The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. In 1863 Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee decided to invade the North after a victory at Chancellorsville, to move the war out of Virginia into Pennsylvania and have his men take supplies from the bountiful farms of the North for a change. Lee sought to force the Lincoln administration into peace talks on his terms. Union Cavalry was in near the town of Gettysburg led by General George Meade.
Initially, Lee ordered his army to not engage with Unions until all the army was together, but circumstances abandoned such strategies, and the battle was started on July 1, 1863. Both sides had incomplete forces; however, Confederate forces outnumbered the Union troops on the first day. They were still reforming, and the confederate army led by Lee fought well and brought Union forces in a defensive position. As more and more troops from Union reinforcements began to arrive, the Union soldiers on the second day outnumbered the Confederates, and they established a strong position from Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge. Union numbers had swelled to 94,000 against 72,000 of Confederate army. Lee rejected the advice of his second-in-command, James Longstreet and launched a furious attack against the Unions where they stood. The attack was delayed because Longstreet did not get his men into position until 4 P.M. Both sides suffered heavy losses but Union forces withstood. On the third and final day Lee made another bold move and sent an army of 12,500 men under the command of General Pickett to attack the Union defensive lines. The attack was failed, and Union army pushed back the confederates and gained a strong position. Pickett’s men were caught from all sides and lost two-thirds of its men. After the failed assault Lee and his army retreated back to the defensive line. Lee waited for a Union counterattack, but the Union General Meade decided against pursuing Lee’s army. This convinced Lee of the futility of effort and Lee withdrew his decimated army toward Virginia. The Union eventually won the Battle of Gettysburg. President Lincoln was disappointed by Meade’s decision and criticized for not pursuing the confederates after Gettysburg.
There were between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties. Union casualties numbered over 23,000, including 3,200 killed, 14,500 wounded, and 54,00 captured or missing. While the confederates suffered over 28,000 losses, including 4,700 killed, 12,700 wounded, and 5,900 captured or missing.
Here below are some horrible photos that document the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
#1 The Battle of Gettysburg headquarters of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, a private group that aided sick and wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War.
#2 John L. Burns recovers from his wounds. July 1863.
#3 Two survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg at the 50th anniversary reunion, July 1913.
#4 Veterans of the American Civil War during a reunion commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
#5 Two Union soldiers rest behind defensive fortifications during the Battle of Gettysburg.
#6 John L. Burns, a civilian who fought alongside the Union at the Battle of Gettysburg, poses for a photo with his musket.
#7 Gen. George G. Meade of the Union.
#8 Three Confederate Army prisoners relax after the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
#9 The bodies of several Union soldiers lie on the battlefield. This photo is known as “Harvest of Death.”
#10 Dead horses surround the Trostle House, which Union Major General Daniel Sickles used as his headquarters, and which was the scene of fierce fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg, in early July, 1863
#11 A Confederate sharp-shooter, who had been killed by a shell at battle of Gettysburg, James F. Gibson,1863
#12 The exhumation of a Union soldier who died in Hanover, Pennsylvania, 1864. The soldier’s remains were to be relocated to Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg.
#13 The place where the Union III Corps was devoured by Confederate General Longstreet’s advancing forces.
#14 A surgeon performs an amputation on a wounded man as others stand by to assist.
#15 A Union soldier who was torn apart by artillery lies dead on the ground.
Most historians agree that the largest artillery bombardments of the entire Civil War took place during the Battle of Gettysburg.
