William Gamble had Spencer repeating rifles. Some troopers in the brigade commanded by Brig.

While none of the troopers were armed with multi-shot repeating carbines, they were able to fire two or three times faster than a muzzle-loaded carbine or rifle with their breechloading carbines manufactured by Sharps, Burnside, and others. Gamble's men mounted determined resistance and delaying tactics from behind fence posts with rapid fire, mostly from their breech-loading carbines. īuford's cavalry resists the Confederate advance Buford's 2,748 troopers would soon be faced with 7,600 Confederate infantrymen, deploying from columns into line of battle. Jones of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, fired at an unidentified man on a gray horse over a half-mile away the act was merely symbolic. The first shot of the battle was claimed to be fired by Lieutenant Marcellus E. Eventually, they reached dismounted troopers from Col. Three miles (4.8 km) west of town, about 7:30 a.m., Heth's two brigades met light resistance from cavalry vedettes and deployed into line. Davis, proceeding easterly in columns along the Chambersburg Pike.

Two infantry brigades followed, commanded by Brig. Heth deployed no cavalry and led, unconventionally, with the artillery battalion of Major William J. Hill's Third Corps, advanced towards Gettysburg. Early that morning, Reynolds, who was commanding the Left Wing of the Army of the Potomac, ordered his corps to march to Buford's location, with the XI Corps (Maj. These were appropriate terrain for a delaying action by his small division against superior Confederate infantry forces, meant to buy time awaiting the arrival of Union infantrymen who could occupy the strong defensive positions south of town, Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Culp's Hill. He decided to utilize three ridges west of Gettysburg: Herr Ridge, McPherson Ridge, and Seminary Ridge (proceeding west to east toward the town). He knew that if the Confederates could gain control of the heights, Meade's army would have a hard time dislodging them.

General Buford recognized the importance of the high ground directly to the south of Gettysburg. Johnston Pettigrew had briefly clashed with Union forces the day before but believed they were Pennsylvania militia of little consequence, not the regular army cavalry that was screening the approach of the Army of the Potomac. Confederate forces from the brigade of Brig. On the morning of July 1, Union cavalry in the division of Brigadier General John Buford were awaiting the approach of Confederate infantry forces from the direction of Cashtown, to the northwest. Historians have debated ever since how the battle might have ended differently if he had found it practicable to do so.īackground Military situation Lee to take the heights 'if practicable,' Richard Ewell chose not to attack. Despite discretionary orders from Robert E. They took up good defensive positions on Cemetery Hill and waited for additional attacks. Some of the Federals conducted a fighting withdrawal through the town, suffering heavy casualties and losing many prisoners others simply retreated. Heavy fighting in Herbst's Woods (near the Lutheran Theological Seminary) and on Oak Ridge finally caused the Union line to collapse. The third phase of the battle came as Rodes renewed his assault from the north and Heth returned with his entire division from the west, accompanied by the division of Maj. The Union lines generally held under extremely heavy pressure, although the salient at Barlow's Knoll was overrun. Early's division attacking across the open fields north of town. Rodes's division attacking from Oak Hill and Maj. Ewell began a massive assault from the north, with Maj. Reynolds was killed.īy early afternoon, the Union XI Corps, commanded by Major General Oliver Otis Howard, had arrived, and the Union position was in a semicircle from west to north of the town. Reynolds of the Union I Corps, the Confederate assaults down the Chambersburg Pike were repulsed, although Gen. As infantry reinforcements arrived under Maj. Hill's Third Corps) were delayed by dismounted Union cavalrymen under Brig. In the morning, two brigades of Confederate Maj. The first-day battle proceeded in three phases as combatants continued to arrive at the battlefield. It soon escalated into a major battle which culminated in the outnumbered and defeated Union forces retreating to the high ground south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lee and the Army of the Potomac under Union Maj. The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War took place on July 1, 1863, and began as an engagement between isolated units of the Army of Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E.

The heights daymap