Image source: Unknown photographer
Overview: George Pickett commanded one of the three Confederate divisions that made the July 3 assault on the Union center that bears his name.
Before Gettysburg: Pickett had a solid, if unremarkable, combat record earlier in the war and led a division that had not yet seen major action in the 1863 campaign.
Role at Gettysburg: On July 3, Pickett’s division formed part of the massed infantry assault against Cemetery Ridge. His troops suffered devastating losses, and the attack failed to break the Union line.
After Gettysburg: Pickett’s division was effectively shattered by the losses at Gettysburg, and he continued in Confederate service for the rest of the war without regaining the same level of command significance.
Why This Story Matters: Pickett’s Charge became one of the most studied and mythologized moments of the Civil War, and Pickett’s name is now inseparable from the battle’s climactic and costliest assault.