Federal position too strong to be carried. He had advised Lee to maneuver Meade out of his position by a movement around his left. There was no excuse, however, for his lack of coöperation after his plan had been overruled.

The Federal position was a strong one. The lines extended in the form of a fishhook from Culp's Hill to Round Top, except that on the left Sickles's corps occupied an advanced position, with an angle extending out to the Emmitsburg road. When Longstreet did

get into action he was a good fighter, and Sickles's position was carried by Hood's division of Longstreet's corps, but the Confederates failed in the attempt to seize Round Top. Ewell's assault on Culp's Hill, which was delayed until Longstreet's attack, was not successful, though several Federal positions were carried. The Confederates, on the whole, had the advantage of the day's fighting. Furthermore, Stuart's Cavalry and Pickett's division had arrived

GENERAL PICKETT.

on the scene of action. General Lee therefore decided to continue the fight next day.

The Federal generals were less confident, but after a council of war, Meade decided to stand his ground and fight it out. Lee now decided to assault the Federal The third center, although Round Top had been reënforced day by the fifth and sixth Union corps. At the same time Ewell was to attack the Federal right. A part of his force had taken a position in the rear of the Federal line at Culp's Hill and at dawn on July 3 the Federals attacked and overwhelmed it. By 11 A.M. the struggle for Culp's Hill was at an end and Ewell's attack thwarted. Longstreet displayed

Pickett's charge

the same reluctance that he had shown on the preceding day. Pickett's division was selected to charge the Federal center and it was to be reënforced by men from Hill's corps. By 9 A.M. Pickett was ready for the advance. It was 1 P.M., however, before the order was given. After a terrific artillery duel, which lasted for an hour, the infantry column was started on its fateful charge. Pickett's men had nearly a mile to cover. As they advanced down the slope they received the full fire of the Union batteries. Then for a brief period they were partially sheltered by the ravine. Then, as they advanced up the face of the ridge, they were again met by a withering fire. Thousands fell; the line faltered, but Pickett's division pushed on in the lead. The crest of the hill was won and the Federal line forced back, but there was no support at hand and nothing to do but to retreat.

Of 4900 men in Pickett's own division over 3000 were killed or taken prisoners. Of fifteen regimental commanders, ten were killed, and five wounded. Of the three brigadiers, Garnett and Armistead were killed, and Kemper was wounded. Pettigrew's division suffered nearly as severely as Pickett's. Meade's army attempted no counterstroke, but remained securely in its position. On the following day, July 4, General Lee slowly began his retreat into Maryland. The Federal loss at Gettysburg was 23,000 and the Confederate a little over 20,000.

On the day that Lee began his retreat from Gettysburg, Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg to Grant. The fall of Vicksburg was as great a blow to the fortunes of Military operations in the Confederacy in the West as Gettysburg was the West in the East. After the fall of New Orleans in the spring of 1862, Vicksburg and Chattanooga were the two most important strategic positions in the West, and for their possession a fierce and stubborn contest was waged. Chattanooga was an important railroad junction

and the door to East Tennessee. As that part of Tennessee which lies between the Cumberland and Great Smoky Mountains was strongly Union in sentiment, Lincoln was anxious to drive the Confederates out and organize a government among those who favored the Union. The task of capturing Chattanooga and occupying East Tennessee was assigned to Buell and the army of the Ohio. But before Buell had fairly started on his campaign he was thrown on the defensive by the aggressive movements of the Confederate Generals Braxton Bragg and Kirby Smith.

Confederate

Late in August, 1862, Kirby Smith marched from Knoxville across the Cumberland Mountains into Kentucky, defeated a Union force which opposed him, and occupied Lexington, the center of the famous invasion of blue-grass region. From this position he Kentucky threatened both Louisville and Cincinnati, and caused widespread alarm. Meanwhile, Bragg, who had succeeded Beauregard in the West, had crossed the Tennessee River at Chattanooga and was advancing northward through Middle Tennessee, while Buell concentrated his forces at Murfreesboro, and then started for his base on the Ohio at Louisville. The two armies were thus advancing along parallel lines and it became a race for Louisville. Bragg got the lead and could probably have entered Louisville, but he was afraid to do so with Buell close on his heels, so he turned eastward to be in touch with Kirby Smith, and Buell got into Louisville late in September.

Bragg and Smith met with the same conditions in Kentucky that Lee encountered about the same time in Maryland. There were a great many Confederate Battle of sympathizers, but no general uprising. Buell Perryville soon advanced from Louisville with 58,000 men, and for several days he and Bragg were maneuvering for position. On October 8 occurred the battle of Perryville, largely accidental in origin, as neither commander intended to bring

on a general engagement. The Confederates engaged in this battle numbered 17,000, while Buell made use of only about half his force. The Federal left wing was turned by Hardee, who inflicted heavy losses and captured 15 guns. The Confederates, however, were not strong enough to push their advantage, and retreated during the night to Harrodsburg and later into Tennessee. Though not a decisive battle, Perryville ranks among the major engagements of the war on account of the severity of the losses.

On October 30 Buell was relieved of command and Rosecrans placed at the head of what was henceforth known as the Army of the Cumberland. While Rosecrans Murfrees- was rebuilding the railroads and strengthening his

Battle of

boro

communications between Louisville and Nashville, preparatory to an advance on Chattanooga, Bragg concentrated his forces at Murfreesboro. In a desperate three days' fight, December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, both sides lost heavily; but Bragg finally withdrew toward Chattanooga. Rosecrans, however, remained for the next six months on the defensive, holding Kentucky and the greater part of Tennessee.

The Vicksburg campaign

The campaign of 1863 opened in the West with the combined attack of the Federal army and navy on Vicksburg. The most difficult problem which Grant had to face was to find solid ground near the city on which to encamp his army. In December Sherman had attempted to gain a foothold on the bluffs north of the city, but had been repulsed with heavy loss. At the same time Grant's attempt to reach Jackson from Corinth was thwarted by the Confederates, who cut the railroad communications in his rear. During February and March, while most of his troops were at Milliken's Bend, several unsuccessful attempts were again made to occupy the bluffs north of the city. At the same time Sherman's corps was engaged in the attempt to dig a canal across the peninsula