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111-640: The park's properties include most of the Gettysburg Battlefield , many of the battle's support areas during the battle, including reserve, supply, and hospital locations, and several non-battle areas associated with the battle's aftermath and commemoration, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery , where the Gettysburg Address was delivered by then President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863. Many of

222-593: A 1928 artillery and cavalry camp was held at Culp's Hill in conjunction with President Calvin Coolidge 's Memorial Day address in the cemetery's rostrum . In 1933, administration of the GNMP transferred to the 1916 National Park Service (NPS), which initiated Great Depression projects including 1933 Civil Works Administration improvements, and two Civilian Conservation Corps camps were subsequently built for battlefield maintenance and construction projects. After

333-550: A 1933 comfort station had been built at The Pennsylvania State Memorial , similar stone Parkitecture structures were built (the west ranger station was completed May 21, 1937), and in April 1938, the Works Progress Administration added battlefield parking areas. Numerous commercial facilities were also developed on private battlefield land, particularly during the 1950s "Golden Age of Capitalism" in

444-715: A 271-word address considered one of the famous speeches in American history. Shortly after the Army of Northern Virginia won a major victory over the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 – May 6, 1863), General Robert E. Lee decided upon a second invasion of the North (the first was the unsuccessful Maryland campaign of September 1862, which ended in

555-599: A bayonet charge by the 20th Maine , ordered by Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain and possibly led down the slope by Lieutenant Holman S. Melcher , was one of the most fabled episodes in the Civil War and propelled Chamberlain into prominence after the war. Ewell interpreted his orders as calling only for a cannonade. His 32 guns, along with A. P. Hill's 55 guns, engaged in a two-hour artillery barrage at extreme range that had little effect. Finally, about six o'clock, Ewell sent orders to each of his division commanders to attack

666-461: A brigade of New Yorkers under Brigadier General George S. Greene behind strong, newly constructed defensive works. With reinforcements from the I and XI corps, Greene's men held off the Confederate attackers, though giving up some of the lower earthworks on the lower part of Culp's Hill. Early was similarly unprepared when he ordered Harry T. Hays 's and Isaac E. Avery 's brigades to attack

777-457: A controversial move, Lee allowed Stuart to take a portion of the army's cavalry and ride around the east flank of the Union army. Lee's orders gave Stuart much latitude, and both generals share the blame for the long absence of Stuart's cavalry, as well as for the failure to assign a more active role to the cavalry left with the army. Stuart and his three best brigades were absent from the army during

888-574: A dawn artillery bombardment against the Confederates on Culp's Hill in an effort to regain a portion of their lost works. The Confederates attacked, and the second fight for Culp's Hill ended around 11   a.m. Harry Pfanz judged that, after some seven hours of bitter combat, "the Union line was intact and held more strongly than before". Lee was forced to change his plans. Longstreet would command Pickett's Virginia division of his own First Corps, plus six brigades from Hill's Corps, in an attack on

999-403: A full-scale attack if a favorable opportunity presented itself. Lee's plan, however, was based on faulty intelligence, exacerbated by Stuart's continued absence from the battlefield. Though Lee personally reconnoitered his left during the morning, he did not visit Longstreet's position on the Confederate right. Even so, Lee rejected suggestions that Longstreet move beyond Meade's left and attack

1110-410: A minor engagement with newly promoted 23-year-old Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer 's Michigan cavalry near Hunterstown to the northeast of Gettysburg. Lee wished to renew the attack on Friday, July 3, using the same basic plan as the previous day: Longstreet would attack the Union left, while Ewell attacked Culp's Hill. However, before Longstreet was ready, Union XII Corps troops started

1221-415: A morale-boosting effect on the retreating Union soldiers, but he played no direct tactical role on the first day. General Lee understood the defensive potential to the Union if they held this high ground. He sent orders to Ewell that Cemetery Hill be taken "if practicable". Ewell, who had previously served under Stonewall Jackson, a general well known for issuing peremptory orders, determined such an assault

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1332-611: A national military park at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania." This piece of legislation officially allowed the transfer of the deed for the park to go from the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial National Park Association, to the Secretary of War. In February 2009, The David Wills House where Lincoln completed his Gettysburg Address was added to the national park and is operated by Gettysburg Foundation . In 2010, an effort to expand

1443-444: A wooden observation tower on East Cemetery Hill from 1878 to 1895. Post-war, John Bachelder invited over 1,000 officers, including 49 generals, to revisit the field with him. Bachelder also produced a battlefield survey with 1880 federal funds (initiated by Senator Wade Hampton III , a Confederate general). The GBMA approved and disapproved various monuments and in 1888 planted trees at Zeigler's Grove . The 1st battlefield monument

1554-535: Is Cemetery Ridge of only about 40 feet (12 m) above the surrounding terrain. The ridge includes The Angle 's stone wall and the copse of trees at the High-water mark of the Confederacy during Pickett's Charge . The southern end of Cemetery Ridge is Weikert Hill , north of Little Round Top . The two highest battlefield points are at Round Top to the south with the higher round summit of Big Round Top ,

1665-631: The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument tract with the statuary memorial depicted on the 2011 America the Beautiful Quarter dollar). Federal acquisition of land that would become the 1895 national park began on June 7, 1893, with nine monument tracts of 625 sq ft (58.1 m) each and a larger 10th lot of 1.2 acres (4,900 m) from the Association, as well as 0.275 acres (1,110 m) from Samuel M Bushman. In addition to land purchases, federal eminent domain takings include

1776-484: The Gettysburg Electric Railway right-of-ways in 1917 ( cf. 1896 United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co. ). Donated land included 160 acres from the 1959 Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association and 264 acres (107 ha) from the W. Alton Jones Foundation . The Gettysburg Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit philanthropic, educational organization that operates in partnership with

1887-480: The II Corps and Meade's most trusted subordinate, was ordered to take command of the field and to determine whether Gettysburg was an appropriate place for a major battle. Hancock told Howard, "I think this the strongest position by nature upon which to fight a battle that I ever saw." When Howard agreed, Hancock concluded the discussion: "Very well, sir, I select this as the battle-field." Hancock's determination had

1998-681: The Pennsylvania Piedmont entirely within the Potomac River Watershed near the Marsh and Rock creeks' triple point, with the Susquehanna River Watershed (near Oak Hill) occupying an area 3.33 by 5.33 miles (5.4 km × 8.6 km). Military engagements occurred within and around the borough of Gettysburg (1863 pop. 2,400), which remains the population center for the battlefield area at

2109-572: The Pennsylvania Reserves division of the V Corps, moving down from Little Round Top. The III Corps was virtually destroyed as a combat unit in this battle, and Sickles's leg was amputated after it was shattered by a cannonball. Caldwell's division was destroyed piecemeal in the Wheatfield. Anderson's division, coming from McLaws's left and starting forward around 6   p.m., reached the crest of Cemetery Ridge, but could not hold

2220-487: The Round Top Park brought alcohol and prostitution . The 1922 Camp Harding included a Marine Corps reenactment of Pickett's Charge observed by President Warren Harding and a next-day simulation of the same attack with modern weapons and tactics. The battlefield's commemorative era ended in 1927, and use of the national park for military camps continued under an 1896 federal law (29 Stat. 120), e.g.,

2331-543: The Wheatfield , Devil's Den , and the Peach Orchard . On the Union's right flank, Confederate demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill . Despite incurring significant losses, Union forces held their lines. On the third day of battle, July 3, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south of Gettysburg, but the main military engagement

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2442-400: The 1854 Evergreen Cemetery on its crest and where the 1863 Gettysburg Address dedicated the Gettysburg National Cemetery . Eastward are Culp's Hill and Steven's Knoll . Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill were subjected to assaults throughout the battle by Richard S. Ewell 's Second Corps. Cemetery Ridge extends about 1-mile (1.6 km) south from Cemetery Hill. Southward from Cemetery Hill

2553-558: The 1884 Round Top Branch of railroad to Round Top, Pennsylvania , and after March 1892, Tipton Park operated in the Slaughter Pen —which was at a trolley station of the Gettysburg Electric Railway that operated from 1894 to 1916. The federal Gettysburg National Park Commission was established on March 3, 1893; after which Congressman Daniel Sickles initiated a May 31, 1894, resolution “ to acquire by purchase (or by condemnation) … such lands, or interests in lands, upon or in

2664-499: The 1963 commemoration was lower than the 20,000 to 30,000 persons who attended the original address by President Lincoln in 1863. Thousands of photographers attended the 1963 event while U.S. Air Force aircraft passed overhead. Also attending the event were the 28th Division of the Pennsylvania National Guard headed by Maj. Gen. Henry F. Fluck, the U.S. Marine Band, and the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) of

2775-483: The 1966 NPS 50th anniversary included restoring battlefield houses, resurfacing 31 miles (50 km) of avenues, replacing the railway cut bridge, and restoring the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama . As the Mission 66 Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg with a new battlefield observation deck was being completed in 1962, the nearby 1896 Zeigler's Grove observation tower was removed (the 1895 Big Round Top observation tower

2886-698: The 4-acre (1.6 ha) site of the first shot at Knoxlyn Ridge on the west of the borough, to East Cavalry Field on the east. A military engagement prior to the battle was conducted at the Gettysburg Railroad trestle over Rock Creek , which was burned on June 27. Within 10 miles (16 km) of the Maryland/Pennsylvania state line , the Gettysburg battlefield is situated in the Gettysburg-Newark Basin of

2997-664: The Battle of Gettysburg, Union Major General George Meade 's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee 's Army of Northern Virginia , halting Lee's invasion of the North and forcing his retreat. After his success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his Confederate forces through Shenandoah Valley to begin the Gettysburg Campaign , his second attempted invasion of

3108-609: The Battle of Gettysburg. These included portions of the Union IV Corps , the militia and state troops of the Department of the Susquehanna , and various garrisons, including that at Harpers Ferry. In reaction to the death of Jackson after Chancellorsville, Lee reorganized his Army of Northern Virginia (75,000 men) from two infantry corps into three. Anticipating that the Confederates would march on Gettysburg from

3219-657: The Carlisle and Harrisburg roads toward Gettysburg, while the Union XI Corps (Major General Oliver O. Howard ) raced north on the Baltimore Pike and Taneytown Road. By early afternoon, the Union line ran in a semicircle west, north, and northeast of Gettysburg. However, the Union did not have enough troops; Cutler, whose brigade was deployed north of the Chambersburg Pike, had his right flank in

3330-574: The Confederate line was nearly five miles (8 km) long. Lee's battle plan for July 2 called for a general assault of Meade's positions. On the right, Longstreet's First Corps was to position itself to attack the Union left flank, facing northeast astraddle the Emmitsburg Road, and to roll up the Union line. The attack sequence was to begin with Maj. Gens. John Bell Hood 's and Lafayette McLaws 's divisions, followed by Major General Richard H. Anderson 's division of Hill's Third Corps. On

3441-484: The Confederates could gain control of these heights, Meade's army would have difficulty dislodging them. Heth's division advanced with two brigades forward, commanded by brigadier generals James J. Archer and Joseph R. Davis . They proceeded easterly in columns along the Chambersburg Pike. Three mi (5 km) west of town, about 7:30 a.m. on July 1, the two brigades met light resistance from vedettes of Union cavalry, and deployed into line. According to lore,

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3552-650: The Confederates had pushed the Union cavalrymen east to McPherson Ridge, when the vanguard of the I Corps (Major General John F. Reynolds ) finally arrived. North of the pike, Davis gained a temporary success against Brigadier General Lysander Cutler 's brigade but was repelled with heavy losses in an action around an unfinished railroad bed cut in the ridge. South of the pike, Archer's brigade assaulted through Herbst (also known as McPherson's) Woods. The Union Iron Brigade under Brigadier General Solomon Meredith enjoyed initial success against Archer, capturing several hundred men, including Archer himself. General Reynolds

3663-658: The Emmitsburg Road to south of the Codori farm. This created an untenable salient at the Peach Orchard; Brigadier General Andrew A. Humphreys 's division (in position along the Emmitsburg Road) and Major General David B. Birney 's division (to the south) were subject to attacks from two sides and were spread out over a longer front than their small corps could defend effectively. The Confederate artillery

3774-652: The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association's debts of $ 1960.46, on February 4, 1896, the War Department acquired 124 GBMA tracts totaling 522 acres (211 ha), including 320 monuments and about 17 miles (27 km) of roads. Commercial development after Tipton Park was abolished in the fall of 1901 included the July 1902 Hudson Park picnic grove north of Little Round Top (including a boxing arena). A dancing pavilion

3885-588: The Gettysburg station. He rode, in the parade as did Lincoln, on horseback to the National cemetery where actor Massey gave the President's famous address (this time for brevity, Edward Everett's preceding two-hour speech was not read). The parade followed the same route that President Lincoln and Gov. Andrew G. Curtin took 100 years before. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower —who lived nearby—was there, accompanied by Gov. William W. Scranton . The attendance at

3996-434: The I Corps division of Brigadier General John C. Robinson south of Oak Hill. Early's division profited from a blunder by Brigadier General Francis C. Barlow , when he advanced his XI Corps division to Blocher's Knoll (directly north of town and now known as Barlow's Knoll); this represented a salient in the corps line, susceptible to attack from multiple sides, and Early's troops overran Barlow's division, which constituted

4107-658: The II Corps, most of the XII Corps, and portions of the newly arrived VI Corps. Hood's division moved more to the east than intended, losing its alignment with the Emmitsburg Road, attacking Devil's Den and Little Round Top. McLaws, coming in on Hood's left, drove multiple attacks into the thinly stretched III Corps in the Wheatfield and overwhelmed them in Sherfy's Peach Orchard . McLaws's attack eventually reached Plum Run Valley (the "Valley of Death") before being beaten back by

4218-578: The Iron Brigade was pushed out of the woods toward Seminary Ridge. Hill added Major General William Dorsey Pender 's division to the assault, and the I Corps was driven back through the grounds of the Lutheran Seminary and Gettysburg streets. As the fighting to the west proceeded, two divisions of Ewell's Second Corps, marching west toward Cashtown in accordance with Lee's order for the army to concentrate in that vicinity, turned south on

4329-626: The National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance. (e.g., the Foundation raised funds for and built the new Museum and Visitor Center, opened in 2008, and secured funds for the creation of a new cannon shop that daily preserves the nearly 400 cannons representing actual artillery lines on

4440-406: The North . Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle, representing the most deadly battle in U.S. history. On November 19, President Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg, where he spoke at a ceremony dedicating Gettysburg National Cemetery that honored the fallen Union soldiers and redefined the purpose of the Civil War in his famed Gettysburg Address ,

4551-490: The North. With Lee's army in high spirits, he intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged Northern Virginia in the hopes of penetrating as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania or Philadelphia , which he hoped would convince northern politicians to abandon their prosecution of the war. President Abraham Lincoln initially prodded Major General Joseph Hooker to move his Union forces in pursuit of Lee, but relieved Hooker of his command just three days before

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4662-608: The Northeast region. Former and current Superintendents of the Gettysburg National Military Park. · Zach Bolitho: 2014-2014 · Zach Bolitho: 2019-2019 As the Gettysburg National Military Park increases in popularity it has run into ecological changes caused by this popularity and also natural causes. There are an estimated annual 2 million people visiting the park a year, and with this large influx of visitors concerns have arisen on its effects on

4773-573: The Potomac, initially under Hooker (Meade replaced Hooker in command on June 28), consisted of more than 100,000 men in the following organization: During the advance on Gettysburg, Reynolds was in operational command of the left, or advanced, wing of the Army, consisting of the I, III, and XI corps. Many other Union units (not part of the Army of the Potomac) were actively involved in the Gettysburg Campaign, but not directly involved in

4884-507: The Round Tops earned the name Valley of Death on that day. The area of the military engagements during the battle included the majority of the 1863 town area and the current borough area. The broadest regions of borough military engagements are the combat area of the Union retreat while being pursued on July 1, as well as the burg's area over which artillery rounds were fired. Confederate artillery fired from Oak Hill southeastward onto

4995-629: The Trust's most significant and expensive acquisitions. In 2015, the Trust paid $ 6 million for a four-acre parcel that included the stone house that Lee used as his headquarters during the battle. The Trust razed a motel, restaurant and other buildings within the parcel to restore the site to its wartime appearance, added interpretive signs and opened the site to the public in October, 2016. Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg ( locally / ˈ ɡ ɛ t ɪ s b ɜːr ɡ / )

5106-479: The U.S. Army. The parade ended at the rear entrance into the Gettysburg National Cemetery . It was not until the installation of a monument to General Lee in 1917 that Confederate memorials were included, which first took the form of individual monuments symbolizing a specific Confederate state. The Gettysburg National Military Park is administered in the North Atlantic–Appalachian region, also known as

5217-477: The Union II Corps position at the right center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Prior to the attack, all the artillery the Confederacy could bring to bear on the Union positions would bombard and weaken the enemy's line. Much has been made over the years of General Longstreet's objections to General Lee's plan. In his memoirs, Longstreet states that he told Lee that there were not enough men to assault

5328-491: The Union XI Corps positions on East Cemetery Hill. Once started, fighting was fierce: Colonel Andrew L. Harris of the Union 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XI Corps came under a withering attack, losing half his men. Avery was wounded early on, but the Confederates reached the crest of the hill and entered the Union breastworks, capturing one or two batteries. Seeing he was not supported on his right, Hays withdrew. His right

5439-472: The Union attack. The inconclusive battle, the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war, proved for the first time that the Union horse soldier was equal to his Southern counterpart. By mid-June, the Army of Northern Virginia was poised to cross the Potomac River and enter Maryland . After defeating the Union garrisons at Winchester and Martinsburg , Ewell's Second Corps began crossing

5550-810: The Union flank, capturing the supply trains and effectively blocking Meade's escape route. Lee did not issue orders for the attack until 11:00 a.m. About noon, General Anderson's advancing troops were discovered by General Sickles's outpost guard and the Third Corps—upon which Longstreet's First Corps was to form—did not get into position until 1:00 pm. Hood and McLaws, after their long march, were not yet in position and did not launch their attacks until just after 4:00   p.m. and 5:00   p.m., respectively. As Longstreet's left division, under Major General Lafayette McLaws, advanced, they unexpectedly found Major General Daniel Sickles 's III Corps directly in their path. Sickles had been dissatisfied with

5661-521: The Union lines in his front. Major General Edward "Allegheny" Johnson 's division had contemplated an assault on Culp's Hill, but they were still a mile away and had Rock Creek to cross. The few possible crossings would make significant delays. Because of this, only three of Johnson's four brigades moved to the attack. Most of the hill's defenders, the Union XII Corps, had been sent to the left to defend against Longstreet's attacks, leaving only

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5772-583: The Union soldier to fire the first shot of the battle was Lieutenant Marcellus Jones . Eventually Heth's men encountered dismounted troopers of Colonel William Gamble's cavalry brigade. The dismounted troopers resisted stoutly, delaying the Confederate advance with most firing their breech-loading Sharp's carbines from behind fences and trees. (A small number of troopers had other carbine models. A small minority of historians have written that some troopers had Spencer repeating carbines or Spencer repeating rifles but most sources disagree.) Still, by 10:20 am,

5883-630: The United States (e.g., motels, eateries, & visitor attractions). The battlefield's 2nd largest monument, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial , was accepted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and unveiled at the 1938 Gettysburg reunion that attracted over 300,000 battlefield visitors. In 1939, the 1st of the Gettysburg National Museum's 14 expansions was completed (the electric map auditorium

5994-549: The War Department Observation Tower and a large rock. The park staff were able to clean and revive both objects to their original condition. All of the following are filed under Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania: Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . Locations of military engagements extend from

6105-644: The air. The leftmost division of the XI Corps was unable to deploy in time to strengthen the line, so Doubleday was forced to throw in reserve brigades to salvage his line. Around 2:00   p.m., the Confederate Second Corps divisions of major generals Robert E. Rodes and Jubal Early assaulted and out-flanked the Union I and XI corps' positions north and northwest of town. The Confederate brigades of Colonel Edward A. O'Neal and Brigadier General Alfred Iverson suffered severe losses assaulting

6216-504: The amount of the federally-owned GNMP land failed in Congress. The Park has been a highly symbolic venue for memorials and remembrance. On November 19, 1963, a parade and ceremony was held in Gettysburg commemorating the centennial of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address , given less than five months after the Battle of Gettysburg . The actor, Raymond Massey , playing the role of President Lincoln, arrived by 1860s period steam train at

6327-527: The annual "Topton Day" autumn foliage tours from near Berks County, Pennsylvania . Veterans reunions included the 1888 25th battle anniversary , a 1906 ceremony to return Gen Armistead's sword to the South. and 53,407 civil war veterans attending the 1913 Gettysburg reunion for the 50th anniversary. The battlefield had a 1912 airfield at Camp Stuart and a WWI Tank Corps center at Brevet Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower 's 1918 Camp Colt , and excursions to

6438-494: The battle, replacing him with Meade. On July 1, 1863, as Lee's forces moved on Gettysburg in the hopes of destroying the Union Army, the two armies initially collided, and the battle commenced. Low ridges to the northwest of Gettysburg were initially defended by a Union cavalry division under Brigadier General John Buford , and soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry . Two large Confederate corps assaulted them from

6549-575: The battle.) Battlefield visitors through the early 20th century typically arrived by train at the borough's 1884 Gettysburg & Harrisburg RR Station or the 1859 Gettysburg Railroad Station and used horse-drawn jitneys to tour the battlefield. The borough licensed automobile taxis first in 1913, and the War Department expanded the battlefield roads throughout the commemorative era. Early 20th century battlefield excursions included those by "The Hod Carriers Consolidated Union of Baltimore" and

6660-599: The battlefield, but was purchased under eminent domain and demolished in 2000. In the Devil's Den area, trees were removed in 2007, and the comfort station was razed April 8, 2010. Similarly, the Gettysburg National Museum was demolished in 2008. In 2008, the Gettysburg National Military Park had 1,320 monuments, 410 cannon, 148 historic buildings, 2½ observation towers, and 41 miles (66 km) of avenues, roads, and lanes; (8 unpaved). "one of

6771-720: The battlefield. In addition, the Gettysburg Foundation has provided approximately $ 20 million in direct support of the National Park Service just since 2009. The Visitor Center houses the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War and the 19th century, painting in the round, the Gettysburg Cyclorama) The park officially came under federal control on February 11, 1895, with a piece of legislation titled, "An Act To establish

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6882-646: The benefit of tourists visiting the battlefield park. Attendance in 2018 was 950,000, a decline of 86% since 1970. The five major Civil War battlefield parks operated by the National Park Service (Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga/Chattanooga and Vicksburg) had a combined 3.1 million visitors in 2018, down 70% from 10.2 million in 1970. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The 1864 Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association and later veteran's associations acquired land for memorials and preservation (e.g.,

6993-465: The bloody Battle of Antietam ). Such a move would upset the Union 's plans for the summer campaigning season and possibly reduce the pressure on the besieged Confederate garrison at Vicksburg . The invasion would allow the Confederates to live off the bounty of the rich Northern farms while giving war-ravaged Virginia a much-needed rest. In addition, Lee's 72,000-man army could threaten Philadelphia, Baltimore , and Washington , and possibly strengthen

7104-404: The borough's west side. Oak Ridge , a northward extension of both McPherson Ridge and Seminary Ridge, is capped by Oak Hill, a site for artillery that commanded a good area north of the town. Prior to Pickett's Charge , " 159 guns stretching in a long line from the Peach Orchard to Oak Hill were to open simultaneously ". Directly south of the town is the gently-sloped Cemetery Hill named for

7215-475: The brigades of Pettigrew and Colonel John M. Brockenbrough . As Pettigrew's North Carolina Brigade came on line, they flanked the 19th Indiana and drove the Iron Brigade back. The 26th North Carolina (the largest regiment in the army, with 839 men) lost heavily, leaving the first day's fight with around 212 men. By the end of the three-day battle, they had about 152 men standing, the highest casualty percentage for one battle of any regiment, North or South. Slowly

7326-406: The cemetery. The only two Confederate monuments inside the Union areas of battle held are an 1887 plaque near The Angle commemorating Gen Armistead's farthest advance on July 3 and the 1884 2nd Maryland Infantry monument on Culp's Hill. The battlefield was used by the 1884 Camp Gettysburg and other summer encampments of the PA National Guard . Commercial development in the 19th century included

7437-581: The close of the battle, some of the ~22,000 wounded remained on the battlefield and were subsequently treated at the outlying Camp Letterman hospital or nearby field hospitals, houses, churches, and other buildings. Dead soldiers on the battlefield totaled 8,900; and contractors such as David Warren were hired to bury men and animals (the majority near where they fell). Samuel Weaver oversaw all of these reburials. The first excursion train arrived with battlefield visitors on July 5. On July 10, Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin visited Gettysburg and expressed

7548-591: The command of Major General J.E.B. Stuart . The Union Army of the Potomac under Major General Joseph Hooker consisted of seven infantry corps, a cavalry corps, and an artillery reserve, for a combined strength of more than 100,000 men. The first major action of the campaign took place on June 9 between cavalry forces at Brandy Station , near Culpeper, Virginia . The 9,500 Confederate cavalrymen under Stuart were surprised by Major General Alfred Pleasonton 's combined arms force of two cavalry divisions (8,000 troopers) and 3,000 infantry, but Stuart eventually repelled

7659-614: The crucial phase of the approach to Gettysburg and the first two days of battle. By June 29, Lee's army was strung out in an arc from Chambersburg (28 mi (45 km) northwest of Gettysburg) to Carlisle (30 mi (48 km) north of Gettysburg) to near Harrisburg and Wrightsville on the Susquehanna River . In a dispute over the use of the forces defending the Harpers Ferry garrison, Hooker offered his resignation, and Abraham Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck , who were looking for an excuse to rid themselves of him, immediately accepted. They replaced Hooker early on

7770-529: The current borough was at Coster Avenue (north of the 1863 town) in which Early's division defeated Coster's brigade . The town was generally held by the Confederate provost and used by snipers after the dawn of July 2 (e.g., a brickyard behind the McCreary House, the John Rupp Tannery on Baltimore St, and a church belfry). A Confederate skirmish line at Breckenridge Street faced Federals on Cemetery Hill , and ~7 pm July 1, "the Confederate line of battle had been formed on East and West Middle Streets". At

7881-465: The dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery , which was completed in March 1864 with the last of 3,512 Union reburied. From 1870 to 1873, upon the initiative of the Ladies Memorial Associations of Richmond , Raleigh , Savannah , and Charleston , 3,320 bodies were disinterred and sent to cemeteries in those cities for reburial, 2,935 being interred in Hollywood Cemetery , Richmond. Seventy-three bodies were reburied in home cemeteries. The cemetery

7992-411: The environment. Natural areas like wooded areas, thickets and wetlands, have been stressed by pollution caused by traffic, and the issue of invasive species threatening the ecology of the park. Vandalism at Gettysburg National Military Park is also a challenge to the integrity of the premises. The National Park Service released a statement on August 21, 2024, that spray paint and graffiti caused damage to

8103-460: The evening of July 1 and morning of July 2, most of the remaining infantry of both armies arrived on the field, including the Union II, III, V, VI, and XII Corps. Two of Longstreet's divisions were on the road: Brigadier General George Pickett , had begun the 22-mile (35 km) march from Chambersburg, while Brigadier General Evander M. Law had begun the march from Guilford. Both arrived late in

8214-454: The extreme left of the Union line. His brigade of four relatively small regiments was able to resist repeated assaults by Law's brigade of Hood's division. Meade's chief engineer, Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren , had realized the importance of this position, and dispatched Vincent's brigade, an artillery battery, and the 140th New York to occupy Little Round Top mere minutes before Hood's troops arrived. The defense of Little Round Top with

8325-563: The growing peace movement in the North. Thus, on June 3, Lee's army began to shift northward from Fredericksburg, Virginia . Following the death of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson , Lee reorganized his two large corps into three new corps, commanded by Lieutenant General James Longstreet (First Corps), Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell (Second), and Lieutenant General A.P. Hill (Third); both Ewell and Hill, who had formerly reported to Jackson as division commanders, were new to this level of responsibility. The cavalry division remained under

8436-464: The intersections of roads that connect the borough with 10 nearby Pennsylvania and Maryland towns (e.g., antebellum turnpikes to Chambersburg , York , and Baltimore .) The battle began on the west at Lohr's, Whistler's, School-House, and Knoxlyn ridges between Cashtown and Gettysburg. Nearer to Gettysburg, dismounted Union cavalry defended McPherson's Ridge and Herr's Ridge, and eventually infantry support arrived to defend Seminary Ridge at

8547-606: The largest collections of outdoor sculpture in the world." In February 2013 the landmark modernist Cyclorama Building and Visitor Center , designed by renowned architect Richard Neutra , was destroyed. The 19th century Gettysburg Cyclorama depicting the battlefield had previously been removed for restoration, and was reinstalled in the new rustic style Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center . The Gettysburg National Military Park receives an annual 3 million visitors per year. The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 1,231 acres (4.98 km ) of

8658-410: The left, Lee instructed Ewell to position his Second Corps to attack Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill when he heard the gunfire from Longstreet's assault, preventing Meade from shifting troops to bolster his left. Though it does not appear in either his or Lee's Official Report, Ewell claimed years later that Lee had changed the order to simultaneously attack, calling for only a "diversion", to be turned into

8769-473: The lower oval summit of Little Round Top , and a saddle between. The Round Tops are rugged and strewn with large boulders; as is Devil's Den to the west. [Big] Round Top , known also to locals of the time as Sugar Loaf, is 116 feet (35 m) higher than its Little companion. Its steep slopes are heavily wooded, which made it unsuitable for siting artillery without a large effort to climb the heights with horse-drawn guns and clear lines of fire; Little Round Top

8880-1093: The morning of June 28 with Major General George Gordon Meade , then commander of the V Corps . On June 29, when Lee learned that the Army of the Potomac had crossed the Potomac River, he ordered a concentration of his forces around Cashtown , located at the eastern base of South Mountain and eight mi (13 km) west of Gettysburg. On June 30, while part of Hill's corps was in Cashtown, one of Hill's brigades (North Carolinians under Brigadier General J. Johnston Pettigrew ) ventured toward Gettysburg. In his memoirs, Major General Henry Heth , Pettigrew's division commander, claimed that he sent Pettigrew to search for supplies in town—especially shoes. When Pettigrew's troops approached Gettysburg on June 30, they noticed Union cavalry under Major General John Buford arriving south of town, and Pettigrew returned to Cashtown without engaging them. When Pettigrew told Hill and Heth what he had seen, neither general believed that there

8991-416: The morning. Law completed his 28-mile (45 km) march in eleven hours. The Union line ran from Culp's Hill southeast of the town, northwest to Cemetery Hill just south of town, then south for nearly two miles (3 km) along Cemetery Ridge, terminating just north of Little Round Top. Most of the XII Corps was on Culp's Hill; the remnants of I and XI Corps defended Cemetery Hill; II Corps covered most of

9102-568: The next winter he interviewed Union officers about Gettysburg).         1933: NPS         1895: War Dept         1864: GBMA         1858: Gettysburg Railroad periods:         WWI & WWII         commemorative era The 1864 Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (GBMA) added to McConaughy's land holdings and operated

9213-416: The northern half of Cemetery Ridge; and III Corps was ordered to take up a position to its flank. The shape of the Union line is popularly described as a "fishhook" formation. The Confederate line paralleled the Union line about one mile (1,600 m) to the west on Seminary Ridge, ran east through the town, then curved southeast to a point opposite Culp's Hill. Thus, the Union army had interior lines, while

9324-420: The northwest and north, however, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, leading them to retreat through the streets of Gettysburg to the hills just south of the city. On the second day of battle, on July 2, the Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. In the late afternoon, Lee launched a heavy assault on the Union's left flank, leading to fierce fighting at Little Round Top ,

9435-402: The overall battlefield in more than 35 separate transactions since 1997. Some of the land has been sold or conveyed to the National Park Service to be incorporated into the national park, but other land acquisitions are outside the official, federally established, current park boundary and thus cannot become part of the park. This includes the headquarters of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, one of

9546-682: The park's 43,000 American Civil War artifacts are displayed in the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center . The park has more wooded land than in 1863, and the National Park Service has an ongoing program to restore portions of the battlefield to their historical non-wooded conditions, as well as to replant historic orchards and woodlots that are now missing. In addition, the NPS is restoring native plants to meadows and edges of roads, to encourage habitat as well as provide for historic landscape. There are also considerably more roads and facilities for

9657-419: The position assigned him on the southern end of Cemetery Ridge. Seeing ground better suited for artillery positions one-half mile (800 m) to the west—centered at the Sherfy farm's Peach Orchard—he violated orders and advanced his corps to the slightly higher ground along the Emmitsburg Road, moving away from Cemetery Ridge. The new line ran from Devil's Den, northwest to the Peach Orchard, then northeast along

9768-400: The position in the face of counterattacks from the II Corps, including an almost suicidal bayonet charge by the 1st Minnesota regiment against a Confederate brigade, ordered in desperation by Hancock to buy time for reinforcements to arrive. As fighting raged in the Wheatfield and Devil's Den, Colonel Strong Vincent of V Corps had a precarious hold on Little Round Top, an important hill at

9879-401: The retreated Union line extending east-to-west from Culp's Hill to the west side of Cemetery Hill , and Union artillery on Cemetery Hill fired on the railway cut (including Wiedrich's battery ~5 pm). Smaller engagements in the town included those with some federals remaining in/near structures after the retreat (e.g., wounded soldiers not willing to surrender). The largest engagement within

9990-470: The right flank of the Union Army's position. Barlow was wounded and captured in the attack. As Union positions collapsed both north and west of town, Howard ordered a retreat to the high ground south of town at Cemetery Hill, where he had left the division of Brigadier General Adolph von Steinwehr in reserve. Major General Winfield S. Hancock assumed command of the battlefield, sent by Meade when he heard that Reynolds had been killed. Hancock, commander of

10101-512: The river on June 15. Hill's and Longstreet's corps followed on June 24 and 25. Hooker's army pursued, keeping between Washington, D.C., and Lee's army. The Union army crossed the Potomac from June 25 to 27. Lee gave strict orders for his army to minimize any negative effects on the civilian population. Food, horses, and other supplies were generally not seized outright unless a citizen concealed property, although quartermasters reimbursing Northern farmers and merchants with Confederate money which

10212-416: The selected divisions after the first two days of fighting. They would have to walk a mile under heavy artillery and long-range musketry fire. Longstreet states that he further asked Lee: "the strength of the column. He [Lee] stated fifteen thousand. Opinion was then expressed [by Longstreet] that the fifteen thousand men who could make successful assault over that field had never been arrayed for battle; but he

10323-646: The state's interest in finding the fallen veterans a resting place. Attorney David Wills arranged for the purchase of 17 acres (6.9 ha) of Cemetery Hill battlefield land for a cemetery. On August 14, 1863, attorney David McConaughy recommended a preservation association to sell membership stock for battlefield fundraising. By September 16, 1863, battlefield protection had begun with McConaughy's purchase of "the heights of Cemetery Hill and" Little Round Top , and his total purchased area of 600 acres (240 ha) included Culp's Hill land. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at

10434-467: The strong left center of the Union line by McLaws's and Hood's divisions reinforced by Pickett's brigades. Longstreet thought the attack would be repulsed and a counterattack would put Union forces between the Confederates and the Potomac River. Longstreet wrote that he said it would take a minimum of thirty thousand men to attack successfully as well as close coordination with other Confederate forces. He noted that only about thirteen thousand men were left in

10545-404: The town of Gettysburg after chasing off newly raised 26th Pennsylvania emergency militia in a series of minor skirmishes. Early laid the borough under tribute, but did not collect any significant supplies. Soldiers burned several railroad cars and a covered bridge , and destroyed nearby rails and telegraph lines . The following morning, Early departed for adjacent York County . Meanwhile, in

10656-428: The vicinity of said battle field . The memorial association era ended in 1895 when the "Sickles Gettysburg Park Bill" (28 Stat. 651) designated the Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP) under the War Department. Subsequent battlefield improvements included the October 1895 construction of the War Department's observation towers to replace the 1878 Cemetery Hill tower and an 1881 Big Round Top tower. For payment of

10767-485: The west on the morning of July 1, Buford laid out his defenses on three ridges west of the town: Herr Ridge , McPherson Ridge and Seminary Ridge . These were appropriate terrain for a delaying action by his small cavalry division against superior Confederate infantry forces, meant to buy time awaiting the arrival of Union infantrymen who could occupy the strong defensive positions south of town at Cemetery Hill , Cemetery Ridge , and Culp's Hill . Buford understood that if

10878-458: Was a dramatic Confederate infantry assault of approximately 12,000 Confederates troops, who attacked the center of the Union line at Cemetery Ridge in what is known as Pickett's Charge . The Confederate charge was repelled by Union rifle and artillery fire, leading to great Confederate losses. The following day, on the Fourth of July , Lee led his Confederate troops on the torturous retreat from

10989-461: Was a substantial Union force in or near the town, suspecting that it had been only Pennsylvania militia. Despite Lee's order to avoid a general engagement until his entire army was concentrated, Hill decided to mount a significant reconnaissance in force the following morning to determine the size and strength of the enemy force in his front. Around 5   a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, two brigades of Heth's division advanced to Gettysburg. The Army of

11100-569: Was a three-day battle in the American Civil War fought between Union and Confederate forces between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . The battle, which was won by the Union, is widely considered the Civil War's turning point , ending the Confederacy's aspirations to establish an independent nation. It was the Civil War's bloodiest battle, claiming over 50,000 combined casualties over three days. In

11211-630: Was added in 1963 and closed April 13, 2008). Pitzer Woods was the site of the World War II Camp Sharpe , and McMillan Woods had a German POW camp (the latter was used for post-war housing of migrant workers for local production). Heads-of-state at the battlefield included a 1943 Winston Churchill auto tour with President Roosevelt, President Eisenhower escorting President Charles De Gaulle (1960), and President Jimmy Carter hosting President Anwar Sadat and Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1978). The 1956 Mission 66 plan for

11322-532: Was an 1867 marble urn in the National Cemetery dedicated to the 1st Minnesota Infantry , and the 1st memorial outside of the cemetery was the 1878 Strong Vincent tablet Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine on Little Round Top. By May 1887 there were 90 regimental and battery monuments on the battlefield, and the first bronze monument on the battlefield was Reynolds' 1872 statue in

11433-500: Was erected at the Round Top Museum in 1902, and in the saddle area between the Round Tops, David Weikert operated an eating house moved from Tipton Park after it was seized in 1901 by eminent domain . Landscape preservation began in 1883 when peach trees were planted in the Peach Orchard , and 20,000 battlefield trees were planted in 1906 (trees are periodically removed from battlefield areas that had been logged prior to

11544-419: Was not practicable and, thus, did not attempt it; this decision is considered by historians to be a great missed opportunity. The first day at Gettysburg, more significant than simply a prelude to the bloody second and third days, ranks as the 23rd biggest battle of the war by number of troops engaged. About one quarter of Meade's army (22,000 men) and one third of Lee's army (27,000) were engaged. Throughout

11655-439: Was ordered to open fire at 3:00 pm. After failing to attend a meeting at this time of Meade's corps commanders, Meade rode to Sickles's position and demanded an explanation of the situation. Knowing a Confederate attack was imminent and a retreat would be endangered, Meade refused Sickles' offer to withdraw. Meade was forced to send 20,000 reinforcements: the entire V Corps, Brigadier General John C. Caldwell 's division of

11766-444: Was removed in 1968). In 1967, the NPS purchased the 1921 Gettysburg National Museum, which the NPS operated from 1971 -2008. Also in 1971, the NPS acquired Round Top Station and the Round Top Museum, using the latter as an environmental resource center until demolished c.  July 1982. The private Gettysburg National Tower of 393 ft (120 m) was completed in 1974 to provide several observation levels for viewing

11877-426: Was shot and killed early in the fighting while directing troop and artillery placements just to the east of the woods. Shelby Foote wrote that the Union cause lost a man considered by many to be "the best general in the army". Major General Abner Doubleday assumed command. Fighting in the Chambersburg Pike area lasted until about 12:30 pm. It resumed around 2:30 pm, when Heth's entire division engaged, adding

11988-460: Was to be supported by Robert E. Rodes's division, but Rodes—like Early and Johnson—had not been ordered up in preparation for the attack. He had twice as far to travel as Early; by the time he came in contact with the Union skirmish line, Early's troops had already begun to withdraw. Jeb Stuart and his three cavalry brigades arrived in Gettysburg around noon but had no role in the second day's battle. Brigadier General Wade Hampton 's brigade fought

12099-615: Was transferred to the United States government May 1872, and the last Battle of Gettysburg body was reburied in the national cemetery after being discovered in 1997. Union Gettysburg veteran Emmor Cope was detailed to annotate the battlefield's troop positions and his " Map of the Battlefield of Gettysburg from the original survey made August to October, 1863 " was displayed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition . Also in 1863, John B. Bachelder escorted convalescing officers at Gettysburg to identify battlefield locations (during

12210-555: Was unwooded, but its steep and rocky form made it difficult to deploy artillery in mass. However, Cemetery Hill was an excellent site for artillery, commanding all of the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge and the approaches to them. Little Round Top and Devil's Den were key locations for General John Bell Hood 's division in Longstreet's assault during the second day of battle, July 2, 1863. The Plum Run Valley between Houck's Ridge and

12321-533: Was virtually worthless or with equally worthless promissory notes were not well received. Various towns, most notably York, Pennsylvania , were required to pay indemnities in lieu of supplies, under threat of destruction. During the invasion, the Confederates seized between 40 and nearly 60 northern African Americans . A few of them were escaped fugitive slaves , but many were freemen; all were sent south into slavery under guard. On June 26, elements of Major General Jubal Early 's division of Ewell's corps occupied

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