Gettysburg Live 150 – 11:00am – General Archer is Captured

The fighting on McPherson’s Ridge has been heavy, but by now (150 years ago, of course) a lull has begun to settle in on the battlefield.

More than half of Archer’s men become casualties in the fight, and nearly 400 of them are captured, including Archer himself. 150 years ago right now, Brig. General James Archer earned the distinction of being the first General from the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to be captured in battle.

The fighting near the railroad cut will stop about 15 minutes later, and Heth will realize that he’s bitten off more than he can chew here. All the Confederate Generals have been given the same orders – avoid a battle until the whole army is formed and ready. Heth knows that he just went against those orders and started a battle all by himself. Instead of pressing his whole division into combat and potentially making things worse, he decides that he needs to wait for General Lee to arrive on the field before he makes another move.