The Battle of Gettysburg was a the most vicious military engagement of the American Civil War. On July 1, 1863, the Union Army, under George G. Meade, engaged the Confederate forces in fierce combat in and around Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania. After three consecutive days of gory fighting, on July 3, the battle ended with a historical Confederate defeat. The Union victory was very important as the North inflicted heavy losses on the South. It was a turning point in this American armed struggle as it would be the last Rebel attempt to invade the North.
Summary
Having reorganized the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee had launched a military campaign through the Shenandoah Valley to invade the northern States on June 3. The Rebel Army was composed of three army corps under James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, and Ambrose P. Hill, totaling 75,000 men. The Confederate forces crossed Maryland, engaging Northern units in a series of skirmishes as they marched northwards. On June 25, the Rebels made their way into Pennsylvania through the Cumberland Valley.
By June 30, the Federal Cavalry of the Northern Army of the Potomac, under Meade, had taken Gettysburg. When the Robert E. Lee realized that the town had been taken, he sent two divisions of Hill's corps to drive the Northern forces out. The rest of the Union Army were deployed to the south of town, in an area between Cemetery Hill and Peach Orchard. The battle began at 5:30 AM, when shots were exchanged over Marsh Creek on the outskirts of Gettysburg.
Attacking the Union redoubts to dislodge them of their defensive positions was very costly for the Confederate Army, which did not have enough artillery pieces. By July 2, the second day of the battle, most of the Northern units had been assembled in this area, to the south of town. George G. Meade had deployed his army in a fish-hook-shaped formation, with the right flank on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, the center along Cemetery Ridge, and the left on Little Round Top.
At the beginning, on the second day of fighting, the Rebels concentrated their attacks on the Union left flank, which was held by the Union III Corps, led by Sickles. Although the Confederate forces overran the III Corps position, Union reinforcements checked the Rebel advance on the left. The Rebel corps led by Ewell attacked the Union right flank at Cemetery Hill. However, the costly assault on the Northern's right was unsuccessful.
On July 3, the battle resumed with Rebel artillery barrage on the Federal line. When the bombardment subsided, the Rebel infantry advanced. However, the Union artillery opened fire, followed by musketry. Thus, this Confederate attack ended in disaster, with nearly 5,600 Southern casualties. Meanwhile, a Confederate division, under George Pickett, to no avail charged the Northern redoubts at Cemetery Ridge. The Rebel infantry met a wall of fire and bullets fired by Union artillery and muskets.
With Pickett's charge having failed, the Battle of Gettysburg was effectively over. The Confederate losses ranged between 26,000 and 30,000 men, while the North losses numbered approximately 23,000 soldiers.
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| After the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate prisoners of war await being transferred to Northern jails. |
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| Map showing the positions of the opposing forces on the second day of battle. Notice the Union defensive positions around Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge. |