Transcript PowerPoint - CSA History Rocks

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 1863.
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
Killed
Wounded
Missing
North
3,155
14,529
5,365
South
3,903
18,735
5,425
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.