"We Will Barricade Gettysburg" - John Reynolds (July 1, 1863)

       

One of the most highly esteemed of all Union commanders, John F. Reynolds (1820-1863) fell on the soil of his native state after a series of actions that helped save his country. The Pennsylvanian West Pointer was serious, studious, quiet and a talented artillery officer who first won distinction for bravery and leadership in the Mexican War. During the interwar period, he served as both instructor and commandant of cadets at his alma mater, earning praise also as a scholar and administrator. Officers of such experience were rare, and he rose quickly through the ranks, commanding a Pennsylvania reserve brigade during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. After one engagement, he was captured – some say he had literally been asleep. Exchanged soon after, he returned to command, still enjoying great respect among the senior officer corps.

At the Union calamity at Fredericksburg in Dec, 1962, Reynold’s made the only breach in the enemy’s line although he was soon repulsed. After Chancellorsville in May 1863, the army’s senior generals were in revolt against Joseph Hooker and Lincoln knew a change in command was imperative. Reynolds heard talk that he would be given command of the Army of the Potomac. He rushed to Washington, and in a meeting told the president that he would not accept the post unless he could exercise complete authority. Lincoln, whose faith in generals was at rock bottom with good reason, could not accept that. The more co-operative George G. Meade took command of the army which was already marching north to counter Lee’s second invasion of the North. The two sides met at the small Pennsylvania crossroads town of Gettysburg early on July 1, 1963.

        Soon after the first contact, Reynolds arrived on horseback with his advance guard. Conferring quickly with cavalry commander General John Buford, Reynolds quickly grasped the seriousness of the situation. Ordering his men to hold the high ground at all costs, he dashed off a dispatch to Meade describing the situation and promising that if necessary “we will barricade the streets of Gettysburg.” He ordered riders to hurry along his I Corps veterans, and led the vanguard to the field. Just as the “black hats” of the Iron Brigade arrived, a sniper shot Reynolds in the head, killing him instantly. As much as any one man, he had assured the final victory, and history has given him great credit for his early action. Nevertheless, there was a tragic, personal, and untold element to the story. Around his neck was a ring, a symbol of his conversion to Catholicism – not common in those days - and his engagement to a young woman who, at that moment, was less than 30 miles away. His closest friends and family knew nothing about this his spiritual journey or his passionate love affair. Reynolds, whom all regarded as reserved, thoughtful, emotionally distant, even detached, had more than one secret.