Battle of Gettysburg

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The battle of Gettysburg was one of the largest engagements of the American Civil War. The battle began on July 1, 1863. The two armies, the Army of the Potomac, and the Army of Northern Virginia, both faced off at a town in Pennsylvania. The Union army was commanded by George Meade. The Union army was originally commanded by General Hooker, but he resigned a few weeks prior to the battle of Gettysburg.
The Union army consisted of 94,000 men, which were split among many military corps. The Union army consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 12th Army Corps. Among the Corps were also an Artillery Reserve, and a Cavalry Corps.
The Army of Northern Virginia was commanded by Robert E. Lee. The Confederate army consisted of nearly 70,00 men, and had similar military structure. The Confederate army was split off into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army Corps. They also had a cavalry division led by General J.E.B. Stuart.
On July 1st, at 8AM, Lee deployed two regiments against Buford’s cavalry, who at the time, were dismounted and fighting on foot. Buford’s cavalry, that consisted of some 3,000 men, would soon face nearly 8,000 Confederates. Soon, the engagement had begun between the two armies. During the battle between the two forces, Buford’s men had an advantage: They had breech-loading rifles. Meaning that they could shoot, and reload much faster the Confederate forces. They also had the advantage of a stone wall, also meaning that they could reload behind cover. Where as the Confederate had to stand and reload.
Nearing the end of the first day, the Federal troops were pushed back by the Confederate forces. In the retreat, the Union forces gained the high ground South of Gettysburg. Some of the main locations that were high ground c...

... middle of paper ...

...torn to pieces from cannon, and musket fire.
On Cemetery Ridge, Gen. Hancock, one of the commanders of the Union, oversaw his troops. After taking a bullet, he refused to leave the battlefield.
At one point, the stone wall formed an angle. Here, Armistead of the Confederate forces, charged, and nearly broke through. However, Armistead had too few troops to withstand the counter-attack by Union troops. Armistead was lethally shot there.
Finally, the Confederate forces retreated. At the time, Meade knew that Lee still had a large force, and chose not to pursue them. Pickett’s division of nearly 6,000 them was destroyed. Over half of his men were casualties, including all 15 regimental commanders. All in all, the casualties of both sides were great. Both sides lost a total of 46,286 soldiers. The Federals totaled at nearly 23,055 men, and the Confederates, 23,231 men.

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