The Battle of Little Round Top

Overview

• Second day of Battle of Gettysburg: Crucial engagement on a hill just south of town.
• Critical for determining the outcome of not just the battle, but potentially the war.
• Has become a historical myth, transforming victors into legends.

Background

• Summer 1863: Confederate General Lee invades the North after victory at Chancellorsville.
• Union response: General Joseph Hooker, under President Lincoln’s orders, moves to counter Lee.
  • Change in Command: Hooker replaced by General George Meade.
• The Battle Begins: Both armies engage at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863.

The Battlefield

• Union Position: On Cemetery Ridge, high ground with a fishhook formation under General Meade.
• Confederate Position: Along Seminary Ridge under General Lee.
• Both sides have a critical need for victory.

The 20th Maine and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

• Arrival: March into Gettysburg from Hanover, PA, tired and unaware of their role.
• Leadership: Chamberlain, a college professor and former minister, suffering from malarial fever and dysentery.

Colonel William C. Oates and the 15th Alabama

• Arrival: Fatigued after a 20-mile march.
• Background: Oates had a troubled past, including incidents of violence.
• Leadership: Recently promoted and eager to prove himself.
  • Both Oates and Chamberlain share recent promotions and eagerness for battlefield leadership.

The Strategic Importance of Little Round Top

• Initial Observations: Not significant early in the day, held only by Union signal corps.
• Governor K. Warren's Role: Major General Warren realizes its strategic importance and fortifies it.
  • View on the battle: Recognized the hill could be flanked by Confederate troops.
  • Orders Union reinforcement of the hill.

Attacks on Little Round Top

• Confederate Strategy: Hood’s original orders are to flank and cause chaos; despite orders, decides to attack Little Round Top.
• Key Leaders: Colonel Oates’s 15th Alabama, Colonel Strong Vincent’s brigade (including the 20th Maine).
  • Positioning the Union Line: Vincent takes initiative, positions regiments on advantageous southern slope.

Clashes on the Hill

• Initial Assaults: Successive attacks by Confederate forces against Union defenders.
  • Texans and Alabamians face deadly Union defenses and artillery positioned on the hill.
• Critical Moments
  • Vincent rallies his men, is mortally wounded.
  • O’Rourke’s timely arrival to support crumbling Union line.

Desperate Defense

• Union Low on Resources: Heavy casualties and low on ammunition.
• Final Action Orders: Chamberlain orders a final bayonet charge to dislodge Confederate attackers.
  • Successfully sweeps the enemy from the hill, capturing many.

Aftermath

• Historical Importance: Critical for Union’s success at Gettysburg, eventually leading to their victory on July 3.
• Leadership Outcomes: Leaders such as Warren, Chamberlain, and Oates gain respective historical fame and political careers post-war.
• Legacy
  • Little Round Top became a symbol of heroic resistance and tactical ingenuity.
  • Chamberlain is particularly celebrated, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Reflection

• The sacrifice and leadership shown during the Battle of Little Round Top have become emblematic of the American spirit and the intense human cost of the Civil War.