Gettysburg

"The greatest battle ever fought on the North American continent began over shoes."  With these words, Ken Burns introduced his PBS Civil War episode on the pivotal Gettysburg campaign.  Lee once again invaded the North hoping to further damage Northern morale and perhaps encourage British and French sympathy.

He was taking great tactical risks, operating out of touch with his supply line.  His first target was the important railhead of Harrisburg PA, northwest of Philadelphia and, more important, Washington.  Union army commander Geoge Meade shadowed Lee's army as it marched north in late Spring into early summer, keeping his troops between Lee and the capital.  Only a few miles separated many Confederate and Union units, and cavalry skirmishes were frequent.

When lead elements of Lee's army arrived north of the small town of Gettysburg, they headed toward Gettysburg to ransack the local shoe factory.  But, they unexpectedly clashed with Union advance units.  Both armies rushed reinforcements into the area and by the end of the day on July 1, fighting had ensued and the rebels held the advantage. 

The key to breaking the Union line was a small hill on the left flank forever after known as Little Round Top.  Union soliers of the 20th Maine arrived first and withstood several assaults by Alabama boys.  Finally, nearly out of ammunition, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, ordered his men to fix bayonets.  As the rebels swelled up the hill again, the Mainers executed a perfect bayonet charge and swept the attackers off the hill.

Fighting raged at various locations around the huge battlefield.  In each case the Union was able to hold on so that by nightfall on July 2nd, there was a stalemate.  Reinforcements were on the way for Union armies, but no such luck for Lee.  So, on that fateful July 3, Lee ordered General Longstreet to send Pickett's entire division across a wide field and into a fortified Union position.  Of course, Pickett's charge failed and Lee lost the battle.

But, Lee once again got away to fight again.  Both sides together suffered 50,000 killed, wounded and captured - twice Antietam's casualties.  Lee had lost nearly one third of his army and had to race back to the Virginia border to safety.

It was a great Union victory, and most historians consider it the turning point in the war.  The South would never again mount an aggressive offensive campaign outside its borders.  But the war would still last another 22 months.

In November 1863, Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg and presented his famous Gettysburg Address in a ceremony to honor the soldiers who died on those 3 bloody days.  But there were still more bloody days ahead.