alternatehistory.com

TheRockofChickamauga
Chapter Four: Gettysburg, Day 1
Chapter Four: Gettysburg, Day 1

Union Generals John Buford and John Reynolds observe their lines, and plan their assault on Confederate lines.
​
As what began a skirmish began heating up into a full fledged battle, both sides began requesting reinforcements, with the Confederates managing to bring more sooner, with Trimble bringing up the rest of his division to help in the battle. This help drive back Buford's cavalry, but Buford still had one last trick up his sleeve. While he and his men had been putting up their brave and valiant stand, they had been buying time for John Reynolds and his I Corps to come to their support, which would shift the battle back into their favor. By trading lives for time, Buford was able to hold out long enough for Reynolds to arrive. With his arrival, the battle now shifted into the favor of the Union. Buford and Reynolds planned to exploit this by pushing their troops forward and breaking the Confederate lines. Just prior to the plan being put in motion, however, a sniper would fatally shoot John Buford through the heart, with his limp body falling into the arms of Reynolds. Reynolds would then turn to Myles Keogh of Buford's staff, and reportedly say "I fear the same will befall me today." before removing a necklace with a cross attached and handing to him, asking that it be returned to his fiancee Katherine Hewitt after his death. Despite his fatalistic beliefs, Reynolds would still order the attack, and ride at the front lines with the men of the Iron Brigade as they advanced. Before the attack could truly commence, however, Reynolds would be proven correct, and would be fatally shot from his horse, with some believing he was killed by the same man who killed Buford. Unfortunately for Reynolds' hope of his necklace returning to his fiancee, Keogh would also be killed in these opening actions, still clasping the necklace in his hand.

A romanticized and inaccurate depiction of Reynolds' death
​
With Reynolds' death, command of the I Corps, and of the field would devolve to Abner Doubleday. While by no means a terrible or incompetent general, Doubleday would lose his nerve after Reynolds' fall, and put a halt to the advance of the I Corps, pulling back to their former position, and would await the VI Corps' arrival, bringing a battle to a temporarily lull. By the time the XI Corps arrived and joined the Doubleday's defensive position, more Confederate troops also arrived on the field, with D.H. Hill's division coming in from the west, and A.P. Hill's division coming in from the north, with Early's and Rodes' divisions not far behind him. The fighting would begin once more, with all the Confederate forces on the field beginning an assault all along the Union line. Initially, the Union line was able to hold out against the attacks from Trimble's and D.H. Hill's divisions in the west, and A.P. Hill's division in the north, but the tables soon turned. Lee arrived on the field with Hood's division from the west, superseding Longstreet in command of the Confederate forces, with Jackson arriving on the field soon after with Early's and Rodes' divisions in such a way that they would be able to crush the Union right. With two whole corps on the field, Lee ordered Jackson to use Early's and Rodes' divisions to crush the Union right, while the rest of his men on the field tied down the Union line. The order was enacted, and Jackson led yet another brutal flank on the VI Corps, once again crushing it, and sending it, along with the rest of the Union line, into utter rout. While riding near the front lines of the action with General Early, Jackson would point out how many of the senior Union officers on the field were abolitionists, including Howard, Doubleday, Wadsworth, Robinson, Schurz, and Barlow. Early's response was simple, "All the more reason to crush them!" This they did, and the Union line fell back through Gettysburg itself towards the hills south of the town.

Confederate troops pushing back the Union soldiers through Gettysburg
​
Hearing of Reynolds' death, and the disastrous rout of the Union lines, Meade would send General Winfield S. Hancock in advance to assume command of the battlefield to try and stabilize the Union lines. Upon arriving on the field, Hancock would find Union troops streaming back in disarray towards the south. Seeing how great a defensive position the hills south of Gettysburg were, Hancock tried to organize a stand of the routing troops there. He had two things going against him though. First, the Confederates were continuing to push their advance, and second, General Howard was refusing to acknowledging that Hancock, who was his junior in rank, had been given command of the field. Ultimately, the dispute would be settled when Hancock rode forward towards the Confederate lines, trying desperately to rally the Union forces on the hills, only to have a Confederate cannon shot come and behead him. Major Willie Pegram, commander of the artillery battalion who fired the fatal shot, would comment following the news of Hancock's death, "If only he would have waited. The shot that killed him was the last of our ammunition." With Hancock's death, any hope of stablizing the Union lines was shattered. Jackson would seize command of the hills south of Gettysburg, and would soon be joined by Longstreet's men, and finally Thomas' men at the end of day. Howard moved the remaining Union troops to the east of these hills, and waited for the rest of the Army of the Potomac to arrive. During the night, the rest of the Army of the Potomac and George Meade would arrive, and Lee would organize his forces so that Longstreet's corps held Benner's, Culp's, and Cemetery Hill, Thomas held Cemetery Ridge, and Jackson held Round Top and Little Round Top. Both forces could only nervously await the action that was sure to arrive with the next day.

General Winfield S. Hancock and Major Willie Pegram
​
Top