Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was part of General Robert E. Lee's Northern Campaign to win the South's independence. It was predicted that a Confederate win in the North would win the Civil War for the Confederates. Taking the war North would activate anti-war sentements in the North, let Virginian farmers farm without their crops and homes destroyed by never-ending battles, let the under-supplied Southern troops live off the North's (Pennsylvania's) farmland, and ultimately win the war.
General Lee, once in Pennsylvania, had his troops spread out on a 45 mile radius. Without (JEB) Stuart's cavalry, Lee was blind to the enemy's whereabouts. When Lee's scouts informed him that the Yankees were indeed close to his army's position, Lee quickly gathered his troops in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania because that was where the roads led. The Yankees figured that Lee was their target so they went to Gettysburg.
On day one (July 1)of the Battle of Gettysburg in a nutshell, Lee ultimately won the day and sent Northern troops fleeing through the streets of Gettysburg and onto Cemetery Hill. That night the North and South both got reinforcements.
On day two (July 2)of Gettysburg, Lee attacked the left flank of the Union troops and then attacked the right. At the end of the day, the North still had Little Round Top, a hill the Confederates tried to take while attacking the left flank.
On day three(July 3), the final day of Gettysburg, Lee had attacked the left and right of the Union armies and was out of ideas. Lee decided to hit the Union center, the strongest part of the Union line. Lee had a massive artillery bombardment of around 170 guns aimed at a patch of trees at the Union center. After that he would send Pickett and Pettigrew on a charge to take the Union center. He would also send the newly arrived Stuart's division to attack the rear.
The artillery bombardment hardly weakened the Union center but did some damage. When the cannons got to the bare-bones of their ammunition, Pickett and Pettigrew sent their troops on an a little over a mile charge to break the center. The troops were massacred by the Yankee center but managed to break the Union line at times. They were repulsed back along with Stuart's cavalry and Pickett's division was destroyed. The result was a Union victory and Lee retreated South across the Potomac.
