High-water mark of the Confederacy

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High-water mark of the Confederacy
High-watermark of the Confederacy.jpg
To the left (east) of The Angle stone wall was the farthest advances of the units of Longstreet's assault during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. [1]
Location Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg National Military Park
Coordinates 39°48′45″N77°14′09″W / 39.81250°N 77.23583°W / 39.81250; -77.23583
Establishing
event
Pickett's Charge,
July 3, 1863

The high-water mark of the Confederacy or high tide of the Confederacy refers to an area on Cemetery Ridge near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, marking the farthest point reached by Confederate forces during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. [1] Similar to a high water mark of water, the term is a reference to arguably the Confederate Army's best chance of achieving victory in the war. The line of advance was east of "The Angle" stone wall. [2]

Contents

History

The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument marks their "advance position". High Water Mark - Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg Battlefield.jpg
The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument marks their "advance position".

This designation was invented by government historian John B. Bachelder after the war when the monuments of the Gettysburg Battlefield were being erected. [3] Some historians have argued that the battle was the turning point of the war and that this was the place that represented the Confederacy's last major offensive operation in the Eastern Theater.

On the third day of the battle (July 3, 1863), General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States Army ordered an attack on the Union Army center, located on Cemetery Ridge. This offensive maneuver called for almost 12,500 men to march over 1,000 yards (900 m) of dangerously open terrain.

Preceded by a massive but mostly ineffective Confederate artillery barrage, the march across open fields toward the Union lines became known as Pickett's Charge; Maj. Gen. George Pickett was one of three division commanders under the command of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, but his name has been popularly associated with the assault. Union guns and infantry on Cemetery Ridge opened fire on the advancing men, inflicting a 50% casualty rate on the Confederate ranks. One of Pickett's brigade commanders was Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead. His men were able to breach the Union lines in just one place, a bend in the wall that has become known as "the Angle". This gap in the Union line was hastily closed, with any Confederate soldiers who had breached it being quickly captured or killed, including Armistead.

Lee's Army of Northern Virginia retreated the next day, leaving Gettysburg for Virginia. Even though the war lasted almost another two years, Lee launched few offensive operations during that time, none of them near the scale of the Gettysburg campaign.

The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576212479).jpg The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576398397).jpg
Panorama of the High-Water Mark from The Photographic History of the Civil War: In the center of the panorama rises Cemetery Ridge, where the defeated 1st and 11th Federal Corps slept on their arms on the night of July 1, after having been driven back through the town by the superior forces of Hill and Ewell. The lower eminence to the right of it is Culp's Hill. At the extreme right of the picture stands Round Top.

Monuments

The Armistead Marker marks where General Armistead collapsed with mortal wounds. Armistead.JPG
The Armistead Marker marks where General Armistead collapsed with mortal wounds.

Some of the monuments at the high-water mark include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Gettysburg</span> 1863 battle of the American Civil War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Pickett</span> Confederate army general (1825–1875)

George Edward Pickett was a career United States Army officer who became a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for being one of the commanders at Pickett's Charge, the futile and bloody Confederate offensive on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg that bears his name.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickett's Charge</span> Confederate infantry assault during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Armistead</span> Confederate general (1817-1863)

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Richard Brooke Garnett was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was court-martialed by Stonewall Jackson for his actions in command of the Stonewall Brigade at the First Battle of Kernstown, and killed during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cemetery Ridge</span> United States historic place

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John B. Bachelder</span> American historian

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry H. Bingham</span> American politician (1841–1912)

Henry Harrison Bingham was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1879 to 1912. He was a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, fought in some of the key battles of the war and received the United States Military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of the Wilderness.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alonzo Cushing</span> American Union Army soldier (1841–1863)

Alonzo Hereford Cushing was an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge. In 2013, 150 years after Cushing's death, he was nominated for the Medal of Honor. The nomination was approved by the United States Congress, and was sent for review by the Defense Department and the President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army

The 26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of ten companies that came from various counties across North Carolina and Virginia. It is famous for being the regiment with the largest number of casualties on either side during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial</span>

The Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial is a Gettysburg Battlefield monument depicting the "Armistead-Bingham incident" in which Union Army Captain Henry H. Bingham assisted wounded Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead. Both men were Freemasons. This event occurred shortly after Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. However, the memorial statue was not created until more than 130 years later, in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick W. Füger</span>

Frederick W. Füger was an enlisted man and officer in the U.S. Army. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Angle</span> Area of the Gettysburg battlefield in the US civil war

The Angle is a Gettysburg Battlefield area which includes the 1863 Copse of Trees used as the target landmark for Pickett's Charge, the 1892 monument that marks the high-water mark of the Confederacy, a rock wall, and several other Battle of Gettysburg monuments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument</span>

The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument is an 1891 statuary memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield. It is located on Cemetery Ridge, by The Angle and the copse of trees, where Union forces – including the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry – beat back Confederate forces engaged in Pickett's Charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association</span>

The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (GBMA) was an historic preservation membership organization and is the eponym for the battlefield's memorial association era. The association was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on April 13, 1864, after attorney David McConaughy recommended on August 14, 1863, a preservation association to sell membership stock for battlefield fundraising. McConaughy transferred his land acquired in 1863 to the GBMA, and the association's boardmembers were initially local officials. The GBMA sold stock to raise money, hired a superintendent at $1000/yr, added to McConaughy's land holdings, and operated a wooden observation tower on East Cemetery Hill from 1878–95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument</span>

The High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument is a Gettysburg Battlefield memorial which identifies the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia units of the infantry attack on the Battle of Gettysburg, third day, with a large bronze tablet, as well as the Union Army of the Potomac's "respective troops who met or assisted to repulse Longstreet's Assault." The memorial is named for the line of dead and wounded of Pickett's Charge which marked the deepest penetration into the Union line at The Angle when "4,500 men threw down their arms and came in as prisoners". The line is now generally marked with unit monuments which are also historic district contributing structures. The High Water Mark monument is accessible via Hancock Avenue which has parking spaces alongside, and a path leads to the site from a parking lot at the former Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg, which served for fifty years as a Gettysburg Battlefield visitor center by the National Park Service until it was demolished in 2013.

References

  1. 1 2 Bachelder, John B (1892), High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument, Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, archived from the original (NPS.gov webpage about monument) on 2011-07-21, retrieved 2011-02-11, rear tablet added 1895 (MN389) listing directors of Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. All 9'H.
  2. "List of Classified Structures: The Angle Stone Wall, Structure Number WA03". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2020. Stone wall consists of dry-laid field granite stones and measures 4'0"H x 3'9"H x 1030'. Originally separated the Leister and Small Farm properties from Biggs Farm property.
  3. Desjardin, Thomas A. These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory. ISBN   0-30681-382-3
  4. "List of Classified Structures: Alonzo Cushing Marker: MN394". 1887. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2020. 1 of 16 Civil War Monuments of the GBMA Era (1863 - 1895) commerating[ sic?] killed or wounded officers. Indicates spot where Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing was mortally wounded July 3, 1863. Located in the Angle near the Battery marker.
  5. Butler, John M. (1885). The Battle of Gettysburg: An Historical Account. Armistead answers the challenge: "Give them the cold steel, boys!" and lays his hand upon a gun. But, at that moment, by the side of Cushing, his young and gallant adversary, intrepid Armistead falls, pierced with balls. They both lie at the foot of the clump of trees, which marks the extreme point reached by the Confederates in this, their supremest effort. Where Cushing and Armistead lie is where the tide of invasion stops. The Confederate cause is buried there: there, beneath the blood of as brave soldiers as ever carried sword or faced the march of death. The men who came forward here, when defeated, did not fall back: there was no one left to return.
  6. "NPGallery Asset Detail: Lewis A. Armistead Marker". npgallery.nps.gov. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020. First marker erected to commemorate fallen Confederate commander. Denotes site where Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead was mortally wounded. Located in the Angle area, W of Cushing's Battery. Mn base 2'x2' smooth cut. Shaft designed to simulate opening scroll w/incised inscription in face. Badly eroded. All 4'6"H. Inscription: Brigadier General LEWIS A. ARMISTEAD C.S.A. Fell Here July 3, 1863.
  7. "It's Again A Tented Field: Sickles And Longstreet At Gettysburg" (PDF). New York Times . July 1, 1888. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2011-06-15. The stone marked the spot where Armistead put his hand on a Union cannon and said, "Gentlemen, this gun is ours." In another moment he was [wounded].
  8. "A Gettysburg Reunion" (Google News Archive). The Canaseraga Times. July 8, 1887. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2011-02-11. One of the dramatic incidents of the day took place at the bloody angle where 1,500 Virginians broke through the lines held by their hosts, and where the three monuments were dedicated on the 3d [of July, 1887].
  9. "Monument to the 1st New York Independent Battery at Gettysburg". Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  10. "1st NY Independent Battery Regiment during the Civil War - NY Military Museum and Veterans Research Center". dmna.ny.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-07-07.