By night fall on July 2, 1863, Robert E. Lee's army smashed the left of the Federal command, came within yards of capturing the commanding ground at Little Round Top, took the lower slopes of the Federal position on the Union right at Culp's Hill, and seized Cemetery Hill only to give up the prize when Union reinforcements reported to the scene. The fight was nearly won. Lee and his troops had made remarkable gains on the second day of battle. The Confederate army, however, had not taken their original objectives, nor had they dislodged the Union Army of the Potomac from its strong natural position. To defeat General George Gordon Meade, Lee would need one more day. Deciding to assault the Federal army at its right center, near a mushroom-shaped clump of trees and a stone wall, created a dangerous salient in the "Federal line". Early that morning, Lee laid the groundwork for the fight of July 3rd. By mid-morning, Pickett's Division, with the 14th Virginia bringing up the rear, was on the field in front of Seminary Ridge. With Pickett's 6,000 troops and 6,000 more soldiers from two other Confederate divisions, the attaching column was posed to strike long before noon.

At 1:00 p.m., Lee's artillery began its task. Designed to cripple any Union resistance to the impending attack by killing troops and disabling Federal artillery batteries, the cannonade lasted two hours. Unfortunately, for Lee and the troops assigned to make the charge, the dense battle field smoke did not allow the confederate gunners the opportunity to judge the accuracy of effect of their fire. Nearly all the shells landed in the rear of the Federal lines, thus sparing most of the defensive line from heavy casualties, The 14th Virginia Regiment dashed headlong into the Union line. As the14th engaged the 69th Pennsylvania, holes opened between the different companies of the Pennsylvania regiment. Instantly, the Virginians took advantage of these gaps and poured through the rear of the Union position and into the small clump of oak trees. As gray uniforms became visible on the southern edge of the copse, the Union's 19th Massachusetts and 42nd New York made an impetuous dash, racing diagonally forward to the clump of trees. As they neared the southern edge of the copse, a roar of shouts passed down the Second Corps line, "Clubs are Trump Forwarded the white trefoil."

With this counter-attack, the remnant of Pickett's shattered command either surrendered to the Union defenders or died where they stood. In less than three hours, including the two-hour cannon dual, Pickett's division lost over half its strength. The 14th Virginia lost 248 of 472 men. The Battle of Gettysburg had come to a close. Unable to field a single fresh division and with the once mighty offensive capability of the army now gone, Lee decided to withdraw. The war had turned a crucial corner. While it took two more years to decide the issue, the Civil War had changed in favor of the North.

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