Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Confederate Assault
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 11, 2013
1. The Confederate Assault Marker
On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, the exhausted Union regiments faced new attacks by fresh Confederate units arriving from the west and the north. Confederate Major General Henry Heth used superior numbers to outflank and push the 1st Corps back to Seminary Ridge. The fighting was intense with heavy casualties. Confederate Colonel Abner Perrin's 1,600 South Carolinians advanced directly across the ground in front of you and were met by what Perrin described as "the most destructive fire of musketry I have ever been exposed to." The line of Union breastworks, hastily constructed from garden fences, erupted into "a sheet of fire and smoke." Confederate General Alfred Scales' brigade of 1,300 North Carolinians met "terribly destructive" fire as they crossed the ground in front of you. According to a Union soldier, "Not a Confederate reached our line. After we had ceased firing and the smoke of battle had lifted, we looked again, but the charging Confederates were not there. Only the dead and dying remained on the bloody slopes of Seminary Ridge." As the Confederates continued to advance, the outflanked and shattered units of the 1st Corps began a fighting withdrawal towards the center of town.
Erected 2013 by The Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation. (Marker Number 12.)
this page online
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Gettysburg - Seminary Ridge Historic Walking Tour series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1863.
Location. 39° 50.006′ N, 77° 14.786′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. Memorial can be reached from Seminary Ridge Avenue. Marker is best accessed by parking in the Seminary Ridge Museum parking lot and walking a short distance westward down the Historic Walking Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Habitat of Seminary Ridge (within shouting distance of this marker); The Battle for McPherson's Ridge (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cupola (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Elsie Singmaster (about 400 feet away); Stevens' Battery (about 400 feet away); Ewell's Corps (about 500 feet away); Confederate Prisoners of War (about 500 feet away); The Union Defense of Seminary Ridge (about 500 feet away); Lee's Headquarters At Gettysburg (about 500 feet away); Emanuel Bell Tower (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
More about this marker. This marker is Stop 12 on the Seminary
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 11, 2013
2. The Confederate Assault Marker
A closeup of the text
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 11, 2013
3. The Confederate Assault Marker
Alfred Waud sketch of the 14th South Carolina attacking the 151st Pennsylvania just west of the Seminary.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
4. The Confederate Assault Marker
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 11, 2013
5. Modern Day View of the Site
This view shows the ground over which the Confederates assaulted Seminary Ridge. Photo was taken while standing at the marker.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 23, 2015
6. The Confederate Assault Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 719 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on December 4, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 5. submitted on July 13, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 6. submitted on December 4, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
