Gettysburg History
A Brief History
Prelude to Battle
The Civil War, in 1863, was not going well for the Union.They had lost a number of key battles, most recently at Chancellorsville, and there were Northerners in favor of making peace with the Confederacy rather than continue to wage war. Hoping to increase this peace movement, disrupt the Union war effort and take the heat off of Vicksburg, which was a key Confederate port under attack, Lee moved his army north, to attack the Union on northern soil.
General Meade, only recently given command of the Union Army of the Potomac, was actually south of the Confederate position when General Lee began his advance. The Confederate army marched largely unopposed into the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. By June 28, 1863, Lt. Generals Longstreet and Hill were at Chambersburg and divisions of Lt. General Ewell’s corps had crossed the mountains to York and Carlisle and were about to attack the capital of Harrisburg. However, Lee, learning that the Union army was at Frederick, decided to gather his scattered forces and attack. General Meade was moving his forces north and by June 30th, both armies were converging on Gettysburg, an unsuspecting town of about 2400 souls.
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