Chapter 202: The Confederate Flag Flying at Gettysburg (Third update, please subscribe)

Puffs of smoke and dust rose straight into the sky. In the firelight, the Yankees hiding behind the breastwork were blown into the sky. A stone tombstone was blown to pieces, and the broken stones flew from the sky and hit a few unfortunate people.

It turned into countless steel fragments, which flew everywhere along with the shock wave of the explosion, knocking down large numbers of Northern Army soldiers to the ground and tearing their flesh and bones apart.

The endless explosions, one after another like fireworks at a festival, made it hard to believe that this was an artillery bombardment. In the crazy artillery bombardment and the violent explosions, countless steel fragments burst out in all directions, whizzing around and reaping lives happily.

Bombardment!

The intensity of the mortar bombardment was far beyond people's expectations. General Pickett could not even believe what he was seeing - the earth was shaking in the violent explosion, and the fierce artillery fire seemed to raze the world to the ground. Clouds of smoke from the explosion covered the hill.

Amid the smoke, Pickett even felt a little sympathy for the Yankees. The seemingly inconspicuous little stone wall of the cemetery was almost completely blown down in the explosion, and countless unfortunate people were injured by the flying rocks.

"By God, the way of war has been changed!"

Pickett muttered.

In just two minutes, 48 ​​4-inch mortars poured thousands of shells, thousands of pounds of silica explosives and tens of thousands of pounds of cast iron on Cemetery Ridge, turning Cemetery Ridge into a slaughterhouse. Not only did it take the lives of many Northern infantrymen, but the Northern artillery also suffered heavy casualties under the fierce artillery attack and completely lost their combat effectiveness.

"Well, gentlemen, it's our turn!"

After receiving the order from General Longstreet, Major General Pickett stood in front of the soldiers and shouted.

"You can see that the artillery has destroyed almost everything. If this continues, even if we reach Washington, we will hardly have a chance to fight the Yankees again."

"Yes, General, they were all destroyed by artillery."

Everyone seemed extremely cheerful, and after witnessing the devastation the cannons had brought, they believed that no one could survive the bombardment, and that it was just a charge.

However, as they marched in step to the beat of drums, they did not know that in another world, this charge ended in tragedy - although the Confederate soldiers launched a heroic charge and broke through several layers of the Union's defenses, large numbers of soldiers were torn apart by ruthless explosions on the way to charge and fight. Pickett could only watch his own soldiers rushing towards the smoke and death without hesitation like suicide.

However, this time everything changed with the addition of new cannons.

As in another time and space, before the infantry charge, General Robert Lee hoped to launch a concentrated and powerful artillery bombardment on the Union positions in the hope of destroying the Union's artillery positions, reducing the probability of his own casualties, and undermining the enemy's morale.

Although a series of low-level command errors were still made, unlike in the other world - inferior artillery was replaced by superior performance artillery - the addition of 54 3-inch Armstrong breech-loading guns and 48 4-inch mortars doomed the outcome of the bombardment from the beginning.

The bombardment on July 3 was probably the largest in the entire Civil War. Hundreds of artillery pieces from both sides fired at each other for nearly two hours starting at 1 p.m. The Confederate Army used nearly 200 artillery pieces, including Armstrong breech-loading guns, and deployed and fired along a 3-kilometer-long battle line. The accurate bombardment of rifled guns brought a nearly devastating blow to the defenses of the Northern Army.

The stone wall on which Brigadier General Hayes of the Northern Army relied was completely destroyed in the artillery attack, and the fierce mortar fire wiped out the Philadelphia Brigade guarding the stone wall. The fierce artillery fire caused the demoralized Northern Army to panic and disperse.

When Major General Pickett ordered the attack.

The outcome of this battle is already determined.

Led by General Pickett, 12,000 Virginia soldiers, marched to the beat of drums in unison, launching the largest charge of the entire Civil War toward the destroyed Union Army positions.

The few remaining federal 12-pound cannons plowed a bloody path through the Southern Army. The remaining Northern infantry continued to fire at the neatly arranged Confederate Army, but this could not change the overall situation. Finally, accompanied by a charge, the Southern Army broke into the Northern Army's position. It seemed as if time had gone back to the era of cold weapons. The sound of bayonets clashing rose and fell in the smoke of the battlefield.

General Lewis Armistead, holding a saber in his hand, rushed to the small stone wall like an ordinary soldier, raised his saber high, pointed it forward and shouted loudly.

"Charge forward, put on bayonets! Charge forward... Charge forward..."

He jumped off the stone, still shouting, his voice almost hoarse. The soldiers rushing past him roared like wild beasts. They rushed over the stone wall, they stepped over the corpses on the ground, their hats fell off and their hair spread out.

"Follow me, gentlemen, charge!"

In order to make all the soldiers see him and follow him, General Lewis Armistead lifted his military cap with his saber.

"Gentlemen, follow me, charge..."

He waved his saber, holding his hat on the tip of the saber. His voice was hoarse, but his blood was boiling. Before his eyes, the Yankees were retreating...

After an hour of hand-to-hand fighting, Hancock's Second Army collapsed. Under the fierce attack of the Confederate Army, he abandoned the Cemetery Ridge position and the entire Northern Union Army in Gettysburg.

By evening, the Confederate flag was finally raised on the hill.

In the smoke of gunpowder, when the Confederate flag was planted on the hill, General Robert Lee was surrounded by compliments, and all the generals and staff officers around him congratulated him!

"General, this is a great victory!"

Everyone knew what this victory meant - they had successfully completed the siege of the Union Army in Gettysburg. However, their cheers did not last long - on the same day, the Battle of Vicksburg ended, and the Confederate defenders surrendered to General Ulysses Grant of the North.

After learning the news, General Robert Lee just sighed.

The victory that was within reach was lost!

Now the Confederate Army had no way to retreat, because Grant had gained the upper hand in the Battle of Vicksburg, and the Southern Army's Western Front was in danger of collapse.

The Virginia Army, like Grouchy's Army at Waterloo, has no value in isolation...

That night, standing on the mountain, General Robert Lee looked at the distance helplessly. If Vicksburg could hold out for another two weeks, he would reach the city of Washington within a week.

But what about now?

Standing there motionless, Robert Lee's expression was terrifyingly cold. After a long time, he let out another long sigh.

He closed his eyes.

Oh God, what should I choose now?

Now, he had to focus on the problems in the war.

choose?

Is there really a choice?

Either advance, keep on advancing, and attack all the way to Washington, or...

Although he had no answer in his heart, Robert Lee knew very well that he had to fight and could not wait. He would not become stronger while waiting, while the enemy had reinforcements coming from all directions and they would become stronger...

(End of this chapter)