The Gettysburg battle started on the morning of July 1, 1863. It was a very bloody battle. During the first three days of July, 90,000 Union soldiers would fight 75,000 Confederate soldiers, the greatest battle ever fought in the United States.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee, having won the battle of Vicksburg on May 18 through July 4, decided to attack the North again. In July the Confederate army started moving up the Shenandoah Valley. Neither army was ready to start fighting. General Lee was unable to provide enough food and clothing for his soldiers. The Confederates were also unfamiliar with the terrain and did not know the North’s strength. The Union army had no idea that they were going to battle in Gettysburg. Both armies were moving towards Gettysburg. The battle started when a union saw Confederate soldiers marching towards Marsh Creek, which was three miles from Gettysburg. He fired the first shot the South formed a defensive line hook that was a mile and a half wide. The Union withdrew fast and called for backup. The Confederates pushed the Union back to Cemetery Ridge. By the end of the day it looked like the South was winning.

On July 2 the union army was found themselves on the south side of Cemetery Ridge. And Culp’s Hill while the South was on Seminary Ridge. Confederate General Longstreet felt the Union held too many strong positions on the battlefield, but he still followed General Lee’s orders. In the meantime more and more Union soldiers arrived. The Union soldiers built walls of stone and logs for protection. They also dug trenches and formed what looked like a fishhook. The battle started up again around 4 o’clock that afternoon. Again and again the Confederates attacked the Union lines unsuccessfully. The stones and logs held up and by nighttime the Confederate troops had lost a lot of men and gained little ground. By the end of the night many men were killed or wounded.

On the early morning of July 3, just after the battle at Culp’s Hill ended, the cries of the wounded men and dying horses could be heard. The Confederates had attacked nearly every part of the Union line and victory seemed close for them. Unions General Meade told his general to stay and fight it out but not to attack against the Southern forces. They would let the Confederates lead in any attacks and the Union would stay in their trenches, behind their stone walls on Cemetery Ridge.

General Lee, waiting with his army across the fields had two options – try to break the Union line or retreat and go back to the South. General Lee decided to make a full-scale attack in the center of the Union line. General Lee had only one division to do the attack. General Pickett’s men were ready to fight. The Confederates had to cross a mile long stretch of open ground before they could hit the Union line. The Confederates, not knowing that the Union had more men, long range rifles and cannons and were ready for them to attack, thought that General Lee’s plan was a good one. A little after 1:00 the South started with cannon fire to try to weaken the Union line, then General Pickett’s brigade started attacking the center of the Union line. 12,000 soldiers started forming lines along Seminary Ridge. At 3:00, General Longstreet gave the order for troops to charge. The Confederates marched forward with troops to their left and right. They kept marching closer and closer.