The Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles in history. It had the largest number of casualties in the Civil War--there were around 51,000 casualties throughout the three-day fight. The Battle of Gettysburg was a key turning point in the Civil War, and had the Union lost that one battle, it'd have lost the entire war.
Day One
The Battle of Gettysburg began as a surprise to both sides. The Confederate army was moving to occupy Gettysburg; however, unbeknownst to them, the Union army (under General Meade) was already there. The first shots were fired as the Union cavalry, under John Buford, held of Henry Heth and the Confederate forces. Buford managed to keep Heth away for over an hour while waiting for reinforcements.
Then General John Reynolds arrived with more troops, and Buford let him take charge of the situation. However, Reynolds died soon after arriving, and Abner Doubleday took his place.
At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Robert E. Lee, the commander of the entire Confederate army, arrived on the scene. He ordered his troops to charge, and the Union was forced into Gettysburg, and from there out to the hills on the other side of the town. The hills were a very good defensive position, and the Union set about fortifying the place however they could.
Meanwhile, Lee gave his general (General Ewell) instructions to take the hills "if practicable." Ewell deemed it not practicable and instead waited throughout the night. His actions were believed to cost the Confederacy the battle, and thus the war, for if Ewell had pressed the advantage, then the Union troops would not have had the time to prepare themselves for attack.
Then General John Reynolds arrived with more troops, and Buford let him take charge of the situation. However, Reynolds died soon after arriving, and Abner Doubleday took his place.
At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Robert E. Lee, the commander of the entire Confederate army, arrived on the scene. He ordered his troops to charge, and the Union was forced into Gettysburg, and from there out to the hills on the other side of the town. The hills were a very good defensive position, and the Union set about fortifying the place however they could.
Meanwhile, Lee gave his general (General Ewell) instructions to take the hills "if practicable." Ewell deemed it not practicable and instead waited throughout the night. His actions were believed to cost the Confederacy the battle, and thus the war, for if Ewell had pressed the advantage, then the Union troops would not have had the time to prepare themselves for attack.
Day Two
Lee's plan was to flank the Union defenses on the left, charge the center, and send diversionary attacks that would mount in a full-out assault, simultaneously. General Hill was to charge the center, General Longstreet would be flanking the Union, and Ewell was to do the diversionary attacks/assault.
However, there were several complications. Hill was sick, and he didn't know his troops that well, so they didn't trust him. More importantly, Hill and Longstreet had a longstanding feud going on, and so did not want to coordinate things properly.
Thrice Hill charged the Union's center line; thrice he was beaten back. He managed to push some of the Union forces into a wheatfield for a long, bloody fight, but there too he was defeated.
Afterwards, Longstreet's attack on the Union lines began. Ewell attacked the Union lines where they had been weakened to support Sickles, who had moved his troops out of position and was being attacked. However, Ewell's attacks eventually petered out, and the Union was still alive, though it had lost some amount of ground, such as Culp's Hill.
However, there were several complications. Hill was sick, and he didn't know his troops that well, so they didn't trust him. More importantly, Hill and Longstreet had a longstanding feud going on, and so did not want to coordinate things properly.
Thrice Hill charged the Union's center line; thrice he was beaten back. He managed to push some of the Union forces into a wheatfield for a long, bloody fight, but there too he was defeated.
Afterwards, Longstreet's attack on the Union lines began. Ewell attacked the Union lines where they had been weakened to support Sickles, who had moved his troops out of position and was being attacked. However, Ewell's attacks eventually petered out, and the Union was still alive, though it had lost some amount of ground, such as Culp's Hill.
Day Three
Lee planned to attack the Union lines, but Meade beat him to it by attacking and successfully retaking Culp's Hill. Lee had planned for Longstreet to continue his attack on the Union's left flank; however, the orders were misunderstood and Longstreet started to prepare for something different.
With his plans thus interrupted, Lee decided to rethink how he was going to handle the attack. He decided eventually on the simplest route: charge. The Confederate forces were gathered and they attacked. This charge is known as the famous Pickett's Charge, as it was led by George Pickett.
Lee had intended for this attack to be a crushing blow against the Union, and hoped for it to win him the entire war. Unfortunately for him, it didn't quite turn out that way. As the 15,000 men rushed across an open field towards Union defenses, they were shot down.
The Confederate troops retreated. For a few days they stayed, watching the Union troops. But Meade knew better than to attack the remaining Confederate forces, and eventually they fled. The battle of Gettysburg was won.
With his plans thus interrupted, Lee decided to rethink how he was going to handle the attack. He decided eventually on the simplest route: charge. The Confederate forces were gathered and they attacked. This charge is known as the famous Pickett's Charge, as it was led by George Pickett.
Lee had intended for this attack to be a crushing blow against the Union, and hoped for it to win him the entire war. Unfortunately for him, it didn't quite turn out that way. As the 15,000 men rushed across an open field towards Union defenses, they were shot down.
The Confederate troops retreated. For a few days they stayed, watching the Union troops. But Meade knew better than to attack the remaining Confederate forces, and eventually they fled. The battle of Gettysburg was won.