"We are going home".

Saturday, July 4,1863, Gettysburg

Today is Independence Day, at least for some. Ours is yet to come. If we have anything to celebrate it is the fact that we are alive. So many of us who came here will stay here; they will never return.

All day we waited for the Yankees to do something, anything. We hoped aloud that they would come after us the same as they did at Fredericksburg and we would cut them down like ripe wheat. Holton said that was what had happened to us yesterday. At least there was time enough to bring up more ammunition. We were confident that we could take care of anything the Yankees could throw at us. All of our nervous anticipation was for naught. An occasional volley or isolated musket report was all we heard.

We ate what we had in our haversacks which was not very much. We have not seen our commissary since the battle started. We do have water but we do have to go after it. I had to show one watering party where the branch was that I refilled those canteens from. We waited, we talked, we cursed, we mourned, we longed. We took the war to the enemy and thrashed them rather well, we thought. But it is all over and they are still there. Our best was not good enough.

Corporal Flynn has just come around to tell us to be ready to move out on short notice tonight. We are going home.


I Send You These Few Lines


The battle of Gettysburg is now over. It was the largest battle ever fought on this continent. The casualties numbered more than 50,000 for both sides. Some regiments were reduced to a few dozen men. Some companies suffered 100% casualties. But it is over.

Now is the time for Lee's army to return to Virginia with all haste lest Meade's army cut him off and destroy him. Destroying Lee would destroy the Confederacy. President Lincoln was hoping for just that sort of outcome.

Meade saw things differently. His army has been well thrashed by Lee. Some units effectiveness were reduced to zero and those units were disbanded and folded into other, not so blooded units. Meade knew that his army needed much in the way of rebuilding in both men and material. Meade would be content to lick his wounds but the pressure from Lincoln was to pursue  and destroy Lee. Orders were orders so Meade followed at a distance, looking for an opportunity. There would be opportunities.