July 1st, 2nd and 3rd The Battle Of Gettysburg.

As I posted on another site:

We all know about July 4th but why are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July so important to a small Pennsylvania town, Our nation and the world?

It was on those July days of 1863 that we fought the bloodiest battle in the western hemisphere, bloodiest battle in United States history and biggest battle of the Civil War. It was fought in the little Pennsylvania crossroads town of Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg caused over 51,000 casualties between it’s 172,000 combatants. 634 cannon encompassed an area of 25 square miles. 569 tons of ammunition were expended. 5,000 or more horses were killed.

http://www.gettysbg.com/battle.shtml

To me, one who had relatives on both the side of the Union (North) and Confederacy (South), these men were all Americans so I honor them as such. They fought, bled and died back then to settle the issues of the day so I let it rest with them. If you wish to debate the war, semantics and so on here please do so but be warned I will tolerate no flaming, trolling, name calling, personal attacks or so on… All I ask is that you do one thing with me and that is honor these brave Americans along with me in a moment of silence and gratitude for their sacrifice.

President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

“But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion;
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Abraham Lincoln, President, U.S.A.

Officers and enlisted of today, still learn from the Battle of Gettysburg. They gather to study and wargame regularly. Amazing the loss of life, and the incredible courage displayed.

I understand that people said they could hear the cannons from as far away as Pittsburgh, PA.

This was the darkest period in the history of our great country, I hope it will remain ever so.

What war teaches me.

As clever and intelligent as we’d like to believe we are; we still have not figured out how to solve our differences without killing each other. We learn nothing from war.

Bruce

Thanks for posting the Gettysburg Address. I remember memorizing it in school and how powerful thos words are, even today.
Jon

My pleasure! Thanks for reading and responding all.

First Regiment Minnesota Volunteers
April 29 1861 - May 4 1864

Bull Run
Balls Bluff
Berryville
Yorktown
West Point
Hanover Court House
Fair Oaks
Peach Orchard
Savage Station
White Oak Swamp
Glendale, Malvren Hill
2nd Malvern Hill
Vienna
South Mountain
Antietam
Charlestown
Asby’s Ga
Fredericksburg
Marye’s Heights
Haymarket
Gettysburg
Auburn
Bristow Station
Mine Run

Minnesota 1st Infantry Regiment, was the first unit that was offered to President Lincoln, when the President called for 75,000 soldier to the defense of Washington DC. The 1st Infantry Regiment comprised of 1000 men departed Fort Snelling Minnesota in July of 1861, to serve for 3 years in the Eastern Peninsula War Campaigns, from Bull Run through to Gettysburg.

On the afternoon of July 2, 1863 Sickles Third Corps having advanced from this line to the Emmitsburg road eight companies of the First Minnesota regiment numbering 262 men were sent to this place to support a battery. Upon Sickles’ repulse as his men were passing here in confused retreat two Confederate brigades in pursuit were crossing the swale.To gain time to bring up the reserves and save this position General Hancock in person ordered the eight companies to charge the rapidly advancing enemy. The order was instantly repeated by Col. Wm. Colville and the charge instantly made down the slope at full speed through the concentrate fire of the two brigades breaking with the bayonet the enemy’s front line as it was crossing the small brook in the low ground. There the remnant of the eight companies nearly surrounded by the enemy (outnumbered 5-to-1) held the entire confederate forces at bay for a considerable time and till it retired on the approach of the reserve, the charge successfully accomplished its object. It saved the position and probably the battlefield. The loss of the eight companies in the charge was 215 killed and wounded, more than 85 percent. 47 men were still in line and no missing. In self-sacrificing desperate valor this charge has no parallel in any war. The next day the regiment participated in repelling Pickett’s charge losing 17 more men killed and wounded.

When I learned the Gettysburg Address in high school I was just another dumba** kid doing school work. NOW they really mean something. I would love to teach American history in high school, the kids would probably hate me but they would know how our country came to be and has continued to exist.