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Letter South Day 2- July 2, 1863

Letter South Day 2- July 2, 1863. Joseph Graham to William A. Graham Culpepper [Culpeper] County, July 30th., 1863.

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Letter South Day 2- July 2, 1863

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  1. LetterSouth Day 2- July 2, 1863

  2. Joseph Graham to William A. Graham Culpepper [Culpeper] County, July 30th., 1863. Since I left Kinston, I have travelled between seven and Eight Hundred miles, and have been engaged in one of the bloodiest conflicts of the War. We met the Enemy about two miles from Gettysburg, Pa., on the 1st. day of this month, and drove him, after a sharp contest, lasting all day, to Cemetery Hill, beyond town, distant about half a mile. During the next morning, nothing more than skirmishing occurred, until about two and a half P.M. When Longstreet’s Corps arrived upon the Enemy’s left, and commenced engaging him in his fortified position on the "Hill." In about half an hour, the fight became general, along our right, and right centre, (the right half of our Corps.) Our men advanced and fell back, in succession, until about six o’clock, when a desperate charge dislodged the Enemy from his position, but unfortunately our reserve was not near enough to support the brave, but decimated ranks of the assailants. Just at this time, the sun being nearly down, our Battalion was ordered up at a gallop, under the thickest fire I ever experienced to support our men, who had been overpowered by the enemy’s reinforcements, and compelled to fall back with great loss. Darkness soon put an end to the operations, and the night passed off very quietly. This night and the night previous, the Enemy spent in fortifying his positions, already very strong from the nature of the ground. It was equal, if not superior to his situation at Malvern Hill. And that I think, naturally, the finest position for defence I ever saw. We slept upon the field, and no sound was audible, except continuous din of the enemy’s tools, and the awful groans of the wounded and dying.

  3. This letter was written by Joseph Graham to his father William A. Graham on July 30th, 1863. • Joseph graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1857. • His father was a former Whig governor and a conservative Confederate senator-elect. • When war came, he abandoned his nascent medical practice to join the "Charlotte Artillery." • He was a captain on the confederate side • In relation to the Civil War, the letter was written the same day that the Battle of the Crater took place.

  4. It was important for him to write letters so that he could let his family know that he was alright. He also wanted to write about a different perspective of the Gettysburg battle. • The writer expressed many emotions in the letter to his father. He was worried about the Confederate soldiers. • It is apparent in his letter that the author is intelligent and well educated. • He really doesn’t give any insight to his home or personal life and gets straight to the point about the event.

  5. July 2,1863 • Graham describes how the South had the North against the ropes but, the North was able to escape. The North was then able to regroup and solidify their position. This led to the North being able to prepare for Pickett’s Charge the next day.

  6. Works Cited • "Remembering Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg." History Net. n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

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