The Angle

This stand of trees is known as "The Angle" or some say the "Bloody Angle"  

That is the place that on July 3rd 1863 - Pickett's charge was to breach the Union line.  It is where Lee thought he could break Meade’s forces and thus defeat the Union at Gettysburg.   The plaque there notes the Confederate armies that charged the position from across a mile of open field. A few of Confederate General Armestead’s  men  made it to that point  and were killed or wounded , that spot turned out to be  the Northernmost point any Confederate soldier achieved during the war.  The other 14,000 that stepped out of the woods on the downhill side of Cemetery ridge were either rebuffed, wounded or killed, Armested himself wounded (Monument shows exactly where) on July 3rd. And died in a field hospital on the 5th.   The other pictures are looking down from Cemetery Ridge to the spot where Lee’s statue is today. One pic is zoomed,  the  Other is not.  You can see how far that was across the field and an  uphill battle against superior forces that had more men , cannons, rifles. The tall monument is for Pennsylvania volunteers that defended the position on July 3rd..

Monument where Armstead was Wounded

Monument to the Pennsylvania Division that defended the Angle.. The box is where there is a Statue of Rebert E Lee- and that is the view of where 14,000 Confederate Soldiers began the assault on Cemetery  ridge.  over a mile of Open ground. 

Same picture-  Zoomed in to see Lee's monument. 

Although the war continued for years after Gettysburg, many believe that this defeat signaled the end to the Civil war,,, Lee did not take Gettysburg - his assault on Cemetery ridge was in fact the biggest blunder of his Career -  In less than ONE HOUR - the South incurred 6,555 casualties from Pickett's charge - When Lee told Pickett to rally his division for the defense, Pickett replied, "General Lee, I have no division." - later in life he was quoted as saying  "that Old man got my men killed "    

On July 4th . in a driving rain - Lee's armies began their retreat into Virginia - a 17 mile long train of Wagons of wounded , cannons, and men.