152nd Commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg 1-3 July 1863

"Hancock at Gettysburg" by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett's Charge. Restoration by Adam Cuerden.

After his major success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia advanced to Northern soil for a second time. His second and final attempt to invade the North was stopped by Maj. Gen. George Meade's Army of the Potomac near the small town of Gettysburg. About 55,000 soldiers were the casualties for both sides in an epic 3 day confrontation. It was the largest amount of losses in a single battle for the entire war.

The battle of Gettysburg is considered by most historians the “Turning point” of the American Civil War. It was Lee’s first major defeat and inflicted serious casualties on the Army of Northern Virginia that caused its gradual disintegration. It was one of the reasons why Vicksburg surrendered one day later, splitting the Confederacy and preventing valuable supplies to reach the eastern theater of the war.

Today is one of the most important dates in the history of the American Civil War and we pay our respects to the fallen heroes who gave their lives in the Battle of Gettysburg.