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JULY 1—THE BATTLE OPENS
Early on July 1 General Reynolds, now commander of the army's left
wing, ordered his First Corps from its bivouac along Marsh Creek just
north of the Maryland line to Gettysburg to support Buford in case the
Confederates should return to the Gettysburg area. He ordered the Union
Eleventh Corps under Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard to follow. Meade's
instructions for his forces to form a defensive position along Pipe
Creek had not yet reached either general. As Reynolds's troops marched
north, Heth's division, of Hill's Corps was approaching Gettysburg from
the west over the Chambersburg Pike. Early in the morning Heth's leading
brigade ran into a cavalry picket post about three miles west of
Gettysburg.
The pickets fired a few shots, the first shots of the battle, and
fell back. Heth's men trudged on. Soon they encountered a heavier force
of Buford's cavalrymen sent forward to dispute their advance. There was
heavier fire, and Heth's leading brigades, those of Brig. Gens. James
J. Archer and Joseph R. Davis, deployed on each side of the road and
pressed slowly ahead. At about 10 A.M. they neared Herr Ridge two miles
west of Gettysburg, and Colonel William Gamble's brigade of Buford's
division formed on McPherson, Ridge to dispute their advance. Buford's
men, supported by Lt. John H. Calef's U.S. Battery, had done a fine job
in delaying the Confederates' approach, and their breechloading carbines
had given them some advantage, yet they had only skirmished, and
casualties on both sides had been small. The heavy fighting was
ahead.
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VIEW OF GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AUGUST 1863, TAKEN FROM SEMINARY RIDGE
(GNMP)
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GENERAL JOHN BUFORD (SEATED) AND STAFF (CWL)
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Reynolds rode ahead of his troops into Gettysburg and west along the
Chambersburg Pike to McPherson Ridge, where he met Buford. At this time
Archer's and Davis's brigades were forming on Herr Ridge about 1,300
yards to the west in preparation for an attack on Buford's line of
dismounted cavalry. The two generals conferred. Reynolds studied the
ground, told Buford to hold on as long as he could, and rode back to
hurry the infantry along. He met the head of Wadsworth's division south
of Gettysburg near the Codori farm buildings and sent it across the
fields toward the seminary, breathless but ready for a fight.
By this time the two Confederate brigades, seeing little opposition
io their front, advanced in expectation of an easy
victory. As they crossed Willoughby Run at the west base of McPherson
Ridge, Reynolds directed Captain James A. Hall's Maine Battery to the
position occupied by Calef's guns on the west arm of the ridge near the
pike. He designated positions for Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler's brigade
and Brig. Gen. Solomon Meridith's "Iron Brigade," Cutler's to the ridge
astride the road and railroad bed and the fields to the north, the Iron
Brigade to its left in Herbst's (McPherson's) Woods between the ridge
crest and the run. (These woods, long known as McPherson's Woods, were
actually the property of John Herbst, whose house, 750 yards to the
south, was burned by the Confederates.) As Reynolds rode along the east
edge of the woods, directing the Iron Brigade into the trees and shouting,
"Forward! men, forward! for God's sake, and drive those fellows out
of the woods!" a bullet struck him in the head and killed him.
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MAJOR OLIVER O. HOWARD, COMMANDER, 11TH ARMY CORPS, ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
(GNMP)
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Three regiments of Cutler's Brigade crossed the railroad bed to form
the right of the Union line. Before these leading regiments could take
their positions on the ridge, Davis's brigade raked them with a deadly
fire. Although the two brigades of both Heth's and Wadsworth's divisions
were of comparable size and their lines of similar length, they deployed
so that the left of each line overlapped the right of its enemy. As
Davis's brigade assailed the three Union regiments north of the railroad
cut from the front, the left of its line enfolded Cutler's right,
making Cutler's position untenable. General Wadsworth ordered Cutler's
right regiments back to Seminary Ridge. Unfortunately, the commander of
the 147th New York Infantry was shot before he could relay the order to
his troops, and that lonely regiment continued
to fight on until a second order came. According to General Cutler, 454
of the 1,007 troops engaged north of the railroad bed became casualties
in less than thirty minutes' time, the 147th losing 207 of its 380
officers and men.
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THE DEATH OF REYNOLDS
Charles A. Veil, Reynolds's orderly, described his commander's
death at Gettysburg in a letter written April 7, 1864, (Note: Grammar
and punctuation appear as originally written.)
The Genl road along in rear of our line towards the woods on our
left ("Called I believe McPhersons, though I heard while in Gettysburg that they
belonged to Mr. Herbs't"). As he rode along he saw the enemy advancing
through the woods, facing the Cashtown Road. The Genl saw at a glance
that something desperate must be done or our troops would be entirely
flanked as there was a Reg't comeing down, from the Seminary—(was
but a short distance from the woods)—was the 19th Indiana—belonging
to Brig on left of Cashtown Road—but had by some means got in rear)
He ordered it to "Forward into line" at a double quick and ordered them to
charge into the woods, leading the Charge in person; the Regiment Charged into the
woods nobly, but the enemy was too strong, and they had to give way to
the right. The enemy still pushed on, and was now not much more than 60
paces from where the Gen'l. was. Minnie Balls were flying thick. The
Genl. turned to look towards the Seminary, (I suppose to see if the
other troops were comeing on,) as he did so, a Minnie Ball Struck him in
the back of the neck, and he fell from his horse dead. He never spoke a
word, or moved, a muscle after he was struck. I have seen many men killed in action,
but never saw a ball do its work so instantly as did the ball
which struck General Reynolds, a man who knew not what fear or danger
was, in a word, was one of our very best Generals. Where ever the fight
raged the fiercest, there the General was sure to be found, his
undaunted Courage always inspired the men with more energy &
courage. He would never order a body of troops where he had not been
himself, or where he did not dare to go. The last words the lamented
General spoke were—"Forward men forward for Gods sake and
drive those fellows out of those woods," (meaning the enemy).
When the General fell the only persons who were with him was Capt's
Mitchell, & Baird, and myself. When he fell we sprang from our
horses, the Gen'l. fell on his left side, I turned him on his back,
glanced over him but could see no wound escept a bruise above his left
eye. We were under the impression that he was only stunned, this was all
done in a glance. I caught the Genl. under the arms, while each of the
Capt's. took hold of his legs, and we commenced to carry him out of the
woods towards the Seminary. When we got outside of the woods the Capt's.
left me to carry the word to the next officers on Command, of his
death.
(REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF GETTYSBURG COLLEGE.)
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MAJOR GENERAL JOHN F. REYNOLDS, 1ST CORPS COMMANDER (CWL)
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After driving Cutler's three right regiments from the field and
sustaining casualties while doing so, some of Davis's victorious
troops turned south toward the Union position south of the railroad bed
while others pressed east toward Seminary Ridge. In its seeming triumph,
Davis's brigade lost its cohesion and firepower.
(click on image for a PDF version)
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JULY 1, 1863, THE OPENING CLASH OF INFANTRY 10:30—11:30 A.M.
Davis's and Archer's brigades of Heth's Confederate division are
confronted along McPherson's Ridge by Wadsworth's division, which is
placed personally by Reynolds. South of the Chambersburg Pike, the Iron
Brigade defeats Archer, although Reynolds is killed at the opening of
this engagement. North of the pike, the Union forces are defeated by
Davis, but a counterattack by the 6th Wisconsin and 84th and 95th New
York drives Davis back with heavy loss.
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As Davis's brigade drove the Union regiments north of the railroad
bed, Hall's Battery, Cutler's two regiments south of the Pike, and the
Iron Brigade made short work of Archer's Brigade on Heth's right. Union
regiments met Archer's men as they pushed across Willoughby Run and
climbed the slope into McPherson's Woods. Their longer line enveloped
its right, capturing Archer, "that most gallant and meritorious
officer," and driving his brigade back to Herr Ridge.
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BUFORD'S DISMOUNTED CAVALRY SKIRMISHING WITH THE CONFEDERATES
(BL)
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Then, Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday, the acting commander of the First
Corps, sent his reserve, the 6th Wisconsin Regiment, north against
Davis's disordered brigade near the railroad bed. The 6th paused at
the fence along the pike and fired, halting Davis's attack on
Cutler's men and causing many of them to seek cover in a cut where the
railroad bed slices through McPherson's Ridge. The 95th New York and
14th Brooklyn regiments joined the 6th along the pike. Lt. Col. Rufus R.
Dawes of the 6th and Major Edward Pye of the 95th yelled, "Forward,
charge!" and the Union regiments charged for the cut, Dawes shouting,
"Align on the colors! Close up on that color! Close up on that color!"
The three regiments jogged toward the railroad cut where many of Davis's
men had sought cover. The charge was a success. They captured over 200
Mississippians at the cut and drove the remainder back to Herr Ridge.
The Union forces had won the opening round at Gettysburg. In one of the
great understatements of the war, General Heth, in his report of this
engagement, wrote: "The enemy had now been felt, and found to be in
heavy force in and around Gettysburg."
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