Pickett's Charge — Confederate assault on Cemetery Ridge, July 3, 1863

Planning and commanders

The assault was directed by Lieutenant General James Longstreet and is named for Major General George Pickett, one of the division commanders who led the attack. Longstreet had reservations about a frontal assault across open ground and preferred maneuver, but carried out Lee's orders. The attack drew brigades from several corps under leaders whose coordination and timing were critical to the operation.

Artillery preparation

The infantry assault was preceded by a large Confederate artillery bombardment intended to silence or dislodge the Union guns and soften the center. Despite the scale of the bombardment, it failed to achieve decisive results. Union artillery, reverse slope positions and difficulties in ranging the opposing batteries limited Confederate effectiveness. The artillery phase remains a subject of study among military historians for its planning and execution.

The infantry assault

About 12,500 Confederate infantrymen from nine brigades advanced across roughly three-quarters of a mile of exposed farmland under intense rifle and artillery fire. Marching in massed formations, some attackers reached the low stone wall and temporary breastworks occupied by Union defenders on Cemetery Ridge. The close fighting at that wall was fierce, but Confederate troops who gained ground could not be reinforced or consolidated and were driven back by counterattacks and concentrated fire.

Casualties and immediate outcome

The charge inflicted very heavy losses: more than half of the men engaged became casualties. The repulse of the assault ended major offensive operations at Gettysburg and forced Lee to withdraw his army from the field and begin the retreat to Virginia. Union defensive works, interior lines and effective use of artillery and small arms were decisive in repelling the attack.

Terrain, tactics and factors in the result

Terrain played a central role: open fields, slight rises, and low stone walls favored defenders and exposed attackers to converging fire. Tactical disagreements among Confederate leaders, the limited effect of the preparatory artillery, and the difficulty of coordinating large formations under fire combined to produce the charge's failure. Weather, fatigue after two days of fighting, and communication challenges also contributed.

Significance and legacy

Pickett's Charge has taken on symbolic importance in American memory. It represents both the valor and the futility of large frontal assaults against prepared defenses in the era of rifled muskets and artillery. The phrase "high-water mark of the Confederacy" is commonly applied to the farthest point reached by Confederate troops during the assault. In later years Major General Pickett is often quoted for his dry remark about the defeat: "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it," a comment that has entered popular accounts of the battle.

Historiography and debate

Scholars continue to debate choices made by Lee and his subordinates, the adequacy of Confederate reconnaissance, and whether alternative plans might have produced a different outcome. Longstanding disagreement among officers, the complexity of coordinating multi-brigade attacks, and evolving analyses of battlefield archaeology and period reports keep Pickett's Charge a vibrant subject of military history.

Further reading and resources

• Infantry tactics and formations
• Confederate leadership profiles
• Robert E. Lee: strategic decisions
• George G. Meade and Union command
• Army of the Potomac organization
• Battle of Gettysburg overview
• Context within the American Civil War
• James Longstreet's role and opinions
• Corps and division leaders in the assault
• Artillery use at Gettysburg
• Organization of Confederate brigades
• Aftermath: retreat and campaign end