by Rod Gragg
It was to me a novel and grand sight. I had never seen so many soldiers at one time. They were Union soldiers and that was enough for me, for I then knew we had protection, and I felt they were our dearest friends. I afterwards learned that these men were Buford’s cavalry, numbering about six thousand men.
On June 30, a dusty column of Federal horse soldiers—Buford’s Cavalry—passed through this Gettysburg neighborhood, heading to the west in search of the Confederate army.
National Archives
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“We Sought to Cheer Our Brave Men”
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A crowd of “us girls” were standing on the corner of Washington and High Streets as these soldiers passed by. Desiring to encourage them, who, as we were told, would before long be in battle, my sister started to sing the old war song, “Our Union Forever.” As some of us did not know the whole of the piece we kept repeating the chorus.
Thus we sought to cheer our brave men; and we felt amply repaid when we saw that our efforts were appreciated. Their countenances brightened and we received their thanks and cheers. After the battle some of these soldiers told us that the singing was very good, but that they would have liked to have heard more than the chorus.
The movements of this day in addition to what we beheld a few days previous, told plainly that some great military event was coming pretty close to us. The town was all astir and every one was anxious. Thus in the midst of great excitement and solicitude the day passed. As we lay down for the night, little did we think what the morrow would bring forth.4
“You Will Have to Fight like the Devil”
General Buford’s Federal Cavalry Claims the High Ground at Gettysburg
Brigadier General John Buford was only thirty-seven years old when he led his cavalry division into Gettysburg, yet his troops called him “Old Steadfast.” The nickname came from Buford’s dependability and calm demeanor under fire. Born in Kentucky and raised in Illinois, Buford was the latest in a line of family members serving in the military, including a grandfather who had fought in the Revolution under cavalry commander “Light Horse Harry” Lee—Robert E. Lee’s father. A West Point graduate, Buford had been forged and hardened by fighting the Sioux, Comanche, and Apache on the Western frontier. His family owned slaves and his cousin was a Confederate general, but Buford had cast his lot with the Union. En route to Gettysburg, he had hanged a suspected Southern spy from a roadside tree—leaving the man’s naked corpse swinging from a tree limb.
He had begun the war posted at a desk in Washington, but he earned a brigadier’s commission and distinguished himself at the Battle of Second Bull Run, where he was wounded and mistakenly reported as killed in action. Unlike “Jeb” Stuart, he had no inclination to be a dashing cavalier. Tough, seasoned, and capable, he received command of a cavalry brigade, further displayed his competence at Chancellorsville, and achieved promotion to division command. Described by a contemporary as “the soldier, par excellence,” Buford had the ability to comprehend critical military situations, and had a knack for recognizing the advantages of different terrain.
When some of his patrolling cavalry sighted General Pettigrew’s Confederates while on their reconnaissance-in-force on June 30, Buford did not delude himself with any “spirit of unbelief.” Instead, he immediately notified his superiors that the Confederate army was in the vicinity of Gettysburg, and provided a precise, pinpointed location of the enemy—a tactical advantage Lee desperately wanted yet still lacked. And so the Federal Army of the Potomac hastened toward Gettysburg on a collision course with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
Tough, seasoned, and savvy, Brigadier General John Buford immediately spotted the defensive advantages that Gettysburg’s terrain offered the Federal army. He also understood what lay ahead: “You will have to fight like the devil,” he told his troops.
Library of Congress
Equally important, Buford grasped the opportunities offered by the terrain surrounding Gettysburg. To protect Gettysburg’s critically important intersecting roads, he posted dismounted cavalry armed with rapid-fire carbines on the west side of town—the direction from which he expected Lee’s army to advance. There, a series of high ridges—Herr Ridge, McPherson’s Ridge, and Seminary Ridge—offered good ground for defense. In town, Cemetery Hill and adjacent Cemetery Ridge, which extended a mile or so southward, offered a strong fall-back position if needed.
On the ridges to the west of Gettysburg, facing Cashtown and Chambersburg, Buford chose to make a stand. Gettysburg, he believed, would be the location of the great battle that was certain to occur soon. “The enemy must know the importance of this point and will strain every nerve to secure it,” he told a subordinate that day, “and if we are able to hold it we will do well.” Lieutenant Aaron Jerome, a young Signal Corps officer attached to Buford’s cavalry, accompanied Buford to Gettysburg on June 30, and penned an account of Buford’s critical actions that day.
Buford marched into Gettysburg with his division on the afternoon of June 30th, and, passing through the town, [Colonel William] Gamble’s Brigade encamped on the Cashtown road, while [Colonel Thomas] Devin’s Brigade encamped on the road to Mummasburg. Gamble scouted toward Chambersburg, while Devin scouted the country toward Carlisle as far as Hunterstown, capturing a number of Rebel stragglers, from whom important information was elicited. On the night of the 30th, General Buford spent some hours with Colonel Tom Devin, and while commenting upon the information brought in by Devin’s scouts, remarked that “the battle would be fought at that point,” and that “he was afraid it would be commenced in the morning before the infantry would get up.” These are his own words. Devin did not believe in so early an advance of the enemy, and remarked that he would “take care of all that would attack his front during the ensuing twenty-four hours.” Buford answered: “No you won’t. They will attack you in the morning and they will come booming—skirmishers three deep. You will have to fight like the devil to hold your own until supports arrive. The enemy must know the importance of this position and will strain every nerve to secure it, and if we are able to hold it we will do well.”
Gettysburg’s Lutheran Seminary towers above the tree line in this 1863 photograph. In order to scout the advancing Confederate army, General Buford scaled its cupola.
Library of Congress
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“Soon after, the Enemy Moved Up and Opened with Artillery”
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Upon his return, he ordered me, then first lieutenant and signal officer of his division, to seek out the most prominent points and watch everything; to be careful to look out for camp-fires, and in the morning for dust. He seemed anxious, more so than I ever saw him.5
With their horses held in the rear, Buford’s cavalrymen fought on foot, using their breech-loading, rapid-fire carbines to slow the Confederate advance until the Federal army could arrive in force.
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War
“I Was Ignorant of What Force Was at or near Gettysburg”
The Opposing Armies Collide at Gettysburg on July 1
On the morning of Wednesday, July 1, 1863, General Henry Heth took his division to Gettysburg, marching along the Chambersburg Turnpike from the division’s encampment near Cashtown. Heth had requested to lead General A. P. Hill’s Third Corps on its march toward Gettysburg, claiming that he hoped to find footwear for his troops in town. “If there is no objection,” he had told Hill, “then I will take my division tomorrow and go to Gettysburg and get those shoes.” Hill had agreed, but had reminded Heth of General Lee’s orders not to provoke battle with the enemy until all of Lee’s army was reunited. “Do not bring on an engagement,” Hill had warned Heth.
General Heth, new to division command, was an affable thirty-seven-year-old Virginian—known to his friends as “Harry”—and had graduated last in his class at West Point. As a captain in the prewar U.S. Army, he had fought Indians on the Western frontier, and he had quickly earned a brigadier’
s commission in Confederate service. He had commanded his brigade capably at Chancellorsville, and now he held a new post as commander of one of the three divisions in Hill’s corps. Some viewed him as courageous; others saw him as impulsive.
On the road to Gettysburg, Heth’s powerful reconnaissance-in-force was led by Brigadier General James J. Archer’s brigade of Alabama and Tennessee troops, followed by General Joseph R. Davis’s brigade of Mississippians and North Carolinians, and was supported by a battalion of artillery under Major William J. Pegram. Following in reserve were Brigadier General Pettigrew’s brigade of North Carolinians and Colonel John M. Brockenbrough’s brigade of Virginians. Farther back, available if needed, were Major General William Dorsey Pender’s division and more artillery.
About three miles west of Gettysburg on the Chambersburg Turnpike, Heth’s Confederate skirmishers encountered General John Buford’s Federal cavalry pickets and both sides opened fire. It was shortly after eight o’clock. The Federal pickets fell back, and Heth’s troops continued their advance along the pike. At about nine-thirty, they encountered a battle line of dismounted cavalry atop Herr Ridge, who were armed with rapid-fire breech-loading carbines. It was Colonel William Gamble’s 1st Cavalry Brigade, backed by a battery of Federal artillery.
When confronted by serious fire, Heth’s Confederates deployed on both sides of the road—with Archer’s Brigade advancing on the right and Davis’s Brigade approaching on the left. Buford’s 1,600 front-line troops laid down a stiff fire, but they could not repel Heth’s division, soon supported by effective fire from Pegram’s artillery, so they fell back across a local creek, Willoughby Run, and withdrew to the next ridge—McPherson’s Ridge. There, at Buford’s direction, they redeployed and unleashed a fierce fire. Despite General Heth’s orders to “not bring on an engagement,” the battle of Gettysburg had begun. Months later, in an official army report, Heth would try to explain the events that triggered the fighting.
Although he had graduated last in his class at West Point, General “Harry” Heth was viewed as a capable, experienced officer. The Gettysburg Campaign, however, was his first engagement as a division commander.
Library of Congress
On Gettysburg’s first day of battle, a morning clash escalated into serious fighting west of the town along both sides of the Chambersburg Turnpike. Based on a map by Hal Jespersen, www.CWmaps.com
Headquarters, Heth’s Division
Camp near Orange Court-House
September 13, 1863.
I have the honor to report the operations of my division from June 29 until July 1, including the part it took in the battle of Gettysburg (first day), July 1.
The division reached Cashtown, Pa., on June 29. Cashtown is situated at the base of the South Mountain, on the direct road from Chambersburg, via Fayetteville, to Gettysburg, and 9 miles distant from the latter place.
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“Heavy Columns of the Enemy Were Soon Encountered”
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On the morning of June 30, I ordered Brigadier-General Pettigrew to take his brigade to Gettysburg, search the town for army supplies (shoes especially), and return the same day. On reaching the suburbs of Gettysburg, General Pettigrew found a large force of cavalry near the town, supported by an infantry force. Under these circumstances, he did not deem it advisable to enter the town, and returned, as directed, to Cashtown. The result of General Pettigrew’s observations was reported to Lieutenant-General Hill, who reached Cashtown on the evening of the 30th.
On July 1, my division, accompanied by Pegram’s battalion of artillery, was ordered to move at 5 a. m. in the direction of Gettysburg. On nearing Gettysburg, it was evident that the enemy was in the vicinity of the town in some force. It may not be improper to remark that at this time—9 o’clock on the morning of July 1—I was ignorant what force was at or near Gettysburg, and supposed it consisted of cavalry, most probably supported by a brigade or two of infantry.
On reaching the summit of the second ridge of hills west of Gettysburg, it became evident that there were infantry, cavalry, and artillery in and around the town. A few shot from Pegram’s battalion (Marye’s battery) scattered the cavalry vedettes....
My division, now within a mile of Gettysburg, was disposed as follows: Archer’s brigade in line of battle on the right of the turnpike; Davis’ brigade on the left of the same road, also in line of battle; Pettigrew’s brigade and Heth’s old brigade (Colonel Brockenbrough commanding), were held in reserve. Archer and Davis were now directed to advance, the object being to feel the enemy; to make a forced reconnaissance, and determine in what force the enemy were—whether or not he was massing his forces on Gettysburg. Heavy columns of the enemy were soon encountered....
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. Heth, Major-General6
“We Must Hold This Position”
Federal Cavalry and Artillery Fight a Fierce Delaying Action
As General Heth’s infantry troops advanced toward McPherson’s Ridge on both sides of the Chambersburg Pike, General Buford’s Federal cavalry stood its ground and poured fire into the advancing Southern ranks. Heth initially believed his division faced Northern militia troops, who would break as the fighting intensified. The Federal fire did not slacken, however, and Heth’s troops also began to suffer casualties from enemy artillery fire.
Deployed across McPherson’s Ridge in support of Buford’s dismounted cavalry was Battery A of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. Commanded by Lieutenant John H. Calef, Battery A was equipped with six three-inch, long-range rifled field pieces. Calef had just finished his breakfast that morning when General Buford ordered the battery into action. He deployed his guns atop the ridge on both sides of the pike. Below him to the west, the Confederate army hastened its advance through fields and patches of woods along the road. To his rear, past the local Lutheran Seminary—an imposing brick structure topped by a cupola—lay the town of Gettyburg.
A light force of Federal artillery supported Buford’s cavalry as it attempted to hold back the Confederate advance. The “demonic ‘whir-r-r’ of the rifled shot ... filled the air,” an eyewitness would recall.
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War
Calef knew his battery was the only Federal artillery on the field. The rest of the Army of the Potomac was on the way, but it fell to Calef’s artillery and to Buford’s cavalry to hold off the advancing enemy until the army could arrive. “Calef held his own gloriously [and] worked his guns deliberately,” General Buford would later report, “with great judgment and skill, and wonderful effect on the enemy.” Years later, Lieutenant Calef would recall that tense, deadly morning.
The morning of the eventful 1st of July came bright and hot. After breakfast I had ordered my horse and was prepared to make a hasty inspection of Gettysburg, there to make some purchases for our mess, when an orderly from General Buford galloped up with the information that the enemy were advancing and to prepare for action at once. It was thirty-one years before I made that contemplated visit to Gettysburg. In an incredibly short time our bivouac was broken and baggage and caissons sent to the rear.
Colonel Gamble, commanding the brigade, instructed me to select my own position, which I did on a crest in advance of the one we had occupied during the night. Leveling the intervening fences, the battery moved forward to the position selected, which was a good one for artillery.... It was part of General Buford’s plan to cover as large a front as possible with my battery (his only artillery) for the purpose of deceiving the enemy as to his strength. He therefore instructed me to post two guns on the right of the pike, two on the left and the remaining two still further to the left, where the Eighth New York Cavalry was covering the left flank. It was just at the right of the guns last mentioned, in a corner of the woods, that General Reynolds was killed a few minutes later.
In the summer of 1862, the officers of Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery, stood beside the muddied wheels of a field piece—its swab, sponge, rammer, and grease bucket in
place and ready for action. A year later, Battery A would fire some of the opening shots at the battle of Gettysburg.
Library of Congress
I had scarcely completed the posting of this left section when Lieutenant Roder opened on the right of the pike, his left piece being the opening gun, directed against a column beyond Willoughby’s Run, where our cavalry, dismounted, was stoutly resisting the advance of Hill’s infantry. The other guns now opened, which drew the artillery of the enemy, and my four guns on the right were soon hotly engaged with Pegram’s and McIntosh’s battalions of artillery, numbering from twenty-seven to thirty guns.
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“Our Men Are in a Pretty Hot Pocket”
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Seeing the battery so greatly outnumbered, I directed the firing to be made slowly and deliberately and reported to Buford what was in my front. The battle was now developing, and the demonic “whir-r-r” of the rifled shot, the “ping” of the bursting shell and the wicked “zip” of the bullet, as it hurried by, filled the air. While riding to the guns on the left I met General Buford, accompanied by a bugler only, and calmly smoking his pipe. He had just made an inspection of the field and remarked: “Our men are in a pretty hot pocket, but, my boy we must hold this position until the infantry come up; then you withdraw your guns in each section by piece, fill up your limber chests from the caissons and await my orders.” Just as he finished speaking a shell burst so near to us that both of our horses reared with fright, but all escaped injury.
