Just One Regiment

Headline Wednesday: Little Round Top, American Civil War follows the thin blue line that held the Union left on a rocky Pennsylvania hill. This episode takes you to the late afternoon of July 2, 1863, when the 20th Maine Infantry climbed Little Round Top and found themselves anchoring the end of the Union line with almost nothing behind them. You will hear how waves of Confederate assaults hammered the slope, how terrain and quick decisions shaped every volley, and why that overlooked hill suddenly became the key to the entire position at Gettysburg. Headline Wednesday is the Wednesday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, and the series is developed by Trackpads dot com.
From the first warning about a gap on the flank to the famous bayonet charge that surged downhill, this episode walks you through the full arc of the fight. You will trace the campaign that brought Lee’s army into Pennsylvania, the missteps that left Little Round Top exposed, and the chain of choices that pushed one exhausted regiment to attack rather than break. Along the way, you will hear about staff officers, brigade leaders, artillery crews, and volunteers who turned rough terrain into a lifeline. Use this episode as a vivid refresher on Gettysburg, a companion to your own reading, or a starting point for staff ride preparation and battlefield study.