Obama, Remember Their Efforts!

The South was attacking from the north, and the North was defending from the South, and the battle was in its third day when General Lee ordered Longstreet to send General Pettigrew's, General Trimble's and General Pickett's brigades into the Union center.

Approximately 12,500 men in nine infantry brigades advanced over open fields for three quarters of a mile under heavy Union artillery and rifle fire. Although some Confederates were able to breach the low stone wall that shielded many of the Union defenders, they could not maintain their hold and were repulsed with over 50% casualties, a decisive defeat that ended the three-day battle and Lee's campaign into Pennsylvania.[1] When asked, years afterward, why his charge at Gettysburg failed, General Pickett said: "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it


You DO recall reading of this, don't you Mr Obama? 12,500 men waiting out their own artillery barrage against the Union lines, then bravely marching out over the more than a mile of flat land leading up to the Union's lines... These were Americans -Confederate Americans, granted- who were fighting with all they could bring to bear, in order to win the right to have THEIR States be left alone to carry on enslaving other humans, mostly blacks, for commercial and racist purposes.

Before the nine brigades neared the Union lines, more than 20 Union batteries -unharmed by the Rebel barrage- opened fire at 400 yards range, with explosive shot and shell, ripping holes in the lines of advancing white men. At about 300 meters, the left of the line was getting hit with canister, cannon shot that sent out a 1-meter cloud of lead marbles, Obama, so that when that fast-moving cloud hit the Rebels, 3 or 4 men disappeared completely in a blast of bloody mist, and several more were injured.

Over 1,600 artillery shells were fired into the Confederate brigades that day, this day, years ago... the left of the line never got much closer to victory than several hundred meters (the strong fence at the Emmitsburg road) but the center of the line made it to The Angle (in the Union's defensive position) and there engaged the Union in ferocious, hand-to-hand, bayonet-in-the-gut, muzzle in the face fighting...

Until it became apparent to the Rebels that the Boys in Blue HAD been reinforced (8th Ohio and 72 Pennsylvania) and apparent that the Rebels had lost half their number AND there would be NO reinforcements coming...

Why is this important, you ask? Well, Mr Obama, those fierce, determined, brave and courageous white men REALLY WANTED TO WIN, for "States' Rights" and for slavery and for their own regimental colors and for honor...

But the Union ALSO wanted to win, and despite losses and despite the courage of the men attacking, the white men DEFENDING the Union WON the field, and history later marked July 3, 1863 as the high-water mark of the Confederacy.

The Union HAD to defeat the Confederacy in order to restore the Union, and the Confederacy had only to NOT LOSE in order to win, but the forces fighting for the principles of unity, harmony and the oneness of humankind WON the day. Slavery in America was defeated, although some Arabs around the world would continue it legally until the late 20th century and illicitly to this day.

That war, Mr Obama, was a defining moment in America's life. The grand American experiment stumbled through the horror and pain of fighting itself, 3 million 5 hundred thousand uniformed combatants, and 600,000 deaths, Obama.

Like others before them, they died for YOUR freedom. Honor them, and honor America in your efforts to lead America now, in THIS time of war.

Cross-posted at I Call BS!