A 2-hour driving tour of the Gettysburg battlefield by one of Gettysburg's most popular licensed battlefield guides, Wayne Motts.

The fighting started early on July 1, 1863, as Union cavalry attempted to hold off the Confederate advance towards town. Soon the Union 1st Corpse arrived and the woods here witnessed some bitter fighting. Listen to Wayne tell you the story of Union General John Reynolds.

When fighting resumed on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Confederate General Robert Rodes ordered three of his brigades to attack the right end of the Union 1st Corps. These initial assaults ended in disaster for the Confederates.

At the same time that the right end of the Union 11th Corps was being overrun, the Confederates launched a series of attacks up here along Oak Ridge and along McPherson’s Ridge. The attacks came fast and furious and the Union 1st Corps was on the verge of collapsing. Observing this situation was Union General James Robinson in command of a division along Oak Ridge. With precious few minutes to spare, he rode over to the men of the 16th Maine, commanded by Colonel Charles Tilden. Pointing to a spot very near to where you are currently parked, Robinson ordered Tilden to, “Take that position – and hold it at any cost.”

Dedicated in 1929, the North Carolina State Memorial was one of the earliest southern state memorials on the battlefield. The monument is located in the general location where a brigade of North Carolinians emerged from the woods heading for the center of the Union line during Pickett’s Charge. It depicts a wounded officer urging his men forward as he points to the enemy. The color bearer in the statue was actually modeled after a man named Orren Randolph Smith, who is credited with designing the first Confederate National Flag, the “Stars and Bars.”

Dedicated on June 8, 1917, the Virginia memorial was the first Confederate state monument on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Depicted atop the memorial is General Robert E. Lee, riding his horse. On the final day of the battle, Lee positioned himself near this location to view the frontal assault that would become known as "Pickett's Charge." The plan called for nearly 12,500 troops, stretched out almost a mile, to attack the center of the Union line. Lee ordered his forces to converge on a single point: "the copse of trees" - a small cluster of trees on an otherwise barren section of Cemetery Ridge that offered little cover for defending troops. AR Picture Tip Click the AR button to take a picture standing next to Robert E. Lee. You can resize and move Lee to create the perfect picture.

The Second Day of Battle On July 2, 1863, General Daniel E. Sickles, commander of the Union 3rd Corps took it upon himself, without permission from his superiors, to march his 10,000 man force out in front of the rest of the Union line to occupy what he believed to be superior ground, the elevated ridge in the Peach Orchard. Sickles’ decision would have grave repercussions for the men of the 3rd Corps and would threaten the entire Union Army as the days’ events unfolded. The Confederates were not the only ones surprised at Sickles’ new line. General Meade, commander of the Union Army, was furious to learn that Sickles had taken it upon himself to advance his men into the Peach Orchard. He even met with Sickles to inquire why this had been done and to see if anything could be done to rectify the situation. When Sickles offered to return to his original position, Meade snapped back, “You can not hold this position, but the enemy will not let you get away without a fight….” It was nearly at that instant that the Confederate assault began on the Union left. The bloodiest day of Gettysburg had commenced.

This is the extreme right end of the Confederate line on the afternoon of July 2, 1863. General Evander Law’s Alabamians occupied this position prior to the attack. Law’s brigade is a perfect example of the hardship and physical punishment soldiers endured during the American Civil War. At the end of the previous day’s fighting, Law’s men were still twenty-five miles away from Gettysburg when they received word that they were needed at the front. After a grueling twelve hour march, they were ordered into line and participated in Longstreet’s march and countermarch over to this position. By the time they reached this location at 3:30 p.m., they were exhausted. Many of the men, including those from the 15th Alabama, were dehydrated from their rapid march to the field and the scorching temperatures. While waiting for the attack to start, twenty-two men of the 15th Alabama were sent out to find water and fill canteens. Unfortunately, during their search for something to drink, all twenty-two of these Confederate soldiers were captured. The regiment, already fatigued from a hard march and now without drinking water, was about to advance headlong into some of the toughest fighting on the fields of Gettysburg. At around 4:00 p.m. on July 2, the Alabamians stepped off in the direction of a rocky hill, today known as Little Round Top, unaware that some tenacious soldiers from Maine would soon be in their front.

In 1863, Little Round Top appeared much as it does today, cleared of trees on its western slope. This made it an ideal location for artillery. Big Round Top, to the south, is higher in elevation, but it was fully wooded and therefore not useful for such a purpose. If the Confederates captured Little Round Top and placed their artillery there, they would be in a position to fire north at the Union line all the way to Cemetery Hill. They could also capture the Taneytown Road, located directly east of the hill, an important Union supply route running south from Gettysburg. If Little Round Top was taken by Longstreet’s men, they could have effectively bottled up a large part of Meade’s army, forcing them to retire down a single open road, the Baltimore Pike.

During the afternoon of July 2, the Wheatfield witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the entire Civil War, as the contested ground exchanged hands several times.

General William Barksdale’s attack on the Peach Orchard split the Union 3rd Corps in two. A soldier in the 22nd Massachusetts later recalled the chaotic scene that ensued: "The hoarse and indistinguishable orders of commanding officers, the screaming and bursting of shells, canister and shrapnel as they tore through the struggling masses of humanity, the death screams of wounded animals, the groans of their human companions, wounded and dying and trampled underfoot by hurrying batteries, riderless horses and the moving lines of battle-a perfect Hell on earth, never, perhaps to be equaled, certainly not to be surpassed, nor ever to be forgotten in a man's lifetime. It has never been effaced from my memory, day or night, for fifty years."

The Pennsylvania State Memorial was dedicated in 1910. It cost $182,000 to complete and required 1,252 tons of cut granite to build. Architect W. Liance Cottrell’s design was selected from among fifty-one designs and thirty plaster models that were submitted as part of a contest to design the monument. The monument is meant to honor all the Pennsylvanians who participated in the campaign.

Charge of the 2nd Massachusetts On July 3, the Union 12th Corps sought to retake a series of earthworks near Spangler's Spring that had been occupied by Union forces the day before. The plan was to send in skirmishers to probe for enemy resistance and follow with an infantry attack, if the Confederate flank was weak. Through an error in communications, however, Colonel Charles Mudge, commander of the 2nd MA, was ordered to launch a full-scale assault. Completely dumbfounded, Mudge asked, "Are you sure that is the order?" After assurances were given, Mudge exclaimed, “Well, it is murder, but it’s the order.” Then, turning to his men he shouted, “Up men; over the works. Forward. Double quick.” The 2nd Massachusetts charged out from the cover of the woods into the open meadow. Three Confederate regiments fired into the advancing Bay State troops, littering the field with their bodies. The ill-fated charge resulted in 45 deaths, including that of Colonel Mudge.

For two full hours Confederate gun crews bombarded the Union defenses along Cemetery Ridge. Then at around 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, some 12,500 Confederate troops emerged from along Seminary Ridge and began their assault on the center of the Union line. AR Picture Opportunity: Take your picture with Union General George Meade. Press the AR button to engage the augmented reality picture viewer.

As the Confederates overran the Peach Orchard, General Sickles was sitting atop his horse near the Trostle barn. He was observing his troops when a Confederate artillery round struck him in the right leg, nearly tearing it off. Sickles was carried off the field and his leg amputated. Sent to Washington, D.C., Sickles recuperated from his wounds while his leg bones were put on display at what is today the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Sickles himself often visited his leg for many years after the battle.

Father William Corby was a holy cross father, chaplain of the 88th NY, one of the regiments of the famed Irish Brigade. On the afternoon of July 2, when the men of this brigade were ordered into battle to bolster the faltering 3rd Corps, he asked permission of Colonel Patrick Kelly, commander of the Irish Brigade, if he could delay the men for just a moment to say some words. Kelly assented and the men removed their hats and knelt down, while the sounds of battle could be heard raging all around them. Father Corby stood atop a boulder, raised his right hand, and asked God to grant the men courage and final absolution. And with that, the men marched into battle.

On the evening of July 2, 1863, Confederate forces attacked Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. While unable to take the summit of Culp's Hill, the Rebels did capture Cemetery Hill before being driven back. The Federals renewed the fighting on Culp’s Hill early on the morning of July 3, 1863. After nearly seven hours of heavy fighting, Union forces recaptured the ground they had lost the night before at the base of Culp’s Hill.

At around 4:00 p.m. the Confederates opened their attack from Warfield Ridge and headed straight for the outcrop of rocks known as Devil's Den. Confederate soldiers from Texas, Georgia and Alabama launched numerous assaults against the Union battery stationed here and eventually overtook it. The nature of the boulders provided a safe haven for Confederate sharpshooters who spent the rest of the evening firing at Union soldiers on Little Round Top. Following the battle, this area became very popular with photographers who came to visit the battlefield. When the photographers arrived, they were greeted to a horrific scene in the area around Little Round Top and Devil’s Den. On this part of the battlefield there were still many soldiers who had not yet been buried. Turning their camera lenses toward these men, photographers like Mathew Brady, Timothy O’Sullivan and Alexander Gardner, captured, printed and displayed the horrors of war for civilians back home. AR Picture Opportunity: Press the AR button to engage the augmented reality viewer and compare the past with the present.

Welcome to the Gettysburg Battlefield mobile tour by TravelBrains. Wayne Motts, the CEO of the American Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pa, will take you on an unforgettable journey to the places on the battlefield where the course of American history changed.

Instructions
The tour is designed to follow the national park tour route. On a few occasions, you will deviate from the park route to explore some important locations on the battlefield. Please consult your map prior to departing for each location and do not attempt to interact with your mobile device while driving. As you approach each tour stop, the audio will automatically start playing. Please wait until you are safely parked before you interact with the tour content.

Tour Tips
Many of the tour stops contain augmented reality (AR) content. Click the AR button to view the AR content and take pictures that you can share with friends and family back home.

Schmucker Hall is now home to a new state-of-the-art museum. The Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum opened July 1, 2013 - 150 years to the day after the Battle of Gettysburg began - and features 20,000 square feet of interactive exhibit galleries and educational programming to interpret three major areas of emphasis - none of which are the focus of any other museum in Gettysburg:

• The pivotal first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on Seminary Ridge
• The care of the wounded and human suffering during the museum building’s use as a Civil War field hospital
• The larger issues of faith and freedom

The museum is open seven days a week 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Scavenger hunts for all ages are available at the ticket counter. Don't miss the Exclusive-Access Cupola Tour! Stop in and ask for details.