Lost in Faith

Could July 2 be the most important date in history?  And could one man’s actions be the difference between a country dedicated to the freedom of all men and women despite their color?

145 years ago men were finishing breakfast and beginning to fill the line they were ordered to defend.  the 20th Maine commanded by Joshua Chamberlain were given the extreme left (facing the enemy) end of the line.  Since the Union Army was perched on a ridge running from the city of Gettysburg gently sloping down to this extreme left position known as Little Round Top.

Chamberlain’s orders were to defend this position “at all cost,” since it was the only way of the Confederate Army to overcome the high ground advantage that the Union possesses.

The Battle didn’t start until 4 pm when the first wave of the 15th Alabama charged up the hill at the 20th Maine.  It is important to note that at this point the Lee’s Army had had their way with the Union Army and Lee’s was intent on capturing Washington DC and other major northern cities and ending the war for good.

Wave after wave of Alabamians charged the hill giving their lives for the Confederate cause.  Well stocked with men and ammunition, the Confederates slowly depleted Chamberlains ammunition.  After the 4th charge, Chamberlain’s men has little to no ammunition.

It was at this point that a decision stands at the hinge of history.  A counter intuitive decision that baffles the military mind but stands in history as genius.  Chamberlain ordered his men to fix bayonets and starting from the extreme left position to charged as if half of his troops formed a door closing to the right.

As the 15th Alabama charged, they were flabbergasted that they were being charged.  Soon the Union troops with just bayonets in hand put the 15th Alabama in between them and overwhelmed them.  Never did the Confederates expect to be charged down hill, but Chamberlain without ammunition conceived a move that saved the position.

Not only did he save the position but in repelling the Confederates, he kept the battle in front of the Union Army so that the Confederates would still have to come up hill to unset the Union troops ensconced on Cemetery Ridge.

The Battle of Gettysburg and the fight for Little Round Top stand as the hinge point in the War Between the States.  Lee in a suicidal move sent his army on July 3 into certain defeat and never regained the momentum.  Many believe the Union won the war at Gettysburg and many believe that the Battle of Gettysburg was won on July 2nd, when Chamberlain held Little Round Top with a freakish move to charge with no ammunition.

So my point is this, July 2nd, could be the most important date in American History!  We celebrate the 4th because of our Founding Fathers but all they committed to writing was rewritten in blood on 3 days in a small town in Pennsylvania.

On that hot, bloody night on that insignificant hill, amidst the chaos of medieval style warfare, a college professor turned military commander made a decision that changed history for ever.

I am indebted to my high school friend Jay Lorezen for introducing me to the details of Gettysburg.  He leads a leadership experience on the battlefield that is worth the money!