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On July 1, 2, and 3, 1863 the Federal and Confederate armies met at the small village of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in one of the most significant...and horrific...events in American history.

On the afternoon of the third day an event that came to be known as "Pickett's Charge" took place. I've heard several differing versions of the number of Confederate soldiers involved, but the first I heard is the one I stay with.

Late on that afternoon, after an artillery barrage from the Confederate lines that lasted a couple hours but had little effect since most of the fire was over-shot and went over the heads of the Federals, approximately fifteen thousand Confederate soldiers lined up on Seminary Ridge (at that time called Oak Ridge) and started marching toward the center of the union line on Granite Ridge (now called Cemetery Ridge).

They marched in formation across an open field for just under one mile, climbing over two fences and across a road, all the time under truly withering fire from the Federals, both small arms and artillery, a great many of whom were firing from behind a low stone wall.

Also, keep in mind that this was in extreme heat and humidity

The purpose of the attack was to break the Union line in two, then attempt to defeat both sections. That, of course didn't happen. What did transpire, was that the few Southerners who survived the crossing met the Federals around the small copse of trees at the left of this image, now known as "The High Water Mark of the Confederacy", and engaged in extremely vicious hand to hand fighting until they were finally turned back, where-upon they retreated back across the field to their own lines, when and where it was eventually determined that only approximately three thousand were still alive and without major wounds.

Think of the incredible courage of those Southern soldiers...I am genuinely unable to even imagine the horrors they encountered that afternoon...and they never broke and ran...they kept going forward despite seeing their friends and comrades liteally being blown to pieces all around them by .55 caliber minie-balls, solid shot, exploding shot, canister, and grape shot from artillery such as in this image.

Just to put it in perspective: in the ninety minutes that this one event lasted, the Confederates suffered approximately twelve thousand casualties; on D-DAY, the Normandy landings, in twelve hours, the combined allied casualties numbered approximately...ten thousand.

I took this image on an October evening when I had the good fortune to visit the Battlefield...a VERY moving experience, and one that I feel is appropriate to share on this anniversary of the battle.
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