Vital Ground by bmac62
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Please zoom. (From our visit to Gettysburg National Park in early May.)
Late in the afternoon of July 2nd, 1863, the rocky hill (Little Round Top) in my photo above was the site of a huge battle between defending Union troops of the Army of the Potomac and attacking Confederate forces. Union forces held the high ground. Confederates attacked uphill and in the open.
Little Round Top was the extreme left flank of the entire Union defensive line. The order was given to Union soldiers to hold this hill at all costs. If Little Round Top was lost, the Confederates could roll-up the entire Union line causing not only military defeat but potentially extensive political damage to President Abraham Lincoln in his battle to save the Union.
Both the British and the French had been waiting to see which side (North or South) could gain the upper hand in the Civil War. They'd throw their considerable support to the apparent winner.
Little Round Top held. All the Union defenses north of this hill held for another day and a half. Confederate forces had unsuccessfully attacked both flanks and then the center of the two mile long Union defensive line. On July 4th, having suffered irreplaceable losses of men as well as horses and supplies, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia left this Pennsylvania battlefield and once again headed back south.
The tide of the war had finally swung in favor of the north. The defense of Little Round Top had made this possible.
Comments (16)
FredNunes
Very nice blend of light and shadows Bill. Well caught.
auntietk
I'm glad you found a way to present this that worked for you, photographically speaking. I know what a challenge it was to get this right, and you did a terrific job! Nice writeup, too. Having been there with you, I actually understand most of what you've said, now! :P :*
Faemike55
Great picture and narrative - thanks for the wonderful and interesting History Lesson!
blinkings
I know I'm an Aussie, but I LOVE learning about this stuff. Thanks and keep up the good work Bill. Andrew.
wysiwig
It doesn’t look like much now but Little Round Top was the Union’s Stalingrad for it was here that the tide turned in favor of the United States. The Union troops were commanded by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, one of my two favorite characters of the Civil War. The other was German immigrant Carl Schurz, a general at Gettysburg, whose quote is for me is the purest expression of patriotism.
“My country right or wrong; when right, to keep her right; when wrong, to put her right.”
Chamberlain commanded the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment which, as you noted, was tasked with securing the left flank of the Union line. After repeated assaults by Confederate troops the 20th was running low on ammunition. At this point Chamberlain initiated a bayonet charge which swept around the attacking Confederates to make the charging line swing like a hinge which produced the effect of a frontal attack and a flanking movement. This broke the assault and resulted in the capture of over 100 Confederates. For his efforts Chamberlain was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the war he was elected governor of Maine and later served as president of Bowdoin College.
And in case you were wondering, yes, I was a history major in college.
awjay
nice pic and interesting info
X-PaX
Very nice capture Bill. Thank you also for the information.
durleybeachbum
Fascinating!
T.Rex
Bill, thanks for the revealing photo. I often wondered why the Confederates didn't outflank the Union at the end of the line. But this photo shows why not. And your text along with wysiwig 's have filled me in on the reason. A hinged bayonet charge catching them in the flank is sure a terrifying thing that can get any formation to break and run. Keep up the good work! :-)
photosynthesis
Fine shot & though I'm not at all a Civil War buff, your narrative adds weight & significance to this landscape...
Richardphotos
reminds me of my visit to Vicksburg, Mississippi . the Union held a hill and simply could shoot the Confederate soldiers from above.
I enjoy learning about the civil war, to try and understand better why a record number of soldiers were killed on both sides which is more than WWI, WWII, and Korean War put together. Gettysburg is on my to do list.
I was unaware that the Confederates were even in NW Texas and even all across the Western US. Texas has a bad history for slavery also. Jefferson, TX near the Louisiana State line was a hot bed of activity
junge1
Nice picture Bill and a great historical accounting!
RodS
Really enjoyed the history of this place that you provided, Bill. Wonderful photo of the scene of the battle. History was never this interesting back in school!
sossy
wow thx for the battle details! very rich green vegetation but I be sad when I see cutted wood, reminds me of the treefree scotland ☺
jayfar
A super pic Bill and what an interesting history !
jendellas
Thanks for the info & picture, super in zoom.