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Battle of Gettysburg

Three days that turned the American Civil War — traced across the real battlefield, phase by phase.

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Phase by phase

1. Day 1 · 1863-07-01 ~07:30-10:20
   Henry Heth
   Heth advances east down the Chambersburg PikeConfederate
   Two brigades of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth's division (A.P. Hill's Third Corps) march east from Cashtown down the Chambersburg Pike and are delayed by Brig. Gen. John Buford's dismounted Union cavalry along Herr Ridge, pushing the troopers back toward McPherson Ridge by about 10:20 a.m.
   Herr Ridge / Chambersburg Pike · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, first day; ABT July 1, 1863 article (opening shots ~7:30am, Confederates push cavalry to McPherson Ridge by 10:20am)
2. Day 1 · 1863-07-01 ~10:00-11:00
   John F. Reynolds
   Reynolds' I Corps stands at McPherson RidgeUnion
   Maj. Gen. John Reynolds' Union I Corps, led by the Iron Brigade, arrives and blunts Heth's attack at McPherson Ridge and Herbst Woods; Reynolds is killed early in the fighting (~10:15 a.m.).
   McPherson Ridge · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, first day (Iron Brigade stand, Reynolds killed ~10:15am)
3. Day 1 · 1863-07-01 ~14:00-16:00
   Robert E. Rodes
   Rodes attacks south from Oak Hill onto Oak RidgeConfederate
   Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes' division (Ewell's Second Corps) arrives from the north and attacks down Oak Hill against the Union I Corps right on Oak Ridge in the mid-to-late afternoon.
   Oak Hill / Oak Ridge · documented · ABT map, McPherson's and Oak Ridge July 1 3:45-5:00pm; Wikipedia first day (Rodes smashes into I Corps on Oak Ridge)
4. Day 1 · 1863-07-01 ~14:45-16:00
   Jubal Early
   Early routs XI Corps at Barlow's KnollConfederate
   Maj. Gen. Jubal Early's division arrives from the northeast; brigades under Gordon and Doles converge on Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow's exposed XI Corps position and overrun Blocher's (Barlow's) Knoll.
   Barlow's (Blocher's) Knoll · documented · ABT map, Barlow's Knoll July 1 2:45-4:30pm (Gordon and Doles rout the XI Corps, seize the knoll)
5. Day 1 · 1863-07-01 ~16:00-17:00
   Winfield Scott Hancock
   Union retreat through town to Cemetery HillUnion
   With both flanks collapsing, the Union I and XI Corps fall back through the streets of Gettysburg and rally on the high ground of Cemetery Hill, where Hancock organizes the new defensive line.
   Cemetery Hill · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, first day; ABT July 1, 1863 article (Union corps fall back to Cemetery Hill ~4-5pm)
6. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~15:30-16:00
   James Longstreet
   Longstreet moves to the Confederate rightConfederate
   Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps (Hood's and McLaws' divisions) completes a countermarch to the Confederate right and deploys along and south of Seminary Ridge to assault the Union left en echelon.
   Warfield/Seminary Ridge (Confederate right) · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Longstreet's countermarch, en echelon assault begins ~4pm)
7. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~16:30-17:30
   John Bell Hood
   Hood's division attacks Devil's DenConfederate
   Brig. Gens. Robertson's and Benning's brigades of Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood's division assault Devil's Den and the Union III Corps left, overrunning Ward's brigade and Smith's guns.
   Devil's Den · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Hood's brigades take Devil's Den)
8. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~17:00-18:30
   Joshua Chamberlain
   Union defends Little Round TopUnion
   Col. Strong Vincent's brigade, with the 20th Maine under Col. Joshua Chamberlain on the far left, holds the hill against Law's Alabama and Texas regiments (notably the 15th Alabama), securing the Union left flank.
   Little Round Top · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Vincent/Chamberlain hold LRT vs Law's brigade); coordinate anchor supplied by task
9. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~17:00-19:00
   Seesaw fighting in the WheatfieldConfederate
   Kershaw's and Semmes' brigades (McLaws) and Anderson's brigade attack into the Wheatfield, which changes hands repeatedly against Union III, II and V Corps reinforcements ('the Bloody Wheatfield').
   The Wheatfield · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (repeated attacks through the Wheatfield)
10. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~18:00-19:00
    William Barksdale
    Barksdale breaks the Peach Orchard salientConfederate
    Brig. Gen. William Barksdale's Mississippi brigade (McLaws) charges the apex of Sickles' III Corps salient at the Peach Orchard, shattering the Union line along the Emmitsburg Road; Barksdale is mortally wounded.
    The Peach Orchard · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Barksdale's charge collapses the Peach Orchard salient)
11. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~19:00-22:00
    Edward Johnson
    Johnson attacks Culp's HillConfederate
    Maj. Gen. Edward 'Allegheny' Johnson's division (Ewell's Corps) assaults the Union right on Culp's Hill in the evening, seizing abandoned works on the lower hill as most XII Corps troops had shifted to the Union left.
    Culp's Hill · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Johnson's evening attack on Culp's Hill)
12. Day 2 · 1863-07-02 ~19:30-21:00
    Jubal Early
    Early assaults East Cemetery HillConfederate
    Early's 'Louisiana Tigers' (Hays) and Avery's North Carolina brigade charge up East Cemetery Hill at dusk, briefly reaching the Union guns before being driven off by II Corps reinforcements.
    East Cemetery Hill · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day (Hays and Avery's dusk assault on East Cemetery Hill)
13. Day 3 · 1863-07-03 ~04:30-11:00
    Union clears Culp's Hill at dawnUnion
    The Union XII Corps opens an artillery barrage at dawn and, in roughly seven hours of fighting, recaptures its works on Culp's Hill, repulsing Johnson's renewed Confederate attacks and securing the Union right.
    Culp's Hill · documented · Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, third day (XII Corps dawn counterattack clears Culp's Hill by ~11am)
14. Day 3 · 1863-07-03 ~15:00-15:45
    George Pickett
    Pickett's Charge on the Union centerConfederate
    After a massive artillery bombardment, about 12,500 Confederate infantry under Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble advance three-quarters of a mile from Seminary Ridge against the Union II Corps at The Angle on Cemetery Ridge; the attack briefly breaches the line at the 'High Water Mark' before being repulsed with heavy loss.
    Seminary Ridge to The Angle, Cemetery Ridge · documented · Wikipedia, Pickett's Charge and Battle of Gettysburg, third day (~12,500 men advance from Seminary Ridge to The Angle ~3pm); coordinate anchors supplied by task

Sources

• American Battlefield Trust animated map: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/gettysburg-animated-map
• Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, first day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg,_first_day
• Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, second day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg,_second_day
• Wikipedia, Battle of Gettysburg, third day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg,_third_day
• Wikipedia, Pickett's Charge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickett%27s_Charge
• American Battlefield Trust, July 1, 1863: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/july-1-1863
• American Battlefield Trust map, McPherson's and Oak Ridge, July 1, 3:45-5:00pm: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/gettysburg-mcphersons-and-oak-ridge-july-1-1863-345pm-5pm
• American Battlefield Trust map, Barlow's Knoll, July 1, 2:45-4:30pm: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/gettysburg-fight-barlows-knoll-july-1-1863-245pm-430pm

On the data

All fourteen phases correspond to documented, sourced troop movements at tactical fidelity; none are invented. Coordinates are placed on the real named landmarks (McPherson Ridge, Oak Hill/Oak Ridge, Barlow's/Blocher's Knoll, Cemetery Hill, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Culp's Hill, East Cemetery Hill, Seminary Ridge, The Angle) using published battlefield locations; individual lon/lat digits are landmark-centroid approximations (typically within ~100-300 m of the exact monument/marker), so the exact decimal coordinate is 'reconstructed' precision even though the movement itself is documented. Two coordinates were supplied by the task and used as anchors: Little Round Top (-77.236,39.791) and The Angle (-77.235,39.812), with Pickett's Charge starting near Seminary Ridge (-77.246,39.813). Times are the approximate windows given in the cited ABT maps/articles and Wikipedia; hour-level precision is standard in the literature but minute-level start times vary slightly by source. Every phase is tagged 'documented' because the movement and its participants are attested; the fidelity tag refers to the movement, not to the sub-100m coordinate precision.

Hand-authored from the sources below. Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].