Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3 1863)
Inspired by the victory at Chancellorville, Confederate leaders began to plan an invasion of Pennsylvania. General Robert E. Lee believed that with the Union upset it was an ideal time to attack inside the North, hopefully threatening major cities and leading to the Union’s surrender. General George G. Meade quickly moved his army, the Army of the Potomac, to Pennsylvania to protect it. One of the major motives that drove Meade through his orders was the fact that his home state was Pennsylvania.
As the armies moved through Pennsylvania it became clear that they were going to meet in the town of Gettysburg, the main reason for this being that ten roads led into Gettysburg, making it a magnet for each army. On July 1, 1863, Lee’s 75,000 men and Meade’s 100,000 meet each other in Gettysburg and begin to fight. The Confederacy drove back the army of the Potomac on the first day and there was much celebration, for the battle seemed to be an easy Confederate victory. As the Confederacy celebrated, the Union regrouped and prepared for the next day’s battle.
In the morning of July 2 Meade redeployed a strong front line and a good field artillery on some high ground called Cemetery Ridge that stretched for about a mile. Even with Lee’s army attacking on both sides, the Union held them back. The Union fought well, defending their own soil for the first time. After retiring for the day, Meade noticed the great strategic placement of Little Round Rock, a wooded hill at the southern tip of Cemetery Ridge. Lee also saw the advantage, knowing that his artillery would be unbeatable if they had the high ground. But who would reach it first?
On July third Meade rushed most of his army to Little Round Rock, beating Lee there. After being informed of this Lee sought for a different plan. The plan he devised was Pickett’s Charge. It consisted of a mile-long assault by more that 13,000 of his men against Cemetery Ridge. This charge was to become known as the most famous infantry attack of the war. Even though all this was intimidating, the Union squashed the Confederates' attempt with their artillery and massive fire by their infantry. The attack failed, and the battle was lost.
The defeat of Pickett’s Charge not only ended the Battle of Gettysburg, but also the invasion of the North by the Confederacy. At the start of this battle the South was the closest it had ever been in gaining its recognized independence, and the loss devastated that. All together this war was the turning point of the war.
