High Tide

3 July, 1863

At this time the men are back in there own lines, the wounded try desperately to get back, the dead litter the battle in heaps of mangled gore. A bad idea carried out in true professionalism by the best fighting force assembled up to that time. The Army of Northern Virginia. Out of the woods they came to cross over a mile of open ground and attack the Union center at the angle in the stonewall adjacent to the copse of trees. Through solid shot onward they came, over and through fences onward they came, through grape shot and then canister onward they came. Huddled together leaning into the canon and rifle fire as if through rain. Onward these men came to the angle some made it to fight hand to hand and about thirty yards on passed the wall a confederate soldier died the "high tide" if you will.

I have stood at the Virginia monument across that great field and I with the help of history cannot for the life of me figure out how Lee could order that charge. I do not have training in any military or combat arts but this was not a good idea. Longstreet did not agree with Lee either it is why it took so long to for him to order Pickett forward. I can understand that but what I cannot forgive him for not ordering in the reserves especially when it was imminent that men were going to get to the angle. These men were left to fight and die for the southern cause all alone. If they did not win the day the South and the war were lost. Of course they were greatly outnumbered and were either killed or captured very few southerns got back to Seminary Ridge from the Angle. I have stood at the Angle and wondered what kind of man would walk in column across the field against heavy enfilading fire. I have read, somewhere, that 96% of the men who came across that that field, that sweltering summer day, did not even own slaves; still think this war was about slavery, on the southern side? Just regular men fighting to be free to live their lives as they see fit, an oppressive government comes in and forces them to live as it thinks they should, or at least as the abolitionist lobbyists think they should live. On the 50th anniversary of the battle the two sides took up their position once again and as the Confederate Veterans came out of the woods a gasp was heard coming from the stonewall over climbed the Union Veterans and they met in the middle. Such an awful mistake could not be repeated even the victors saw this fact.

Now I know that this charge did not cost the south the war. Other tide turners of the battle were; Ewell not taking Culps Hill on the first day, The 20th Maine holding off the Alabama boys and keeping the Union line for being rolled up on on the second day. But this charge ended the Army of Northern Virginia's dominance for the men left on that field were the heart and soul of the southern armies. Tomorrow Vicksburg will surrender and the South loses its independence on Independence Day 1863. Today we are close to having these same conditions for "civil war" only not north and south but liberal and conservative. Just remember: "It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we would grow too fond of it" -- General Robert E. Lee