Gettysburg Battlefield

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Gettysburg Battlefield Gettysburg Battlefield is the landscape where the three-day Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) unfolded near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, producing a pivotal Union victory during the American Civil War. The field comprises ridges, roads, farms, and monuments that reflect actions by units from the Army of the Potomac, Army of Northern Virginia, and numerous state regiments, with long-term preservation by federal and state entities including the National Park Service and the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission.

Background and Pre-Battle Landscape

Prior to July 1863 the terrain around Adams County, Pennsylvania included the civilian properties of the David Wills House, the Dobbin House, the Gulden Farm, and the agricultural tracts of families such as the Garlach and Weikert households. Roads like the Emmitsburg Road, Baltimore Pike, and Taneytown Road connected Hagerstown, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and York, Pennsylvania and shaped troop movement. The landscape’s ridgelines—Cemetery Hill, Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, Big Round Top, and the lowlands around Rock Creek—were influenced by 19th-century land use patterns, ironworks, and rail access via the Gettysburg Railroad. Civilian infrastructure included the Round Top Station, local taverns such as Cashtown Inn, and churches like St. James Lutheran Church.

On the Union side, principal commanders included George G. Meade commanding the Army of the Potomac, with corps leaders like John F. Reynolds, Winfield Scott Hancock, Oliver O. Howard, Daniel Sickles, and Gouverneur K. Warren. Union units present included the I Corps, II Corps, III Corps, V Corps, VI Corps, XI Corps, and elements of the XI Corps and cavalry under Alfred Pleasonton. Confederate forces were led by Robert E. Lee commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, with corps commanders James Longstreet, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (deceased, but contemporaneous references), Richard S. Ewell, A.P. Hill, and division and brigade leaders such as J.E.B. Stuart, Isaac R. Trimble, George E. Pickett, Richard B. Garnett, Lewis Armistead, and Henry Heth.

The three main days of fighting began with clashes north and west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1 when elements of Heth's Division engaged Federal dismounted infantry near the Mummasburg Road and the Rummel Farm. On July 2 corps-level maneuvers produced fierce fighting along Culp's Hill, Devil’s Den, Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, and Little Round Top as Meade and Lee sought decisive advantage. The climactic July 3 assault—Pickett's Charge—targeted the Union center on the Cemetery Ridge and involved brigades led by George E. Pickett, Lewis Armistead, and J. Johnston Pettigrew supported by an extensive artillery preparation involving batteries under Henry J. Hunt and Confederate gunners including Edward Porter Alexander.

Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery Ridge were focal points where brigades from the II Corps, III Corps, XII Corps, and Confederate divisions under Longstreet and Ewell collided. Notable regiments and units included the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commanded by Joshua L. Chamberlain, which defended Little Round Top against attacks by regiments under James L. Kemper and William Mahone. The Iron Brigade fought on McPherson's Ridge and around the Herbst Farm in actions involving leaders such as Solomon Meredith. Artillery engagements erupted at Benner's Hill, Round Top, and along the Emmitsburg Road, with Union battery commanders including James E. Wilson and Confederate gunners from the Parker's Battery contingent. Cavalry clashes occurred at locations like East Cavalry Field involving commanders David McMurtrie Gregg, Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, and Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart and division leaders such as Wade Hampton.

The immediate aftermath left tens of thousands of casualties among soldiers from states such as Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Command casualties included the deaths of officers like John F. Reynolds and severe losses among brigade commanders including Lewis Armistead and J. Johnston Pettigrew. Medical response involved surgeons from the United States Army Medical Department, volunteer groups such as the United States Sanitary Commission, and field hospitals at sites including the David Wills House and the Jennie Wade House. The strategic outcome weakened Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North and influenced political leaders in Washington, D.C. and the United States Congress.

Postwar preservation efforts were advanced by veterans’ organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic and Confederate veterans’ groups, and by individuals like David McConaughy and John B. Bachelder who advocated for monuments and land protection. The Gettysburg National Military Park was formally established through Congressional action and later administered by the National Park Service, with additional acreage acquired from private owners including the Sickles family and the Weikert farm. Monuments erected include statues of leaders such as George G. Meade, Robert E. Lee (relocated or contested), and regimental memorials for units from New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Indiana commands. Modern preservation partners include the Civil War Trust (now part of the American Battlefield Trust), Adams County historical societies, and academic projects at institutions like Gettysburg College.

Gettysburg’s cultural legacy includes President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered at the consecration of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, which linked the battle to national ideals in speeches referenced by historians at Harvard University, Princeton University, and Yale University. The battlefield has been the subject of works by historians such as Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, Edwin C. Fishel, James M. McPherson, Gordon C. Rhea, and Allen C. Guelzo, as well as portrayals in films like Gettysburg (film), novels by Michael Shaara (author of The Killer Angels), and art by Mathew Brady and photographers from the Photographic Studios of the era. Annual commemorations and reenactments attract veterans’ descendants, members of organizations such as the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and international visitors from United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia.