GETTYSBURG

(July 1-July 3, 1863)

The Turning Point of the Civil War

General Robert E. Lee
• Commander of the
Army of Northern
Virginia (Confederacy)
• Believed an attack on
the North would force
the Union to make
peace and give the
Confederacy
independence
General George Meade- Commander
of the Army of the Potomac (Union)
The battle started because of these…
Two problems the Confederates had
during the battle:
1) General James Longstreet
urged General Lee not to attack
the Union but rather wait for the
Union to attack them.

Lee insisted on attacking the

Union, but most of his attempts
failed.

2) Lee’s men kept attacking later than

they were expected to, giving the
Union time to move around and
build up their defenses.
Pickett’s Charge
• On the last day of the
battle (July 3), Lee
ordered General George
Pickett to attack the
center of the Union line at
Cemetery Ridge, a hill
near Gettysburg. While
the Confederates were
able to make it to the hill,
they lost many soldiers
and were ultimately
forced to retreat,
securing victory for the
Union.
 Battle of Gettysburg
• July 1-July 3, 1863
• Union soldiers killed: 27,000
Confederate soldiers killed: 25,000
• The Confederates could not make up for all their
lost soldiers.
• Turning point of Civil War because
1) Gettysburg convinced Britain and France not to help
Confederacy during war
2) The South never recovered from the loss, even though the
war lasted two more years.