The Battle of Gettysburg Mapping the turning point of the Civil War

Gettysburg: July 1st-3rd Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania against new Union Commander George Meade. 2.The battle lasted three days and became the greatest battle and turning point of the war. 3.Pickett’s Charge: 15,000 Confederates charged the Union held hills. 4.More than half were cut down before reaching their objective. 5.Lee retreated, and Meade did not follow, allowing the war to continue.

Events of July 1 st : 1.Lee’s army advanced north through Pennsylvania. Union cavalry were sent to find his army. 2.Gen. John Buford located the rear elements of Lee’s army. He chose to defend the high ground. 3.Lee concentrated his forces to attack the location. 4.Maj. Gen. John Reynolds arrived with infantry to support Buford. He was quickly killed. 5.Fighting all day, the Union slowly gave ground. 6.The Union held the high ground after day one when Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell failed to attack.

John Buford John Reynolds

Events of July 2 nd : 1.The Confederates launched attacks on the Union high ground to try to drive the Federals away. 2.Union Maj. Gen. Dan Sickles changed his position without orders from Meade, leaving Little Round Top exposed and causing intense fighting in The Devil’s Den. 3.Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20 th Maine defended Little Round Top heroically. 4.Although making great progress, the Confederates were unable to drive the Union from the high ground.

Dan Sickles Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Events of July 3 rd : 1.Lee ordered Lt. Gen. James Longstreet to coordinate an assault on the Union center. 2.Longstreet protested the order but Lee chose to continue with the attack. 3.Lee ordered the largest artillery barrage of the war. 4.Maj. Gen. George Pickett led the 15,000 man assault against Cemetery Ridge. 5.The attack was repelled with disastrous results. Half of the attackers went down on the field. 6.This event is often seen as the turning point of the war and the “high water mark” of the Confederacy.

James Longstreet George Pickett

The Aftermath: 1.165,000 troops engaged; 55,000 casualties. 2.The Confederacy would never again launch a full scale invasion of the North. 3.It took years for the citizens of Gettysburg to recover from the battle on their soil. 4.Dead and wounded littered the field for months. 5.A national cemetery was created at Gettysburg. 6.On November 19, 1863 President Lincoln gave his famous address at the cemetery. It discussed the meaning of the war and provided a blueprint for what the nation should strive to be.