Gettysburg Campaign

Gettysburg Campaign
Conflict	Gettysburg Campaign
Partof	the American Civil War
Caption	Map of the campaign's movements
Date	June 3 – July 24, 1863
Place	Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Result	Union victory
Combatant1	United States (Union)
Combatant2	Confederate States (Confederacy)
Commander1	Joseph Hooker, George G. Meade
Commander2	Robert E. Lee
Units1	Army of the Potomac
Units2	Army of Northern Virginia
Strength1	~104,000 engaged
Strength2	~75,000 engaged
Casualties1	~30,100 (total campaign)
Casualties2	~27,000–28,000 (total campaign)

Gettysburg Campaign. The Gettysburg Campaign was a pivotal series of maneuvers and engagements conducted by the Confederate States Army under General Robert E. Lee against the Union Army during the summer of 1863. Culminating in the decisive three-day Battle of Gettysburg, the operation represented the Confederacy's most ambitious strategic offensive into Northern territory. The campaign's failure ended Confederate hopes for foreign recognition and shifted the war's momentum decisively toward the Union.

Background

Following his stunning victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, General Robert E. Lee sought to capitalize on Confederate momentum and relieve pressure on war-ravaged Virginia. His strategic objectives for invading the North included diverting Union forces away from the siege of Vicksburg, gathering vital supplies from the rich farmland of Pennsylvania, and potentially threatening major cities like Philadelphia or Baltimore. A decisive victory on Northern soil, Lee believed, could demoralize the Union populace, strengthen Northern peace movements, and possibly force the administration of Abraham Lincoln to negotiate. Conversely, the Army of the Potomac, now under the command of Major General Joseph Hooker, was tasked with defending Washington, D.C. and intercepting the Confederate advance.

Opposing forces

The principal Confederate force was Lee's veteran Army of Northern Virginia, organized into three infantry corps commanded by Lieutenant Generals James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, and A. P. Hill. This army included the formidable cavalry division of Major General J.E.B. Stuart. Opposing them was the Union's Army of the Potomac, which, following the resignation of Joseph Hooker on June 28, was placed under the command of Major General George G. Meade. Meade's army consisted of seven infantry corps, including the I Corps under John F. Reynolds and the II Corps under Winfield Scott Hancock, alongside a cavalry corps led by Major General Alfred Pleasonton.

Initial movements and battles

In early June, Lee began shifting his army northwest from Fredericksburg, Virginia, using the Blue Ridge Mountains to screen his movements. The Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland and then Pennsylvania throughout mid-June. Key preliminary clashes occurred as Union cavalry probed to locate the Confederate main body. These included the Battle of Brandy Station, the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war, and the Second Battle of Winchester, where Richard S. Ewell's corps soundly defeated Union forces, clearing the Shenandoah Valley path. Skirmishes at Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville further characterized the cavalry screening actions.

Battle of Gettysburg

The campaign's climax occurred from July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle began as a meeting engagement when a Confederate brigade searching for shoes clashed with Union cavalry under John Buford west of town. Fighting escalated with the arrival of John F. Reynolds's I Corps. The first day ended with Confederate forces pushing Union troops through the town to defensive positions on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. On the second day, fierce fighting raged at locations like Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Devil's Den. The third day was marked by Pickett's Charge, a massive but futile Confederate infantry assault against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, which was repulsed with catastrophic losses.

Retreat and pursuit

Following the defeat at Gettysburg, Lee's battered army began a retreat toward the Potomac River on July 4. Heavy rains swelled the river, delaying the Confederate crossing at Williamsport and Falling Waters. Meade's Army of the Potomac pursued cautiously, engaging Lee's rearguard in the Battle of Williamsport and the Battle of Boonsboro. The armies faced each other in fortified positions along the river for over a week. By July 14, after waters receded and a pontoon bridge was completed, the Army of Northern Virginia successfully escaped back into Virginia, ending the campaign.

Aftermath

The failed campaign was a catastrophic strategic and psychological blow to the Confederacy. Combined with the surrender of Vicksburg to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, it marked the war's turning point. Union casualties for the entire campaign exceeded 30,000, while Confederate losses were estimated between 27,000 and 28,000. The defeat ended the offensive power of the Army of Northern Virginia and dashed hopes for European intervention. In November, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, redefining the war's purpose. The Union victory solidified George G. Meade's command and set the stage for Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign against Lee.

Category:1863 in the American Civil War Category:Campaigns of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Category:Confederate invasions of the Union Category:History of Pennsylvania