One hundred and fifty years ago today, a three-day battle that changed and set the course of our nation began — the Battle of Gettysburg. Generally acknowledged as the turning point of the Civil War, it’s only about an hour from where we live.
There is a popular tale that Gettysburg was the site of the battle because of a shoe factory and warehouse located there. The fact is that there was never a shoe factory — the armies converged on Gettysburg via the ten roads that led into the town.
The first day’s battle ranks as the 12th bloodiest battle of the Civil War, the second day’s battle was the largest and costliest of the three days.
The Battle of Gettysburg is the costliest battle of the Civil War in terms of casualties but it wasn’t the largest — that “honor” probably goes to the battle at Fredericksburg.
There are more than 1,400 monuments, markers and tablets at Gettysburg. More than one-third of all known photographs of dead soldiers on Civil War battlefields were taken at Gettysburg. The battle started without the knowledge or consent of either army commander (Lee or Meade.)
The battle was fought on some of the hottest days of the summer — it didn’t rain during the battle, but a heavy downpour soaked the battlefield the day after.
The first couple of days didn’t look good for the Union, but on the morning of July 3rd, fighting raged at Culp’s Hill and the Union regained its lost ground. That afternoon, after a massive artillery bombardment, Lee attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge and was repulsed with heavy losses in what is known as Pickett’s Charge. Lee’s invasion of the North had failed.
So today, we don’t speak Southern, but thankfully we do speak American.
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I wouldn’t have remember the spots of the battles as a student, but after visiting them as an adult I know where those battles were fought.