Voices From Gettysburg

In July 1863, the gently rolling hills of Pennsylvania became the backdrop for one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history: the Battle of Gettysburg. 

The United States was two years deep into the Civil War (1861-1865)—a conflict that would determine whether the country would forever be split in two.

Eleven Southern states had seceded from the Union starting in 1860 after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. They declared themselves the Confederate States of America. Most Northern states had already banned slavery, and the Southern states feared that Lincoln would end the practice nationwide. Many Southerners viewed slavery as essential to their rural economy, which included growing cotton and other crops. 

The war erupted in April 1861. By July 1863, the Confederacy had already won several key conflicts, mostly in the South. Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, was ready to defeat the Union once and for all.

Lee marched his 75,000-man army north from Virginia, aiming to seize Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital. Meanwhile, Union forces in Pennsylvania had found out about Lee’s plans. Led by General George G. Meade, Union soldiers set out to stop the Confederate troops. 

Early in the morning on July 1, Confederate soldiers stopped in Gettysburg to load up on supplies. Suddenly, they crossed paths with Union forces. A Union soldier fired the first shot, starting the battle.

As word of the fighting spread, more Confederate and Union forces descended on Gettysburg. Armed with muskets and cannons, they clashed on foot and on horseback. 

That first day, Confederate troops—also called rebel soldiers—overwhelmed Union forces, pushing them south of town. On July 2, many Union troops regrouped on high ground. That gave them an advantage—a clearer view of the enemy’s movements and a better position to attack from. 

That day’s clashes sprang up in wheat fields, on hillsides, and even in a peach orchard. The loss of life was immense, but the Union was able to hold its positions.

On July 3, Lee took a gamble in a disastrous attack that became known as Pickett’s Charge—named for one of its commanders, General George Pickett. Lee ordered about 12,500 Confederate soldiers to charge Union troops positioned on a raised area called Cemetery Ridge. The rebel soldiers had to cross open ground to reach the ridge. Union gunfire killed or wounded nearly half of them. Approximately 30 minutes into the charge, the fighting in Gettysburg ended. The next day, the Confederate army withdrew back to Virginia.

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point. It motivated Lincoln to push forward with the war, and it encouraged Union troops to keep fighting. It also sapped the Confederacy of its momentum. Following another two years of war, Lee surrendered his forces in April 1865. The fighting ended soon after.

But the victory in Gettysburg came at a terrible expense: In just three days, a staggering 51,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing. 

What was it like to have lived through the Battle of Gettysburg? Read on to find out from accounts of people who experienced the conflict firsthand.

“The bullets soon began to whiz. They have such a bewitching, embarrassing tone! . . . Thrice struck by bullets myself, all harmless except one which pierced my left arm at the elbow. I walked, and bled, and fought. . . . The onslaught, the beginning of the conflict was terrible. One sees pictures of battles; they give no adequate idea of the slaughter [or mass death]. The moan, the roar and the tumult are absent. You hide from one bloody scene only to be introduced to another and more horrible one.” 

The Gettysburg Address started with the words “Four score and seven years ago,” referring to the nation’s founding. Lincoln’s speech honored the fallen soldiers while reasserting the purpose of the Civil War. He framed it as a fight for freedom for all Americans, stressing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.”

Lincoln’s words helped motivate Union troops to win the war. Days after the victory in 1865, Lincoln was assassinated. He left behind a lasting legacy. By the end of that year, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery nationwide. Here is an excerpt of Lincoln’s famous address.

^{SOURCES: Gettysburg History (Carter); “Tell Mother Not to Worry,” Soldier Stories From Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm, by Ronald D. Kirkwood, Savas Beatie (Stofflet); Maine State Library, 1863-07-06 Chamberlain’s Gettysburg battle report 1863, 20th Maine Regiment 4 (Chamberlain); At Gettysburg, or, What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle, by Matilda “Tillie” Pierce Alleman, W. L. Borland (Pierce Alleman); Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier, by Louis Leon, Stone Publishing Company (Leon); Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Lincoln)}