The Battle of Gettysburg
July 1, 1863 - July 4, 1863
The Battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863. The commander of the Union Army during the campaign was General Meade and the commander of the Confederate Army was Robert E. Lee. Known as the battle with the highest number of casualties, it became the turning point in the Civil War. General Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, which caused them to retreat and end Lee's invasion of the North.
The maps below show the movement over time of each Army. The Union is represented in blue and the Confederacy in red.
First Day of Battle On July 1st, 1863 the Battle of Gettysburg opened up when the Confederate Army clashed with a unit of the Union calvary at McPherson's Ridge. General Robert E. Lee's plan was to march north and destroy the railroads. The Union forces held their ground although they were out numbered by Lee's soldiers. The Union Army was able to push the Confederates back into the town of Gettysburg. The Union soldiers reorganized and met on Cemetery Hill while General Meade arrived and got his units into position. (See map-right) Although the battle was pushed into town, Jenny Wade was the only civilian killed that day. |  Pic Above- Fighting began that morning west of Gettysburg. By late afternoon, the Union was in retreat. Gettysburg NMP http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/day1.htm) |
Second Day of Battle Both armies started to organize and form their location. The Union army formed a defensive position that resembled a fishhook, which faced Confederate forces on Seminary Ridge. The picture to the right shows the Union's fishhook formation in blue and Lee's army in red. The Confederate soldiers launched a heavy attack on the Union left flank. (See right) The Union Army, led by General G. K. Warren, held the high ground at Little Round Top making it difficult for the Confederate Army to advance to the higher ground. The Confederate Army took position at Devil's Den. The Union forces held their position on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill, which was heavily attacked on the right by Confederate soldiers on Hanover Road. (See right) Lack of effective communication would prove the downfall of the Confederacy this day. |  |
Third Day of Battle Fighting resumed on July 3rd at Culp's Hill as Lee decided to press the attack to the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. (Union- blue)The Confederate Army marched forward across Cemetery Ridge known as "Pickett's Charge." General Pickett led one of the most incredible efforts in military history along Longstreet. General Meade's soldiers lined up along the rock wall and fired as the Confederate soldiers marched to their death. As the Confederate forces marched, they were bombarded with heavily artillery. In a matter of 50 minutes, 10,000 soldiers died in attempts to take Cemetery Ridge. |  |
Final Day- The Confedate Soldiers Retreat Lee's retreat began on the afternoon of July 4th. The Confederate army left Gettysburg physically exhausted and moral was low. General Lee would never again attempt an offensive attack after Gettysburg.
(Pic- Right http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Gettysburg_Campaign_Retreat.png) |  |
