The Battle of Gettysburg was a pivotal point in the Civil War. It took place near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from July 1-3, 1863,and involved Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against the Union forces led by General George Meade. At the time of the battle, Lee had won major victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and some in the North had begun to feel skeptical of whether victory could be achieved. Read the two passages below about day 3 of the battle.

A Letter to Dahlia

My dearest Dahlia,

1) Since you had asked me for a description of the ill-fated Gettysburg battle, and since my own experience of fighting there consisted primarily of the tragic events of day 3, I have chosen to give you a brief description focusing on the great charge up the hill, of which you have heard much. I shall keep this letter devoted to that topic and send another separate note discussing personal issues, for I'd rather not mix the two if it is the same with you.

2) The bluecoats occupied the high ground south of Gettysburg and extended further south for two or three miles. My unit was spread out west of them with a great field between us. As a sergeant I was not privy to all the strategizing, and though many today are faulting Lee for the defeat, I will not blame him. Certainly he did not know that the bluecoats had so many forces on those hills, and sometimes in war things happen that are not the fault of anybody. I would think those thoughts long before I would castigate the man.

3) The morning of July 3 rd we received orders to prepare for an attack. I was busy all morning checking my squad's equipment, getting water, making sure they had eaten, cleaning our weapons and getting and dispensing ammunition. At noon, after we had been fed and stocked, we assembled in a secure area behind the lines to make ready to move. I remember waiting and waiting for what seemed an eternity but what was, I found out later, only about an hour. Then we heard the artillery booming. Up and down the lines our cannons were thundering and we could see the smoke. I remember thinking, "Those boys up there are getting pummeled." The bluecoats did not return fire at first and I recall Private Johnson asking a group of us why.

4) "Likely rationing ammo," said the lieutenant.

5) After fifteen minutes of unilateral fire, they began firing back, clearly aiming their shots at our cannons. For thirty minutes artillery was going both ways until they stopped and only our cannons thundered.

6) "Yep," said the lieutenant, "They're rationing."

7) We received the order to get into position, and I moved my squad with the rest of our unit up toward the front. There was a break in our artillery fire, for I recall it being quiet, but I was so distracted with other things that I don't remember how long the break was. I only remember the thunder resuming and our cannons again battering the hill. The order came to move. The captain issued it to us. We were on the left side of Armistead's brigade in what you now know as Pickett's Charge. We were behind Colonels Kemper and Garnett.

8) As the front rows moved forward, it was something to see. I had not known the magnitude of this assault until I saw the front echelons move. To the right, to the left, in front of me, up and down the lines, men set out with that great yell. Dahlia, I wish you could have seen it, though now I am glad that you didn't.

9) Shortly after our men moved forward, the bluecoat cannons opened up again and fire began from the top of the hill. We crossed Emmitsburg Road and then had to cross a large field with a stone wall not far off. The wall served as cover when we got there, and by that time it was very welcome. But we couldn't stay. Across the wall the battle grew worse. Men were falling and I was frequently stepping over them or around them. It was hot and dry and dusty, and I remember my eyes stinging from the sweat. The smoke from cannon fire and rifle fire was thick, and eventually prevented me from seeing the hilltop. The fire we received from the bluecoats must have been at times nothing more than point and shoot.

10) I was nearing the base of the hill when I felt a great pain in my right leg, and no longer could I support my weight. I fell to the ground as men rushed past me up the hill and disappeared in the smoke. I closed my eyes and listened. Cannons were pounding the sky, and rifle fire was popping everywhere. Soldiers were moaning and crying, others were yelling and shouting instructions. Later, I opened my eyes and looked up into the hazy woods only to see graycoats making their way back down, some alone,some in scattered groups.

11) Dahlia, I wept.

12 ) Looking back now, I must say that I lost nearly everything on that day, ¾ of my friends, my hopes and my innocence. But I still have you, and for that I am grateful. Thank you for allowing me to tell some of this story and for listening, even if only on paper.

Always yours,

Jeb

This next passage is an excerpt from a newspaper article written the day after Pickett's Charge at the battle of Gettysburg.

Meade Defeats Lee at Gettysburg

1) It appears as if yesterday may have been the final battle at Gettysburg. Union forces commanded by General George Meade have again turned away a massive assault of Confederate soldiers and losses on both sides are enormous. The number of casualties is impossible to tell exactly, but estimates are putting the figure above 20,000 dead or wounded. The large field that lies between Emmitsburg Road and Cemetary Ridge is a wasteland. Medical personnel are overwhelmed and have been working through the night, but even so it seems as if it will be weeks before they can clear this battlefield...

2) For the past three days Meade's forces have set upon the high ground south of Gettysburg while General Robert E. Lee's forces have been attacking with no success. Yesterday, however, was a battle like none other. Confederate cannons kept firing on Union positions atop the ridge. It was an artillery barrage like nothing ever seen in this War Between the States. Much of the fire overshot Union troops but, nonetheless, there were still plenty of direct hits and damage was significant. Confederate troops then spread out below and kept coming. There were times when Union soldiers wondered whether they could withstand the onslaught. But in the end the Rebels could penetrate the lines only briefly and were turned back.

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  1. A reader looking to find primary source documents about the experiences of Union soldiers at the battle of Gettysburg would be MOST successful going to which source?
  2. a bound volume of The New York Times newspapers from 1864-1865
  3. a collection called Letters Home: The Blue and the Gray
  4. a biography of President Abraham Lincoln
  5. a United States history textbook
  1. Which of the following statements from Meade Defeats Lee at Gettysburg BEST indicates that the author is writing from a Union perspective?
  2. Estimates are putting the figure above 20,000 dead or wounded.
  3. For the past three days Meade's forces have set upon the high ground.
  4. It appears as if yesterday may have been the final battle at Gettysburg.
  5. But in the end the Rebels could penetrate the lines only briefly and were turned back.
  1. Which of the four dictionary definitions of the word echelons below BEST matches the way that Jeb uses the term, in paragraph 8, in A Letter to Dahlia?
  2. A formation of troops in which units are arranged to the left and right of the rear unit in a step-like arrangement.
  3. An arrangement of aircraft or military vessels in which the various units are arrayed in a step-like formation from a single rear unit.
  4. A subdivision, such as the "command echelon," of a military hierarchy.
  5. A specific level of responsibility within a hierarchy.
  1. What does the word castigate mean in paragraph 2 of A Letter to Dahlia?
  2. penalizec. harm
  3. improved. criticize
  1. Cannons were pouding the sky, and rifle fire was popping everywhere.

In the sentence quoted above from A Letter to Dahlia, the word popping serves what main purpose?

  1. It adds vividness to the sounds.C. It gives information about the rifles.
  2. It describes the author's mental state.D. It provides facts about the battle.
  1. One of Lee's primary goals in moving his army into Northern territory in June was MOST likely to —
  2. occupy Washington D.C. and force the Union to bring an end to the war
  3. keep the Northern armies away from the Virginia farmlands that helped feed the South
  4. distract the Union forces that were menacing Vicksburg, Mississippi
  5. win a military victory that would bring the British into the war to aid the Confederacy
  1. Read the following sentence from paragraph 9 of A Letter to Dahlia:

The fire we received from the bluecoats must have been at times nothing more than point and shoot.

Which of the following BEST describes the reason Jeb makes this statement?

  1. The bluecoats didn't need to aim carefully.
  2. The bluecoats shot so quickly they missed.
  3. The bluecoats were afraid of getting hit.
  4. The bluecoats were low on ammunition.
  1. Based on information from A Letter to Dahlia, one could say that Jeb is —
  2. an objective observerc. loyal to his commander
  3. a Union sympathizerd. quiet and reserved
  1. Compared to the newspaper article Meade Defeats Lee at Gettysburg, the passage A Letter to Dahlia —
  2. is less personalc. is more formal
  3. is more formald. has narrow focus
  1. Both Jeb in A Letter to Dahlia and the journalist who wrote Meade Defeats Lee at Gettysburg would agree that the one factor that had the biggest impact on the outcome of the battle was —
  2. the superior commanders of the Union army
  3. the vastly greater number of soldiers under Meade's command
  4. the inability of the Confederate cannons to weaken the Union defense
  5. the weakened condition of Lee's troops after marching from Virginia
  1. Which of these is the MOST important difference between the newspaper article and the letter?
  2. The article is factual, and the letter is emotional.
  3. The article mentions medical personnel, but the letter mentions only soldiers.
  4. The letter is written from a Union/North perspective, but the article is biased toward the Confederacy/South.
  5. The letter is mostly concerned with the author’s personal life and the article is more about the battle.