George E. Pickett
George E. Pickett was a notable figure in American military history, best known for his role as a Confederate general during the Civil War. Born in 1825, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1846 and gained recognition for his service in the Mexican-American War, where he was promoted to captain. When the Civil War began, Pickett resigned from the U.S. Army to join the Confederate forces, quickly rising to the rank of major general. He is particularly remembered for leading a significant and disastrous charge during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, where his division faced overwhelming firepower while attempting to breach Union defenses. This assault, known as Pickett's Charge, resulted in severe casualties and is widely regarded as one of the turning points of the war, highlighting the challenges the Confederacy faced. Despite the setback at Gettysburg, Pickett continued to serve for the remainder of the conflict, although his command was greatly diminished. His legacy remains complex, reflecting both his earlier military accomplishments and the harsh realities of the Civil War.
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George E. Pickett
- Born: January 16, 1825
- Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia
- Died: July 30, 1875
- Place of death: Norfolk, Virginia
Full name: George Edward Pickett
Born: January 28, 1825; Richmond, Virginia
Died: July 30, 1875; Norfolk, Virginia
Principal wars: Mexican-American War, American Civil War
Principal battles: Gettysburg (1863), Five Forks (1865)
Military significance: Under orders from General Robert E. Lee, General Pickett led 15,000 troops in a charge against the Union stronghold on Cemetery Ridge during the Battle of Gettysburg, losing more than half his forces.
George E. Pickett graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1846. He distinguished himself while serving under General Winfield Scott in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and was later promoted to captain. When the American Civil War (1861–1865) broke out, he resigned from the U.S. Army to join the Confederate army, where he rose from colonel to major general.
In the summer of 1863, Pickett and 15,000 troops arrived late at Gettysburg. During the second day of fighting (July 2), Confederate forces had failed to produce a decisive victory, so General Robert E. Lee decided to use Pickett to strike the center of the Union army’s defenses. Although General James Longstreet proposed a more conservative flanking assault, Lee hoped that the Army of Northern Virginia could rout the Union troops with a frontal attack. Pickett, who had received considerable attention for his heroic actions at Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War, was ready and eager to carry out Lee’s request.
The Confederates initiated the attack on July 3, with a fierce barrage of artillery, and after the Union guns grew silent, Pickett marched his division across the open field. When they approached the Union’s entrenched positions, General Henry Hunt unleashed a violent flood of firepower upon Pickett’s brigade. Exposed and virtually defenseless, the Confederates were cut to shreds, and only 5,000 men reached Cemetery Ridge. Only one of Pickett’s thirty-five commanding officers survived. Although Pickett served admirably for the remainder of the war, the infamous charge at Gettysburg, regarded as one of Lee’s greatest blunders during the Civil War, decimated Pickett’s command.
Bibliography
The Civil War. Documentary. Florentine Films and PBS Video, 1989.
Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. How the North Won. 1983. Reprint. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991.
McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Stewart, George R. Pickett’s Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1959.