What Happened to General Lewis Armistead after Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg? After Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead was mortally wounded. During the charge, he led his brigade in one of the most significant and intense assaults against the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Armistead’s men managed to temporarily breach the Union lines, reaching the famous “Angle” in what is often referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy.”
Armistead was shot three times as he and his men reached the Union line. He fell near a stone wall, reportedly placing his hat on his sword as a rallying gesture. Severely injured, Armistead was taken to a Union field hospital, where he was attended by Union soldiers, including members of his old pre-war regiment and friends.
Despite the medical care he received, Armistead’s wounds were too severe, and he died two days later on July 5, 1863. He passed away at a field hospital established in the George Spangler Farm, a property used by the Union army for medical treatment of wounded soldiers.
Armistead’s last words reportedly expressed concern for his family and requested that his personal effects be sent to Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, his close friend before the war. Hancock had also been wounded at Gettysburg, and their friendship, despite being on opposing sides, highlighted the personal tragedies caused by the Civil War.
General Armistead was initially buried in a Union field hospital burial ground but was later reinterred in St. Paul’s Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. His story remains one of the poignant personal narratives of the Battle of Gettysburg, symbolizing the deep divisions and enduring friendships among those who fought in the Civil War.
