The Battle of Gettysburg (1–3 July 1863) was the bloodiest engagement of the American Civil War (1861–1865) and the decisive battle of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s second invasion of the North. After victory at Chancellorsville, Lee advanced into Pennsylvania to gather supplies, relieve pressure on Virginia, weaken Northern morale, and seek a politically decisive victory. His Army of Northern Virginia encountered Major General George G. Meade’s Union Army of the Potomac near Gettysburg, where an unplanned clash developed into three days of intense combat. Union forces established a strong defensive line from Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill to Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top, resisting repeated Confederate attacks.
On 3 July, Lee ordered the major assault known as Pickett’s Charge against the Union centre, but it was repulsed with severe losses. Lee’s retreat ended the Pennsylvania campaign and marked a major strategic reversal for the Confederacy. Gettysburg, together with the Union capture of Vicksburg on 4 July 1863, shifted the momentum of the war toward the Union. Around 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or missing. In the Gettysburg Address (19 November 1863), President Abraham Lincoln (presidency 1861–1865) presented the war as a struggle for national unity, equality, and democratic government.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, August 04). Map of Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863: Lee’s Invasion and the Civil War’s Turning Point. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21310/map-of-battle-of-gettysburg-1-3-july-1863/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863: Lee’s Invasion and the Civil War’s Turning Point." World History Encyclopedia, August 04, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21310/map-of-battle-of-gettysburg-1-3-july-1863/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863: Lee’s Invasion and the Civil War’s Turning Point." World History Encyclopedia, 04 Aug 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21310/map-of-battle-of-gettysburg-1-3-july-1863/.
