Cannon exhibit at the Pitzer Woods stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour

GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD TOUR STOP 6
Pitzer Woods

Pitzer Woods, the sixth stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, is on West Confederate Avenue, a road that did not exist during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was built in 1900-01 as an enhancement for touring the battlefield. The road follows the Confederate battle line on the second and third days of fighting at Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863. The road runs along Seminary Ridge from its northern terminus until this stop on the tour, at which points it begins to follow Warfield Ridge.

There is nothing much to see at the Pitzer Woods stop on the tour other than the Louisiana State Memorial, Mississippi State Memorial, and a wayside exhibit about Brigadier General William Barksdale’s charge against the Union troops positioned at the Peach Orchard on July 2nd. The CD Audio tour I purchased skipped right on by this stop, though the National Park Service Gettysburg Video Tour does address the events that took place here.

The significance of the Pitzer Woods tour stop is that this area anchored the left flank of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corps stationed along Warfield Ridge. During the fighting on the second day of the battle, his division commanders were major generals Lafayette McLaws (left) and John Bell Hood (right). The third division of I Corps commanded by George Pickett did not arrive until the evening.

At the start of the second day of the battle, General Robert E. Lee believed that the Union left flank ended farther north along Emmitsburg Road. Longstreet’s men, being farther south, should have no problem swinging around the Union left and attacking. Thus, when McLaws’ men began marching from their position at Pitzer Woods, they did not expect to see any Union troops. They expected to march down Emmitsburg Road and attack as planned. Instead, they found 10,000 men of the Union III Corps commanded by Major General Daniel Sickles at what is now called the Peach Orchard.

What General Lee expected on Day 2 at Gettysburg (map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com)

What actually happened on Day 2 at Gettysburg (map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com)

Sickles wasn’t even supposed to be there. He began the day at Little Round Top but felt that the Sherfy Family’s peach orchard was better suited for his artillery, so he moved there without orders. His new line formed a salient (angle), with the Peach Orchard itself being the forward point. The line ran northeast of the Peach Orchard along Emmitsburg Road to near the Codori Farm, and southeast along Wheatfield Road until turning south along Houck’s Ridge, ending at a rocky area now known as Devil’s Den. Sickle’s unauthorized move had severe consequences because it left Little Round Top exposed to uncontested Confederate occupation. Luckily Union troops were able to move to Little Round Top later in the day, just in the nick of time.

The Confederates positioned at Pitzer Woods on July 2nd were Mississippians commanded by William Barksdale. Lee had planned the attack on the Union left to begin around 11 AM, but there were massive delays getting Longstreet’s men into position. As a result, the attack on the Peach Orchard didn’t begin until 6 PM. Barksdale’s men led the charge and were soon joined by Brigadier General William Wofford’s Brigade of Georgia infantrymen. The Confederates initially drove the Union soldiers back to Plum Run near the Trostle Farm before the Pennsylvania Reserves arrived from the Little Round Top area and repelled the attackers. Barksdale was shot multiple times and died later that night. The attack ended unsuccessfully.