Battle Of Gettysburg LINK
The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".
battle of gettysburg
Anyone who knows the Civil War history of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg likely remembers the name of the man who held the hill, Army Maj. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain. His actions July 2, 1863, were pivotal to the Union winning that crucial battle, and, years later, they earned him the Medal of Honor.
By autumn 1862, Chamberlain was appointed lieutenant colonel of the newly created 20th Maine Infantry. The regiment saw limited action at the battles of Antietam in Maryland, and Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, over the following months. By May 1862, Chamberlain had been promoted to colonel and given command of his infantry unit.
Afterward, Chamberlain was nicknamed the "Lion of Little Round Top," and he continued to move up in the ranks. In June 1864, he was commanding a brigade at the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, when he was seriously injured in the hip and groin. He survived and, after months of hospitalizations, returned to the battlefield in November 1864 as a brigadier general.
"The slaughter was perfectly unparalleled," reads the July 9, 1863 issue of Washington, D.C.'s Daily National Republican. July 1, 1863 marks the start of the Battle of Gettysburg; three days and over 50,000 casualties later, the battle ends when General Lee retreats with his troops in the early morning of July 4. Read more about it!
By the time the sun went down on the second day at Gettysburg, the Union left still held, but III Corps would no longer be a significant factor in the battle, and V Corps had been badly mauled. Meanwhile, a desperate contest was taking place on the slope of Cemetery Hill.
Our brand new history center features a variety of venue options for all kinds of programs, events, workshops, and meetings. Located less than a mile from the center of town, our venue includes free parking and directly borders the Gettysburg battlefield.
The Civil War was the first conflict to be documented on film and early photographers captured thousands of images of the tragedies of war. On the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, here is a look back at the photographs that first exposed the greater public to the grim realities of the battlefield. (Published July 1, 2013.) This image by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, titled "A Harvest of Death," is one of the most iconic photographs from the Civil War. Shot after the Battle of Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, the picture was included in "Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War," published in 1865.
Many consider July 4, 1863 to be the turning point of the American Civil War. Two important, famous, well-documented battles resulted in Confederate defeats: the Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania), July 1-3, and the Fall of Vicksburg (Mississippi), July 4. However, two other major, lesser-known events resulted in two additional Confederate defeats. Both losses, one in Tennessee and one in Arkansas, were influenced by the Vicksburg Campaign.
In late June, Rosecrans moved southeast from Murfreesboro with five corps, totaling approximately 65,000 men. Bragg deployed four corps, totaling about 44,000 men, behind a ridge line called the Highland Rim, covering the avenues of approach to Chattanooga and its rail hub. Though no large set-piece battle occurred, Rosecrans' skillful maneuvering through four passes and around Confederate flanks, forced Bragg southeastward to Tullahoma, then Decherd and finally across the Tennessee River July 4. The Tullahoma Campaign resulted in the Union conquest of central Tennessee.
On the morning on July 4, Holmes launched an uncoordinated attack, bereft of reconnaissance and intelligence. The three divisions attacked from the northwest, west and southwest. The battle was a Confederate disaster. Only one of the artillery batteries was taken, but Fort Curtis blunted any further advance. The USS Tyler provided naval gunfire support, lobbing over 400 rounds. Confederate dead, wounded, missing and captured (1,636) equaled approximately 20 percent of the attacking force. Union losses were 239.
Gettysburg is a vast outdoor classroom. Over 1200 monuments and markers tell about one of the great turning points in American history. This site explores the battlefield with photographs, text and map locations for each of the monuments and markers along with links to background histories and biographies.
These are the most numerous monuments on the battlefield. Almost every Federal regiment and battery that fought at Gettysburg is represented by a monument. Many have a second monument, and a few have multiple monuments and markers showing their different positions on the battlefield. There are even some monuments to units that were not actually on the field but supported the battle.
In the early days of the park the War Department erected markers to over 100 Union and Confederate unit headquarters. These detail the actions of the brigades, divisions and corps during the battle to help visitors better understand the battle. The War Department also placed markers for each of the Confederate artillery batteries at the locations where they fought. These are usually accompanied by examples of the artillery used ny that unit.
Many of the pages on this site have links to two companion sites. The Civil War in the East provides unit histories, biographies, and additional information of interest. The main Stone Sentinels website explores over 50 related Civil War battlefields and other important Civil War sites from Pennsylvania to southern Virginia.
Fought July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg remains one of the most well known battles in American history. In honor of the 155th anniversary of the battle, we are featuring various maps related to the Battle of Gettysburg. All of the maps featured in this post are from Record Group (RG) 77, Civil Works Map File series, although the Cartographic Branch also holds maps showing Gettysburg in other record groups and series.
These five maps represent only a small sampling of the maps relating to the Battle of Gettysburg that are held by the Cartographic Branch. For more information on additional maps showing Gettysburg, or other battles of the Civil War, see A Guide to Civil War Maps in the National Archives. We also invite you to visit the Cartographic Research Room in College Park, Maryland to view additional Civil War maps.
It should be noted that all these maps were created long after the battle, as historical records. But what maps did commanders actually use before or during the battle? Historian William A. Frassanito answers this question in several of his published works. Although a few pre-1863 maps of Gettysburg had been printed, it is not clear how many of these were available to commanders during the battle. Most of the maps they used were probably crude sketches, showing only roads and a few topographical features. With a lack of maps, confusion was part of every Civil War engagement.
In 1975, historian William A. Frassanito proved that it is always possible to learn more about history by studying the records. He examined the photographs, which are among the records held by the National Archives, and compared them to the modern Gettysburg battlefield terrain. He demonstrated that the body in both was the same person. The gun, not one a sharpshooter was likely to have used, was probably a prop. Furthermore, it was impossible that a body would have remained unburied for months or that a rifle would have escaped relic hunters.
The three-day battle was the bloodiest in the war, with approximately 51,000 casualties. Even with such heavy losses, it proved to be a significant victory for the Union. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee, had invaded Union territory and was moving through southern Pennsylvania with an eye to Harrisburg, the state capital. General Lee hoped that defeating the Union army in a large battle on Northern territory would deliver a great, perhaps final blow to the war-weary United States. But the Union victory effectively ended the Confederate invasion of the North and provided a much-needed boost of morale for US soldiers and civilians alike.
The leading division of Hill met the enemy in advance of Gettysburgon the morning of July 1. Driving back these troops to within a short distanceof the town, he there encountered a larger force, with which two of hisdivisions became engaged, Ewell, coming up with two of his divisions bythe Heidlersburg road, joined in the engagement. The enemy was driven throughGettysburg with heavy loss, including about 5,000 prisoners and severalpieces of artillery. He retired to a high range of hills south and eastof the town. The attack was not pressed that afternoon, the enemy's forcebeing unknown, and it being considered advisable to await the arrival ofthe rest of our troops. Orders were sent back to hasten their march, and,in the meantime, every effort was made to ascertain the numbers and positionof the enemy, and find the most favorable point of attack. It had not beenintended to fight a general battle at such a distance from our base, unlessattacked by the enemy, but, finding ourselves unexpectedly confronted bythe Federal Army, it became a matter of difficulty to withdraw throughthe mountains with our large trains. At the same time, the country wasunfavorable for collecting supplies while in the presence of the enemy'smain body, as he was enabled to restrain our foraging parties by occupyingthe passes of the mountains with regular and local troops. A battle thusbecame in a measure, unavoidable. Encouraged by the successful issue ofthe engagement of the first day, and in view of the valuable results thatwould ensue from the defeat of the army of General Meade, it was thoughtadvisable to renew the attack. . . . 041b061a72