This year marks 160th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg
From July 1 – 3, 1863, the armies of the United States of America and the Confederate States of America faced off in an epic battle in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that largely decided the Civil War for the Union. Today Gettysburg is a National Battlefield Park dedicated to preserving the memory of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who fought on both sides of that battle. To date, Gettysburg was the largest battle ever fought in the history of the Western Hemisphere. Over 10,000 men were killed or mortally wounded, over 30,000 were wounded, and another 30,000 were captured or were missing. In 1863, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant besieged a Confederate army at Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. The fall of Vicksburg would give the Union unfettered control of the vital Mississippi River and effectively divide the Confederacy in half. General Robert E. Lee, seeking both a victory and an opportunity for his hungry and poorly equipped Confederate Army to live off the land of the North, took his Army of Northern Virginia north into Pennsylvania. Lee was uncharacteristically left blind by Confederate Cavalry under General Jeb Stuart, whom Lee thought would keep him abreast of Union troop movement. Instead, Stuart took the Confederate Cavalry raiding. Unbeknownst to Lee, his army’s drive north had been shadowed by the Union’s Army of the Potomac, and the two were about to collide. President Abraham Lincoln had only recently promoted General George Meade to command the Army of the Potomac. Lee had given Confederate Major General Henry Heth strict orders not to engage any Union forces. On July 1, 1863, ostensibly seeking shoes for his men, Heth took an entire division towards Gettysburg for what was essentially a reconnaissance in force. He did not realize that doing so would have enormous consequences. Outside of town, they encountered Union Brigadier General John Buford’s cavalry dismounted, maintaining a line of defense outside of the town of Gettysburg. Believing they could easily push aside the smaller force and not knowing that the full Army of the Potomac was so close by, Heth attacked. Buford realized the importance of the moment and sought to hold it for as long as possible. He was soon reinforced by Union Major General John Reynolds’ Corps. Reynolds repulsed Heth’s attack, though it cost him his life. More Union and Confederate forces arrived on the battlefield, and things rapidly escalated that first day. Meade then put Major General Winfield Scott Hancock in command of the forward elements of the Army of the Potomac in the place of the fallen Reynolds. At Hancock’s urging, Meade committed his full force. Perhaps over-eager to win a crushing victory over the Union, Lee ordered an all-out attack, committing his full Army of Northern Virginia. From almost immediately following the battle to the present day, military historians debate the decisions made by commanders in those three days. If Lt. General Dick Ewell had attacked with more vigor and taken Cemetery Ridge, if the Confederates had committed more forces to the assault on Little Round Top, if Lt. General James Longstreet had hit harder on Day 2, could the Confederates have won? If the South had prevailed, what does the world look like today? While the battle was a Union victory, Lincoln was terribly disappointed that Meade did not pursue Lee and crush the Army of Northern Virginia. Could the war have ended in July 1863 rather than dragging on for two more years? Meade’s defenders argue that if he had pursued Lee, then Lee could have turned the tables in the rematch. Those questions will never be decisively answered. What we are left with is that thousands of Americans, including many Alabamians, fought on that field 160 years ago, and their memory will not be forgotten. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Today is Robert E. Lee Day
Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s birthday is on January 19, but it is celebrated by the State of Alabama today. Robert E. Lee Day has been an official state holiday in Alabama since sometime in the late 1800s. Lee was the most renowned general of the Confederacy in the Civil War. Today is an official state holiday. State offices and most schools will be closed in observance of the holiday. Federal offices, post offices, and many businesses will also be closed, but that is because today is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Alabama and Mississippi merged its Lee celebration with MLK Day after President Ronald Reagan signed legislation, making it a national holiday. Some state legislators have advocated for dropping Robert E. Lee Day from the list of official holidays and making the holiday observance for Dr. King alone. That legislation has not advanced in past legislative sessions. Robert Edward Lee was the son of Revolutionary War hero General Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee. Lee was born in Stratford Hall, Virginia, in 1807. His father was a hero, a governor of Virginia, and the dignitary was chosen to write the eulogy for President George Washington. By young Robert’s birth, the Lee’s fortunes had turned sour, and Light Horse Harry served time in debtor’s prison. The older Lee’s health declined, and he passed away in the West Indies without ever getting to know his young son. Robert received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated second in the class of 1829. Lee married Mary Anna Randolph Custis. Lee spent most of his early military career as an engineer, where he supervised and inspected the construction of the nation’s coastal defenses. During the Mexico-American War, Lee served on the staff of General Winfield Scott. Lee distinguished himself in that war and became a colonel. He was the Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855. He then took command of the cavalry. In 1859 he crushed abolitionist John Brown’s attempted insurrection at Harpers Ferry. President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of the Union Army being assembled to invade the South. Lee declined and resigned from the army when Virginia seceded. The Confederacy made Lee a general. His first military engagement in the Civil War was at Cheat Mountain (now West Virginia) on September 11, 1861. On June 1862, he was given command of what he would rename the Army of Northern Virginia when General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded. Lee would become a legend in that command. He won several victories against vastly superior Union forces. Ultimately though, his two attempts to invade the North at Antietam and Gettysburg were failures – costly failures that the outmanned Confederates could not sustain. After the simultaneous Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of Union forces. Rather than making Richmond the aim of his campaign as previous generals had done – with no success – Grant attacked Lee’s Army. By the summer of 1864, the Confederates were forced into waging trench warfare outside of Petersburg. On April 9, 1865, Lee was forced to surrender his depleted army to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Lee returned home from the war and eventually became the president of Washington College in Virginia (now known as Washington and Lee University). He died on October 12, 1870, in Lexington, Virginia. His life and military exploits have been revered by generations of southerners. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama one of few statehouses to feature memorials to historical women
Few states have a memorial to honor women in their state house.
