While on this trip, we've been monitoring news of Jack Lucas' hospitalization in Hattiesburg MS where he lives with is wife, Ruby.
Alreaady fighting breathing problems, Jack, 80, the nation's youngest WWII Medal of Honor Recipient, was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. Jack was only six days past 17 when he saved the lives of three other Marines on Iwo Jima by smothering an enemy grenade on Iwo Jima. His wounds caused him signifigant health problems the rest of his life.
Jack, shown with WWII military re-enactors in 2005, is a "tough SOB", as he would say, and he's fighting this; when you can, send up a prayer for him, Ruby and their family.
Were it possible, a veteran of Gettysburg would find common ground with Jack's experiences on Iwo Jima.
The carnage here at The Wheatfield, Devil's Den, at Pickett's Charge and other clashes within this 20-square-mile battlefield, is hard to fathom.
The Wheatfield--19 acres of wheat owned by farmer George Rose--- was awash in red as it changed hands six times on the afternoon of the second day.
The Confederates maneuvered around set Union positions and the fighting began in earnest around 4:30; a Georgia brigade commanded by Brig. General George Anderson swept through the woods to the south where it ran into a Union regiment stationed behind a stone wall on the southern end of the field.
Casualty figures-- One estimate is that the Confederates lost approximately 6,000 killed, missing, or wounded, amounting to 30–40% casualties. Union casualties in these actions probably exceeded 9,000. An estimate for the day's total is 10,000 Union, 6,800 Confederate.
This is in comparison to approximately 9,000 Union and 6,000 Confederate casualties on Gettysburg's first day, although there were much larger percentages of the armies engaged the second. It is a testament to the ferocity of the day's battle that such high casualties figures resulted even with much of the fighting not occurring until late in the afternoon and thereafter lasting about six hours. By comparison, Antietam—known as the bloodiest single day in American military history with nearly 23,000 casualties—was an engagement that lasted twelve hours, or about twice as long.
And The Wheatfield was only one clash in the three days of absolute hell that raged in and around this small Pennsylvania town 145 years ago this July.
Remarkably, there was only one civilian casualty at Gettysburg... Jennie Wade, felled by a stray bullet as she baked bread for Union troops in her kitchen.
Damage to structures in the area was signifigant, such as this hole in The Trostle Family barn made by an errant artillery shell.
Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is one of my favorite Medal of Honor Recipients; and yesterday I was finally able to walk the site of his action--a courageous bayonet charge into advancing Rebels on "Little Round Top", one of two signifigant hills overlooking Devil's Den and The Slaughter Pen.
After withstanding six Confederate assaults, Camberlain's 20th Maine broke the Rebel advance and drove a Confederate brigade to retreat. Chamberlain's troops captured 400 Union soliders.
The 20th Maine's regimental color sergeant, Sergeant Andrew J. Tozier, was also awarded the Medal of Honor in the same action.
Chamberlain would not to recieve his Medal for 30 years.
On July 2 Chamberlain was rushed to defend the southern slope of Little Round Top, the extreme left flank of the Union line.
In 1863 the approach to the 20th's position was lightly forested, whereas today it is thickly forested with heavy undergrowth.
Nonetheless, the physical stamina required of BGen. Evander M. Law's Alabama Brigade and the 15th Alabama Infantry, commanded by Col. William C. Oates, to attack uphill on two subsequent charges over a period of an hour and a half is remarkable.
The 20th Maine Memorial stands on the southern slope of the Union line; Chamberlian's task--one he accomplished with great leadership and courage--was to keep the Rebels from flanking.
Luck was also on his side. A Confederate slug that would have gravely wounded Chamberlain in the upper thigh, taking him out of the fight, instead glanced off his sword hilt, bruising him, but causing no serious injury.
Perhaps one of the most poignant memorials amid all Gettysburg's grand statues, spires and plaques is this simple, hand-engraved tribute to Col. Strong Vincent of the Pennsylvania 83rd Regiment. Mortally wounded on July 2, he succumbed to his injuries five days later.
Much of today we spent at President Eisenhower's farm which is adjacent to the Gettysburg battlefields and saw thousands of troops pour past, rushing to the fight.
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