Meade's army in two, plant the Confederate banner on the crest of the
Union battle line, and virtually then and there achieve the
independence of the Confederate States.

It seems that an action of General Hunt, about half-past two,
flattered Lee with the belief that he had succeeded. Hunt adopted the
plan of drawing back his batteries over the crest of the hill, for the
double purpose of cooling his guns that were becoming overheated and
of saving his supply of ammunition, that was running low. The Union
fire accordingly slackened and almost ceased for a while. Nor was Lee
able to discover from his position but what his batteries under
General Alexander had prevailed. It looked for the moment as though
the battle were lost to Meade, and that victory was in the clutch of
his antagonist.

Already a Confederate charge of infantry had been prepared. About
18,000 men, in three divisions, under Armistead, Garnett and
Pettigrew, and led by General George E. Pickett, of Virginia, had been
got into readiness for the crisis which had now arrived. Longstreet
was the corps commander, and through him the order for the charge
should be given. General Lee had himself made the order, but
Longstreet seeing, as he believed the inevitable, hesitated and turned
aside. It was not a refusal to send an army to destruction, but the
natural hesitation of a really great commander to do what he believed
was fatal to the Confederate cause. Pickett, however, gave his
salutation to Longstreet, and presently said: "Sir, I am going to move
forward!"

Then began the most memorable charge ever witnessed in America. The
Confederate column was three-fourths of a mile in length. It was