"Gettysburg: The Face of Battle" A Distance Learning Program from Gettysburg National Military Park Broadcast Live on May 9, 2001

THE 57th VIRGINIA INFANTRY

The 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment was one of fifteen Virginia regiments under General George Pickett that participated in the massive charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. The men in this regiment were all Virginians who had enlisted when their governor called for volunteers soon after the war began in 1861. Though the regiment was accepted and organized in September 1861, it took several more months to fill all ten companies with new soldiers. The companies came from many areas of the state, each one raised in counties where the volunteers lived. Company A came from Buckingham County while Company D, the "Galveston Tigers", was raised in Pittsylvania County. This same county also provided Company E, the "Pigg River Greys", Company F, Company I, and Company G, the "Ladies Guards". Two companies came from Franklin County- Company B, the "Franklin Sharpshooters" and Company C, the "Franklin Fireaters". The other companies came from Botetourt and Albemarle Counties, and though most of them were farmers there were also carpenters, teachers, shoemakers, clerks, laborers, a butcher, a lawyer, and one minister.

Some of the companies reported to Richmond in fancy uniforms but without weapons; others came with no uniform but carrying shiny muskets taken from US arsenals. It took several months before the regiment was outfitted and drilled enough to be considered real soldiers, which happened under the watchful eye of their colonel, Lewis A. Armistead. Colonel Armistead had been in the US Army before the war and resigned to serve his native state of Virginia. He was given command of the 57th Virginia in the fall of 1861 and marched his regiment to a camp north of Richmond where they camped for winter and learned soldier life. Drill required long hours of standing, marching, and maneuvering around a large parade field that had many tree stumps and roots on it to trip the unwary person. Accommodations were a tent or board and timber shack and very different from what the men were accustomed to at home. But by the spring of 1862, the 800 men who made up the 57th Virginia Volunteer Infantry had become a well-drilled regiment, ready for battle.

The 57th Virginia was assigned to General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and their colonel was promoted to brigadier general in charge of the brigade to which the 57th was assigned. The new command first experienced battle at Malvern Hill, southeast of Richmond. Late that afternoon, General Armistead was ordered to charge Union positions on top of the hill. The 57th Virginia moved forward and ran into heavy Union cannon and musketry fire. The men were scared and shocked but stuck with their flag and officers in the charge. Darkness put an end to battle and the exhausted soldiers remained near the battlefield where 113 of their number had been killed, wounded, or were missing. After this battle, the 57th Virginia marched into northern Virginia and fought in the Battle of Second Bull Run, or "Second Manassas", before participating in the invasion of Maryland in September 1962. The result of this invasion was the Battle of Antietam, or "Battle of Sharpsburg", fought on September 17, 1862. Luckily for the 57th, they were only in a support position near the battlefield and did not have to fight over that bloody ground.

It was soon after the close of the Maryland campaign that a new division was formed under the command of General George Pickett. General Armistead's brigade was assigned to the division along with three other brigades, two of which were also completely filled with Virginia soldiers. Pickett's Division performed various tasks including picket duty around Fredericksburg, Virginia and then winter camp south of the city. In the spring of 1863, General Pickett took his division back to Richmond and marched on Suffolk, Virginia with General James Longstreet's corps to contain a Union force that was threatening stores and railroads in that area. The campaign was uneventful and Longstreet returned to northern Virginia with his corps in early June. General Lee was planning a new campaign and Longstreet's soldiers were needed in the army to help in the march northward into Pennsylvania.

On June 15, Pickett's Division broke camp and marched toward the Shenandoah Valley and eventually northward, across the Potomac River, and into Maryland. By July 1, Pickett's men were enjoying the wealth of a land untouched by war. Though southern forces had been around the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania area for over a week, many of the 57th Virginia's soldiers found stocks of milk, bread, chickens, and smoked meats while they camped in an area between Chambersburg and the town of Gettysburg. Rumors spread of the ongoing battle at Gettysburg and some speculated on whether they would get their chance to participate in a great southern victory.

Early on the morning of July 3, the men awoke while it was still dark, packed their belongings and drew extra ammunition before they set out on the main road to Gettysburg. General Pickett rode by the column and proudly saluted his officers as the march continued on the dusty roads. As the sun rose, the troops turned off of the Chambersburg Pike and marched overland through fields and meadows, past weary men who had been in battle the previous day. General Armistead directed his soldiers into a wooded area where they halted and rested. Someone said that the Yankee line was barely a mile away from them, posted on a slight rise of ground called Cemetery Ridge. The soldiers waited and some drifted off to sleep.

Maybe, just maybe, these 476 officers and men of the 57th Virginia Infantry were going to get into the battle today.

CLOSE-UP CORNER: What do you think is the main reason the soldiers of the 57th Virginia Infantry would have for leaving their homes to fight in a war? How would you feel if you had seen your home state invaded and partially destroyed, only to find yourself in the enemy's country with no one but frightened civilians about?

Meet some of the soldiers who served in the 57th Virginia Infantry

| Overview |
| Causes & Questions | Battle of Gettysburg | Army Structure |
| Pickett's Charge Vocabulary | 57th Virginia Infantry | 69th Pennsylvania Infantry |
| Post-Broadcast Activities | Evaluation Form | Reading List | Teacher's Guide |

GETTYSBURG: THE FACE OF BATTLE
A Satellite Broadcast- May 9, 2001

Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325