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  • Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen
  • Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen
  • Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen
  • Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen
  • Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen
SKU: WT-218

Battle of Falling Waters English Walnut Deluxe Fountain Pen

$175.00Price

The Battle of Falling Waters, also known as the Battle of Williamsport, was a series of battles occurring from July 6 through July 16, 1863.  After the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee began his retreat early on July 4.  Stretching many miles, his troops and supply trains headed southwest toward the Potomac River and the relative safety of Virginia.  Union cavalry under the command of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, as well as heavy rains, harassed the retreating Confederates during their arduous journey.  Upon reaching the river, they discovered the pontoon bridge used on their trek north was destroyed.  They could not escape on foot or horseback due to the swollen river. 

Lee ordered Gen. John Imboden to entrench in place.  Imboden formed a broad semi-circular defensive line in and around Falling Waters.  Here, he formed a hospital for the Gettysburg wounded and waited for Lee’s retreating army to arrive.  Fortunately for the Confederates, Union Gen. George Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac, sent only his cavalry after his retreating adversaries, choosing instead to allow his tired army to rest.  This delay allowed Lee to join Imboden and bolster the Confederate defensive position.

Finally, on July 12, Meade’s army of 95,000 crept to within a mile of the entrenched Confederates.  Still, he did not attack en masse, again choosing to probe the southern defensives with his cavalry.  What Meade did not know is that by July 13, the Potomac had receded enough for the Confederates to build a new pontoon bridge.  Lee’s troops began crossing into Virginia that night and continued into July 16[1] .  On July 14, the cautious Meade finally ordered an assault of four divisions of infantry supported by cavalry and artillery, but the opportunity to land a lethal blow to the Confederates had passed as the majority of Lee’s army was already in Virginia.  Meade’s only option was to attack the Confederate rear guard, which they did with cavalry led by Gens. Buford, Kilpatrick and Custer.  During this fighting, Confederate Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew was mortally wounded.  Pettigrew refused to leave his command and stayed with his men until the retreat was complete.  He died back in Virginia on July 17.

The Battle of Falling Waters was the last of Lee’s campaign on Union soil, which began the previous month.  This battle is arguably more important for what did not happen; Meade’s overly cautious pursuit prevented the annihilation of the Army of Northern Virginia.  Had he done so, combined with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s decisive victory at Vicksburg in the west, the Civil War would likely not have been extended by another bloody two years.

Is this supposed to be July 14? Based on the sentence before I am thinking it is.

  • Gettysburg Sentinels crafts products from wood reclaimed from an English walnut Witness Tree that once stood at the Daniel Donnelly House, the trunk of which still stands today.  The home was located within the entrenched Confederate position(s) during the Battle of Falling Waters, and it was used as a field hospital. Confederate Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew was brought there after being wounded during the battle. 

    All of our products include documentation related to the tree.

  • Available without engraving.

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