Gettysburg and Today? Can We Hold?

On the morning of July 1st, 1861 the troopers of Brigadier General John Buford’s 1st Cavalry Division of the Army of the Potomac fought a superb delaying action against A.P. Hill’s division of Robert E. Lee’s rebel Army of Northern Virginia. Buford’s action enabled Major General John Reynolds to bring his First Corps to Seminary Ridge in time to blind the Confederate advance. Though Reynolds was killed in the opening moments of the engagement directing an counterattack which routed James Archer’s Confederate brigade, his senior division commander, Abner Doubleday led the Corps until under tremendous pressure from Lee’s Second and Third Corps, he was forced to withdraw to Cemetery Hill, where they joined Steinwehr’s Brigade and the Artillery Reserve of Oliver Howard’s Eleventh Corps to create a nearly impregnable position. The shattered remnants of Howard’s other two divisions who were badly outnumbered on open and indefensible ground north of Gettysburg joined them.

Hill’s Corps had suffered terribly at the hands of Buford and Reynolds and two of his division commanders and several brigade commanders wounded, with one captured. Third Corps was in no position to continue the advance. Confederate General Richard Ewell’s Second Corps which had turned the tide against the Union First Corps and thrashed Eleventh Corps was too badly disorganized to make an attack, his largest division, that of Robert Rodes had suffered 40% casualties and his third division did not arrive until after nightfall.

The survivors of First and Eleventh Corps dug in on Cemetery Hill, and Major General Winfield Scott Hancock arrived in advance of George Meade and took command working with Oliver Howard. They decided that the battle needed to be fought there. Hancock brought up his Second Corps and Daniel Sickles Third Corps to extend the line. Overnight Meade arrived with the Twelfth Corps which went into position on Culp’s Hill, east of Cemetery Hill and Fifth Corps arrived and was placed in reserve behind Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top.

The day could have ended in disaster for Union forces, but the skilled leadership and skill of Buford, Reynolds and Doubleday, coupled with the skills and courage of their brigade commanders and soldiers, they outfought and outperformed the Confederates. It was a near run affair, but they set the stage for the Army of the Potomac to decisively defeat Lee’s Army at Gettysburg. Had they lost the war would have gone on, but it would have created a political crisis for Abraham Lincoln that could have threatened the Union.

We now face a situation where the insurrectionists of Donald Trump’s MAGA are threatening the great American experiment. Composed of White Nationalist nazis (lower case to distinguish from Hitler’s Nazi Party) including groups such as the Proud Boys, the Patriot front, the III Percent movement, and numerous other violent militias, theocratic Christian nationalists, who have taken control of many statehouses and legislatures they threaten the rule of law and the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation’s Plan 2025 is their blueprint for what they will do if Trump is elected. It is a plan to establish a dictatorship, end civil rights, and persecute any opponents of them or Trump. Today, Trump was again aided by the Supreme Court which has ensured that he will not be tried before the election.

The question is, can we hold? I hope so, but I am not sure.

During the presidential debate Donald Trump was able to lie with impunity while not answering any questions. President Biden had what at best could be a disastrous night. He looked and sounded old and often appeared to be confused as he answered questions and tried to parry Trump’s lies. I did not expect to see what I watched. I fully expected Trump to do what he did, but I did not expect Biden to perform so badly. Even so, while the debate raised questions about Biden, it put Trump’s absolute lack of morality, honesty, and trustworthiness at the forefront and showed his complete unfitness for the office of the Presidency.

Democrats need to be concerned but not panic. In the debate Biden showed a marked decline in his abilities as opposed to his State of the Union address, but the day after appeared to be on his game. Many people, including me think that it would be good for him to step aside and let the party chose a younger nominee who can defeat Trump. I don’t think that will happen but the Democrats need to be prepared and ready to gather around someone without throwing the party into chaos like it experienced in 1968 when Lyndon Johnson unexpectedly withdrew from the race.

There is danger in keeping Biden as the nominee as well as trying to replace him. Regardless of which path is chosen the Democrats need to act with the courage and aclarity shown by the Union Commanders at Gettysburg to defeat Donald Trump who if elected has now been assured today by the Supreme Court that he can govern as a despot unrestrained by law since they determined that he has immunity from any “official” act committed in office. During the lower Court hearing Trump’s lawyers claimed that the President could President could order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political opponent and it would be an official act, now allowable by the Supreme Court.

We must hold our ground and be united in order to defeat Trump and his MAGA party insurrectionists. They are no better than the Confederates and if allowed to return to power will return us to the dark days of the antebellum South and the Confederacy where democracy did not exist, and a minority of white, slave owning Christians held absolute political power. They desired to extend such conditions to the Free States before and during the War of Slave Owners Rebellion.

John Reynolds

As he went into battle facing a superior force, John Reynolds sent a message to George Meade that we must take to heart regardless of how bad things look. “The enemy are advancing in strong force. I fear they will get to the heights beyond the own before I can. I will fight them inch by inch, and if driven into the town, I will barricade the streets and hold them back as long as possible.”