Inside the Battle of Gettysburg, Three Days That Saved the Union, July 1–3, 1863

A search for supplies, including shoes and food, helped set the stage for the most important battle of the Civil War. Confederate troops moved into Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, expecting to gather provisions. Instead, they collided with Union cavalry, triggering a 3 day fight that spread across nearly 25 square miles and involved more than 160,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle ever fought in the Americas.

Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee entered with approximately 75,000 soldiers. Union forces under General George G. Meade numbered roughly 95,000. Meade had taken command only days earlier on June 28, 1863. He chose defensive ground rather than pursuit, anchoring his army on Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Culp's Hill. That choice turned Gettysburg into a fortified position.

The battle opened on July 1 when Union cavalry under General John Buford delayed Confederate advances long enough for infantry to arrive. Fighting surged through the town itself, where civilians were caught in artillery fire and streets filled with wounded soldiers. By late afternoon, Union forces were pushed back through Gettysburg, but Confederates failed to seize the high ground before nightfall. That single failure forced them to attack strong defensive positions for the next 2 days, shaping the entire outcome of the battle.

July 2 brought continuous fighting across multiple fronts. Little Round Top became critical on the Union left flank, defended by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine. After running out of ammunition, they fixed bayonets and charged downhill, breaking the assault. Nearby fighting erupted at Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, and Culp's Hill, with positions changing hands repeatedly over roughly 12 hours. Thousands of casualties accumulated on both sides without a decisive breakthrough.

On July 3, about 150 Confederate cannons opened fire for nearly 2 hours before roughly 12,500 soldiers advanced across open ground in Pickett's Charge. The attack crossed nearly 1 mile of exposed terrain with little cover. Many units never reached the stone wall held by Union forces. Union artillery and rifle fire tore through the formation. Nearly 50% of the attacking force became casualties within about an hour, ending Lee's final major invasion of the North.

When the battle ended, roughly 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or missing, including nearly 7,000 killed. More than 21,000 wounded men overwhelmed churches, schools, barns, and homes across the town. Around 5,000 horses and mules also died. Bodies lay in the summer heat for days before burial teams cleared fields and temporary graves were later replaced by formal reburials in the new national cemetery.

Gettysburg civilians, numbering about 2,400, endured shelling, destruction of property, and months of recovery as farms and buildings were turned into hospitals and supply points. Crops were destroyed, fences torn down, and livestock taken or killed as the battlefield consumed the surrounding countryside.

Lee began retreating toward Virginia on July 4 as heavy rain turned roads into mud and slowed his withdrawal. That same day, Union forces captured Vicksburg, giving the North control of the Mississippi River and splitting the Confederacy. Together, these victories shifted the war permanently.

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated the Soldiers' National Cemetery and delivered the 272 word Gettysburg Address. 

In under 2 minutes, he transformed the meaning of the battle into a national purpose. Gettysburg was not only a turning point in the war. It became the moment the United States proved it would endure, and the decision of that endurance still defines the nation today.