Historical Perspective
The battle of Low Dutch Road may be one of the largest unanswered questions concerning the Gettysburg campaign. Late in the evening of July 2, 1863, J.E.B. Stuart and the majority of the Army of Northern Virginia's cavalry arrived at Gettysburg, days since last communicating with the commander of the army, Lee. The meeting of Lee and Stuart that evening was not a tribute to Stuart's successful conduct thus far during the campaign into Pennsylvania. One can only imagine how the "dressing down" that Stuart received from his commander influenced the cavalry commander's actions the next day.
Stuart's orders for July 3 are not known today. Wherever these commands were, Stuart took four brigades of cavalry and some horse artillery, left the army's center, and moved around the army's northeastern flank on the morning of July 3. Once in the area near Rummel's farm east of Gettysburg, Stuart signaled his presence by firing cannons, either after observing Union troopers in the path of his advance or after arriving at a pre-determined site.
The Union troops that Stuart found were those under the divisional command of General D.M. Gregg. Apparently, the Union troopers were deployed to guard the Hanover Road near its intersection with Low Dutch Road. Earlier, Custer's Michigan "Wolverines" had been assigned to Gregg's command as his division's third brigade was elsewhere. Reassignment of Custer's brigade to its original division was under way when Stuart's horsemen appeared. The portion of Custer's brigade that had left the area near Low Dutch Road and Hanover Roads was immediately recalled.
For awhile, Stuart was content to engage the Union force with skirmishers and long-distance artillery fire. It is not certain whether the artillery barrage that preceded Pickett's charge or the arrival of all of Stuart's force precipitated more aggressive actions by the Confederate troopers. Charges by the Confederate troopers were directed towards the capture of the intersection of Low Dutch and Hanover Roads. If the Confederates had driven the Unionists from the crossroads, they could have potentially appeared in the rear of the Union infantry line during Pickett's charge. A stubborn defense by dismounted Union troopers and a mounted charge by Custer's Wolverines seemed to be enough to encourage the Confederates to quit the field.
By most accounts, the battle was a close fight. Because of the strategic importance of the crossroads to protecting the Union main battle line, the northerners had much better claims to victory than the southerners.
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© Copyright 1995 The American Civil War Society
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