Battle of Gettysburg

July 1–3, 1863 · Eastern Theater

Phases

1. 1Day 1 Morning — First Shots on McPherson RidgeJuly 1, 1863 — 7:30 AM to Noon
2. 2Day 1 Afternoon — Collapse and the FishhookJuly 1, 1863 — 2:00 to 6:00 PM
3. 3Day 2 — Longstreet Strikes the LeftJuly 2, 1863 — 4:00 to 7:00 PM
4. 4Day 2 Evening — Little Round Top & Culp’s HillJuly 2, 1863 — 6:00 PM to Midnight
5. 5Day 3 — Pickett’s ChargeJuly 3, 1863 — 1:00 to 4:00 PM
6. 6July 4–14 — Retreat to the PotomacJuly 4–14, 1863

July 1, 1863 — 7:30 AM to Noon

Buford’s dismounted cavalry troopers delay Heth’s Confederate division on the ridges west of town, buying time for infantry to arrive. Reynolds brings I Corps up at the double — and is shot dead deploying the Iron Brigade in Herbst Woods. By noon the Union line holds McPherson Ridge: Archer’s brigade is wrecked, its general captured, and Davis’s brigade is trapped in an unfinished railroad cut.

• ●Buford’s Cavalry Division — Dismounted skirmish line on McPherson Ridge
• ➤Heth’s Division — Advances down the Chambersburg Pike
• ➤Reynolds’ I Corps — Doubles forward from the Emmitsburg Road
• ●Herbst Woods — Gen. Reynolds killed
• ●Railroad Cut — Davis’s brigade trapped
• ●Herr Ridge — Confederate gun line