Pickett's (L) and Pettigrew's (R) Avenues Of Assault:The Charge

General Lee's decision to assault the Union lines from across an open field was one of desperation. The approach was uphill to begin with. The distance was far, about a mile. Union canon would rain down on the Confederates every step of the way. Loses would be great. Yet if successful would perhaps be the victory that would cause the Union to give the South what it wanted most: independence. In the end Lee's gamble did not pay off and the Army of Northern Virginia had to limp home.