America’s Largest Battlefield Has 1,300 Monuments, 26 Miles of Roads, and Lincoln’s Most Famous Speech

Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg wasn’t just another Civil War battle. This small Pennsylvania town saw the biggest, bloodiest fight on American soil, where farm boys and teachers clashed for three days in July 1863. Here’s the story of the battlefield that turned the tide of the Civil War.

The Bloodiest Ground of American Military History

The Battle of Gettysburg raged across Pennsylvania farmland for three days: July 1-3, 1863.

More than 170,000 men clashed in the fields, woods, and rocky hills. The battle claimed 51,112 casualties – killed, wounded, captured, or missing – making it the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil.

Union Major General George Meade commanded the 94,000-strong Army of the Potomac. Confederate General Robert E. Lee led the 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia as they invaded Northern territory.

The Union victory at Gettysburg became the war’s turning point, stopping Lee’s second Northern invasion and sending him back to Virginia.

The Desperate Gamble of Lee’s Northern Invasion

On June 3, 1863, General Robert E. Lee marched his army northward from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Lee hoped to draw the Union Army away from war-ravaged Virginia farmland.

The Confederate army crossed the Potomac River on June 15 and pushed into Pennsylvania by June 28. Lee divided his forces, with cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart separated from the main body.

Lacking Stuart’s intelligence about Union movements, Lee remained unaware the enemy was rapidly closing in. President Lincoln replaced General Joseph Hooker with George Gordon Meade as Union commander just three days before the battle began.

The First Clash at McPherson’s Ridge

At 7:30 AM on July 1, Union Lieutenant Marcellus Jones fired what many consider the first shot of the battle when Confederate troops approached along Chambersburg Pike. Brigadier General John Buford’s 2,700 Union cavalrymen formed dismounted defense lines along McPherson’s Ridge despite facing 7,500 advancing Confederates.

Major General John Reynolds arrived with First Corps reinforcements around 10:30 AM but fell to a Confederate bullet within the hour. Fierce fighting swirled around the McPherson Farm and its iconic barn that still stands today.

By late afternoon, 30,000 Confederates overwhelmed the outnumbered Union forces, driving them through town in retreat. The Railroad Cut north of the ridge became a trap for 200 Confederate soldiers who surrendered to Union troops in one of the day’s few Federal successes.

Union Forces Rally on Cemetery Hill

Union troops streamed through Gettysburg streets in retreat on the afternoon of July 1. Major General Oliver O. Howard had wisely placed artillery on Cemetery Hill earlier, giving retreating soldiers a rallying point.

Major General Winfield Scott Hancock arrived at 4:30 PM with orders from Meade to take command and organize defenses. Hancock extended the Union line south along Cemetery Ridge toward Little Round Top, forming what became known as the “fishhook” formation.

General Lee urged Lieutenant General Richard Ewell to attack “if practicable,” but Ewell hesitated, missing a chance to seize the critical high ground. Through the night, both armies rushed toward Gettysburg, with 65,000 more troops arriving by morning of July 2.

Fierce Defense at Little Round Top

On July 2 around 4:00 PM, Union Chief Engineer Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren discovered Little Round Top completely undefended. Warren frantically sent messengers searching for troops to occupy this critical position overlooking the entire Union line.

Colonel Strong Vincent’s brigade, including the 20th Maine under Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, rushed to the hill’s defense just minutes before Confederates attacked.

The 15th and 47th Alabama regiments repeatedly assaulted the 20th Maine at the extreme left flank of the entire Union Army. Chamberlain’s men, nearly out of ammunition after two hours of fighting, fixed bayonets and charged downhill in a desperate gamble.

The shocking maneuver scattered the surprised Confederates, securing Little Round Top and earning Chamberlain the Medal of Honor.

The Bloody Fight for Devil’s Den

Devil’s Den, a jumble of massive boulders rising 40 feet high, sits just 500 yards west of Little Round Top. At 4:00 PM on July 2, four Confederate brigades from Major General John Bell Hood’s division attacked Devil’s Den and the nearby Houck’s Ridge.

Union troops from the 124th New York Infantry, known as the “Orange Blossoms,” initially held the position with supporting artillery. After 90 minutes of savage fighting that left the rocks slick with blood, Confederate forces captured the area and three Union cannons.

Confederate sharpshooters then used the rocky crevices for cover while picking off Union soldiers on nearby Little Round Top. The boulder-strewn valley between Devil’s Den and Little Round Top earned the grim name “Valley of Death” after bodies piled up among the rocks.

Union Artillery Thunders from Cemetery Ridge

Cemetery Ridge rises only 40 feet above the surrounding terrain but stretches nearly two miles from Cemetery Hill southward. On July 3, Union artillery chief Brigadier General Henry Hunt placed over 80 cannons along this natural fortress.

When Confederate artillery commander Colonel E. Porter Alexander began bombardment at 1:00 PM, Union guns initially returned fire. Hunt then ordered his batteries to cease firing one by one, creating the false impression they had been knocked out.

This brilliant deception preserved ammunition for the infantry assault Hunt knew was coming. Union gunners switched from exploding shells to deadly canister shot – tin cans filled with iron balls that turned cannons into giant shotguns – as Confederates approached.

Confederate Assault on Culp’s Hill

Culp’s Hill, named for local farmer Henry Culp, anchored the right flank of the Union line east of Cemetery Hill. Union Brigadier General George Sears Greene ordered his men to build log breastworks on the hill’s slopes, a decision that proved crucial.

When most of the Union XII Corps left to reinforce the endangered left flank on July 2, only Greene’s New York brigade remained to defend most of the hill. Confederate troops under Major General Edward Johnson attacked at dusk, briefly capturing the lower slopes but failing to take the summit.

Fighting resumed at 4:30 AM on July 3 with a massive artillery duel followed by renewed Confederate infantry attacks. After seven hours of brutal combat, with the bloodiest fighting occurring near what is now Pardee Field, Union forces completely reclaimed Culp’s Hill by 11:00 AM.

The Louisiana Tigers Storm East Cemetery Hill

As darkness fell on July 2, Confederate General Jubal Early launched a twilight assault against East Cemetery Hill. His attack force included Brigadier General Harry T. Hays’ “Louisiana Tigers” brigade, famous for their aggressive fighting style.

The Tigers charged uphill across open ground under heavy fire from Union artillery batteries. Louisiana and North Carolina troops briefly overran several Union cannons in brutal hand-to-hand combat fought with rammers, handspikes, and rifle butts.

Major Samuel Tate of the 6th North Carolina planted his regimental flag on a captured cannon, the closest any Confederate flag came to the Baltimore Pike.

Union reinforcements from the 82nd and 45th New York regiments counterattacked around 10:00 PM, driving the Confederates back down the hill.

Pickett’s Charge Reaches The Angle

At 1:00 PM on July 3, 159 Confederate cannons opened the largest artillery barrage of the war, firing for nearly two hours. Around 3:00 PM, approximately 12,500 Confederate infantrymen from divisions led by Generals George Pickett, J. Johnston Pettigrew, and Isaac Trimble stepped out from Seminary Ridge.

The assault force marched nearly a mile across open fields toward the Union position on Cemetery Ridge, their target a small clump of trees visible on the horizon. Union artillery tore huge gaps in Confederate lines while infantry behind a stone wall unleashed devastating rifle fire.

Only one Confederate brigade, led by Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, briefly penetrated the Union line at a 90-degree bend in the wall nicknamed “The Angle.” Armistead fell mortally wounded with his hand touching a Union cannon, marking what became known as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy.

Lincoln Delivers His Immortal Address

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, joining 15,000 spectators. The main speaker, Edward Everett, delivered a two-hour oration while Lincoln was scheduled to give only “a few appropriate remarks.”

Lincoln rose afterward and spoke for just two minutes, delivering 272 words that reframed the war’s purpose. His speech began with the now-iconic phrase “Four score and seven years ago” and connected the battle to the Declaration of Independence.

Contrary to myth, Lincoln did not hastily scribble the speech on an envelope but carefully crafted multiple drafts. Lincoln’s address gained little immediate attention but has become one of history’s most famous speeches, with five known copies in his handwriting surviving today.

The Battlefield Preservation Begins

Local attorney David McConaughy began purchasing battlefield land within weeks of the fighting, securing 600 acres including Little Round Top and Culp’s Hill. The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association formed on August 14, 1863, becoming the first battlefield preservation organization in American history.

Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin appointed agent David Wills to purchase 17 acres for the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in July 1863. Famed landscape architect William Saunders designed the cemetery with graves arranged in a semi-circle by state, with Union soldiers’ remains reinterred starting October 27, 1863.

The battlefield officially came under federal protection on February 11, 1895, when Congress established Gettysburg National Military Park.

The Gettysburg Foundation, formed as a private nonprofit partner to the National Park Service, now helps preserve the battlefield and funds education programs.

Exploring Gettysburg National Military Park Today

The park spans 6,000 acres with over 1,300 monuments, 400 cannons, and 31 miles of historic avenues. The $103 million Museum and Visitor Center opened in 2008, housing the 24,000-square-foot Museum of the American Civil War.

The fully restored Gettysburg Cyclorama, a 377-foot long, 42-foot high circular painting by French artist Paul Philippoteaux, brings Pickett’s Charge to life with sound and light effects.

A 20-minute film, “A New Birth of Freedom” narrated by Morgan Freeman, plays regularly in the Visitor Center theaters. The Auto Tour includes 16 stops covering the three-day battle chronologically, with wayside exhibits explaining the action at each location.

The park maintains walking trails at key locations including Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, and along Cemetery Ridge, where visitors can follow in soldiers’ footsteps.

Visiting Gettysburg National Military Park

The park grounds at 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325 remain open daily from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.

The Museum and Visitor Center operates from 8 AM to 5 PM (March-November) and 9 AM to 4 PM (December-February).

While park grounds access is free, the Museum, Film, and Cyclorama experience costs $15.75-$20.75 for adults with discounts for children and seniors.

The Soldiers’ National Cemetery at 97 Taneytown Road contains 3,512 Civil War burials, including 979 unknown soldiers, and remains open daily from dawn to dusk.

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