On July 3, 1863, the Army of the Potomac fought a defensive battle against the Army of Northern Virginia at the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg. On the last day of battle, Confederate Major General George Pickett was one of three Confederate generals to lead the final assault on Union lines, lending his name to the battle, a battle that has become synonymous with futility. Here we list 5 of the most valiant, and yet most futile fatal attacks in military history, with no significance to the order listed.
Digging Deeper
1. Pickett’s Charge, 1863.
When Confederate Commander General Robert E. Lee ordered Lieutenant General Longstreet to make the final attack on heavily defended and dug in Union lines on Cemetery Hill (apropos name!) on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Longstreet predicted catastrophe, and while he obeyed his orders anyway, he was right about the catastrophe. The 12,500 Rebels in the three attacking brigades bravely attacked uphill into withering musket, rifle and cannon fire, for ¾ of a mile uphill and in the open. As you can imagine, the slaughter was immense. Despite dogged and desperate attempts to breach Union lines (the Confederates nearly made it) Union fire made more than half the Rebels casualties, crushing the assault and forcing Lee to retreat back to Virginia. The Union lost 1500 men (killed and wounded), but Lee lost a massive 6555 killed and wounded. (1123 killed, 4019 wounded, 3750 men captured. Some of the wounded were also captured, accounting for the numbers not adding up.)
