The high-water mark of the Confederacy or high tide of the Confederacy refers to an area on Cemetery Ridge near

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...

, marking the farthest point reached by Confederate forces during

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the ...

on July 3, 1863. Similar to a high water mark of water, the term is a reference to arguably the Confederate Army's best chance of achieving victory in the war. The line of advance was east of " The Angle" stone wall.

History

High Water Mark - Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg Battlefield

This designation was invented by government historian John B. Bachelder after the war when the monuments of the Gettysburg Battlefield were being erected. Some historians have argued that the battle was the

turning point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...

of the war and that this was the place that represented the Confederacy's last major offensive operation in the Eastern Theater. On the third day of the battle (July 3, 1863), General Robert E. Lee of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

ordered an attack on the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

center, located on Cemetery Ridge. This offensive maneuver called for almost 12,500 men to march over of dangerously open terrain. Preceded by a massive but mostly ineffective Confederate artillery barrage, the march across open fields toward the Union lines became known as

;

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

George Pickett George Edward Pickett (January 16,Military records cited by Eicher, p. 428, and Warner, p. 239, list January 28. The memorial that marks his gravesite in Hollywood Cemetery lists his birthday as January 25. Thclaims to have accessed the baptism ...

was one of three division commanders under the command of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, but his name has been popularly associated with the assault. Union guns and infantry on Cemetery Ridge opened fire on the advancing men, inflicting a 50% casualty rate on the Confederate ranks. One of Pickett's brigade commanders was Brig. Gen.

Lewis Armistead Lewis Addison Armistead (February 18, 1817 – July 5, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. On July 3, 1863, as part of Pickett's Charge during ...

. His men were able to breach the Union lines in just one place, a bend in the wall that has become known as "the Angle". This gap in the Union line was hastily closed, with any Confederate soldiers who had breached it being quickly captured or killed, including Armistead. Lee's

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

retreated the next day, leaving Gettysburg for Virginia. Even though the war lasted almost another two years, Lee launched few offensive operations during that time, none of them near the scale of the Gettysburg campaign.

Monuments

Some of the monuments at the high-water mark include: * The

High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument The High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument is a Gettysburg Battlefield memorial which identifies the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia units of the infantry attack on the Battle of Gettysburg, third day, with a large bronze tablet, as w ...

is a bronze tablet marking the turning point of

. * The

72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument is an 1891 statuary memorial on the Gettysburg Battlefield. It is located on Cemetery Ridge, by The Angle and the copse of trees, where Union forces – including the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry – ...

(1891) is a statuary monument denoting where Union forces (including the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry) beat back Confederate forces engaged in Pickett's Charge. * The Alonzo Cushing Marker indicates the "spot where Lt.

Alonzo Cushing Alonzo Hereford Cushing (January 19, 1841 – July 3, 1863) was an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge agai ...

was mortally wounded" * The 1887 Lewis A. Armistead Marker marks the spot where Confederate General

placed his hand on a Union cannon before collapsing with mortal wounds. Armistead was one of 1500 Confederate Virginians that broke through the Union line at The Angle. * The New York 1st Independent Artillery Memorial commemorates the Cowan Battery which fired on

and had a cannon temporarily captured by Armistead's troops.

References

{{Battle of Gettysburg, state=expanded Battle of Gettysburg Historiography of the American Civil War George Pickett

History

Monuments

See also

References