Hey everyone, welcome to episode number 371 of our Civil War Podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

As you guys will recall, we used the last show to talk about the nine Confederate infantry

brigades, three from Long Street's Corps and six from Hills Corps that made up the attack

force for Pickett's Charge.

And then, while those division and brigade commanders worked out the specifics of the

advance, and as their men settled into line on seminary ridge under an increasingly broiling

sun, there were sweating gray-coded artileras who moved to and fro to their front, wheeling

and unlimbring their guns along the crest of the ridge line, preparing for the tremendous

bombardment that was to precede the infantry assault.

It's very important to remember that Robert E. Lee's plan for the big attack on the center

of the federal line on July 3rd consisted of two parts, and artillery bombardment followed

by an infantry assault.

Right.

And in Lee's plan, the artillery bombardment was absolutely vital to this success of the

infantry attack.

Lee actually intended for the artillery to have two critical roles.

First, in an effort to soften up or weaken the enemy center, the Confederate artillery

was to target with a sustained fire, that portion of the federal position.

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