Gettysburg Pennsylvania - July 1-3, 1863

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Battle of Gettysburg Historian Page Who: There were two Generals that were a great part in this battle. The first General was Robert E. Lee. He came from the south and was a confederate who was in command of the Army of Virginia. His army consisted of 75,000 brave men who fought in this battle.           The other General that took part in this war was General George Gordon Meade. General Meade was in charge of the Army of the Potomac and that army had 95,000 men. He was part of the north and was a Union member.     What: On July 1, 1863, Meade held his advanced troops, directed by John Bufford, at the site of Gettysburg. They waited there until reinforcements arrived. On July 2, the second day of battle, the Confederates attacked Union lines at Little Round Top, Cemetery Hill, Devil's Den, the Wheat field, and the Peach Orchard. On July 3, the last day of battle, Lee sent 15,000 of his troops to assault the Union troops on top Cemetery Ridge. When: The battle of Gettysburg happened on July 1-3, 1863. Where: The battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania. Why: The things that had lead up to this battle all started with General Robert E. After defeating the other union forces in the previous battle called Chancellorsville, Lee decided to invade the north again. He thought it might cause the northerners to pressure Lincoln to seek peace and maybe end the war. He also thought that if he could defeat the Union at Chancellorsville, he could defeat the north again. When Lee found out that General Meade was the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, he decided to lead his troops to Gettysburg. This movement started the battle. How: On July 4, General Lee retreated. The reason for this was because most of his men died or got injured during the battle. In other words, Lee's troop was outnumbered by the union. Meade forced the confederates from the northern soil so they couldn't ever go back. Lee was devastated by this loss but knew that the soldiers were brave men that persevered. General John Meade had won this battle and General Robert Lee had failed to defeat the Northern army once again. On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a 2 minute speech. This short but understanding speech was called the Gettysburg Address. He said this speech in honor of the brave men who fought in this great civil war. He didn't think that his speech would be remembered but it is still remembered today by many people. Important events that happened elsewhere in the world during the time of battle were: (1863) On the continent of Asia, a war broke out in Afghanistan after the death of Dost Mohammed. In Europe, the football association was founded in London. Mohammed Said Khediveof Egypt was succeeded by Ishamail on the continent of Africa. Finally on the continent of Australia the first railroad in New Zealand was built.

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