The 34-year-old Chamberlain was one of the most interesting figures in the Civil War. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Additional Union reinforcements came from Maj. Gens. Later, when Sickles’ infantry did arrive, the controversial general moved his men, without orders, westward toward the Emmitsburg Road. Just to make sure I had an idea what had happened there and when, I watched the movie "Gettysburg" before going. ACRES SAVED. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 53,000 acres in 24 states! Melcher broke this momentary disruption by running down the slope screaming: Come on! Even as it piled up victories in the West, the Union army struggled mightily in the East in 1862 and early 1863, losing the Seven Days’ Battles, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and drawing at Antietam. Gen. James J. Pettigrew approached the town leading a 2,584-man brigade that was part of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth’s division, he became aware of the Union cavalry force positioned there. Hotels near Little Round Top: (1.10 mi) Baladerry Inn (1.73 mi) Battlefield Bed and Breakfast Inn (0.83 mi) Artillery Ridge Campground (1.87 mi) Best Western Gettysburg (2.26 mi) Brickhouse Inn Bed & Breakfast; View all hotels near Little Round Top on Tripadvisor That afternoon he sent his chief of engineers, Brig. That evening Robert E. Lees sec… On the first day of the encounter, Lees legions drove the Federal troops back through the town to a defensive position on Cemetery Ridge. According to Confederate Colonel Oates, it was the surprise fire of Company B that caused the disastrous panic in his soldiers. Pennsylvania native Brig. Others who merited more credit than they received were Gouverneur Warren, who conducted one of the best reconnoitering jobs of the war, and Strong Vincent, who unhesitatingly put his brigade on Little Round Top and rallied that brigade under intense fire until he fell mortally wounded. By law, however, the men still owed the Army another year of service. The film begins with a narrated map showing the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, crossing the Potomac River to invade the North in June 1863, marching across Maryland and into Pennsylvania. Forward to the right! He was given command of the newly formed 20th Maine, a unit comprised of extra men left over from other new regiments. One story is that he screamed: Bayonet! Chamberlain had orders to shoot the mutineers if they refused duty. As the 20th Maine’s center began to break and give ground in the face of the Alabama regiments’ onslaught, Tozier stood firm, remaining upright as Southern bullets buzzed and snapped in the air around him. Shortly after the Federals had taken up their positions, the 824 men of the 4th and 5th Texas regiments of Maj. Gen. John B. Hood’s division hammered up the slope of Little Round Top, pushing toward the center and right of Vincent’s line. Chamberlain later said he communicated his decision to counterattack to Captain Ellis Spear, the acting battalion commander of the unit’s left flank. The general did not want to fight at Gettysburg, but alert Union horsemen had reached the area — a fact that would put a wrinkle in Lee’s plans. Updated July 03, 2019. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! He hastily sent messengers to Meade and Sickles, requesting immediate assistance. The state-appointed Maine commission that later gathered facts regarding Maine’s contribution to the Battle of Gettysburg maintained that Melcher sprang forward as Chamberlain yelled, Bayonet! Right wheel or Bayonet! Corporal Coan said the men hesitated when Melcher ordered them forward because they were not sure if the colonel had sanctioned the attack. (Chamberlain himself claimed later to have said, yes, sir, in a moment! To his utter chagrin, Warren found Little Round Top completely undefended. Although experts disagree about his objectives, Lee may have hoped for a knockout blow to end the war. Theodore Gerrish, then a private in Company H, stated that Melcher led the men down the slope when the enemy was only 30 yards away. Chamberlain called his company commanders together and told them his battle plans. Little Round Top was left uncovered. “It was such a close, close thing for Longstreet’s assault on the second day,” said William Blair, director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at Penn State University. The brigade under brigadier general Strong Vincent came. But did Chamberlain really deserve the credit he received? History appeared to be repeating itself when the Battle of Gettysburg broke out on July 1, 1863, as Union forces were driven through the town of Gettysburg into some hills just to the south. But Colonel Strong Vincent, who commanded the 3rd Brigade of Brig. Much of the primary information about Little Round Top does come directly from Chamberlain, who published 25 separate writings on the battle. The view from the summit is awe-inspiring and offers a panoramic view of the battlefield, including Devil's Den, Plum Run, even Cemetery Ridge. Little Round Top: Fun because of the movie, didn't really affect the battle - See 647 traveler reviews, 253 candid photos, and great deals for Gettysburg, PA, at Tripadvisor. Major General J.E.B. Chamberlain replied, Yes, I am about to order a right wheel forward of the whole regiment. Another crisis soon faced the Maine soldiers when the left side of the regiment drew even with the right, short of its planned position. With their ammunition nearly gone, Chamberlain then ordered his troops to fix their bayonets and charge. Chamberlain, for his part, wrote incorrectly to his wife that his regiment had been attacked by a whole brigade. The Union had lost 4,000 men by that time — and the town of Gettysburg itself — but Meade quickly moved reinforcing divisions onto the high ground south of Gettysburg. On July 1, in swift, dramatic consequence, General Robert E. Lees army met the Army of the Potomac, commanded now by Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, at the Battle of Gettysburg. Spear literally controlled half the regiment during the climactic counterattack. Gen. Charles Griffin’s 1st Division of the V Corps, received word from a harried courier about the threat to Little Round Top and led his men to the hill at the double-quick. They had also gained a toehold on Cemetery Hill, a prime location for artillery, but were soon pushed back by Northern reinforcements. If the Southern troops could take and hold the hill, they could theoretically roll up the entire Union line. — was enough and that it was vain to order Forward because no one could hear it over the noise. On June 28, as the bulk of the Federal troops enjoyed a brief respite near Frederick, Md., Meade replaced Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac. This one deed, however, is only o… To Heth’s surprise, waiting for him was Union Brig. Gettysburg Soundtrack: Battle of Little Round Top - YouTube During that assault, Captain James H. Nichols, the commander of the 20th Maine’s Company K, ran to alert Chamberlain that the Confederates seemed to be extending their line toward the regiment’s left. As Longstreet’s men prepared to attack, Union chief engineer Gouverneur K. Warren was sent to check out the situation on Little Round Top. History appeared to be repeating itself when the Battle of Gettysburg broke out on July 1, 1863, as Union forces were driven through the town of Gettysburg into some hills just to the south. Once again Little Round Top went wanting for protectors in blue. With all the confusion and noise on Little Round Top that day, if anything other than bayonet had been said it probably would not have mattered, anyway. 44th New York Infantry Monument and 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA. “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. Meade faced a daunting task. The battle at Little Round Top is a central plot-line in Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer prize winning historical novel The Killer Angels. Henry W. Slocum’s XII Corps and Daniel Sickles’ III Corps. Donate today to preserve Civil War battlefields and the nation’s history for generations to come. Later in the film, when a messenger climbs Big Round Top to speak … Lee’s main objective was to move across the Potomac River and try to separate the Union forces from Washington. Aghast that hardly anyone was up there, he immediately requested additional troops for what has often been referred to as the key to the Union position. Strong Vincent, Patrick O’Rorke and Ellis Spear also deserve greater recognition for their contributions. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Twenty-five-year-old Color Sgt. Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Regiment make a daring downhill charge to defend Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. Biography . Among historians, no consensus has emerged on which section of the battlefield was most important. The 2nd Maine men were in a state of mutiny and refused to fight, angry because the bulk of the regiment — men with only two-year enlistments — had been discharged and sent home, and the regiment had been disbanded. Buck fell ill and was excused from duty. Help save a crucial 22-acre tract on the battlefield where 14 African American soldiers earned the highest military honor in the land. The last thing Vincent told Chamberlain was: This is the left of the Union line. Your tax-deductible gift will help us to preserve this irreplaceable twice-hallowed ground at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor — forever. In the confusion of shifting troops, however, Geary pulled his men out too soon, before Sickles’ men had moved to replace them. The men took up a position in a ravine east of Little Round Top. The two armies spent a restless night. It was one of the key positions in the Union line during the Battle of Gettysburg and was the scene of intense fighting on July 2nd. Confederate General Ewell’s failure to carry out his orders and attack Cemetery Hill on the afternoon of July 1 wasted a golden opportunity for a quick, decisive victory. These sharpshooters’ skirmishing abilities were unequaled in the Union Army, and a 14-man squad was attached to Company B. When the Army of the Potomac’s commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, belatedly became aware of the Confederates’ movement, he began to force-march his army north, trying to keep Lee to the west and screen Washington from the Rebel troops. He sympathized with the mutineers and wrote to Maine Governor Abner Coburn, asking that he write to the men personally about the mix-up in three-year versus two-year contracts they had signed. When their ammunition had almost run out, Chamberlain decided to fix bayonets and charge down into the two Alabama regiments. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, to assess the situation. In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War. Chamberlain seemed to have been blessed with both good timing and luck. All Rights Reserved. Divisions of the American Battlefield Trust: The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We highly recommend both the book and the movie for anyone interested in Gettysburg. After the battle, as Chamberlain speaks to the wounded Sergeant Kilrain, the actor's breath is visible, indicating cold weather. Although spread thinly, the Union troopers held their ground with repeating carbines. “Greene’s the end of the line. The fight for Little Round Top was an intense conflict within the larger Battle of Gettysburg. Before Gettysburg, Sgt. A veritable icon of Civil War legend, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is best known for his heroic participation in the Battle of Gettysburg. Chamberlain ordered the regiment to go on line by file. Corporal Elisha Coan, a member of the 20th Maine’s color guard, claimed that 1st Lt. Holman S. Melcher, the acting commander of Company F, actually conceived the idea to advance the colors and that Colonel Chamberlain initially hesitated, fearing that it would be extremely hazardous. Company K probably did not delay since the right side of the regiment was not experiencing heavy fire at the time. All of that changed, however, following the 1974 publication of the historical novel “The Killer Angels” and the release of its 1993 film adaptation “Gettysburg,” both of which emphasized Little Round Top at the expense of Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill and elsewhere. Forward to the right was perhaps someone’s post-war idea of what Chamberlain would have said if time permitted. Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg--the adjacent, taller hill is appropriately named Big Round Top, which played an insignificant role in the battle. Meanwhile, Union General Daniel Sickles had moved his roughly 10,000 men forward of their assigned position in order to occupy higher ground. Little Round Top: Gettysburg - See 646 traveler reviews, 253 candid photos, and great deals for Gettysburg, PA, at Tripadvisor. An infantryman who is out of ammunition, faced with being cut down on the next enemy charge, and hearing the metal-to-metal sound of bayonets being put on en masse knows the intent of the upcoming order without actually hearing it. “They’re sort of in the same predicament as Joshua Chamberlain,” said Angie Atkinson, park ranger at the Gettysburg National Military Park. With Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Richard Jordan. and that Chamberlain himself was abreast of the colors. Vincent’s brigade included the 44th New York, 16th Michigan, 83rd Pennsylvania and the 358-man 20th Maine under Joshua L. Chamberlain. James ‘Pete Longstreet and Ambrose P. Hill, were marching on the Chambersburg Road in southern Pennsylvania, while Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell was leading his corps westward from York. Although the 650-foot-high Little Round Top was overshadowed by its larger neighbor, its position was more important because much of the hill was cleared of trees and it could better accommodate troops. The Rev. The Confederates managed to exploit weaknesses in the Federals’ deployment, and their attacks caused heavy losses to the Union troops, who were forced to retreat. Chamberlain also was a member of the official Maine at Gettysburg Commission and wrote the organization’s chapter on the 20th Maine. Spear, who would later become a brevet brigadier general, believed that all the officers at Little Round Top shared in the battle fully and honorably, but that the bayonet charge was a success largely due to the spirit of the enlisted men. A highly cultured, somewhat sedentary professor of modern languages at Maine’s exclusive Bowdoin College, he had sat out the first year of the war on Bowdoin’s stately campus. Little Round Top The summit of Little Round Top from the parking area Little Round Top is about two miles south of town on the south side of the Gettysburg battlefield. I am about to order a charge.). This was the site on the battlefield that saw the bloodiest conflict on July 2, 1863. Every purchase supports the mission. It was not, Chamberlain noted, one of the state’s favorite fighting units — No county claimed it; no city gave it a flag; and there was no send-off at the station. Instead of shooting them, Chamberlain wisely distributed the 2nd Maine veterans evenly to fill out the 20th Maine’s ranks and integrate experienced soldiers among the untested 20th Maine. Also helping to defend Little Round Top were Major Homer R. Stoughton’s 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters, armed with .52-caliber breechloading rifles. For many years, historians and writers have given the lion’s share of the credit for the 20th’s dramatic action on Little Round Top to Chamberlain. T he story goes like this: 150 years ago today, Little Round Top was the key to the Union position at the battle of Gettysburg. He deployed Company B, recruited from Piscataquis County and commanded by level-headed Captain Walter G. Morrill of Williamsburg, forward to the regiment’s left front flank as skirmishers. 20th Maine Bayonet charge : Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. Great responsibility also fell upon Captain Spear, whose flank was to start the attack — otherwise the charge would not pivot and work to its fullest potential. Robert E. Lee, with his eerie sense of a battlefield, was hastily assembling a force to attack the Union left, but it would take him the greater part of the day to get his men ready to strike. There is a Chamberlain museum in Brunswick, Maine; Chamberlain Pale Ale produced in Portland, Maine; and a Chamberlain Bridge exists in Bangor, Maine — yet no commercial product commemorates the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. With the new information from Nichols, Chamberlain ordered a right-angle formation, extending his line farther to the east. But in July 1862, sensing perhaps that the war was going to last a good deal longer than he had first believed, Chamberlain offered his services to the Union cause. Chamberlain ordered a right-wheel maneuver and took up a place behind Tozier. Chamberlain and his regiment, the 20th Maine Infantry, gained notoriety for their desperate bayonet charge down Little Round Top on the Second Day of the Battle, a feat that figures prominently in Michael Shaaras novel The Killer Angels and its movie adaptation, Gettysburg. That evening Robert E. Lee’s second-in-command, General James Longstreet, advised against further engagement, preferring instead to maneuver between the Union army and Washington, D.C. “The enemy is there, and I am going to attack him there,” Lee purportedly responded. Aug 13, 2015 - Explore Sue Hall's board "Gettysburg", followed by 551 people on Pinterest. Without Morrill’s up-front leadership, Chamberlain’s attack probably would have been spoiled and pushed back. Anyway, the Battle of Little Round Top is integral to the movie. The next day, July 1, Heth headed toward Gettysburg with four brigades of infantry to drive off the reported Union troopers and secure the town. Were it not for Tozier’s heroic stand, the 20th Maine would likely have been beaten at that decisive point in the battle. As the fighting intensified, both sides added more infantry divisions to the battle. It was this group that Oates believed caused panic in his men. Sickles’ decision to move forward is treated as a golden opportunity for the South to break the Union army in two rather than what it actually was – the chance to cut out a large body of troops. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Just when the Federals were on the verge of collapse, Colonel Patrick O’Rorke led the 140th New York Zouaves into the gap to save Vincent’s brigade. It consisted of four regiments including now well-known 20th Maine who fought on Little Round Top in Gettysburg, as featured in Gettysburg the Movie (one of the best Civil War movies) and in the novel The Killer Angels by author Michael Shaara. TopThe left flank consisted of the 358 men of the 20th Maine regiment and the 83rd Pennsylvania. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Nor was there time. Come on boys! Fortunately for the men of the 2nd Maine, Chamberlain was born and grew up in Brewer, the twin city to Bangor across the Penobscot River where the 2nd Maine regiment was recruited. The 20th Maine Monument at Little Round Top, Line of the 20th Maine - Little Round Top, Preserve 108 Acres of the Most Important Unprotected Battlefield Land, Save 40 Acres of the American Revolution Southern Theater, Kentuckians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Virginians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Gettysburg - Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, July 3, 1863. Ellis Spear later suggested somewhat bitterly that the abundance of articles written by Chamberlain himself indirectly led to Chamberlain receiving sole credit for the victory. Confederate reports showed that the Union company had been magnified into two regiments. I have always been interested in military matters, he informed Maine Governor Israel Washburn, and what I do not know in that line, I know how to learn. The regiment’s sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on Little Round Top and has been credited with saving Major General George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac, winning the Battle of Gettysburg … See more ideas about gettysburg, gettysburg movie, civil war movies. The valorous defense of Little Round Top will always belong to the 20th Maine Infantry and to Joshua L. Chamberlain as the regimental commander. Coan said other officers joined Melcher in urging a forward movement. Despite his misgivings, Longstreet was tasked with leading the massive July 2 assault on the Union left flank. our editorial process. The regiment’s sudden, desperate bayonet charge blunted the Confederate assault on Little Round Top and has been credited with saving Major General George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac, winning the Battle of Gettysburg and setting the South on a long, irreversible path to defeat. Company B, with its 44 men, was subsequently cut off by a flanking attack by the enemy, leaving the 20th with only 314 armed men on the main regimental line. As he arrived on Little Round Top, Colonel Vincent chose a line of defense that started on the west slope of the hill. The battle of Little Round top takes place on the afternoon of July 2. Robert McNamara. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. If the Confederates had taken the hill, they would have won the battle. Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. When the first regiments reached the rocky outcrops in that area, Vincent put them into line. For a moment it looked as though the Confederates might succeed in halting the Unionists and breaking their momentum. During the charge, a second enemy line of the 15th and 47th Alabama tried to make a stand near a stone wall. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. When Union troops in the hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, pushed back a Confederate onslaught 150 years ago today, it proved to be the turning point of the battle that turned the tide of the war. Even as it piled up victories in the West, the Union army struggled mightily in the East in 1862 and early 1863, losing the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and drawing at Antietam. At the end of the day, it looked like another great Confederate victory was in the making. The 16th Michigan took up a position on the right flank, and the 44th New York and 83rd Pennsylvania held the center. Both sides sent dispatches to inform their superiors of the confrontation. Late in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, on a boulder-strewn hillside in southern Pennsylvania, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain dashed headlong into history, leading his 20th Maine Regiment in perhaps the most famous counterattack of the Civil War. Without the private stand of Sergeant Tozier inspiring others to close up and bolster the sagging middle of the regiment, the Confederate attacks could have eliminated the 20th Maine as a fighting force. Directed by Ron Maxwell. In fact, Stuart would not return until July 2, a crucial error in judgment. Meanwhile, Meade also sensed something significant about the two adjacent hills to his left. Perhaps Company H did hesitate on the left because they were taking heavy fire when the charge started. GA: The Gettysburg movie is based upon … “It’s just stunning.”. There’s no one else beside him.” By the time the fighting petered out there around 10:30 p.m., the Confederates had taken over some abandoned trenches on Culp’s Hill. Andrew J. Tozier of the 2nd Maine quickly emerged as an unlikely hero, and he was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. The Battle of Gettysburg. Gen. John Buford, who had dismounted and deployed his cavalry on McPherson’s Ridge, west of Gettysburg. Melcher was an inspiration to the tiring regiment as he sprang a full 10 paces to the front with his sword glittering in the sunlight. Numerous books and even the popular movie Gettysburg have helped fuel adulation for the Union officer. Chamberlain overshadows the 20th Maine in the way that George S. Patton overshadows the U.S. Third Army in World War II. On the right Union flank, several brigades under Confederate General Richard Ewell charged up Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. Civil War. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Most evidence indicates that Chamberlain ordered the charge, and Melcher was the first officer down the slopes. Late in the afternoon of July 2, 1863, on a boulder-strewn hillside in southern Pennsylvania, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain dashed headlong into history, leading his 20th Maine Regiment in perhaps the most famous counterattack of the Civil War. Gettysburg is a 1993 Battle Epic film about the pivotal battle of The American Civil War, financed by Ted Turner, directed and written by Ronald F. Maxwell, and closely adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1974 novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.. They were met by, among others, Union General George S. Greene, who at 62 was one of the oldest officers at Gettysburg. After Chamberlain returned to the regimental center, Melcher asked permission to retrieve his wounded from the front. After Chamberlain ordered Bayonet, the Union line hesitated until Melcher sprang out in front of the line with his sword flashing. On the morning of July 2, Little Round Top proper held perhaps just a handful of Federal soldiers. Both Vincent and O’Rorke gave their lives at Gettysburg, and if not for those two men and others, Chamberlain probably would be remembered today as only a minor figure in a major Union disaster. In so doing, he left Little Round Top essentially defenseless and cut himself off from the rest of the Union line. Fierce fighting also took place on the other side of Little Round Top, where the Confederates mortally wounded Vincent and might have taken the hill if not for the opportune arrival of the 140th New York Regiment. His contingent created the impression of two regiments rushing through the woods, though it consisted only of 44 Company B soldiers and 14 U.S. Sharpshooters. Hood ordered these regiments, led by Colonel William C. Oates, to find the Union left, turn it and capture Round Top. Both Vincent and O’Rorke paid with their lives for their heroism. On June 30, Confederate spy Henry Thomas Harrison reports to Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, commander of the First Corps, that the Union Army of the Potomac is moving in their direction, and that Union commander Joseph Hooker has been replaced by George Meade. Buford’s forces fired first, temporarily halting Heth’s force and starting the Battle of Gettysburg. Color sergeant was a dangerous but coveted position in Civil War regiments, generally manned by the bravest soldier in the unit. By June 30 Lee’s forces, including those of corps commanders Lt. Gens. The 20th Maine had been organized under President Abraham Lincoln’s second call for troops on July 2, 1862. The problem with becoming a legend is that deeds may become distorted inadvertently due to commercial profits, hero worship and the sheer passage of time. Captain Howard L. Prince, former 20th Maine quartermaster-sergeant, considered Captain Morrill the coolest man in the regiment — a man who had no superior on the skirmish line. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Jeff Daniels stars as Chamberlain in the movie Gettysburg, a fascinating depiction of the events at Little Round Top. Many American junior officers still look up to Chamberlain. Chamberlain claimed later that one word — Bayonet! At around the same time, the rebels drove Sickles’ men back from a maze of boulders known as Devil’s Den, a wheat field and a peach orchard, and even briefly broke through near the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Tozier’s personal gallantry in defending the 20th Maine’s colors became the regimental rallying point for Companies D, E and F to retake the center. Or, to put it another way, did he deserve all the credit? Longstreet reports the i… He was convinced that only the tenacity of the 358 Maine men had enabled Chamberlain to defeat Oates’ two Alabama regiments. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, during the American Civil War. Gen. John W. Geary’s division was aligned just north of the hill and was the largest Union force in the immediate area. The regiment initially fielded a total complement of 1,621 men, but by the time of the Battle of Gettysburg the stress of campaigning had reduced the regiment’s ranks to some 266 soldiers, and the 20th was considered a weak link in Vincent’s brigade. One northern reporter described all of this fighting as “by all odds the most sanguinary…yet chronicled in the annals of the war.” Yet it was just one part of the battlefield that day. Spear said he never received a formal order to occupy higher ground to assess the situation, Vincent! 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