12 Famous Leaders of Gettysburg

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12 Famous Leaders of Gettysburg
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General Robert E. Lee

• Gen. Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee was the
  Confederacy's greatest and most loved commander.
  He led one of the most daring armies ever
  organized, the Army of Northern Virginia. The
  general was at the pinnacle of his career and his
  army apparently unstoppable when they marched
  into the North that summer of 1863, but the
  Battle of Gettysburg would prove to be the "high
  tide" of his army and the war. Never again would
  Lee be able to mount such an offensive operation
  into the northern states.

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Major General George G. Meade

• Maj. General George G. Meade This native
  Pennsylvanian would find himself in command of
  the Union Army of the Potomac only three days
  before the Battle of Gettysburg. His temperament
  was harsh and he could be difficult to deal with,
  but Meade would lead his army into the greatest
  battle they had seen and would prove to be equal
  to the task in defeating Lee. His success at
  Gettysburg would be later marred by critics who
  felt that he was too slow in chasing Lee back
  into Virginia

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Brigadier GeneralJohn Buford

• Brig. General John Buford The commander of a
  cavalry division in the Army of the Potomac, John
  Buford's troops encountered the head of a
  Confederate column on June 30th near Gettysburg.
  It was Buford who decided to stay in the area
  overnight and wait for the Confederates to return
  the following day. His choice would set the stage
  for the Battle of Gettysburg that began the
  following day.

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General John F. Reynolds

• Gen. John F. Reynolds One of the most highly
  respected Union generals serving in the Army of
  the Potomac, John F. Reynolds was the commander
  of the First Corps. He was offered the command of
  the army several days before the battle, but
  declined and General Meade was appointed instead.
  While leading his troops into battle on July 1st,
  General Reynolds was instantly killed in a grove
  of trees adjacent to the McPherson Farm. His
  death was sorely felt throughout the army

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Lieutenant GeneralJames Longstreet

• Lt. Gen. James Longstreet The most trusted of
  Lee's corps commanders, James Longstreet's troops
  would bear the brunt of the fighting on July 2
  and July 3rd at Gettysburg. The general was in
  charge of the main Southern attack on the last
  day of the battle, even though he did not believe
  in its success. Much of the Southern controversy
  about Gettysburg centers around Longstreet's
  command decisions during the battle. In many
  ways, the events at Gettysburg would haunt him
  until the end of his life.

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Major GeneralDaniel Sickles

• Maj. General Daniel Sickles A colorful general
  and politician, Daniel Sickles led his corps onto
  the Gettysburg Battlefield on July 2, determined
  not to be surprised by a Confederate attack.
  Instead, he was surprised by the Southern assault
  and the direction from which it came. Sickles
  lost most of his corps and a leg at Gettysburg,
  but was compensated for his loss with the
  Congressional Medal of Honor. As a congressman in
  1894, Sickles would sponsor the bill that made
  the battlefield a national park.

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Lieutenant GeneralRichard S. Ewell

• Lt. General Richard S. Ewell His almost comical
  appearance betrays the type of cunning and
  resourceful soldier he was. General Ewell led
  "Stonewall" Jackson's old corps at Gettysburg.
  Though brilliant on the first day of the battle,
  General Ewell would later fail to take key Union
  positions and allowed his subordinate commanders
  to set the tone of the battle on the Confederate
  left. His troops fought at Culp's Hill, Cemetery
  Hill, and in the town of Gettysburg.

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Major General Winfield S. Hancock

• Maj. General Winfield S. Hancock Inspiring,
  bold, and daring, General Hancock proved to be an
  outstanding officer and field commander. At
  Gettysburg he reached a pinnacle when Meade sent
  Hancock as his representative to the battle field
  on July 1, where Hancock took command of the
  field. The general was everywhere the action was
  on July 2 and played a prominent role in sending
  troops to threatened areas. He nearly lost his
  life while directing troops against Pickett's
  Virginians on July 3rd.

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Lieutenant GeneralA. P. Hill

• Lt. General A. P. Hill General Hill was a West
  Point graduate and commanded the Third Corps of
  the Army of Northern Virginia. His troops opened
  the battle on July 1, 1863. General Hill
  commanded the Confederate forces during the
  majority of that day. His troops also fought on
  July 2, and he sent the better part of two
  divisions into the grand assault on July 3, also
  known as "Pickett's Charge". Tragically, General
  Hill did not survive the war. He was killed in
  Virginia barely a week before the Confederate
  surrender at Appomattox Court House.

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Colonel Joshua Chamberlain

• Col. Joshua Chamberlain Chamberlain rose from
  his pre-war employment as a school teacher to be
  the colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry. His Maine
  soldiers were veterans of several battles, and
  Chamberlain's regiment faced its toughest test at
  Little Round Top in a desperate fight with the
  15th Alabama Infantry. The 20th Maine held on
  under Chamberlain's desperate guidance, which
  eventually contributed to the Union victory at
  the hill on July 2. Chamberlain miraculously
  escaped serious injury during the fighting.

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Major GeneralGeorge E. Pickett

• Maj. General George E. Pickett One of the more
  flamboyant of Lee's generals, General Pickett
  commanded a division of Virginia soldiers. Gen.
  Pickett was worried that his men would not see
  much action during the battle, but as events
  turned out, his troops would reach the "High
  Water Mark" of the battle and of the Confederacy.
  His name is forever associated with the third and
  final day of the battle and the climactic attack
  against the Union center, known as "Pickett's
  Charge".

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Brigadier GeneralJ. E. B. Stuart

• Brig. General J.E.B. Stuart A bold and dashing
  figure, General Stuart was one of the more famous
  horsemen of the Civil War and led the cavalry of
  the Army of Northern Virginia. His successful
  ride through Maryland and Pennsylvania ended in a
  controversy when he did not arrive at Gettysburg
  until long after the battle had started, leading
  to an awkward censure from the army commander,
  General Lee. Stuart's horsemen fought a pitched
  battle three miles east of Gettysburg on the
  afternoon of July 3rd, where he was soundly
  defeated. Gettysburg was one of Stuart's few
  defeats during the entire war.