This most famous and most important Civil War Battle occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a skirmish but by the time it ended, it involved 160,00 Americans. Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and even Washington itself, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the …showed first 75 words of 1334 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1334 total…lost about 28,000. That night and into the next day, Saturday, July4, Confederate wounded were loaded on wagons that began the trop back toward the South. Lee was forced to take his army and retreat back to Virginia. Union commander Meade, out of fatigue and caution , did not immediately pursue Lee, infuriating President Lincoln who wrote a bitter letter to Meade (pass out). Lincoln said he missed a "golden opportunity" to end the war right there.