Battle of Gettysburg: Bird's-Eye Perspective | Animated History

The streets of Gettysburg have become a battlefield. A woman watches a mass of federal troops rushing through the streets. With new determination, she folds and stacks bandages. A handful of residents have turned their homes into makeshift hospitals, and she will treat anyone who needs it. A wild bullet cracks the window. The Confederates round the corner, and the rearmost Union soldiers form an ad hoc skirmish line as their comrades break. As Billy Yank meets Johnny Reb in the streets of Gettysburg, the war to decide the fate of a nation hangs in the balance. Hi, I'm Griffin Johnson, the armchair historian. As the American Civil War raged in the summer of 1863, what began as a small skirmish outside the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, quickly escalated into the bloodiest battle of the war. Over three days of brutal fighting, the Union army just barely managed to hold the line against stubborn waves of rebel soldiers. This marked a critical turning point in the war, and put the Confederacy on the back foot until their defeat. Since we lost one of our ground-level cameras in the scene you just saw, we will follow the Battle of Gettysburg from the top-down perspective, using our new armchair battle drone to follow this critical moment of the American Civil War. Today's video is sponsored by War & Peace Civil War, a free online real-time strategy mobile game that lets you participate in one of the most famous conflicts in world history. Determine America's destiny by siding with the Union and Abraham Lincoln, or take up the Confederate banner with Jefferson Davis. Fight on dozens of maps based on historical Civil War battles, test your armies against those of other players, and enjoy a base-building system that gives you access to an authentic 19th century arsenal from which to equip your troops. Download the game for free using the link in the description below. In the summer of 1863, the American Civil War was approaching a tipping point. The Army of Northern Virginia, under Robert E. Lee, was marching north into the state of Pennsylvania after a series of major victories against the Union. General Lee believed that if he could menace Washington, D.C., and other northern cities, he could compel his enemies to sue for peace. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was 70,000 men strong, and standing against him was the Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major General George Meade, with a total strength of over 93,000 men. The Union Army had been following Lee north ever since their disastrous defeat at Chancellorsville, and while several skirmishes had been fought, a full-scale engagement would not occur until July 1st. Confederate and Union troops chanced on each other just outside the town of Gettysburg. As the Army of Northern Virginia advances through Pennsylvania on June 30th, a Ford Brigade of A.P. Hill's III Corps encounters some Union cavalry while marching to Gettysburg to secure supplies. The brigade marches back to Cashtown to report the Federal cavalry in Gettysburg. When this is reported to Henry Heath, one of A.P. Hill's divisional commanders, he doesn't believe this report. Heath convinces A.P. Hill, the commander of the III Corps, to send two of his divisions to Gettysburg to determine the size of the Union force in the area. Hill assumes that the cavalry that has been spotted is just a small unit of Pennsylvania militia, and he expects that, if necessary, his men can easily sweep them from the field and seize the supplies at their leisure. What none of the Confederates know is that the Union cavalrymen are not militia, they're with the Army of the Potomac, which is not far behind. When Hill's men arrive the next day, the horsemen hold their ground and engage the enemy, immediately sending a call for reinforcements. The Battle of Gettysburg begins. Elements of the Union I Corps arrive as reinforcements. General John F. Reynolds, commander of the I Corps, quickly takes control of the situation, personally leading the vaunted Iron Brigade into McPherson's woods, until he is struck and killed by a stray bullet. With one of their highest-ranking officers dead, Union forces struggle to hold the line. By early afternoon, the XI Corps arrives to bolster the defense, but the Confederates' numbers begin to grow as well. The Federals persevere against extreme pressure from the west and northwest, but two fresh Confederate divisions move in from the northern side, in concert with renewed pressure on the Union's west. By now, 17 Confederate brigades, with a strength of almost 27,000 men, bear down on around 22,000 Federal troops. These men are widely spread out, however, and the XI Corps is stretched too thin across the northern front. Their vulnerable position is completely overwhelmed by mid-afternoon, and the collapse of the entire Union line soon follows. The Federals are forced to flee through the streets of Gettysburg, with the rebels hot on their heels. Some Union troops stage a fighting retreat, withdrawing in contact and taking heavy casualties as their comrades scatter through the town. Despite having the Union on the run, General Richard Ewell and General A.P. Hill order their men to halt their pursuit north of Gettysburg, pausing to wait for reinforcements while their enemy hunkers down among the defensive terrain south of the town. Robert E. Lee had instructed Ewell to take the heights in the south only if practicable, and Ewell evidently does not think his men capable of routing the Federal troops out of the hills at this time. As the sun begins to lower in the sky, both sides settle into their respective positions, awaiting reinforcements and preparing for the much fiercer fighting to come. The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg had fewer men engaged and fewer lives lost than the grisly days that followed, but it still saw over 15,000 casualties between the two sides. While the Union was eventually forced to retreat, they bloodied the Confederate force enough that Ewell was unwilling to pursue them to the south. Historians continue to speculate about what would have happened had Ewell attempted to seize the heights that day, but as it stands, the Federal troops were allowed to fortify the heights they would hold for the next two days of brutal fighting. As the sun rises on July 2nd, the Army of the Potomac is digging in south of Gettysburg. They have utilized the elevated terrain of Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge to form a strong, compact defensive line consisting of the bulk of their forces, while others establish positions at Culp's Hill to secure their right and left flanks, respectively. By mid-morning, the bulk of both armies have arrived, including six of seven Union corps. This brings their effective strength to around 69,000 men, deployed into an extended line shaped like a fishhook. The terrain they occupy is perfect for defense, presenting a tough obstacle for General Lee and his 57,000 troops. The venerated Virginian considers the state of the battlefield before deciding on a plan. While his forces in the north under General Ewell stage a small, diversionary attack to lock down the enemy's right flank, the main attack will smash against the lower end of the Union left. Lee hopes to circumvent the tough defenses on Cemetery Ridge and push through to attack the Union rear, cutting off their lines of supply and communication before crushing the Army of the Potomac decisively. But while Lee assembles his forces, the Union suffers a near-fatal setback before the fighting even begins. General Daniel Sickles, commander of the III Corps, and very devoted husband, has deployed his men in a compact line from the edge of Cemetery Ridge to Little Round Top, as per Meade's orders. But Sickles notices that about a half mile, or 0.8 kilometers, ahead of him lies a peach orchard, which is elevated slightly above his position. Deciding he must have the high ground, Sickles orders his corps forward to occupy the peach orchard, turning his section of the line into a vulnerable salient, exposed to attack on three sides. Even worse, Lee's main assault is coming right in that direction. At 4 p.m., Ewell's artillery begins shelling and Confederate forces, under General James Longstreet, descend on the Union's lower flank. Sickles' overextended III Corps is engaged by the Confederate I Corps in three places, the wheat field, the peach orchard, and Devil's Den. The rocky hill of Devil's Den is hit first, with two rebel brigades charging through the woods to attack the defenders head-on. With little time to build defenses, the Federals have no option but to stand firm against the rain of minie balls and bayonets. Control of the hill shifts back and forth in a series of attacks and counterattacks, again and again and again. A little further south, the Alabama Brigade, part of General John Bell Hood's division, advances on Little Round Top, expecting an easier time. The hill is almost completely undefended, and once they seize it, they'll be able to threaten the enemy flank. But as the rebels advance, a Union brigade from the V Corps, under Colonel Strong Vincent, rushes to occupy the hill. Vincent arrives just in time, coming under fire immediately from Confederate artillery, and hastily assembles his men around the steep hill's summit. Stretched thin to avoid being flanked, the brave defenders on the left side of the hill barely manage to hold on to the line, as the Alabamians charge, withdraw, and charge again, even as the bodies of their comrades begin to litter the woods around them. Pushing back the second charge leaves the Union soldiers exhausted and low on ammunition. The odds of repelling another attack are slim. With this in mind, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, commander of the 20th Maine occupying the extreme left flank, decides that the best defense is a seemingly suicidal offense, and orders his men to fix bayonets and charge down the slope. The Mainers crash into the demoralized rebels, and their bold gambit pays off. The Alabamians turn and flee, securing the left flank. The right side of Little Round Top is still under threat however, with the Texas brigade pressing hard against the badly outnumbered defenders. Strong Vincent is mortally wounded, and the tide seems to be turning against the Union, until more Union reinforcements arrive and launch another bold counterattack, sending the Texans running. Little Round Top is secure, but the Union troops at Devil's Den are forced to withdraw after an intense battle. The fighting shifts to the north, where troops in the Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard are engaged in some of the bloodiest combat of the battle. Huddled behind a low stone wall, atop a hill west of the Wheatfield, a single regiment of Maine volunteers fires volley after volley into the rebels rushing toward them, holding fast even as their comrades withdraw. They stage an admirable defense, but their commander, General James Barnes, controversially orders them to withdraw, abandoning the valuable hill to the Confederates. Meanwhile to the north, Kershaw's brigade of South Carolinians, on route to the Wheatfield, turn and charge the right flank of the Union troops defending the Peach Orchard. Confusion among the ranks causes the South Carolinians to turn away and expose their flanks to the defenders, and they suffer massive losses as a result. But as the eager Union forces turn to fire on their fleeing foes, they expose themselves to a crushing assault from the north. Which quickly collapses their line and leaves the Peach Orchard in the hands of the Confederacy. Back in the Wheatfield, reinforcements from the Union II Corps have arrived to retake the positions abandoned by Barnes. But before they can consolidate their gains, rebel troops charge from the captured Peach Orchard and seize the field once again. Even more Federals reinforce south of the Wheatfield, but the Confederates in Devil's Den flank the two approaching brigades, forcing them to withdraw to Little Round Top. The rebels can finally advance through the field unopposed, but they are exhausted and low on ammunition. When they reach the eastern end of the Wheatfield, a final counterattack breaks their faltering morale and sends them fleeing, leaving the blood-soaked plot of land in control of the Union. The fierce fighting leaves many casualties, including, most unfortunately, General Sickles' right leg, which was hit by a cannonball. But the fighting is not over. At 6 p.m., Hill orders General Richard Anderson's division to assault the Federal Center on Cemetery Ridge, which is now dangerously thin after so many troops were diverted to shore up Sickles' salient. At one point, the Confederates reach the ridge, but General Winfield S. Hancock, commander of the Union II Corps, is able to muster enough men to repel the attack. As the sun begins to set, General Ewell finally escalates his diversionary bombardments into a full-scale attack on the Union right flank. Three brigades are sent charging up Culp's Hill, while two more climb the east side of Cemetery Hill. For the defenders, holding Culp's Hill is just as essential as Little Round Top, if not more. The Baltimore Pike, the primary Union supply line, lies just behind it, not to mention the unprotected flanks of their comrades on Cemetery Hill. The loss of Culp's Hill would be catastrophic, but at the moment, there is only one brigade defending it, under the command of General George Green. Green's men have spent most of the day constructing fortifications on Culp's Hill, alongside his comrades in the XII Corps. But Meade had ordered the rest of the Corps to shore up the left side of the line a few hours ago, leaving Green and his 1,400 men to hold the hill alone. Outnumbered though they are, the Federal troops are fighting from a series of sturdy fortifications assembled earlier in the day, and these strong positions allow them to repel the vastly superior Confederate force after three hours of fighting. But as the rebels retreat, they hold the fortifications on lower Culp's Hill that were left abandoned when one of Green's regiments withdrew, and manage to dig in there. Hill's attack on Cemetery Hill is soundly defeated, but the rebels have gained a small foothold on Culp's Hill. As night falls and the fighting ends, despite massive losses, the Union line is still intact. After a long day of brutal, bloody combat, the Union defenders held firm. The cost of their success was the almost total destruction of the III Corps, and a total of 10,000 casualties, the most tragic, of course, was General Sickles' right leg. The Confederates only lost around 7,000 men, but Robert E. Lee's hope of crushing the Army of the Potomac was dashed. As night fell, both sides licked their wounds and prepared for what would be the final bloody day of the battle. Going into July 3rd, the positions of both sides are more or less the same as they were the day before, so Robert E. Lee's strategy is mostly the same. Attack the weakened left flank while Ewell's men keep pushing on Culp's Hill. But before he is able to execute his plan, the Confederates are rudely interrupted at the crack of dawn by a Union artillery barrage, followed by an infantry assault. After a seven-hour struggle for Culp's Hill, the longest sustained fighting of the battle, the Union reclaims their former positions. The defenders' line is now not only restored, but stronger than it was the day before. Lee is forced to reconsider his approach, and he settles on a bold plan. He assembles nine infantry brigades from three different divisions, totaling over 12,500 men, and prepares to charge straight into the enemy's center, held by Hancock's II Corps. Meanwhile, Lee dispatches General Jeb Stuart's Cavalry Division, which arrived the previous night, to circle around the battlefield to attack the Union rear from the east. But a Union Cavalry Division, led by General David Gregg, is on hand to block their approach, and the two begin to skirmish. While the horsemen battle to the east, Lee attempts to soften the defenders by ordering every gun he has to fire on Cemetery Ridge. With over 150 cannon firing, met by about 80 Union guns in a counter barrage, this is the largest artillery bombardment of the Civil War, and among the loudest man-made noises in history up to that point. While the cannon roar, chaos unfolds in the east, as the cavalry battle escalates from skirmishes, to full-blown charges and counter charges from both sides. The mounted soldiers hack and blast each other apart at point-blank range, neither side gaining the advantage. After 40 minutes of intense fighting, Stuart's division is forced to withdraw, foiling Lee's plan to attack the Union rear with cavalry. Soon after, the guns fall silent, as the Army of Northern Virginia's ammunition stores run dry. And at 2 p.m., General James Longstreet hesitantly orders the assault force to march forth, and take Cemetery Ridge. Batteries on Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top open up with withering fire as they advance, devastating the Confederates as they struggle to cross The Second Corps then opens up with their own artillery batteries, carving bloody swaths out of the approaching mass of Rebel troops. But the haggard soldiers are still coming, and as they close within a few hundred yards of their enemy, they break from their steady march into a full-blown charge, rushing the enemy positions, and filling the air with a cacophony of their infamous Rebel yell. The Federal troops take the charge and hold firm, but in the middle of the line, at a curved stone wall known as the Angle, the defenders waver, and for a moment, the line breaks. The Rebels manage to seize two Union cannon and turn them on the rest of the line, but find that there are no rounds left to fire. Union reinforcements pour into the breach, and the Rebels are forced back as they lose momentum. The Confederacy's bold charge ends with a disorderly retreat, and barely half of Longstreet's force makes it back to their lines intact. His last gambit has failed, and Lee now desperately marshals his remaining force to defend against a Union counterattack, but the Army of the Potomac is nearly as broken and exhausted as his, and no offensive comes. An uneasy quiet settles over the battlefield, and the day comes to an end. In the morning, the Army of Northern Virginia begins to slink away. Its supplies and wounded are loaded into a wagon train which flees northwest, before making its way south through the Cumberland Valley. The rest of the army retreats to the southwest, harried by cavalry, but without the bulk of the Union army in pursuit. Eventually, Lee reaches safety in Virginia, and the Gettysburg Campaign comes to an end. On the same day that the Confederates withdrew from Gettysburg, the garrison of the fortress at Vicksburg, which commanded the Mississippi River, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. The tide of the war had turned, and the Confederacy would never seriously threaten the North again. In the end, the Battle of Gettysburg left nearly a third of all troops engaged, either killed or wounded, and it would go down in history as the deadliest battle of the Civil War. And as for the greatest casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg, and some say the entire American Civil War, General Dan Sickles' leg would be proudly displayed in the Army Medical Museum, and its former owner would sometimes visit his erstwhile limb. But most importantly, Abraham Lincoln would visit the battlefield the following November to deliver his Gettysburg Address, vowing to reunite the nation, and affirming his belief as President, that all men are created equal. Thanks again to War and Peace Civil War for sponsoring this video. Do your part in either the Union or Confederate Armies today by downloading the game through the link in the description below.