The Battle of Gettysburg July 1 – 3, 1863

Background After Lee’s first attempt to invade the north failed, he set up for a second invasion in June of His 75,000 soldiers met General George Meade, newly appointed General in Command of the Army of the Potomac and his 95,000 soldier almost by accident.

The two armies met near the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg is 120 miles west of Philadelphia and only 17 miles north of the Maryland boarder This town was also the point where 10 different roads converged, making it almost impossible for the two armies to avoid each other. The resulting battle was a turning point to the war, a turning point to all of US history itself.

Initial Encounter On the morning of July 1, 1863, two divisions of the Confederate army marched towards Gettysburg. These Southerners met Union Calvary and the two sides clashed before falling back. By mid-afternoon nearly 40,000 soldiers clash in a fight to control the town.

After severe fighting, the Union army retreated south of the town along hills known as Cemetery Hill. The first day of the battle ended with the Southerners reinforcing their positions in the town while the Northern army stayed up through the night building a barricade for the charge they knew would be coming up the hills the next day.

July 2, 1863 Every available soldier on both side poured into Gettysburg during the night. By the next morning both very large and experienced armies were on the battle field facing each other. General Meade created a fish hook shaped line to face off against the coming Southern attack.

In the late afternoon the Confederates launched an attack against the left and middle of the Union lines. Again and again the Southern soldiers marched up the hills at the Union army, and each time the Union was able to hold. At one point the far left of the Union line was out of ammunition and had to charge down the hill at the Confederate soldiers with only the bayonetts as weapons.

Combat along the Union’s left ceases at about dusk. At about the same time fighting erupts on the Union right at Culp’s Hill. From all of the Confederate charges and attacks nothing changed except for the growing number of casualties.

July 3, 1863 General Lee, desperate to break the Union lines ordered an artillery attack on the center of the Union line. So shortly afternoon the Confederate guns opened up. The Union guns began to answer in kind, and a two hour artillery duel raged.

With all the smoke and noise the Confederate army did not realize that they were firing over the head of the Union forces and inflicting no damage. At three p.m. that afternoon General George Pickett led a charge across the field at what they thought would be the devastated Union lines. Although some of the 13,000 Confederate troops reached the Union lines it did no good and they were forced to retreat.

Seeing no way to win the battle and realizing that his overall strategy had failed, General Lee moves his army south the next morning. The three day battle resulted in KilledWoundedMissing North3,15514,5295,365 South3,90318,7355,425

Gettysburg Today The resulting carnage from the battle was too gruesome and vast to be able to clean it up entirely. Gettysburg was transformed into a Civil War cemetery that people can still visit today.