The Gettysburg Campaign
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A Texan's Letters Home About the Battle of Gettysburg
Private John C. West numbered among the stalwart Texans who fought in the Devil's Den and along Little Round Top during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Less than a week after the fighting ended, during the retreat to Virginia, West described the action in two letters to his family.
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A Texan Recalls the March to Gettysburg, June 1863
John C. West, who served in the ranks of Company E, 4th Texas Infantry, Hood's Brigade, participated in the long march through Virginia on the way to invading Maryland and Pennsylvania in the 1863 campaign that ended at Gettysburg. Here's his vivid recollection.
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"Breakfast in Virginia, Whiskey in Maryland and Supper in Pennsylvania"_
At the end of July 1863, from his camp in Culpeper, Va., Pvt. John C. West of the 4th Texas Infantry wrote his brother back in the Lone Star State about the Battle of Gettysburg, where "Breakfast in Virginia, whiskey in Maryland and supper in Pennsylvania" ended unexpectedly.
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Gettysburg, July 1: "The Enemy Are Coming in Force on the Harrisburg Road"
On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Capt. Thomas Clark of the U.S. Signal Corps stood high above Gettysburg in the steeple of the town’s prominent two-story courthouse. From this perch—one of the tallest points in the town—he had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside—and the Confederate ...
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An Incident in the Iron Brigade at Gettysburg: “Abe, Pull the Shuck”
On July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, color sergeant Burlington “Burl” Cunningham expressed his eagerness to unfurl the regimental colors of the 19th Indiana Infantry. A staff officer ordered him not to do so. Cunningham brought them out anyway—here is what happened.
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Meade Tells His Wife He Won’t Replace Hooker—Then Does
It can be fairly stated that Maj. Gen. George G. Meade believed he had no chance at becoming the commander of the Army of the Potomac. As much as he might have aspired to higher office, he also realized that what he wanted and what he might get were very different. In two letters to his wife, wri...
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Pennsylvania Militia Take on Virginia Troopers Before Gettysburg
A battalion of veteran Confederate cavalry from Virginia and Maryland rode along the pristine Pennsylvania countryside on the morning of Saturday, June 27, 1863. They encountered the 20th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, a regiment hastily formed to meet the emergency triggered by Gen. Robert E. L...
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"I Have Lived as Much In This Time as In the Last Thirty Years"
Following Gettysburg, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s caution reflected his newness to command and his belief that Robert E. Lee’s battered but dangerous army could still inflict serious harm. Meade’s own words after the battle reveal the personal weight behind decisions later criticized in Washington.
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The Other Gettysburg Address (The One That Is Not Quoted)
President Abraham Lincoln's 272-word address at Gettysburg stands as a literary masterpiece, completely overshadowing the more than 13,000-word address delivered by renowned orator Edward Everett. Thought rarely quoted, it is a meritorious work. Here's the story.
