ridge. john f. reynolds is in command the first corps of the army of the potomac, of which the iron brigade is a component. and they are the first ones who reach the town of gettysburg on the morning of july 1st. reynolds is the highest-ranking officer at gettysburg and commander of the iron brigade. find them out of the wood line. .made up of a group of tough westerners from indiana and wisconsin. the iron brigade earned its fierce reputation in a battle with stonewall jackson at second manassas. fire! forward, men! for god s sakes, forward! when the first corps goes into action, one of their earliest casualties is general reynolds. shot from his saddle by a confederate skirmisher. reynolds death leaves the union army with a void in its combat leadership.
supply of shoes in town, which are greatly needed. any objections sending a brigade to reconnoiter? none in the world. for more than a century, the story has been that the battle of gettysburg starts over a search for shoes, but that s not the whole truth. while the confederate army needs supplies, general heth decides to send his men into gettysburg to clear out the city, not to get shoes, unaware there are union forces nearby. now, most likely, he concocts the story in the aftermath of defeat to save face, rather than take the blame for kicking off the most devastating battle of the civil war. here, boys here for our sweethearts and our wives here for it here for our duty here, boys here for a courageous battle here, boys
[ dog barking ] general james longstreet has replaced stonewall jackson as robert e. lee s top general, and the two men are at odds over invading pennsylvania. but lee continues to march his men north and right into the union army. [ horse neighs ] fire! reload. the first shot of the battle of gettysburg misses its target, but the momentum of war cannot be stopped, as more troops from both sides descend upon the sleepy pennsylvania town. first four, line up on the
ridge. john f. reynolds is in command the first corps of the army of the potomac, of which the iron brigade is a component. and they are the first ones who reach the town of gettysburg on the morning of july 1st. reynolds is the highest-ranking officer at gettysburg and commander of the iron brigade. find them out of the wood line. .made up of a group of tough westerners from indiana and wisconsin. the iron brigade earned its fierce reputation in a battle with stonewall jackson at second manassas. fire! forward, men! for god s sakes, forward! when the first corps goes into action, one of their earliest casualties is general reynolds. shot from his saddle by a confederate skirmisher. reynolds death leaves the union army with a void in its combat leadership. fire by section!
would have been george gordon meade. his allegiances and political identity had always been democratic. when the command does come his way, it s not because lincoln has developed some newfound respect for meade s politics. it s because lincoln has run out of people to put in that job. meade wastes no time moving his army into pennsylvania to prevent a confederate attack. it s an unexpected strategy that meade keeps hidden from lee. as lee invaded pennsylvania, he was without the use of his cavalry s commander s ability to reconnoiter. so lee, in pennsylvania, was blind. didn t know where the enemy was. as lee s advance troops arrive in gettysburg, many of them hungry and barefoot, they are surprised to find a town stocked with supplies. but civilians like elizabeth thorn, owner of the local cemetery, keep a watchful eye on the unwelcome strangers.