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Reynolds & Buford at Gettysburg by Keith Rocco.
At Gettysburg, two men, Brigadier General John Buford and Major General John Reynolds, made critical command decisions during the frays opening stages that helped bring about a Northern victory. Their military savvy on the morning of July 1 delayed the Confederates and allowed the Union to gain possessions of the high ground south of Gettysburg. On July 1, the two officers reached the apex of their military careers. Buford deserves accolades for wisely deploying his two brigades of troopers across the ridges west of Gettysburg. The popping carbines and rumbling horse artillery of his command forced the lead elements of the Army of Northern Virginia to deploy off the dusty ribbon of the Chambersburg Pike, and form from a column into battle lines, a ponderous maneuver for nineteenth century infantry, and one that gained vital time for the van of the Federal advance, let by Reynolds, to arrive on the field. While Buford was giving battle, Reynolds was hurrying his foot soldiers toward the contested ground. Upon arriving in Gettysburg he immediately set out to find Buford. After a quick greeting, the generals cantered across pastures and fields of wheat, halting near the Chambersburg Pike to observe the terrain and discuss strategy. Within the hour, Reynolds would ride to his death, shot in the head while shepherding the Norths famous Iron Brigade into action. Bufords end came before the year was out, though he was to be cheated a warriors battle-death. On December 16, 1863, he succumbed to the ravages of typhoid fever, contracted during the Mine Run campaign.
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