Gettysburg Day 3. Armistead's Regret: Following two failed flanking maneuvers on the previous day, Lee orders Pickett's 15,000 men to attack the Union center. Pickett's men cross a mile long no-man's land, under fire from Union guns most of the way. One of Pickett's division commanders General Lewis Armistead, leads his Virginians straight into the Union lines of General Winfield Scott Hancock, Armistead's oldest friend. Armistead and his men reach the lines but Armistead is wounded and can go no further, Union officers tend to Armistead on the field, where he asks for Hancock, who has also been wounded and is not on the the field. Armistead's reply is chilling, "No, not both of us. Not all of us..." The action to be infamously known as Pickett's Charge is an abject failure, with 7,000 Rebels killed or wounded within the hour the attack stepped off. As Confederates return to their lines, Union troops jeer to them "Fredericksburg!" in remembrance of the terrible losses incurred on the Union side at that battle, including yesterday's feature. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine marooned in front of Confederate guns all night, shielding themselves from enemy fire with their own dead. This ends the battle of Gettysburg, Meade, who, overall performed well as the leader of the Army of the Potomac (especially on Day 2) allows Lee to escape back to Virginia, thus extending the war another year and a half. First picture: A young Winfield Scott Hancock Second picture: Painting of General Alexander Hays and his men dragging captured Confederate flags in front of his men in celebration of the victory. #hardcorehistory #history #civilwar #winfieldscotthancock #lewisarmistead #gettyburg https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ3fg8qpkSD/?utm_medium=tumblr
