The fate of the nation hung in the balance in the summer of 1863'

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The fate of the nation hung in the balance in
the summer of 1863.
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The war had not been going well for the Union
cause, especially in the eastern theater.
The Confederacy's most victorious army, the Army
of Northern Virginia under the guidance of
General Robert E. Lee, had duped and thwarted
Union attempts to drive on the Confederate
capitol of Richmond and though outnumbered and
often out gunned, Lee's army had won
strategically important victories.
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Disturbed at the constant reverses and exorbitant
Union casualties, President Lincoln had one
bright spot for the cause- the Union army in the
West had closed around Vicksburg, Mississippi,
the last great Confederate stronghold on the
important Mississippi River.
Yet, Lincoln and his Confederate counterpart
Jefferson Davis, knew all too well that events in
Virginia were going to decide the outcome of the
conflict.
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Why Gettysburg?
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• With two recent victories to his credit, Robert
  E. Lee was not ready to sit idle and wait for the
  next Union thrust. Instead he took the initiative
  to set out in early June on an invasion of the
  North.

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Lee's objectives were quite simple taking the
war across the Potomac River would hopefully draw
Union troops away from the ongoing siege of
Vicksburg. It was also a necessary measure to
provide relief to a war-torn Virginia and to
gather supplies for his hungry army.
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Politically, Lee reasoned a conclusive victory on
northern soil would add weight to the growing
Northern peace movement, apply pressure to the
Lincoln administration to end the war and sue for
peace, and provide sufficient reason for official
recognition of the Confederacy by European
powers. Only the political diplomacy of the
Lincoln administration had kept England and
France from recognizing the southern government
as an independent nation.
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While Lee's army made preparations to march,
the commander of the Army of the Potomac was in a
quandary. Major General Joseph Hooker took
command of this demoralized force soon after the
disastrous "Mud March" in the winter of 1863.
Hooker rebuilt morale and discipline, and that
spring he led a rejuvenated Union army into a
position behind Lee's forces concentrated at
Fredericksburg, Virginia. The result was the
Battle of Chancellorsville. Despite the
Union advantage, Lee and his top general,
"Stonewall" Jackson, countered the Union move and
soundly defeated Hooker. The miserable Union
failure at Chancellorsville made officials in the
U.S. War Department lose confidence in Hooker's
abilities. Uncertain of Lee's intentions, Hooker
cautiously moved the Army of the Potomac through
northern Virginia, keeping his army between
Washington and the suspected Confederate advance.
By this time, Lee's troops had already defeated a
Union force at Winchester, Virginia and crossed
the Potomac River into Maryland.
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Despite the loss of "Stonewall" Jackson, the
Army of Northern Virginia was riding high on a
tide of exultation as it moved northward that
summer. Lee's soldiers entered a rich land
barely touched by the war, and they marched
without any harassment by Union forces except for
some persistent cavalry troops. Militia units
retreated from their path, leaving the land to
the mercy of the Confederates. For the
Confederates, who had been living for months on
reduced rations, Maryland and Pennsylvania were
bursting with plenty. "I can hardly believe that
a rebel army has actually left poor Virginia for
a season," wrote Major Eugene Blackford of the
5th Alabama Infantry. "Of course there is no end
of milk and butter which our soldiers enjoy
hugely."
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There's hardly any sickness or straggling in
the army," added Private Eli Landers, 16th
Georgia Infantry. "We have a large army now in
Pennsylvania and it is good and in fine spirits.
We intend to let the Yankey Nation feel the sting
of the War as our borders has ever since the war
began." The weather was fine and Confederate
quartermasters made best use of their authority
by seizing Federal stores and purchasing needed
supplies from merchants and storehouses.
Soldiers begged for food from civilians and were
often rewarded by frightened farmers, too scared
to refuse the Confederate money handed them in
payment. On June 21, Lee issued Order No. 72
which forbade the seizure or theft of private
property. Apart from some minor infractions, the
Confederates obeyed the order and respected
civilian property.
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Captured Federal property was another
matter- anything found in government warehouses,
post offices, and railroad depots that was of use
to the southern army was quickly inventoried and
carried away, much to the dismay of Federal
authorities. The slow pursuit of Lee by the
Army of the Potomac not only alarmed War
Department officials, but shocked governors of
northern states who clamored for something to be
done to stop the rebel invasion. Political
pressure on the Lincoln administration added to
the tug of war between General Hooker and the US
War Department, which finally ended on June 28 as
the Army of the Potomac concentrated at
Frederick, Maryland. Hooker, completely
frustrated by the mistrust and lack of support
from War Department officials, requested to be
relieved of command.
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Hooker's request was quickly granted and
followed by the immediate appointment of Major
General George Gordon Meade as his replacement.
"I have been tried and condemned", a
surprised Meade remarked when receiving word of
his appointment. Using a trace of
information known on Lee's whereabouts and
objectives, Meade decided to immediately send the
army north to feel for the enemy and draw Lee
into battle on a defensive line to be established
at Pipe Creek, Maryland. The very next day,
the Army of the Potomac left their camps to find
the Confederates marching through Pennsylvania.
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Only three days before, Confederate forces
under Jubal Early had entered the small
Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg, demanding
supplies and money. The encounter was not without
mishap- a small squad from the 21st Pennsylvania
Emergency Cavalry was chased out of town and
Private George Sandoe was shot and killed, the
first official casualty of the coming battle.
Early did not tarry, but moved on toward York
and Columbia, where he was stopped by
Pennsylvania militia that burned the bridge over
the Susquehanna River. Meanwhile other
Confederate forces had occupied a large area of
south central Pennsylvania and closed on
Harrisburg, threatening the state capitol.
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Approach on Gettysburg
North
West
Gettysburg
Confederates
Union
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Eternal Light Peace Memorial
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View from Oak Hill(day 1)
Eternal Light Peace Memorial
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Lees Headquarters Seminary Ridgenear Lutheran
Seminary
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The Wheatfieldlooking west(day 2)
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Monument to 20th MaineLittle Round Top
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44th NY MonumentLittle Round Top
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Devils Den
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Devils DenSharpshooter photo
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View from Little Round Top looking at Devils Den
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General Meade monument
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Meades HeadquartersLeister House
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Looking at Little Round Top from Devils Den
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Valley of Death and Little Round Top from Devils
Den
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PA monument on Cemetery Ridge
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Trostle Barnnote cannon hole
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Looking west from Cemetery Ridge
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Looking west from Cemetery Ridgepicture taken a
few years after the battle
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View from The Anglelooking at Confederate line
on Seminary Ridge
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Looking at Union Line from Seminary
RidgePicketts Charge
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View of The Anglefrom Confederate line
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Highwater Mark of the South
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Virginia MemorialRobert E. Lee
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Building Marker
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Jennie Wade House
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Invitation to Lincoln for dedication of National
Cemetery
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David Wills House
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Note the bunting
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National Cemetery
Soldiers National Monument
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Marked graves
unknowns
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Lincoln Address Memorial
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Visitors Centerfirst stop
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Exhibits
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Exhibits
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The Dreadful Aftermath
The Battle of Gettysburg was an extremely
important victory for the Army of the Potomac and
ended Lee's invasion of the north. Yet the agony
of the battle was felt in Pennsylvania for many
months after. Approximately 22,000 wounded Union
and Confederate soldiers filled churches, barns,
and private homes. Civilians pitched in to help
the injured and dying, while the US Army Medical
Department treated wounded at "Camp Letterman"
east of Gettysburg before transportation to
permanent hospitals in Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington.
Gettysburg National Military Park Virtual Tour,
the Aftermath of the Battle