Reference Entry
GETTYSBURG, FIRST DAY
A year later to the day, July 1st, 1863, the opening clash at Gettysburg began almost by chance as Confederate troops moving into Pennsylvania met Union cavalry west of town. Brigadier General John Buford’s troopers used dismounted tactics and carbines to delay the advance, buying time for Union infantry of the First Corps to arrive. As more Confederate divisions came onto the field from the north and west, fighting surged along ridges, farms, and the town’s outskirts.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Gettysburg, first day
A year later to the day, July 1st, 1863, the opening clash at Gettysburg began almost by chance as Confederate troops moving into Pennsylvania met Union cavalry west of town. Brigadier General John Buford’s troopers used dismounted tactics and carbines to delay the advance, buying time for Union infantry of the First Corps to arrive. As more Confederate divisions came onto the field from the north and west, fighting surged along ridges, farms, and the town’s outskirts. Union Major General John Reynolds was killed early while bringing his men into line, a sign of how personal Civil War leadership could be. By afternoon, Union forces were overwhelmed north of town and fell back through the streets to stronger ground on Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge. The Confederates held the town, but the Union army now occupied the high ground that would define the fighting over the next two days.
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