ent, and t h e i r a c t i o n s a t t h e B a t t l e o fGet tysburg on 2 J u ly 1863. Colone l Chamber la in and h i sR e gi me n t s a c t i o n s a t t h e L i t t l e Round Top o n 2 J u l y 1863were de c i s i ve by ensu r i ng t he Army o f t h e Po tomac s l e f tf l a n k was n o t en ve lo pe d. The h o l d i n g o f t h e Un io n l e f t byt h e 2 0t h Maine s i g n i f i c a n t l y red uce d any p o s s i b i l i t y o f t h eC o n fe d e ra t es d e f e a t i n g t h e N o r t h e r n f o r c e s a t G e t ty s b u rg .The s u c c e s s f u l t u r n i n g o f t h e U n io n l e f t may n o t o n l y h avea s s i s t e d i n d e f e a t i n g t h e Army o f t h e P otomac, b u t a l s oc o u ld have s i g n i f i c a n t l y c hanged t h e o utcome o f t h e C i v i lWar.

T h i s t h e s i s i s a c om b in a ti on o f h i s t o r i c a l r ev ie w anda n a l y s i s p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e e v en ts M ic ha e l Shaara d e p i c t s i nThe K i l l e r A nge ls . The t h e s i s desc r i bes t he N o r the r n andSo uth ern ~ r m i e s d i s p o s i t i o nand s t r a t e g y d u r i n g t h e w i n t e rand sp r i n g o f 1863 , and how t h i s b roug h t them t o th eb a t t l e f i e l d a t G e tt ys bu rg , P en ns ylv an ia .


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t o u t l i n e s t he c r i t i c a l i t y o f t h e Un ion l e f t from as t r a t e g i c and t a c t i c a l p e r sp e c ti v e. t a l so examines th ebackg round, educ a t ion , and pe rs on a l i t y o f Co lone l JoshuaChamberla in , th e 20 th Ma ine s commander. The th e s i sd e s cr i be s t h e f o r m a t i o n , t r a i n i n g and ex p er ie n ce o f t h e 2 0 t hMaine R eg imen t and i t s c o l o n e l l e a d i n g up t o G e t ty s b u rg .T h i s d e s c r i p t i o n i s ana lyz ed f o r i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e as ane s se n t i a l i ng r e d i e n t f o r t h e u n i t s success a t t he L i t t l eRound Top.

The t h e s i s t h e n us es M i ch a e l S h a a ra s d e p i c t i o n o fe ve nt s i n t h r e e p a r t s . E ve nts a r e a na ly ze d f o r h i s t o r i c a la c cu rac y a nd t h e i r s i g n i f i c a n c e a s t h e 2 0 t h Main e R eg imen tre ce ive s mut ine ers f rom t he 2nd Ma ine Regiment and eventst h a t o c c u r as t h e s o l d i e r s march t o w ard G e t t y s b urg . Theo c c u p a t io n a nd p o s i t i o n i n g o f t h e 2 0 t h M ain e R egim ent a t t h eL i t t l e Round Top i s s t u d i e d , as w e l l as an a n a l y s i s o f t h ea c t u a l f i g h t t o d efe nd t h e h i g h gr ou nd and d e f e a t t h e 1 5 thAlabama R eg imen t. F i n a l l y , t h e re p o s i t i o nMaine t o t h e l e f t r e a r o f t h e Un ion l i n e sd iscussed.

i n g o f t h e 2 0 thc en te r i s

The t h e s i s s i g n i f i c a n c e o r i g i n a t e s f r om t h e U SArm y s u se o f t h e n o ve l The K i l l e r A ng els t o s t u dyl e a d e r s h i p and t h e b a t t l e o f G e tt y sb u r g. The n o v el i s usedf o r m a l l y and i n f o r m a l l y as a t o o l f o r o f f i c e r p r o f e ss i on a ldevelopment . A t an i n f o r m a l l e v e l , commanders i n t h e f i e l duse t h e book as an i n s t r u m e n t t o s t a r t o f f i c e r s i n a


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With the wide spread use of Michael Shaara s novel inthe Army s field units and school systems, putting the bookin the proper perspective is essential to utilize it to itsmaximum effectiveness. For instructors to properly developa leadership discussion using The Killer Anqels, they mustknow what is accurate in order to further develop theirobjectives or to emphasize or deemphasize an event fortraining purposes. To utilize the book at face value woulddo an injustice to students being trained, as well as to theactual historical personages. The continued use of TheKiller Angels, by various leadership directorates inconjunction with the background and analysis outlined inthis thesis, will allow an instructor to expand his courseof instruction. The information contained in this thesispermits the instructor to apply additional leadership pointsin their discussions and seminars. By expanding on theevents outlined in the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, TheKiller Anqels, the content and quality of instruction couldbe improved on, benefiting the Army Officer ProfessionalDevelopment Program.

The author researched Michael Shaara, his background,previous novels, and methodology for researching and writingThe Killer Angels. Secondary sources, followed by primarysources, were then reviewed focusing initially on thecampaign and Battle of Gettysburg. The actual events from23 May 863 to uly 863 regarding Colonel Joshua


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C ha mb erla in , h i s re gi me n t, and t h e de fe ns e o f t h e L i t t l eRound Top were researched la s t , and c o n t i n u a l l y ana lyzed i ncompari son t o M ichael S haa ra 's nov e l , t hus f o r m ing t he b as i sf o r t h i s t h e s i s .

Sources f o r res ea rch ing Micha el Shaara were few, andl i m i t e d t o p r i m a r i l y new spapers and magaz ines . heD i c t i o n a r y o f L i t e r a r y B i o g r a ~ h y ave t h e b e s t b ack grou nd onMichael Shaara. t a l s o p r es e nt ed h i s r e s e ar c h o f heK i l l e r Angels and th e no ve l ' s con ten t . The New York Timesand A t l a n t a M o n t hl y were u s e f u l i n r e g a rd s t o b ook r e v ie w s ,w i t h m ino r d i scus s ion on t h e au tho r , M i chae l Shaa ra .form er s t u de n t o f M i ch ae l Shaara w ro te an a r t i c l e t i t l e d

L e s t We F o r g e t i n C i v i l War M aga zin e, t h a t t a l k e d a b ou th im as a p ro fes so r and mento r.5

Michae l Shaara was an au tho r o f t h re e nove ls , asc r een - p lay , and ove r seven ty f i v e s ho r t s t o r i e s . He wasknown as a s lo w, c a r e f u l w r i t e r w i t h d i v e r s i f i e d i n t e r e s t s .H i s w ork s c o ve r s c i e n c e f i c t i o n , m e d ic a l j o u r n a l i s m , andh i s t o r y . H i s c o l le a g u e s and s t u d e n t s c l a im e d t h a t he w r o tef o r t h e ple as ur e o f t e l l i n g a s t o r y w e l l , r a t h e r th an f o rmoney o r t o e n t e r t a i n a l a r g e aud ience.6

S ha ar a's b ac kgrou nd i s a d i v e r s i f i e d c o m bi na ti o n o fst ud y and ad ve ntu re. He was bo rn June 23, 1929 i n J ers eyC i t y , New J e r se y , t h e s on o f a n I t a l i a n im m i g ra n t f a t h e r andm oth er who c la im e d h i s t o r i c a l t i e s t o L i g ht - Ho r s e H a r r yLee and t he S ou th . H i s pa ren tage a l l ow ed h im t o expe r ience


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tw o s o c i e t i e s a s he c l ai m e d i n a 1974 i n te r v i ew : I ' v el i v e d h a l f and h a l f , tw o d i f f e r e n t w o rld s. B oth w o rl ds a r egone t od a y. The l o s s o f t h e So ut h i s l i k e a f a n t as y t h a td i sa p p e are d . ' Though s p e c u l a t i o n on t h e t h e s i s a u t h o r ' sp a r t , t h i s background may have had some in f l u en ce i nc ho os in g t h e c r u c i a l b a t t l e o f G e t ty s bu r g t o w r i t e a b ou t duet o i t s e f f e c t on t h e outcome o f t h e war.

Michae l Shaara was a h i g h schoo l s ta ndo ut ; yearbooke d i t o r , P r e s i d e n t o f h i s c l a s s and t h e s ch oo l c h o i r , a s w e l las a s t a r a t h l e t e . He r e c e i v e d a B a ch e lo r o f A r t s d eg re e i nE n g l is h fr om R u tg er s U n i v e r s i t y i n 1951 and conductedadvance s t u d y a t t h e U n i v e r s i t i e s o f V ermont and C ol umb ia .He never d i d re ce iv e an advanced degree. Mich ael Shaaras e rv e d as a p a r a tr o o p e r i n t h e U S Army 's , 82nd A i rb or neD i v i s i o n f r om 1946 t o 1948 . From 1948-1949 he was amerchant seaman. I n 1954 h e j o i n e d t h e S t Pe te rsbu rg ,F l o r i d a p o l i c e d ep ar tm en t and worked t h e r e u n t i l 1956 .Throughout t h e l a t e f o r t i e s and e a r l y f i f t i e s , M ic hae lS haara a l s o p a r t o o k i n b o x i n g , w i n n i n g s ev en te en o f e i g h t e e namateur p r i z e f i g h t s . From 1955 u n t i l 1961 he worked as as h o r t s t o r y w r i t e r and fr o m 1961 u n t i l 1973 he was ana s s oc i at e p ro f es s o r o f E n g l is h a t F l o r i d a S t a t eU n i v e r s i t y a

H i s y ea rs o f w r i t i n g and l e c t u r i n g ea rn ed M ic ha elShaara numerous awards and re co gn i t io n . I n 1966 t h eA merican M ed ic a l A s s o c i a t i o n r e c og n iz e d h i m f o r t h e a r t i c l e


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I n t h e M i d s t o f L i f e . He r e c e iv e d D i k t y ' s b e st s ci en cef i c t i o n award f o r a s h o r t s t o r y . However, M i c ha el S haara i sfamous f o r t h e w r i t i n g o f t h e n o ve l The K i l l e r A nn els w h ic hearned him t h e P u l i t z e r P r i z e f o r f i c t i o n i n 1975 9

When rea d ing The K i l l e r Anqels, t i s a ppa ren t t h a tMichael Shaara emphasized the impor tance o f t e r r a i n on th eb a t t l e f i e l d . Numerous d e s c r i p t i o n s , e s p e c i a l l y a t t h eL i t t l e Round Top, su ppo r t t h i s . Michae l Shaara madenumerous t r i p s t o t h e b a t t l e f i e l d . He n o t o n l y u sed mapsf r om s ec on da ry s o ur ce s, b u t w alk ed t h e b a t t l e f i e l dr e p e a te d l y and su rv ey ed t h e s i t e i n h i s own p r i v a t ea i rp l ane .10

I n r e g ar d s t o M i ch a el S ha ar a' s r e se a rc h o f t h ee ve nt s, he s t a t e s i n h i s p r e fa c e o f The K i l l e r Ang els: Ihave avo ided h i s t o r i c a l op in io ns and have gone backp r i m a r i l y t o t h e words o f t h e men th em se lv es , t h e i r l e t t e r sand o t he r documents . l l Th is i s t r u e ; however, secondarysou rces have a l s o been u t i l i z e d ex t en s i v e l y . The even tsou t l i n ed i n The K i l l e r A ngels rega rd i ng Joshua Chamber la in ,a f t e r be ing compared and ana lyzed, show th a t John Pu l le n ' s ,The Twen t ie th Maine and W i l l a r d Wa l lace ' s , Sou l o f t he L io nmay have been used e xt e n s iv e ly by Michae l Shaara. b e l i e v eC o lo n el C h am b er la in 's a r t i c l e Th ro ug h B lo o d and F i r e a tGe t tysburg f rom th e Hears t Magaz ine o f 1913 i s one o f h i sp r imary sources. Regard ing th e Sou thern de p i c t i on , t he


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f a m i l y members t o co ns t r u c t t he book. Th i s r esea r chr e s u l te d i n th e f i r s t and o n ly book w r i t t e n s o l e l y a bo utCo lone l Chamber la in, and inc lud ed h i s years as Bowdo inCo l lege P res ide n t and Governor o f Ma ine . l s

Warren H a s s le r s Commanders o f th e A r m y o f t h ePotomacl7 and h i s a r t i c l e on General Meade i n AmericaM i l i t a r y L ea de rs s e d i t e d by Roger S p i l l e r , a r e co n ci seb u t d e t a i l e d b io g r ap h i es o f v a r i o u s l e a d e rs d u r i n g th e C i v i lWar. These works were c r i t i c a l i n und ersta ndin g th e commandr e l a t i o n s h i p s , p e r s o n a l i t i e s , and a c t i o n s o f v a r i o u scommanders addressed i n The K i l l e r Angels .

I n r es ea rc hin g th e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e U nion l e f tf l a n k i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e C on fe d er at e p e r s p e c t iv e , G en eralLee s and L on gs t re et s words and tho ug hts were analyzed.The Memoirs o f Rob ert E. Lee, w r i t t e n by h i s fo rm er M i l i t a r ySe cr et ar y A.L. Long were used. A.L. Long was pr es en t d u r i n gmost meet ings between Lee and Lo ng st re et a t Ge t tysb urg andt h ey p o r t r a y e d a f i r s t - h a n d p i c t u r e . l g From Manassas t oA D D O ~ ~ ~ ~ O Xre General Lo ng st re et s memoirs and were usedt o a l s o g a i n t h e S outhern p e r s p ec t iv e o f t h e b a t t l e ,s p e c i f i c a l l y t h e L i t t l e Round Top.Z0

Numerous works were rev iewed i n rese arch ing eve n ts a tt h e b a t t l e f o r t h e L i t t l e Round Top. H en ry P f a n z s ,Ge tty sb urg , The Second Day was th e most d e t a i l e d secondarys ou rc e a cc ou nt o f t h e f i g h t . T h i s book o u t l i n e d b o t h t h eNo rth er n and Southe rn pe rs pe c t i v e and went as low as company


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l e v e l a c t i o n i n p la ce s. 21 C o lo n e l C h am b er la in s b a t t l er e p or t o f J u l y 6, 1863, as we l l as th e b r i g ade and co rpscommanders accoun t f r om the O f f i c i a l Reco rds o f t h e C i v i lWar, were c r i t i c a l i n e s t a b l i s h i n g a c om ple te r e c o rd i n g o ft h e b a t t l e . C o lo n el C ha m be rl ai n s r e p o r t , more d e t a i l e dt h an most b a t t l e r e p o r t s c o nt a in e d i n t h e r e co r ds , i n cl u d edh i s u n i t s ac t i o ns , as w e l l as i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e i n r e l a t i o nt o ad ja cen t u n i t s a t the Round Top. The War o f th eR e b e l l i o n was a l s o u s e f u l i n e s t a b l i s h i n g U n io n s t r a t e g y .The correspondence between General Meade and H a l l e c k c l e a r l yo u t l i n e d t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e U nion l e f t f la nk .2 2L e t t e r s fr o m C o lo ne l C ha mb erla in t o h i s f a m i l y , as w e l l ash i s i naugura l address as P r es id en t o f Bowdo in Co l l ege , weree s s e n t i a l i n u nd er st an di ng h i s p e r s o n a l i t y and c h a ra c t e r.These were u s e f u l i n a n a l y z i n g h i s su cc es s as a m i l i t a r yl eade r 2 3

The go al o f t h i s t h e s i s i s t o p re se nt The K i l l e rAnaels i n i t s pro per h i s t o r i c a l p e r sp ec t i ve i n or de r t oexpand th e use o f t he work i n t he A rmy s O f f i c e rPro fes s io na l Deve lopment Program. The t h e s is a t te mp ts t oexpose ad d i t i o na l l eade rsh i p fa c t o rs and even ts t h a t woul dbe u s e f u l t o im prove i n s t r u c t i o n a l r ea d y o c c u r r i n g u s i n g he

i 1 e r A nnels as the re fe rence .The r e le va nc e o f t h e t h e s i s i s t h a t i n o r de r t o use a

nove l t o i n s t r u c t f ac t u a l s u b je c t m a tt er , t h e i n s t r u c t o rmus t know what i s accura te abou t th e book i n o rd er t o


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prec lude g i v i ng fa ls e impress ions and in fo rm at ion . I na d d i t i o n t o a cc u ra te r e p o r t i n g o f f a c t s , h i s t o r y must bev iewed w i t h respec t t o a l l the fa c t o r s wh ich may haveinf luenced the outcome of events.

The i n fo rma t i on and ana l ys i s con ta ined i n t h i s t he s i si s des igned t o be h i s t o r i c a l l y accu ra te and use fu l . Thet h e s i s i s n o t designed t o d i s c r e d i t t h e n o ve l, The K i l l e rAngels o r i t s au thor Michael Shaara. Ne i ther i s t designedt o d i s c r e d i t any c h a ra c te r d is cu ss ed i n th e t h e s i s .I n i t i a l l y t he au tho r was ske p t i c a l o f M ichael Shaara spor t rayal o f events and the greatness of Colonel JoshuaChamberlain. The res ea rch conducted has con vinc ed th eauthor th a t Michael Shaara i s a superb w r i t e r and JoshuaChamberlain a g re at t a c t i c a l commander.


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r i d e t h a t i s c ond ucted each c l a s s c y c l e t o G e t ty sb ur g. ti s used t o g i v e an ov erv ie w o f t h e b a t t l e so t h e o f f i c e r sa re f a m i l i a r w i t h th e b a t t l e f i e l d when t h e to u r i sconducted.4. I n t e r v i e w w i t h LTC T e r r y M o rr is o n , C h i e f I n s t r u c t o r ,Ce nter f o r Army Le ad ers hip , Command and Gen eral S t a f fCo lle ge , 19 Apr 91, F t . Leavenw orth, KS.The l ea de rs h i p depar tment a t CGSC uses The K i l l e r Angelsas r e q u i r e d r e a d in g t o p re p ar e s tu d e n ts f o r a l e a d e r s h i ps em in ar c on du cte d i n a s i x t e e n p e rs o n g ro up d u r i n g t h ei n s t r u c t i o n . The f o l l o w i n g re q ui re m e n ts a r e d is c us s e d:From th e nove l The K i l l e r Anqel s, exam ine t h e ac t i on s o fGenera ls Rober t E . Lee, James Lo ng st r ee t , R ic ha rd Ew el l ,Ambrose P. H i l l J.E.B. S t u a r t , John Bu for d, George C . Meade

and Colone l Joshua Cham ber la in.a . What d i d th e y do t h a t l e d t o u l t i m a t e s uc ce ss o rf a i l u r e .b . How do t h e i r a c t i o n s r e l a t e t o s e n i o r l e v e l -l e a d e r s h i p d o c t r i n e a s d e .l in e a te d i n FM 22-103.5 . Wa l te r W Ross, D i c t i o n a ry o f L i t e r a r y B i o g r a ~ h ~( D e t r o i t , M ich: Gale Research Comapny, 19781, Vol 83 pp.305-310.Th is work c ove rs Micha el Shaara 's background as a you th

and young man. The source o u t l i n e s Michae l Shaara 's l i f e asa w r i t e r and e d u ca t o r and d i s c us s e s h i s p r e v i o u s n o v e l s .New York Times, 10 May 1975. The newspaper a r t i c l ec ov er s a r ev ie w o f The K i l l e r A ng els l a b e l i n g t h e n o ve l asp r o v i d i n g h y p n o t i c f a s c i n a t i o n t o laym en and h i s t o r i a n sa l i k e .A t l a n t i c M on th ly , A D r i l 1975. C a l l s M ichae l Shaara 'sK i l l e r Angels a b r i l l i a n t l y i n t e r p r e t i v e n ov e l . Thea r t i c l e c o n c e n tr a te s on t h e n o v e ls c o n t e n t and sa ys n o t h i n go f Shaaras research .David McMul len, Le st We Forg et . C i v i l War Magazine,I s s u e X X V I November-December 1990.M r . McMul len was a form er s t ud en t o f M ichael Shaara andw r i t e s t h e a r t i c l e t o rem in d t h e r e ad er o f h i s f orm erp r o fesso r s g r ea tness . M r . M cM ullen , t a l k s o f M r . Shaara ' sd e v o t i o n t o w r i t i n g and t e a ch i n g. As M r . McMul len s ta tes :when he r ec e i ved h i s copy o f The K i l l e r A ngel s f r om M ichae lS haara he had i ns c r i be d i n i t when do ee yo ur s?


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( R e f e r r i n g t o t h e P u l i t z e r P r i z e . ) The a u th o r o u t l i n e sMichae l Shaara ' s pe rsona l i t y .6. Books i n P r i n t (New York : R R Bowhen Company,

1990-911, Vol 3.O f Mi chael S haara' s t h re e novel s o th e r t han The K i l l e rA ng els, The H e r a ld , and S o l d i e r Boy a r e s t i l l l i s t e d i nBooks i n P r i n t . H i s f i r s t n o ve l The Broken P la ce i s nolonger i n p r i n t . The book i s abou t a Korean War he ro tu rne dp r i z e f i g h t e r a f t e r t h e war. The L i b r a r y J o u rn a l o f June

1981 l i s t s th e book as an i mp re ss iv e f i r s t n ovel b u t f i l l e dw i t h t oo much war, l o ve , t r a v e l , and box i ng f o r a s i ng l ew ork. S o l d i e r BOY i s l i s t e d as b e in g a p r o d u ct o f M i ch ae lShaara's c r e a t i v e ima gina t ion and i s h i g h ly recommended byThe L i b r a r y J o u rn a l. The H e r a l d i s a s c ie n c e f i c t i o naccount o f a p i l o t l a n d in g and e xp e r ie n c in g l i f e i n anunderpopu la ted wor ld . The L i b ra ry Journa l s t a t es th et e l eg ra ph ic w r i t i n g i s an i r r i t a n t b ut i s o f f - s e t by ad e l i c a t e l o v e s t o r y . t i s recommended r ea din g.7 Wal ter W Ross, D i c t i o n a r y o f L i t e r a r y B i o g r a p h ~( D e t r o i t , M I : Gale Research Company, 19781, Vol 3 pp.

305-306.8. Contemoorary Authors , (D e tr o i t , M ich 1980 , Vol 102.The auth or was n ot a b l e t o f i n d th e reason why Shaaranever compl eted h i s advanced s tud i e s . I n rev i ew i ng h i sbackground d u r i ng t h e l a t e f o r t i e s and e a r l y f i f t i e s t i sev idenced t h a t he pursued an adven tu rous l i f e s t y l e . Thoughhe completed h i s underg raduate work he may n o t have des i r edt o f i x h im s e l f t o any f u r t h e r d es ks id e s t ud y . A ls o, h i smove from jo b t o jo b e lu de t o a man who was u n s e t t l e d andn o t su re o f h i s d e s i re d f u t u r e . N ot a t t a i n i n g t h e advanceddeg ree d i d no t h i nde r Shaa ra . When the fa c u l t y a t F l o r i d aS t a te d oubted h i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n f o r t e nu re a t t h e s ch oolS haara defended h i mse l f by say i ng th a t t h e l a s t f o u r t h i ng save wr i t t e n have been read by more peop le than e ve ry th in gt h e E n g li s h f a c u l t y had w r i t t e n c o l l e c t i v e l y . He k e p t h i sj ob .9. Publ ishers Weekly, 8 J u l y 1974. Presents numerous

acco lades about The K i l l e r Ange ls s t a t i n g wha t many ah i s t o r i c a l n ov el l a ck s ; b e l i e v a b l e p e r s o n a l i t i e s , a c cu r at ed e t a i l , ge nu ine pa th s, w hic h t h e r e - c r e a t i o n o f t h e B a t t l eo f G et ty sb ur g w i l l i n g l y d i s p la y s .New York Times, 20 Oct 1974, l i s t s The K i l l e r Angels asth e bes t among th re e books t h a t are compared. Covers bo thgood and bad p o i n t s o f t h e n o v e l , a f a i r a n a l y s i s .


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10. Wal ter W Ross, D i c t i o n a r y o f L i t e r a r y B io gra ph v( D e t r o i t , M I : The Gale Res earc h Company, 197 8) Vol 83, pg308.11. Mich ael Shaara, The K i l l e r Angels (New York:B a l a n t i n e Books, 19 74) p. x i i i .12. I n o r d e r f o r M i c h ae l S haa ra t o have c o n s t r u c t e d t h ee ve nts o u t s i d e o f t h e f i g h t f o r t h e L i t t l e Round Top, t i st h e au tho r s o p i n i o n he used John P u l l e n ' s The Tw en t i e t hMaine and W i l l a r d W a l l ace ' s , S ou l o f t h e L i on . Thea s s i m i l a t i o n o f t h e m u ti n e e rs i n t o t h e Re gim en t as w e l l a sth e movement th r ough P ennsy l van ia as dep i c t ed i n The K i l l e rA ng els h as a v e r y s i m i l a r t o n e as o u t l i n e d i n t h e abovel i s t e d s ec on da ry so u rc e s. Jo shu a C h a m be rl a in 's a r t i c l e o f1913 t hr o u g h B lo od and F i r e a t G e t t y sb u r g i s a d e t a i l e dac coun t o f t h e e ve nt s j u s t b e f or e and a t t h e b a t t l e f o r t h e

Round Top. t i s t o l d i n ve ry d e s c r i p t i v e and f lo w e rylanguage. Some o f M ichae l Shaara ' s p or t r a ya l o f even tsp a r a l l e l s t h i s . Genera l Lo ng s t re e t ' s memoirs, F rom Manassast o A ~ p o m a t to x , i n t h e a u t h o r ' s o p i n i o n w ere used t o p r e se n tt h e s ou th e rn s i d e o f . th e b a t t l e . The d e s c r i p t i o n s o u t l i n e di n C ha pte r I he Spy and re fe re nc e t o M r . F r e m a n t l e a r e t h eb a si s f o r t h i s c o nc lu s io n .Ar th ur F rema nt le ' s book Three Months i n th e Sou thernSt at es was a ls o used by Shaara. M r M cMullen e lu de s t o i t suse i n h i s a r t i c l e L e s t We F o r ge t , C i v i l War Magazine.13. Herman Hattaway, How t h e No rt h Won. M i l i t a r y

H i s t o r y o f t h e C i v i l War, ( Ch ic ag o, Ill U n i v e r s i t y o fI l l i n o i s Pr es s, 1983) g i v e s an i n d e p t h v ie w o f how t h es t ra te gy and ta c t i c s emp loyed i n th e war shaped th e outcomeo f t h e b a t t l e s . An e x c e l l e n t book t o u n d er st a nd how v a r i o u scam paigns e f f e c t e d a c t i o n s i n o t h e r t h e a t r e s o f w ar.14. Edwin B. Cod ding ton, The G et ty sb ur a Campaign, AStudy i n Command (New Yor k: Berne Co nv en tio n, 1963) i s ad e t a i l e d n a r r a t i v e t h a t c o v e rs e v en t s fr o m G en era l L e e' sd e c is i on t o move N o rt h fro m V i r g i n i a t o h i s r e t r e a t f ro mP e n ns y lv a n ia . The book was u s e f u l b o t h f o r i t s i n f o r m a t i o nand ana l ys i s .15. John J . P u l le n, The Tw en t ie t h Maine: A V o lun tee rRegiment i n the C i v i l War (New York: J.P. L i p p e n c o t tCompany, 1957) i s l i s t e d i n th e August 1957, New York H era ldTr ibu ne by B ruce Cat to n as one o f th e be s t Reg imenta lh i s t o r i e s f o r t he e n t i r e w ar .16. W i l l a r d M. Wal lace, Soul o f th e L io n (New York:Thomas Ne lson Sons, 19 60 ).


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1 7 . Warren W Ha ssle r J r . , Commanders o f th e A r m y o fth e Potomac (Baton Rouge, LA: U n iv e r s i t y o f Louisana Press ,1962).18. Roger J . S p i l l e r , ed ., American M i l i t a r y Leaders

(New York : Prae ger P u b il is h e r s , 19891, Meade, Georqe Gordonby Warren W H a s s l e r J r .19. A.L. Long, Memoirs o f Ro be rt E. Lee (New York: J.M.S to d da rt and Company, 1886 ).20 . James L on gs tre et, From Manassas t o A ~p om att ox(Secaucus, NY: Blue Gray Press, 1988).21. Henry W Pfa nz, Ge tty sb ur a th e Second Day (ChapelH i l l , NC: The Un i ve rs i t y o f No r th Ca ro l i n a Press , 1987 ).22. The War o f the Re be l l i on : O f f i c i a l Records o f theUnion and Co nfede rate Armies, (Washington, D .C . : GovernmentP r i n t i n g O f f i ce , 1990-1901 ), S e r i es I Volume X X V I I P a r t 1,pp. 71 - 72 .23. Joshua Lawrence Cha mb erlain Papers (Br uns wic k,ME . : Bowdoin L ib ra ry , 1852).a. 30 Apr 1860 - L e t t e r , Chamberlain t o Cousin (SaraF a r r i n g t o n )b. May 1863 - Le t t e r , Chamber la in t o daughter (Da i sy )c . Address o f Governor Chamberlain t o S t a te o f MaJan 1867.d. .Joshua Cham berla in s Ina ug ura l Address as Prest o Bowdoin Col lege.

e,i d e n t


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CHAPTER I

NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN STRATEGY OF THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN

To unders tand th e impor tance o f Co lone l JoshuaC hamber la in and t h e 20 th Ma ine R egiment s ac t i o ns a t t h eL i t t l e Round Top an a n a l y s i s o f t h e o p p o s in g a rm i e ss t r a t e g y d u r i n g t h e G e t ty s b u rg Campaign i s u s e f u l . Theh o l d i n g o f t h e U nio n l e f t f l a n k and r e p ul s e o f t h eC o n fe d e ra t e a t t a c k a t t h e L i t t l e Round Top b y t h e 2 0 t h M ain ea r e examples o f a b a t t l e f i e l d a c t i o n t h a t was t a c t i c a l l y asw e l l as o p e r a t i o n a l l y and s t r a t e g i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t .

I n e a r l y June o f 1863 t h e So uthe rn army wasp o s i t io n e d i n t h e v i c i n i t y o f F re dic ks bu rg , V i r g i n i a r e s t i n gand rearm ing a f t e r t h e i r r e ce n t v i c t o r i e s . I n t h e p a s t f i v emonths t hey had suc ce ss fu l l y de fea ted t he Army o f t hePotomac a t F r ed r i cksb u r g and C ha nc e l l o r s v i l l e . Thesev i c t o r i e s e s t a b l i s h e d a sound r e p u t a t i o n o f succe ss f o rRober t E Lee s Army o f N o r t he r n V i r g i n i a . Gener al Lee sv i c t o r i e s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e most r ec e nt a t C h a n c e l l o r s v i l le ,where he em ployed o f f e n s i v e t a c t i c s a g a i n s t a c o n s i d e r a b l yla rg e r Un ion fo rc e , encouraged h im t o renew ano thercampaign 2


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I n de v i s i ng h i s campaign s t r a teg y , G ene ra l Lee took anumber o f ma t t e r s i n t o con s ide ra t i o n . Though t he U n ion hadf a i l e d s i n c e t h e o u tb re ak o f t h e war t o s e i z e t h e S o u th er nc a p i t a l a t Richmond, t h e f u t u r e l o s s o f t h e c i t y wasposs ib l e . Lee s p resen t d i sp os i t i o n a l ong t he R appahannockR iv er l i m i t e d h i s f l e x i b i l i t y , w h i l e t al lowed Genera lHooker t h e fre ed om t o p o s t u r e N o r th e r n f o r c e s i n a l o c a t i o na lo ng t h e York R i v e r t o b es eig e R i c h m ~ n d . ~

The ongo ing war, hav ing been conducted p r i m a r i l y i nt he Sou the rn s t a t es had esp ec ia l l y r avaged eas te rn andc e n t r a l V i r g i n i a . G en era l Lee d e s i r e d a cam paign i n ad i f f e r e n t l o c a t i o n t o r e l i e v e t h e N or th er n p re ss ure f a c i n gt h e V i r g i n i a n c i v i l i a n p op ul ac e. T h i s w ou ld a l l o w a seasonwhere c rops and l i v es to c k cou ld grow w i t ho u t be ingcon f i sc a te d by e lements o f bo th a rm ies .

General G ran t s success a ga in st Genera l Pember tonnear Vic ksb urg concerned General Lee.4 Vic ksb urg was th eS ou th s l a s t s tr on g ho ld c o n t r o l l i n g t h e M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r ,and P r e s i d e n t J e f f e r s o n D a v i s d i d n o t wan t t o l o s e i tThere was a need t o e i t h e r re in fo rc e General Pemberton , o rc on du ct a m a jo r o f f e n s i v e i n t h e e a s t t o d raw e l em en ts o fG r a n t s Army f ro m t h e l o we r M i s s i s s i p p i t o r e l i e v e t h ep re ss ur e on P e m b e r t ~ n . ~

F i n a l l y , G enera l Lee des i r e d a campa ign t h a t w ou ldr e s u l t i n r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e S ou th ern cause b y f o r e i g ngovernmen ts . He a l so hoped t o a t t a ck N o r the rn na t i o na l w l l


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t o e s t a b l i s h some p l a t f o r m f o r n e g o t i a t i o n and p o s s i b l y at o t a l abandonment o f th e war.8

d e c i s i v e b a t t l e on N o rt he rn s o i l w ou ld be t h e o n l yway t o i n c o r p o ra t e a l l o f G eneral L ee s c o n s i d e r at i o n s i n t oa campaign p lan . C o lone l Long , Lee s m i l i t a r y se c r e ta r y ,suggested engagin g General Hoo ker s Army o f Potomac a tManassas. Lee responded t o t h a t sug ges t ion sa y in g:

No r e s u l t s o f d e c i s i v e v a l u e t o t h e C on fe de ra teS t at es c o u ld come fr om a v i c t o r y i n t h a t l o c a l i t y .The Federal Army, i d e fe a te d , w ou ld f a l l back t oth e de fenses o f Washing ton, as on p rev i ou soccas ions, where t c o u l d r e o r g an i z e i n s a f e t y a nda ga in t a ke t h e f i e l d i n fo rc e.

Th is s ta te me nt by Genera l Lee was c r u c i a l . Her e a l i z ed what s t r a te gy was needed t o de fea t t h e Army o f t hePotomac, y e t no t employ ing t i n a t im e l y manner i nc r easedh i s chances f o r f a i l u r e a t G e t ty s bu r g. G en era l Lee had t h eo p p o r t u n i t y t o e nv elo pe t h e N o rt he r n fo r c e s a nd c u t t h e i rl i n e s o f c om m un ic atio n t o W a sh in gto n and p o s i t i o n t h eCon fede rates between th e Army o f t h e Potomac and th ec a p i t a l . He d i d n o t i n i t i a l l y a t te m p t t h e envelopm ent.When he u l t im a te l y decided t o ac t , h i s p l an was coun te red byColo nel Chamber la in and t h e 2 0t h Maine Regiment.

Gene ra l Lee chose t o a t t ac k no r t h t h r ough Mar ylandand i n t o Pennsy lvan ia.8 By condu c t ing th e campa ign i nPenn sy lvan ia , Genera l Lee was co n f i de n t t h e Army o f th ePotomac would move a f t e r h im and r e l i e v e pres su re onRichmond and u l t i m a t e l y V i r g i n i a . H i s pl an n ed d e f e a t o f t h e


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U nion f o r c e s would r e s u l t i n t h e i r r e t r e a t i n an u no rg an iz edmanner acr oss th e Susquehanna R iv er . Th is would g i v e Leec on t r o l o f Maryland , Wes te rn Pennsy lvan ia and p a r t s o f WestV i r g i n i a . He a d d i t i o n a l l y planned f o r th e f a l l o fW ashington. T h i s w ould r e s u l t i n t h e r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h eSou thern cause and devas ta te N or the rn na t i on a l w l l as theF edera l governmen t wou ld be fo r c ed t o f l e e th e ca p i t a l .F i n a l l y , he f e l t t h i s m a jo r a c t i o n would be a d iv e r s i o n f o rt h e w e st er n t h e a t e r o f o p e r a t i o n t h a t was o n t h e d e c l i n e. 9

General Lee s i nv as ion o f Pennsy l van ia had twoa d d i t i o n a l a dv an ta ge s a t t h e o p e r a t i o n a l l e v e l w h ic hc ir cums tances i n t he S ou the rn s t a t es d i d no t p rov i de . Thet i me o f yea r and t e r r a i n i n t he Cumberland V a l l e y a l l owedf o r p l e n t i f u l f o o d s t u f f s t h a t co u l d be re q u i s i t i o n e d by h i sarmy. T h i s advantage a l l owed General Lee no t t o be t i e d t oh i s l i n e s o f commun icat ions as he was i n th e sou th , and gaveh im th e o p p o r t u n i t y t o f i g h t a d ef en siv e f i g h t a t t ho selo ca t i on s o f h i s own choos ing . I n p r i o r engagements he hadt o c on sid er h i s r a i l l i n e s and wagon t r a i n s . I nPennsy lvan ia he determined th e speed o f h i s men s march ingand f l e x i b i l i t y o f b a t t l e f i e l d se l e c t io n would g i v e h imgreat advantages over the Union forces and ensure success.He v i o l a t e d t h i s s t r a t e g y a t Ge tt ys bu rg by en ga gin g i no f f e n s i v e o p e r a t io n s a t a l o c a t i o n he d i d n o t choose.

The Army o f th e Potomac i n June o f 1863 wasp o s i t i o n e d i n t h e v i c i n i t y o f t h e R appahannock R i v e r , a t an


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encampment no rt he as t o f Fred r ic ks bu rg . The Army had j u s ts u ff e re d an unexpected de fe at on May 1863 a tC ha nc e l l o r sv i l l e and had assumed a de fens i ve po s i t i on t or ec ov er f ro m t h e f i g h t w hif u t u r e s t r a t e g y . 1 0

Befo re Chance l l o rsvr e s t e d and m o t iv a t e d u n i t ,de fea t t he S ou the rn fo r ce s .

l e t h e l e a d e r s hi p pla nn ed t h e i r

t h a t

1eveamon

i l l e , th e Army was a reo rgan ized ,f u l l y c o n f i de n t t h a t t he y co u l d

A f t e r t h e d e f e a t o f t h e Army o fth e Potomac a t Fre dr i ck sb urg i n December 1862 t h eCommander, Ambrose E Burns ide, was r e l i e v e d and rep la ced byMa jor General Joseph J. Hooker. General Hooker imm edia telyes ta b l i sh ed a w in te r encampment, where he o r i e n te d th eArmy 's e f f o r t s on sa n i ta ry and d i e t improvement. Poorn u t r i t i o n and d isease had pl agued the Army s i nc e t he ou ts e to f t h e war i n 1861 and H oo ke r's f i r s t p r i o r i t y was t o s o lv et h i s p rob lem. The appoin tment o f D r Jonathan Letterman asth e Army 's med ica l d i r e c t o r ensured success f o r t he p rogram

con t inue d th roughou t th e war.Gene ra l Hooker implemented u n i t i n s i gn i a s a t co rps

1 t o e s t a b l i s h a sense o f p r i d e and e s p r i t de c o rp sg th e s o ld ie r s . Th is program enhanced mora le and

reduced th e numbers o f so ld ie rs who d ropped ou t o f th ev a r io u s f o o t marches. I n t h e p as t , s o l d i e r s who f e l l o u t o fmarches c o u ld n o t be i d e n t i f i e d w i t h a s p e c i f i c u n i t andwhen asked many o f them l i e d ab ou t whic h command th ey wereass igned. As each s o ld ie r now wore a s p e c i f i c u n i t


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i d e n t i f i e r , he cou l d be b rough t t o t h e respons i b l e commanderand h e l d a cc ou n ta bl e. T h i s s i g n i f i c a n t l y re du ce d t h efa l l - o u t s and i nc reased morale .12

General Hooker a l so i n s t i t u t e d a l eave prog ram t h a tred uce d t h e d e s e r t i o n r a t e d r a s t i c a l l y . The s o l d i e r s knewt h e y c o u l d r e c e i v e a p e r i o d i c v i s i t home w hi ch i nc r ea s edmorale and reduced th e a tmosphere f o r de ser t i o n .A d d i t i o n a l l y , Hooker r e i n s t i t u t e d t h e co rp s as a u n i t o fo rga n i za t i on , wh ich rep l aced the Grand D i v i s i o n andstr ea ml ine d t he ch a in o f command.

O ve ra l l , the Army o f t h e Potomac was a t o t a l l y re -o r ga n iz e d, w e l l t r a i n e d f i g h t i n g u n i t when t h ey engaged t h eC on fe de ra te s a t C h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e . T h e i r f a i l u r e has beencr ed i t ed t o t h e i r l eader who may have been a g re a ta d m i n i s t r a t o r b u t n o t a b a t t l e f i e l d commander. The N o r t h er no f f i c e r s and men saw themsel ves r e t r e a t i ng a t Chance ll o r s-v i l l e f o r no apparent reason.13 As a r e s u l t Gene ra lHooker l o s t a l l c r e d i b i l i t y and t h e men l o s t c on fi de nc e i nhi m .I 4 The Army o f t h e Potomac i n June 1863, was a s o l i dd i s c i p l i n e d and t r a i n e d u n i t t h a t r e q u i r e d sound l e a d er s h ipa t t h e h i g h e s t l e v e l . The arm y s d i s p o s i t i o n a t t h e u n i tl e v e l a s s t a t e d by C o lo n el F a i r c h i l d o f t h e 2nd Wi sc on si nwas sound:

What an un fo r tun a te se t o f f e l l ow s we a re , t he rei s no b e t t e r d i s c i p l i n e d , b e t t e r e quip ped b e t t e rbehaved Army i n the world and when t has a f a i rf i g h t you w l l hear a good coun t o f i t . 1 5


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However, the lack o f sound h igher leade rsh ip l e f t the armyi n a s t a t e o f t u r m o i l i n June o f 1863.

F o l lo w i n g h i s d e f e a t a t C h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e , G eneralHooker 's s t r a t eg y as coord ina ted w i th P res ide n t L inc o ln , wast o a c c ep t a s t a le ma te i n V i r g i n i a and s u p p o r t Ge ne ra l Gra nta t Vick sburg i n th e Western The atre o f War. When GeneralLee f i n a l l y began h i s Army's movement no r t h i n ea r l y June,the Un ion lead ers h ip mere ly reac ted. They had no s p e c i f i cp la n t o coun ter t h i s unexpected move by th e Confederacy.

Pr esid ent L in co ln d i d see General Lee's movement as agreat opportuni ty when he wrote General Hooker saying:

e1 ve you are aware t h a t s i nc e you too kcommand o f th e Army have n o t b e li e v e d t h a t you hadany chance t o e f f e c t any th ing u n t i l now.16Pres iden t L i nc o ln and Genera l Ha l lec k saw th e opp or tun i t y t od e fe a t t h e r m y o f Nor the rn V i rg in ia . They foresaw ano f f e n s i v e f i g h t d esig ne d t o engage t h e f l a n k s and r e a r o fGeneral Lee 's Army, a t the t im es and pl ac es chosen byGenera l Hooker . Pres ident L in co ln suggested t o Genera lHoo ke r, t o f o l l o w on Le e 's f l a n k , and on h i s i n s i d e t r a c k ,s h o r t e n in g yo ur l i n e s , w h i l s t he l en g th e ns h i s. 1 8

A dd i t i o na l l y , the N or the rn h igh command planned t oe xe r t p ressure on th e Southern c a p i t a l o f Richmond byd i r e c t i n g e le men ts o f Gen era l D i x ' s f o r c e f r o m F t . Monroe t ol a y s iege on Richmond. Raids were a ls o conducted ag ain stthe Southern l i n e s o f communica tion . Un ion ra id er s f romWest V i r g in i a c u t the Eas t Tennessee and V i r g in ia Ra i l ro ad ,


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and i n N o r th C a r o l i n a Gen eral F o st e r s t r u c k w i t h h i s c a v a l r ya g a i n s t t h e c r i t i c a l r a i l r o a d s c o n ne c ti ng Richmond w i t h t h e

lower south.19Con t ra ry t o P res i den t L i n co l n s sugges ti ons, General

Hooker con t inued w i t h a conse rva t i ve , de fens i ve s t ra t eg yt h a t a l l ow e d t h e Army o f N o r t he r n V i r g i n i a t o move v i r t u a l l yunopposed no r th . The f a i l u r e o f General Hooker t o engage i no f f e n s i ve o p er at io n s f u r t h e r s o l i d i f i e d P re s i de nt L i n c o l n sl a c k o f c o n f id e n c e i n h im . H oo ke r s a c t i o n a l s o a d v er s e lyin f l ue nce d Nor the rn popu la r suppor t . The populace th roughre po r t s o f th e news med ia began t o doub t t h e Un ion Army sc a p a b i l i t y t o f i g h t . P re sid en t L in c o l n f i n a l l y r ep la ce dHooker w i t h Ge neral Meade on 7 June 1863.20

The app oint me nt o f G enera l Meade as commander o f t h eArmy o f t he Potomac res t o red con f i dence o f t h e o f f i c e r s andmen rega rd ing th e i r se n i or lea de rsh ip . Genera l Meade spe rs on a l i t y and expe r ience a l s o ensu red t h a t he wouldenf orce th e Pr es ide nt s recommended s t ra tegy .21 I ncon jun c t i o n w i th the P r es id en t s s t ra te gy Genera l Meade hadh i s own p l ans t h a t wou ld u l t i m a t e l y coun ter General Lee sd e s i r e f o r a d e c i s i v e d e f e a t o f t h e N o r t he r n army and t h ef a l l o f Washington. G en eral Meade o u t l i n e d h i s o b j e c t i v e o fth e campaign i n a d i sp a tc h on June 29, 1863 t o G ene ra lHal l eck :

Upon assuming command o f t h e army, and a f t e rc a r e f u l l y c on s i de r i ng t h e p o s i t i o n o f a f f a i r s andth e movements o f t h e enemy, ave conclud ed asf o l l o w s : f Lee i s mov ing f o r B a l t i mo re , xpec t


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c r i t i c a l f l a n k t o p r o t e c t t o c ou nte r t h e C onfederateob je c t i ve s . Thus, once th e two a rmies d i d meet a tG et ty sb ur g t h e U nion l e f t c on tin ue d t o be t h e c r i t i c a lf l a n k .

B ot h a rm ie s f i n a l l y m et a t G e tt y sb u rg on J u l y 11863. They moved on p a r a l l e l columns s t r e t c h i n g ge ne ra l l y

t h e n o r t h e r n most p o s i t i o n o fGeneral Lee's army ran ea st ero f Ge t tysburg and sou th a longm i le s . Genera l Meade's p o s i t

i n a n o r t h t o s ou t h d i r e c t i o n . The tow n o f G e t t ys b ur g wast h e armies . Upon mee ting,

l y f r om C u lp s H i l l t o t h e tow nSeminary R idge f o r t h r ee

i o n was a lon g more fav or ab leh ig h ground oppos ing th e Confederates. t was shaped as af i sh h o o k w i t h t h e p o i n t and c u rv e a t C ulp s H i l l t h e s h a f tmoving so ut he r l y a lo ng Cemetary Ridge, end ing a t th e two key

th e Round Tops. v a l l e y a m i l e w idei l l s , c a l l e dsepara ted the

Recogntwo armies.24

i z e d f o r i t s s t r a t e g i c v a l u e by General H a l l e c kand Meade, th e Union l e f t i f enveloped during movement would

. a l l ow the S ou th t o s p l i t t h e Army o f t he Potomac f romWash ington . Th i s concept f o r de fe a t o f the Nor the rn army bys ep ar at in g i t ' f r o m t h e c a p i t a l c a r r i e d over t o t h e s t a t i cb a t t l e f i e l d . As Genera l Longs t ree t emphasized t o Genera lLee on th e even ing o f 1 J u l y 1863 l ook ing f rom SeminaryRidge he sa id :

I f we c ou ld have chosen a p o i n t t o meet ourp l a n s o f o p e r a t i o n s , he s a i d , Io n o t thin k. wecou ld have found a b e t te r one than t h a t upon wh ichthey a r e now con cen t ra t i n g . 1 we have t o do i s t o7


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L E G E Nu n

oadMap rom John J Pul len. he Tbvcn1;elll h l ~ i n c 1 1

lri i t ial pos i t i ons a t Get t ysburg abou t p m J i ~ l y 1 8 6 3 .. . . . . . . .


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th row our army ai.ound by t h e i r l e f t , and we s h a l lin te r p os e between t h e Fe der al Army and Washington.We can ge t a s t ro ng po s i t i o n and wa i t , and i f t heyf a i l t o a t t a c k u s we s h a l l h ave e v e r y t h i n g i n condi -t i o n t o move back tom orrow n i g h t i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o fWash ington , se le c t i n g be fo rehand a good po s i t i o ni n t o w h ic h we can p l a ce o u r t r o o p s t o r e c e i v e b a t t l et h e n e x t day. F i n d i n g o u r o b j e c t i s W as hin gton o rt h a t army, t he F ede ra l s w l l be s u r e t o a t t a c k u s .When th ey a t t a c k , we s h a l l b ea t them, as we propo sedb e f o re we l e f t Fr e de r ic k sb u rg , and t h e p r o b a b i l i t i e sa r e t h a t t h e f r u i t s o f o ur s uccess w l l beg r e a t . 2 5R egardles s o f t h e s t r a t e g i c i m p l i c a t i o n s , a t t h e

t a c t i c a l l e v e l t h e f l a n k i n g o f t h e Unio n l e f t w ould havea ll ow e d f o r t h e C o n fe de ra te f o r c e s t o d e f e a t t h e N o r t h e r narmy i n t h e i r d e fe n si ve p o s i t i o n s . A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h eNo r th ' s f l a n k was anchored by th e L i t t l e Round Top.26 Thei mpo rtance o f t he L i t t l e Round Top i n add ress ing the Un ionb a t t l e l i n e was emphasized by General Lee 's a id e de campCo lone l Long i n 1886.

The L i t t l e Round Top was th e ke yp o in t o f thew hole s e c t i o n o f t h e b a t t l e f i e l d , and had Hooddreamed o f i t s be ing unoccupied, pushed a fo rc et h a t d i r e c t i o n . and se ize d th e commandina summit i n, t h ev i c t o r y would have been i n ou r g rasp , s i n ce thep os se s si on o f t h i s p o i n t w ou ld n o t o n l y have p la c e dS i c k le s c or ps i n a h i g h l y p e r i l o u s p o s i t i o n , b u t havee na ble d him t o t a k e t h e e n t i r e l i n e i n r everse.27From th e Union Army p er sp ec t iv e, General Warren, t h eCh ie f Eng ineer o f t h e Army o f th e Potomac (see Chapter 5c a l l e d t h e L i t t l e Round Top t h e k ey o f t h e wh olep o s i t i ~ n . ~ ~s s t a t ed i n The K i l l e r Ancrels, M i chae lS haa ra does i ns u re t h i s po i n t i s emphasized . He de p i c t sCo lone l V incen t d i r e c t i n g Co lone l Chamber la in :

V incen t s a id , you a re th e ex treme l e f t o f t h eU n i o n l i n e . You cannot wi t hdra w. f you go, t h e


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l i n e i s f l a nk e d. f you go t h e y l l go r i g h t up t h eh i l l t o p and t ak e u s i n t h e r ea r.29Michae l Shaara s emphas is on th e impor tance o f

C olo ne l C ha mb er la in s m i s s io n i s c r i t i c a l , f o r t h e 2 0 thMaine R eg imen t pe r fo r med a t ask t h a t n o t on l y saved t h e i rB r ig a de , b u t p r o ba b ly t h e r o u t i n g o f t h e Army o f t h ePotomac. A dd i t i o na l l y , t he outcome o f t h e C i v i l War cou ldhave been e f fec ted i f th e South was su cce ss fu l .

The re a r e numerous accoun t s o f t he s i g n i f i c an ce o ft h e L i t t l e Round Top a s i t p e r t a i n e d t o t h e o utcome o f t h eB a t t l e o f G e t ty s b u rg . A f t e r a n a l y z i n g many o f th e seaccoun ts a number o f f a c to r s rema in cons tan t . The t e r r a i ncan be c on sid ere d key, f o r i t s l o c a t i o n i n r e l a t i o n t o t hetwo a rm i es was d i r e c t l y i n t h e p a t h o f a ny a t t e m p t t h e S o uthw ould make t o f l a n k t h e N o r th . f o cc u pi ed f o r o b s e r v a t io nt h e R ound Top a l l o w ed a v ie w t h a t w ou ld a s s i s t i n e a r l yw a rn ing aga ins t any app r oach ing C on fede r a te u n i t f r om th ew es t o r sou th . R e in fo r cements cou ld t hen be a l l o ca te d i ft im e a l lo w e d and u n i t s were a v a i l a b l e . A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h el e f t edge o f Gener al S i c k l e s C or ps ( see Chapter 5 cou ld beobserved and supported i f a ma in a t t a c k o c c u r r e d t h e r e .

The p o s i t i o n o f t h e L i t t l e Round Top i s d i r e c t l yb eh in d t h e B i g Round Top i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e d i r e c t i o n t h eS ou the rn army w ou ld f l a n k . I t s occupa t i on by any N o r the r nfo rc e would coun ter any a t t em pt by th e Southern army i f t heycame ove r th e B i g Round Top. Th is presum pt ion t h a t


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Confederate fo rc es would move over th e Round Tops t o enve lopt h e N o r th e r n l e f t f l a n k l e d G ene ra l W arren t o e ns u ren o r t h e r n f o r c e s o c cu p ie d t h e h i g h g ro un d. As t h e f o r c e s d i dmove ea s t the y wou ld be met by de fen s iv e po s i t io ns .

The L i t t l e Round Top p r ov ide d t he advan tage o f ap o s i t i o n t o be o cc up ie d by a r t i l l e r y . However, due t o i t ss i z e , and r e s t r i c t i v e n a t u r a l f e a t u r es o n ly a s m a lla r t i l l e r y e le me nt co u l d p o s s i b l y occupy t h e p o s i t i o n . foccupied t h e a r t i l l e r y c ou ld p r o v i de e f f e c t i v e f i r e f o rG en era l S i c k l e s C orp s, ( l e f t f l a n k ) however n o t enough t oe f f e c t t h e e n t i r e U nion f r o n t .

The a r t i l l e r y a l o n e, p la c e d upon t h e L i t t l e Round Topw ou ld mer e ly p r ov ide ha r sh ing f i r e s on t h e U n ion l i n e . How-e ve r, t h i s same a r t i l l e r y f i r e , e x p l o i t e d by a w e l l c o o rd i -n a t e d f l a n k i n g m aneuver o f g ro un d u n i t s , w ou ld c r e a t e ad i f f e r e n t t h r e a t . T h i s c o m bi n at io n o f arms c o u l d p r o v i d et h e c ombat p ower n eeded t o t a k e t h e b a t t l e l i n e i n r e ve rs e .

The c l a s s i f i c a t i o n o f t h e L i t t l e Round Top as keyt e r r a i n s u p p o rt s a d e f e n s i v e s c e n a r i o r a t h e r t h a n an o f fe n -s i ve one . U l t im a t e l y , an o f f e ns i v e move by t h e C on fede r a tef o rc e s t h a t r e s u l t e d i n t h e t a k i n g o f t h e L i t t l e Round Top

w ou ld g i v e a l im i t e d advan tage f o r t h e emplacement o fs up po rt in g f i r e s . A d d i t i o n a l l y , i n fo rm in g t h e i r a t t a c k t omove no r t h on Gene ra l S i c k l e s f l an k t h e h i g h g round w ouldpr ov id e do w nh i l l movement add ing momentum t o t h e a t t a c k .However, th e ground would have t o be abandoned as th e a t t a c k


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continued, to exploit the Northern forces flank and rearThe same result could be obtained by moving completelyaround the ig Round Top, avoiding the high ground andparalleling the Taneytown Road. This movement however,would result in the attackers being over one-half mile tothe rear of the Union battleline, not postured as advantag-eously to attack as if coming over the high ground. ,For thesouth to conduct a successful offensive operation the LittleRound Top was advantageous but not key or decisive terrainfor it could be bypassed and a wider envelopment conducted.

From the Northern perspective as recognized byGeneral Warren, enforced by Colonel Vincent and emphasizedby Michael Shaara the Little Round Top, the farthest pointon the Union left was critical key terrain. The positiongave the defender uninterrupted observation in alldirections for early warning. Its occupation positioned thedefender to counter any flanking maneuver from the west,south and east. The Little Round Top could be easilyreinforced if forces were available. This high groundterrain provided the defender cover and the advantage offiring downhill, while the attacker had to avoid the rockobstacles, and attempt to maintain momentum while attackinguphill. As utilized by Colonel Chamberlain, its slopeassisted his unit in gaining momentum when they did counterattack downhill on the 15th Alabama see Chapter 5),significantly contributing to their success. This position


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was key terrain essential to anchor the Union left whileproviding the most advantageous position to counter a

flanking attempt by the South in this area of thebattlefield.

The holding of the Union left flank was critical toensure the Army of the Potomac s victory at Gettysburg.Though numerous arguments can be supported either way, (allout of speculation), ultimately the flanking of the Unionleft would have been a significant distractor to GeneralMeade, as he fought his battle to the front and west. WithGeneral Sickles decisively engaged at 1600, 2 July 1863,reinforcements were prioritized to him. sizeable attacky the Confederates from the south and west had a goodchance of success. Michael Shaara s portrayal of thesignificance of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain s and the 20thMaine Regiment s position and actions are accurate. Withinthe larger context not outlined in The Killer Angels, theholding of flank quite possibly precluded major charges inhistory regarding the outcome of the Civil War and thepreservation of the Union.


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ENDNOTES1 . Ken Bandy The G e t t sb ur Pa e r s (Dayton , Ohio:Mo rni ng Si de Bookshop, 19 /8: pp? 49:-497.C o lo n el P o we ll o u t l i n e s t h e t a c t i c a l a nd o p e r a t i o n a ls i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e a c t i o n s o f t h e L i t t l e Round Top when hesays i n h i s H i s t o r y o f t h e F i f t h c or ps : H i s t o r i a n s havee xh a us te d th em s elv es i n d e s c r i b i n g t h e a c t i o n s a t t h e 'PeachOrchard. ' . . .G r ea t s t r e s s h as been l a i d on t h e r e s u l t s o fP i c k e t t ' s c h a r g e ...b u t t h e t r u t h of h i s t o r y i s , t h a t t hel i t t l e br i g ad e o f V in ce nt , w i t h th e s e l f - s a c r i f i c i n g v a l o ro f t h e 2 0 t h M ain e, u nd er t h e g a l l a n t l e a d e r s h i p o f J os hu a L.Chamber la in, f i g h t i n g among th e roc ks and sc rub-oaks i n th evale between the Round Tops and July 2, 1863, saved t o th eU nio n arms t h e h i s t o r i c f i e l d o f G et ty s bu r g. Had t h e yf a l t e r e d f o r o ne i n s t a n t , t h e r e w ou ld h ave been no g ra n dcharge o f P ic k e t t ; and Get tysburg would have been th emausoleum o f depar ted hopes fo r th e Na t io na l cause ; f o rLongs t r ee t would have enveloped L i t t l e Round Top, ca p t u r i nga l l o n i t s c r e s t f ro m th e r e a r and h e l d t h e k ey o f t h e who lep o s i t i o n .H.J. Eckenrode, James Lo nq st re et (Chapel H i l l , NC :U n iv e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a P r ess , 1936) pp . 185-186.On th e evening o f 1 J u ly 1863, on th e summit o f SeminaryRidge, G enera l Lee and Lon gs t re et were ob se rv in g th e Uniond i s p o s i t i o n o f F or ce s when L o n g s t r e e t ad dre ss ed t h e s t r a t e -g i c v a l u e o f t h e U n io n l e f t t o G en eral Lee as he s a i d : I fwe co u ld have chosen a p o i n t t o meet our p l an s o f opera-

t i o n s , o n o t t h i n k we c o u l d ha ve f ou n d a b e t t e r one t h a nt h a t upon wh ich they a re now con cen t ra t ing . A l l we have t odo i s t o th ro w o u r army a ro un d by t h e i r l e f t , and we s h a l lin te rp os e between th e Fed eral Army and Washington. We cang e t a s t r o n g p o s i t i o n and w a i t , and i th ey f a i l t o a t t ac kus we s h a l l have ev e r y th i n g i n con d i t i o n t o move backtom orrow n i g h t i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f W as hin gton , s e l e c t i n gbe fo rehand a good p o s i t io n i n t o wh ich we can p la ce ourt ro o p s t o r e c e iv e b a t t l e t h e n e x t day. F i n d i n g o ur o b j e c ti s Wa sh in gto n o r t h a t arm y, t h e F e d e r a l s w i l l be s u r e t oa t t a c k us. When th ey at ta c k , we s h a l l bea t them, as wep ro po se d b e f o r e we l e f t F r e d e r ic k s b u r g , and t h e p r o b a b i l i -t i e s a r e t h a t t h e f r u i t s o f o ur s uccess w l l be g r ea t .2 . Edwin B. Codding ton , The Get tvsbu rq C a m a im , AStud y I n Command (New Yor k: Sc r i bn er s Sons, 19631, p. 6I n r e f e r r i n g t o t h e Army N o rt he rn V i r g i n i a ' s su cces sesi n 1863, Edw in Codd ing ton s t a te s : Genera l Lee a t once tooks te p s t o r e c o n d i t i o n a nd s t r e n g t h e n h i s army b e f o r e t h eenemy c o u l d r e co v er f ro m h i s d e f e a t . I n s p i t e o f h i s heavyl os s es i n g en e ra l o f f i c e r s , i n c l u d i n g S t o ne w a l l J ac ks on ,


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Lee had ga ined many advantages, n o t th e l e a s t o f wh ich weret i me and th e f reedom t o maneuve r. The Con fede ra tes had a l s og ained p s y c ho l o g i c a l l y , and t h e i r c o n f i de nc e i n t h e m i l i t a r yp ro we ss o f t h e Army o f N o r t h e r n V i r g i n i a u nd er L ee so ar ed t onew he i gh ts . They had won two ma jo r b a t t l e s , F re de r i cks bu r gand C h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e , w i t h i n a p e r i o d o f f i v e months. P a r t i -c u l a r l y i mp re s s i v e was t h e way i n w h i ch t h e y h ad be a te n t h eFed era l Army i n th e second engagement. A t F r e d e r i c k s b u r gt h e y ha d f o u g h t d e f e n s i v e l y an d a l l o w e d t h e enemy t o e x h au s th i m s e l f i n h ea dl on g a t t a c k s a g a i n s t a sunk en r oa d; a tC h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e w i t h f o r c e s a pp ro xi ma te ly h a l f t h e s i z e o ft ho se o f t h e enemy th e y had w r e s t l e d t h e i n i t i a t i v e fr o mH oo ke r, gone on t h e o f f e n s i v e , and f o r c e d t h e i r op p on en ts t og i v e up t h e f i g h t . f a f r a c t i o n o f t h e Army o f N o r th e rnV i r g i n i a c o u l d a cc o mpl is h s o much, w ha t c o u l d i t not do oncei t had been r e f u r b i s h e d and r e i n f o r c e d ?

3. Herman Ha tta wa y, How t h e N o r t h Won, A M i l i t a r yH i s t o r y o f t h e C i v i l War C hicag o, 11: U n i v e r s i t y o fI l l i n o i s P re ss , 1 98 3) , p. 397.R oge r J . S p i l l e r , ed ., A mer ic an M i l i t a r y L ea d ers NewYork: Praeger Pu b l is he rs , 1989) , Hooker , Joseph by Warren

W H a s sl e r J r .Joseph Hooker g raduated f rom West Po in t i n 1837. Heserved i n th e Second Semino le War, and a lo ng t h e Canad ianB o rde r . D u r i n g t h e Me xi ca n War he re c e i v e d t h re e b re v e t sf o r he r o i c conduct . Named commander o f t h e Army o f th ePotomac i n January 1863.4 . Ezr a J. Warner, Gener a ls i n Gray Bat on Rouge, LA:Lou isana S t a t e U n iv e rs i t y P ress , 1959) , pp . 231-232.John C l i f f o r d P em berton g r a du a te d f r o m West P o i n t i n1837. E arne d t wo b r e v e t s f o r g a l l a n t r y i n t h e M e xi ca n War.He commanded f o r t h e s ou th i n t h e Depa r tmen t o f Sou thC a r o l i n a , G e o r g ia and F l o r i d a . E arn ed t h e ra nk o fl ie u te n a n t genera l on October 10, 1862 whereby he too kcommand o f t h e Depar tmen t o f M is s i ss ip p i and Lou is ia na .D e fe a te d a t V i c k sb u r g J u l y 4 1863.5. Herman Ha tt aw ay , How The N o r t h Won, A M i l i t a r yH i s t o r y o f t h e C i v i l War C hic ago, 11: U n i v e r s i t y o fI l l i n o i s P re ss , 1 98 3) , p. 3 96.6. H.J. Echenrode, James Lo nn st re et Chapel H i l l , NC:U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a P r es s , 1 93 6) , p . 174.7. A.L. Long, Memoirs o f Ro be rt E. Lee New Yor k: J MS od da rt and Company, 18861, p. 268.


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8 . I b i d . , pp. 268 .C o lo n e l L ong d e s c r i b e d G e ne ra l L e e 's s e l e c t i o n o f h i scampa ign i n Lee ' s Memoirs when he s t a t es : I n h i s v iew , t h ebes t cou r se w ould be t o i nvade P ennsy lvan ia , pe ne t r a t i n g

t h i s S t a t e i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f Chambersburg, Y ork , o rG e tt ys bu rg . He m i g h t be f o r c e d t o g i v e b a t t l e a t one o r t h eo th e r o f t hese p laces as c i rcums tances m igh t sugges t, bu t ,i n h i s v ie w , t h e v i c i n i t y o f G e t ty s bu rg was much t h e b e s tp o i n t , a s t was l e ss d i s t a n t f r om h i s base on t h e P otomac,and was so s i t ua te d t h a t by ho ld i ng t he passes o f t h e S ou thM o un ta in he w ou ld be a b l e t o keep open h i s l i n e o fcommun icat ion. .Y o r k , be ing some tw en t y - f i ve m i l e s f a r t h e rf r om t h e m ou nt ai ns , was a l e s s d e s i r a b l e l o c a l i t y .9 . I b i d . , pp. 268-269.10. Edwin Codd ington, The Ge tty sb ur q Campaign. A Studyi n Command (New York: S c ri b n e r ' s Sons, 1963), p. 34.Genera l Hooker c la imed th e Un ion had n o t been ro u te d bu tt h e r e t r e a t ac ro ss t h e r i v e r c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e d t h a t he hadbeen d e fe a te d . Lee had h e l d t h e r i v e r l i n e , b u t f o r af r i g h t f u l cos t . The Fed era ls w i t h some 133,868 men a tC h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e and F r e d e r i ck s b u r g l o s t 1,606 k i l l e d , 9,762wounded, and 5,919 m iss ing f o r a t o t a l o f 17,278 ca su a l t i esbetween A p r i l 27 and May 11; b u t th e Confederates w i t he f f e c t i v e s e s ti m a te d a t 60,000 l o s t 1,665 k i l l e d , 9,081wounded, and 2 ,018 mi ss i ng f rom a t o t a l o f 12,764 - a h i g h e rc a s u a l t y p e r ce nt ag e r a t e b y f a r t h a n t h e F e d e ra l s s u f f e r e d :

21 p e r c e n t o f t h e C o n fe d e ra t es t o 15 p e r c e n t o f t h eFede r a l s .11. Ib id . , pp. 26-27.D r . J on at ha n L e tt er ma n , assumed h i s p o s i t i o n i n J u l y ,1862, and worked hard t o improve co n d i t io n s among th eso ld i e r s . Le tt er man app r ec ia ted t h e impo rtance o f p reven -t i v e med i c ine , and he had g r a du a l l y conve r t ed many o f t h earmy su rgeons t o h i s ideas . H ooke r had g r e a t r es pec t f o rL e tt er m a n' s d e v o t i o n t o t h e w e l f a r e o f t h e men, h i s p r of e s s-i o na l knowledge, and ad m in i s t r a t i v e s k i l l , and when he t ookcommand o f t h e army he d i d a l l he c o u l d t o s u p p o r t h im i n

h i s work. As a r e s u l t i n May o f 1863 Let terma n drew up andp u t i n t o e f f e c t c e r t a i n r u l e s and r e g u la t i o n s f o r t h ep r om o t io n o f s a n i t a r y c o n d i t i o n s w h ic h were t o become amodel f o r o t he r Un ion a rmies . Le t te rma n ' s p rogram succeededi n b r i n g i n g a b ou t a g e n e ra l im prov em en t i n army h e a l t h ,wh i l e s ha rp ly redu c ing th e number o f cases o f camp fev er andt h e m o r t a l i t y r a t e o f t h e s i c k a nd wounded.


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I n v iew o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l w e al th o f t h e N or th i t i ss t a r t l i n g t o l e a r n t h a t many a No rt he rn s o l d i e r s u f f e re df rom a poor and unbalanced d i e t . Wh i le foo d was us u a l l yp l e n t i f u l i n supp ly , i t was o f t e n o f i n f e r i o r q u a l i t y , some-t imes na us ea t ing ly bad, and o f th e wrong s o r t . There wasto o much emphasis upon s a l t e d meats and s ta rc he s and n o tenough on vege tab les , and f r e qu en t l y t he r a t i o n s were po o r l ycooked. As a r e s u l t scu r vy b roke ou t i n some u n i t s ,e s p e c i a l l y when t h e men were on l on g and arduous campaigns.12 . Ib id . , p . 28 .

Genera l Hooker adopted ot he r im po r ta nt measures t oma in ta in th e we l l -b e in g o f t he men and s t ren g th en the a rmy.I n an e f f o r t t o c u t down s t r a g g l i n g a l on g t h e m arch and t od ev elo p w i t h i n t h e s o l d i e r a f e e l i n g o f p r i d e and p r o p r i e -t a r y i n t e r e s t i n a u n i t l a r g e r t ha n h i s own r e gi me nt , Hookeri n March as si gn ed t o each c o r ps i t s own s p e c i a l i n s i g n i a o ri d e n t i f i c a t i o n m ark, s uch as a s t a r , a Greek c r o s s , o r ac r es c en t. I n each co rp s t h e badge o f t h e f i r s t d i v i s i o n wast h e co rp s i n s i g n i a i n r ed , t h e s econd i n w h i t e , a n d ' t h et h i r d i n b lu e , and t h e s o l d i e r wore i t o n h i s f a t i g u e c ap.A rm ies i n t h e West as w e l l as t he E as t soon hea r d abou t t h i ss ystem o f i d e n t i f i c a t i o n and ad op te d i t t o o . t had, Hookera f te r w a rd s a ss er te d, a m a g ic a l e f f e c t on t h e d i s c i p l i n eand conduc t o f th e t roop s , f o r th e badges became ve ryp r ec ious t o them and r ema ined so even a f t e r t h e wa r.13. I b i d . , pp. 28-31.

To Co lone l ( l a t e r Genera l ) A lexander S Webb lo s i n g th eb a t t l e was i n c r e d i b l e . He o bs e rv e d t h a t F i g h t i n g Joel o s t h i m s e l f v e r y s ud d en ly nd we r e t r e a t e d ] w i t h o u ts u f f i c i e n t r ea son.14. I b i d . , pp. 35-36

O f u tmos t conce rn t o ever yone was t h e l ac k o f con f i dencei n General Hooker. Once good w l l toward h im had evaporatedand he had f a l l e n i n the esteem o f th e a rmy, th e camp begant o see the w i t h rumors , charges , and coun te r -charges . Undert h e c i r cu m s ta n c es many o f f i c e r s f e l t r ea dy t o g i v e up andr e s i g n ; o t h e r s worked a g a i n s t t h e g en er al t o g e t r i d o fh im. Some o f th e corp s commanders co nf er re d w i t h L in co lnwhen he and General i n C hi ef Henry W H a l l eck sudden l yappeared a t Hooker ' s headq uar te rs l a t e on May 6 , t h e day t h earmy r e t r e a t e d ac ros s th e Rappahannock. One o f them, MajorGenera l Dar ius N Couch, commander o f t h e Second Corps, t o l dthe P r es iden t t h a t he w ould no t se r ve any l onge r underHooker. He went so f a r as t o recommend Ho ok er 's removal andMeade's a pp oin tm en t as commander o f t h e Army. A few daysl a t e r th re e o f t h e corps commanders, Major G enera ls Couch,


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Henry W Slocum, and John Sedgwick, who were Meade's seniorsi n r an k , s e n t h im word t h a t t h e y were w i l l i n g t o s e rv e u nd erhim.A f t e r L i n c o l n ' s v i s i t t o t h e army t h e r e seemed t o be ac o n s t a n t s tr ea m o f g en e ra l o f f i c e r s g o i ng t o W ashing to ne i t h e r o f t h e i r own v o l i t i o n o r upon i n v i t a t i o n . I n mosti ns tances t hey w en t t o d i scuss H ooke r 's sho r tcom ings anda d v i se as t o who m i g h t t a k e h i s p l a c e .15. Ib id . , p . 3516. Herman Ha ttawa y, How th e N o r t h Won. A M i l i t a r vH i s t o r v o f t h e C i v i l War (C hic ag o, 11: U n i v e r s i t y o fI l l i n o i s P r es s , 1 9 83 ), p . 399.1 7 Roger J. S p i l l e r , e d . , A merica n M i l i t a r y L ea de rs

(New York: Praeger P u b l i s h e rs , 19891, Ha l l e c k , Henrv Waanerby Russel F. Weigley.H en ry Wager H a l l e ck , Army o f f i c e r and m i l i t a r yi n t e l l e c t u a l . H a l l e c k s e rv e d a s G en eral i n Chie f and Ch ie fo f S t a f f o f t h e U nio n A rm ie s d u r i n g t h e C i v i l War.18. Herman Ha tta wa y, How th e N o r t h Won, A M i l i t a r yH i s t o r y o f The C i v i l War (C h ic a go , 1 1: U n i v e r s i t y o fI l l i n o i s P re ss , 1 9 83 ), p. 399.19. Ez ra J. Warner, G ene rals i n Blu e (Bato n Rouge, La:Louisana Sate U n iv e rs i ty Press, 1981) , pp. 125-126, 158-159.John Adams Di x, serv ed i n U S Senate 1945, Se cre ta ry t ot h e Tre as ury u nder James Buchanan. Commissioned a ma jorgen eral o f v o lu n te e rs on May 16, 1861. Was co ns ide red t o oo l d t o s erv e i n t h e f i e l d a t 63, so pe rfo rm ed v a r ie dg a r r is o n commands. Rober t Sanfo rd Fo ste r mustered as ac a p t a i n i n I n d i a n a i n A p r i l 1861 was u l t i m a t e l y prom oted t ob r i g a d i e r g en e ra l i n June 1 863. S erv ed i n w e s te r n t h e a t r eand i n ea s te r n t h ea t r e as b r i ga de and d i v i s i o n commander.20. Herman Hattaway, How th e N or th Won. M i l i t a r yH i s t o r y o f t h e C i v i l War ( Ch ic ag o, 1 1: U n i v e r s i t y o f

I l l i n o i s P r es s , 1 9831, p . 404.Wi th Lee ' s Army so f a r n o r t h Hooker ' s un im press ivere sp on se s e xh au ste d t h e c on f id e n c e o f L i n c o l n . H i s c r e d i thad a l r ea dy lon g s inc e run ou t w i th a number o f newspapere d i t o r s . One o f th es e had d i s g u s t e d ly w r i t t e n e a r l y i nJune , U nder t h e lead e r sh ip o f ' F i g h t i n g Joe H ooke r' t heg l o r i o us Army o f t he P otomac i s becoming more sl ow i n i t smovements, more u n w i e l d l y , l e s s c o n f i d e n t o f i t s e l f , more o fa f o o t b a l l t o t h e enemy, and l e s s an ho no r t o t h e c o u n t r y


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th an any army we have y e t ra i s e d . On June 24 Hookerpromised t o send a c orps o r two acros s t he Potomac t o makeWash ington secure and then t o s t r i k e on Lee ' s p robab l e l i n eo f r e t r e a t . B u t t he n he asked f o r i n s t r u c t i o n s , a d m i t t i n g ,Io n 't know whether am st an di ng on my head o r f e e t .

On June 27, t o Ha l l ec k ' s p l easu re , L i nc o l n re l i e ve dHooker and rep l aced h im w i t h t he General i n Ch i e f ' s cho i ce ,Major General George Gordon Meade.21. Roger J . S p i l l e r , ed. , America M i l i t a r v Leaders (NewYork: Praeg er P ub l is he rs , 1989), Meade. Georne Gordon byWarren W H a s s l e r J r .Bor n on December 31, 1815 i n Cadiz Sp ain , George Meadegradua ted f rom the U.S. M i l i t a r y Academy i n 1835.When th e C i v i l War s t a r t e d i n 1861, Meade was app ointe db r i g ad ie r genera l o f v o l un te er s and named t o th e command o fone o f t he .b r i gade s i n t h e famous P ennsy l van i a Reserves. I nt h i s c a p a b i l i t y h e s e r v i c e d i n t h e P e n i n su l a Campaign, l e dby George B r i n t on McCle l l an , i n the sp r i ng and ea r l y summero f 1862. A t Gl en da le Meade was s e v e re ly wounded. Bu t here tu rned i n t i me t o f i g h t a t Second Manassas i n August underJohn Pope and, as a d i v i s i o n commander, w i t h McC le l lan a tSouth Mounta in and An tie tam i n September. I n November Meadewas p romoted t o ma jo r genera l o f v o lun teer s . A tFr ed er ick sb urg i n December he commanded a d i v i s i o n underAmbrose E ve re t t Burns ide; Meade's t r oo ps te m po ra r i l y broketh rou gh two C onfed erate de fe ns iv e l i n e s commanded by Thomas

Jona than ( S to ne wa l l ) Jackson. A t C h a n c e l l o r s v i l l e , u n d e rJoseph Hooker, i n Apr i l -Ma y 1863, he headed th e V Corps,which was no t he av i l y engaged. I n a l l o f t hese ope ra t i ons ,Meade had perform ed most capa bly as a combat le ad er o fr e l i a b i l i t y and s ag ac it y.Wi th Rober t Edward Lee lau nch ing h i s second in va s io n o fthe no r t h i n ea r l y June 1863, P re s iden t Abraham L i nc o l n andGeneral i n Ch ie f Henry Wager H al le ck named Meade t o succeedHooker i n command o f t h e Army o f t h e Potomac. He possessedth re e h i gh l y no tewo rthy ca pa b i l i t i e s : He was a master o fl o g i s t i c s ; he c o ul d t e l l , even i awakened sudde nly a t anyhou r, me rel y fr om the sound o f f i r i n g what t r o ops wereengaged; and he had an ex tr a o rd in a ry eye t o topography.A lt og et he r he made a d u l l b u t ver y cap able army commander.22. The War o f t he Rebe l l i on : O f f i c i a l Records o f t h eUnion and Co nfe der ate Armies, Washington, D.C. : GovernmentP r i n t i n g O f f i c e , 1880-1901) S e r i es 1 Volume, X X V I I P a r t 1p . 523.

23. Ib id. , p. 525.


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24. Ken Bandy, The G et ty sb ur a Papers (Day ton , O hio:Mo rnin g Sid e Bookshop, 1978 ), p. 489.25. H.J. Eckenrode, James Lo na st re et (Chapel H i l l NC :U ni ve rs i t y o f N or th Ca ro l i n a P ress , 1936) , pp. 186-187.26. Harry W Pfa nz, G et ty sb ur a, The Second Day (ChapelH i l l NC: The Un i ve rs i t y o f No r th Ca ro l i na P ress , 19871,pp. 210-212.V iewed f rom th e west , L i t t l e Round Top can be des cr ibe ds i m p l i s t i c a l l y as h a vi ng t h r e e e l e v a t i on s . The l o n g n o r t hs lo p e r i s e s g r a d u a l l y a b ou t f o r t y f e e t above t h e W h e a t f ie l dRoad t o a r oc k- fa ce d s h e l f . T h is s h e l f , i n t u r n , i s a t t h ebase o f a no th er b l u f f o f b ou ld er s t h a t r i s e s a t t h e n o r t hend o f t h e h i l l s c r e s t . From t h i s n o r t h end o f t h e c r e s tt h e su rf ac e r i s e s g e n t l y o ve r a d i st an ce o f f i f t y ya rds t o aknob near t h e c e nt er o f t h e h i l l t h a t f orm s i t s h ig h e s t

p o i n t . T h i s knob, a b ou t 150 f e e t above t h e v a l l e y f l o o r .t masks t h e s o u th p o r t i o n o f t h e c r e s t f r o m t h e s i g n a ls t a t i o n a rea and i n 1863 screened even ts t h a t t ook p l aceth er e f rom Genera l Warren s v iew. From th e k n o l l th ec r e s t s s u r f a c e d e c l i n e s g e n t l y o ne h un dre d y a rd s t o t h esouth, where i t end i n an a br u p t s lo p e and, t o t h e f r o n t ,a n ot he r b o ul de re d b l u f f . A t t he base o f t he rock l edge , t e no r f i f t e e n f e e t below t h e c r e s t i s a no th er s h e l f , som ethingo f a c ou n t er pa r t o f t h a t a t t h e n o r th end o f t h e h i l l . Thes h e l f i n a l l p r o b a b i l i t y , was t h a t f i r s t v i s i t e d by Vincen tand became t h e s i t e o f t h e r i g h t o f h i s b r i g a de s l i n e .V in ce nt saw t h a t t h e s lo p e t o t h e r i g h t o f t h e s h e l ff r o n t e d west t ow ar d t h e r e a r o f t h e T h i r d C orps p o s i t i o n a tD e v i l s Den. T he re fo re t seemed sa fe fro m a tt ac k . Thesou th s lope o f t h e h i l l , t h a t t o t he l e f t o f t h e s h e l f , i nco n t ra s t , f aced th e sadd le between L i t t l e Round Top and th el ong , t r ee -cove red no r thwes t s l ope o f Round Top. L i t t l eRound T op s spu r , f u r th e r t o t he l e f t , was oppos i te RoundT op s n o r th s l ope and c r es t . The sadd le between the h i l l swas cove red w i t h t r ee s t h a t would concea l any f o r ce w i t hs tam ina enough t o advance ove r t he l a r ge r h i l l . A pa r t f r oma few sharpshoo te rs , th e r e were no T h i r d Corps t ro op s onRound Top - t h u s t was a dangerous a rea t h a t V inc en t sb r i g a d e w ou ld have t o w atc h. The s o u t h s l o p e o f L i t t l e

Round Top and th e spur were es s e n t i a l l y ba re o f t re es , bu tthey were s tudded w i t h b ou lde rs l a rg e and sma l l .The end o f t h e sp ur , t o t he l e f t and r e a r o f t h e h i l l ,was the po r t i o n o f L i t t l e Round Top c l os es t t o Round Top,and i t domina ted the sadd le between th e two h i l l s . Because

t r e s te d b eh in d t h e l e f t o f L i t t l e Round T op s c r e s t , i ts tood i n t he pa th o f any t u r n i n g movement t h a t t heConfederates might make over Round Top against the Union


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l e f t . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e Taneytown Road was o n l y f i v e hu nd re dyards away. The spur t i p , then , was th e obv ious p la ce f o rt he l e f t o f V i n c en t s b rig ad e, f o r i f h i s b r i ga de d i d n o toccupy i t a t t a c k e r s c o u ld o u t f l a n k any l i n e t h a t he mi gh tp o s t on t h e h i l l . From t h e sp u r V i nc e nt w ould s t r i n g h i sl i n e west a round t h e h i l l a s f a r as t would reach,h o p e f u l l y f a r enough t o c o ve r t h e gap between t h e h i l l s i d ep o s i t i o n and t he T h i r d Corps l e f t i n t h e v a l l e y below, f a renough t o fa ce th e f o rb id d in g woods on Round Top s nor thwes ts lope .27. A.L. Long, Memoirs o f Ro be rt E Lee (New Yo rk : J.M.S to d d a rt and Company, 188 6), p. 284.28. Har ry W Pfa nz, G et ty sb ur n, The Second Day (Chapel

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