On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia came closer than many realize to breaking the Union line—yet miscommunication, heavy losses, and a fateful delay turned the tide. In his official report dated July 27, 1863, Lieutenant General James Longstreet described how faulty intelligence and staggered troop movements placed his men under immense strain as they advanced toward the enemy’s formidable position along the Emmitsburg Road. Longstreet detailed how his forces, including Major General George Pickett’s division, pushed forward against an enemy concealed behind fences and holding tenaciously to their ground. The Confederates gradually forced the Union line back through the afternoon, capturing four artillery pieces and two regimental colors in the process.
Yet the cost was staggering: two brigade commanders were lost, with Brigadier General Lewis Armistead mortally wounded and another officer, Brigadier General Richard Garnett, killed. The momentum stalled as darkness fell and Longstreet judged it prudent to halt until reinforcements arrived. The assault had been delayed repeatedly, with orders crossing paths and Pickett’s division arriving late to the field. By the time the main attack launched, the enemy had used the respite to reinforce their line.
Longstreet noted that his artillery, having run low on ammunition, could no longer provide effective support. He admitted he would not have ordered the attack under less favorable circumstances, but by then it was too late to recall his men. Pickett’s charge broke against the Union center, and the division fell back in disarray, with half its men captured, killed, or wounded. In his report, Longstreet also recounted the retreat that followed.
After the failed assault, he ordered his remaining troops to withdraw toward the Gettysburg Road, linking up with other Confederate units. The exhausted army marched toward Hagerstown, but the slow movement of men and animals meant they could not reach the town in time to protect their supply trains at Williamsport. Longstreet expressed his distress at the failure, writing that the march was not merely a retreat but the beginning of a deeper conflict over the Confederacy’s identity and cause. While the Union celebrated its victory, the Confederacy faced painful realities.
Longstreet’s account goes beyond military maneuvers, exploring the immense weight of leadership and how men tested to their breaking point responded under fire. His narrative forces us to question how commanders make impossible choices in the chaos of war. The fighting at Gettysburg ended long ago, but the conversation about leadership, courage, and frailty in that pivotal moment continues.