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U.S. Army
@USArmy
The fighting between July 1, 1863 and July 3, 1863 is considered to be the bloodiest of the Civil War. The battle is also regarded as a major turning point in the war that pitted the North against the South.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Gen. Robert E. Lee leads his troops north in his second invasion of enemy territory. The 75k-man Army of Northern Va. is in high spirits. In addition to seeking fresh supplies, the depleted soldiers look forward to availing themselves of food from the bountiful fields in Penn.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, continues to move the 90,000-man Army of the Potomac northward, following orders to keep his army between Lee and Washington, D.C. Meade prepares to defend the routes to the nation’s capital, if necessary, but he also pursues Lee.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
June 15: Three corps of Lee’s army cross the Potomac, and by June 28 they reach the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Losing precious time awaiting intelligence on Union troop positions from Gen. Jeb Stuart, a spy informs him that Meade is actually very close. Taking advantage of major local roads, which conveniently converge at the county seat, Lee orders his army to Gettysburg.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
July 1: Early that morning a Confederate division under Maj. Gen. Henry Heth marches toward Gettysburg to seize supplies. In an unplanned engagement, they confront Union cavalry. Brig. Gen. John Buford slows the Confederate advance until the infantry units arrive.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Reynolds is killed in action. Soon Confederate reinforcements under generals A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell reach the scene. By late afternoon, the wool-clad troops are battling ferociously in the sweltering heat.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Replying to
@USArmy
July 2: On the second day of battle, the Union defends a fishhook-shaped range of hills and ridges south of Gettysburg. The Confederates wrap around the Union position in a longer line. #ArmyHistory
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
That afternoon Lee launches a heavy assault commanded by Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet on the Union left flank.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Fierce fighting rages at Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Cemetery Ridge as Longstreet’s men close in on the Union position.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Using their shorter interior lines, Union II Corps commander Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock and others move reinforcements quickly to blunt Confederate advances.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
On the Federal right, Confederate demonstrations escalate into full-scale assaults on East Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. Although the Confederates gain ground on both ends of their line, the Union defenders hold strong positions as darkness falls.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
July 3. Believing his enemy to be weakened, Lee seeks to capitalize on the previous day’s gains with renewed attacks on the Union line. Heavy fighting resumes on Culp's Hill as Union troops attempt to recapture ground lost the previous day.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Cavalry battles flare to the east and south, but the main event is a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates commanded by Longstreet against the center of the Union position on Cemetery Ridge.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Though undermanned, the Va inf. div. of Brig. Gen. George E. Pickett constitutes about half of the attacking force. Pickett, ordered by Lee to advance his div. toward the enemy through a mile of unprotected farmland, replies, “General, I have no division,” but the order stands.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
This daring strategy ultimately proves a disastrous sacrifice for the Confederates, with casualties approaching 60 percent. Repulsed by close-range Union rifle and artillery fire, the Confederates retreat.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
Lee withdraws his army from Gettysburg late on the rainy afternoon of July 4 and trudges back to Virginia with severely reduced ranks of wasted and battle-scarred men.
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U.S. Army
@USArmy
The Union had won in a major turning point, stopping Lee’s invasion of the north. It inspired Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” which became one of the most famous speeches of all time. #ArmyHistory
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