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The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General Joseph Hooker and then Major General George G. Meade (from June 28), pursued Lee, defeated him at the Battle of Gettysburg, but allowed him to escape back to Virginia.

Background

Shortly after Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia defeated the Union Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1–5, 1863), Lee decided upon a second invasion of the North. Such a move would upset Union plans for the summer campaigning season, possibly relieve the besieged Confederate garrison at Vicksburg, and allow the Confederates to live off the bounty of the rich northern farms while giving war-ravaged Virginia a much needed rest. Lee's army could also threaten Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington and encourage the growing peace movement in the North. In essence, it was identical to the strategy Lee employed in the Maryland Campaign of 1862.

On June 3 1863, Lee's army began to slip away northwesterly from Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Opposing forces

In reaction to the death of Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Lee had reorganized the two large corps of the Army of Northern Virginia into three new corps. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet retained command of the First Corps, but with one fewer division. Jackson's old corps was divided into two, with the Second Corps going to Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and the new Third Corps commanded by Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill. With those three corps and Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division, the army had approximately 75,000 men.

The Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, consisted of seven corps of infantry and artillery, a cavalry corps, and an Artillery Reserve, for a combined strength of more than 90,000 men. However, President Abraham Lincoln would soon replace Hooker with Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, due to Hooker's defeat at Chancellorsville and disagreements about his response to Lee's second invasion north of the Potomac.

At the start of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, the following units and their commanders were present:

• Army of Northern Virginia — see Gettysburg Confederate order of battle
• Army of the Potomac — see Gettysburg Union order of battle

Battles

The following battles were fought in the Gettysburg Campaign:

Battle of Brandy Station (June 9 1863)

The largest cavalry battle in the war. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, conducting a reconnaissance-in-force to determine the location of Lee's army, surprised J.E.B. Stuart with a dawn attack against his camp outside Brandy Station, Virginia. There was no clear victory for either side, although Pleasonton withdrew before finding the location of Lee's infantry nearby. Brandy Station established the emerging reputation of the Union cavalry as a peer of the Confederate mounted arm. After the battle, Lee's infantry forces, led by Ewell's Second Corps, crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains at Manassas Gap and headed north.

Second Battle of Winchester (June 13 – June 15 1863)

Ewell's corps cleared the Shenandoah Valley for the Confederate movement north behind the Blue Ridge Mountains by defeating the garrison at Winchester commanded by Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy. Milroy was ordered to withdraw to Harpers Ferry, but he chose to remain, assuming his fortifications could withstand assault or siege. He withdrew at dusk on June 14 in the hopes of reaching Charles Town, but was cut off by a flank attack by the division of Edward "Allegheny" Johnson; over 3,000 men were taken prisoner and Lee's army reaped numerous guns and supply wagons. Although Lee had originally intended to keep the corps of Longstreet and Hill on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge, Ewell's battle at Winchester drew both corps to the west in case support was needed. All three corps would continue north in the Valley.

Meanwhile, the Army of the Potomac was moving with unaccustomed celerity. On June 16, it reached Manassas Junction. Hooker had no idea what Lee's intentions were and Stuart's cavalry did a good job masking the army's movements behind the Blue Ridge. He originally conceived the idea of reacting to Lee's absence by seizing unprotected Richmond, Virginia. But Lincoln sternly reminded him that Lee's army was the true objective. His orders were to pursue and defeat Lee, but to stay between Lee and Washington and Baltimore.

Battle of Aldie (June 17 1863)

A cavalry duel between the brigade of Judson Kilpatrick and Confederate Col. Thomas T. Munford. After four hours of mounted assaults, Kilpatrick was reinforced and Munford withdrew toward Middleburg.

Battle of Middleburg (June 17 – June 19 1863)

The 1st Rhode Island Cavalry was attacked and routed by two brigades of Confederate horsemen. On June 19, Stuart's force was driven back behind the town and withdrew farther into the Valley.

Battle of Upperville (June 21 1863)

Cavalry division commander Brig. Gen. John Buford attacked the Confederate cavalry's left flank, but was repulsed. Stuart withdrew to a strong defensive position near Ashby's Gap, but soon left the Valley with three cavalry brigades on a wide-ranging reconnaissance and raid to the east, beyond the right flank of the Army of the Potomac. This was one of the most controversial actions of the war. Lee's orders to Stuart envisioned him screening the army and reporting on Union movements, but Stuart either misunderstood or ignored those orders, leaving Lee blind in enemy territory, while Stuart attempted to recreate his previous exploits, riding entirely around the enemy army and raiding supply trains.

Ewell's corps continued to push deeper into Pennsylvania, with two divisions heading through the Cumberland Valley to threaten Harrisburg, while Jubal Early's division marched eastward over the South Mountain range, occupying Gettysburg on June 26 after a brief series of skirmishes with state emergency militia and two companies of cavalry.

On the evening of June 27, Lincoln sent orders relieving Hooker. Fighting Joe had argued with general-in-chief Henry W. Halleck about defending the garrison at Harpers Ferry and petulantly offered to resign. Halleck and Lincoln jumped at the opportunity. George Meade, previously commanding the V Corps, was ordered to assume command of the Army of the Potomac early on the morning of June 28 in Frederick, Maryland. Meade was completely surprised by the change of command order, having previously expressed his lack of interest in the army command. In fact, when an officer from Washington woke him with the order, he assumed he was being arrested for some transgression. Despite having little knowledge of what Hooker's plans had been or the exact locations of the three columns moving quickly to the northwest, Meade kept up the pace.

Lee was unaware that his normally sluggish foe had moved as far north as it had. The lack of Stuart's cavalry intelligence kept him in the dark. It was only after a spy hired by Longstreet reported in that Lee found out his opponent had crossed the Potomac and was hot on his trail. By this time, Lee's forces were widely separated. Ewell's corps had almost reached the Susquehanna River and was prepared to menace Harrisburg, the state capital. Early's division occupied York, which would be the largest Northern town to fall to the Confederates during the war. Longstreet and Hill were near Chambersburg. Lee sent urgent messages to his corps commanders to concentrate his army around Cashtown or Gettysburg, depending on circumstances.

Battle of Hanover (June 30 1863)

J.E.B. Stuart, on his wide-ranging raid around the Union army, attacked a Union cavalry regiment and drove it through the streets of Hanover, Pennsylvania. Union Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth's brigade arrived and counterattacked, nearly capturing Stuart. After additional forces arrived, Stuart was stalemated and forced to move even further to the east. His orders to maintain contact with Ewell's advance could not be fulfilled and he was two days hard riding away from Lee's army on the eve of the great battle.

Battle of Carlisle (July 1 1863)

Stuart, attempting to locate Ewell's corps, rode into Carlisle, which had been occupied by Ewell a few days before. He found the town occupied by a small contingent of Union militia. After learning of Lee's whereabouts near Gettysburg, he broke off combat, torching the Carlisle Barracks in the process.

Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 – July 3 1863)

The greatest battle of the war, often considered its turning point. Meade defeated Lee in a three-day battle fought by 160,000 soldiers, with 51,000 casualties. It started as a meeting engagement when brigades from Henry Heth's division clashed with Buford's cavalry, and then John F. Reynolds's I Corps. As the Union XI Corps arrived, they and the I Corps were smashed by Ewell's and Hill's corps arriving from the north and forced back through the town, taking up defensive positions on Cemetery Hill, Culp's Hill, and Cemetery Ridge, south of town. On July 2, Lee launched a massive pair of assaults against the left and right flanks of Meade's army. Fierce battles raged at Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, East Cemetery Hill, and Culp's Hill. Meade was able to shift his defenders along interior lines and they repulsed the Confederate advances. On July 3, Lee launched Pickett's Charge against the Union center and almost three divisions were slaughtered. By this time, Stuart had returned and he fought an inconclusive cavalry duel to the east of the main battlefield, attempting to drive into the Union rear area. The two armies stayed in position on July 4 (the same day the Battle of Vicksburg ended in a stunning Union victory) and then Lee ordered a retreat.

Battle of Hunterstown (July 2 1863)

After Stuart arrived in Gettysburg, he ordered Wade Hampton to take a position to cover the left rear of the Confederate battle lines. Hampton moved into position astride the Hunterstown Road four miles northeast of town, blocking access for any Union forces that might try to swing around behind Lee's lines. Two brigades of Union cavalry from Judson Kilpatrick’s division under George Armstrong Custer and Elon J. Farnsworth were probing for the end of the Confederate left flank. Custer attacked Hampton on the road between Hunterstown and Gettysburg and Hampton counterattacked. When Farnsworth arrived with his brigade, Hampton did not press his attack, and an artillery duel ensued until dark when Hampton withdrew towards Gettysburg.

Battle of Fairfield (July 3, 1863)

Elements of William "Grumble" Jones' "Laurel Brigade" clashed with the 6th U.S. Cavalry near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, in the mid-afternoon. After an initial charge by the 6th Virginia Cavalry was repulsed, Jones brought up his artillery, as well as the 7th Virginia Cavalry. Thus reinforced, Jones swept the Federals from their ridgetop defensive position and chased them for three miles before halting. His action kept the Hagerstown Road open as Lee's line of retreat to the Potomac River.

Battle of Williamsport (July 6 – July 16 1863)

A series of minor engagements during Lee's retreat toward the Potomac River. Meade pursued Lee, but was unable to attack in force before Lee slipped across the Potomac. The period since July 4 had been very rainy and roads were in bad shape for both sides, but Lee's forces were more motivated to move and stayed ahead of Meade. Confederate cavalry Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden, escorting the wagon train of wounded, was cut off by rising flood waters on July 6 and made a bold stand against attacks from Buford and Judson Kilpatrick, relying on the wounded to bear arms in the defense. Meade held a council of war with his subordinates on July 12 and decided to attack Lee on July 14 before he could cross the river to safety. However, the bulk of Lee's army crossed the Potomac at Falling Waters, on the night of July 13–14, foiling Meade's plan. Troops from Heth's division screened the crossing and Kilpatrick's cavalry captured about 700 men from the rear guard. Confederate general J. Johnston Pettigrew, who had survived Pickett's Charge, was mortally wounded in this action.

Battle of Boonsboro (July 8 1863)

A clash between cavalry units in the South Mountain passes before Lee crossed the Potomac.

Battle of Manassas Gap (July 23 1863)

Meade's unsuccessful attempt to attack Lee's retreating forces in the Shenandoah Valley. Maj. Gen. William H. French's assault was poorly coordinated. It pushed the Confederates back, but they slipped away relatively unscathed. On July 24, the Union army occupied Front Royal, but Lee's army was safely beyond pursuit.

Aftermath

The Gettysburg Campaign represented the final major offensive by Robert E. Lee in the Civil War. From this point on, all combat operations of the Army of Northern Virginia would be in reaction to Union initiatives. Lee suffered over 28,000 casualties, a price very difficult for the Confederacy to pay. And the campaign met none of its major objectives.

Meade received severe criticism for allowing Lee to escape, however, just as George B. McClellan had done after the Battle of Antietam. Under pressure from Lincoln, he launched two campaigns that fall—Bristoe and Mine Run—to attempt to defeat Lee. Both were failures. He would also suffer humiliation at the hands of his political enemies in front of the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, questioning his actions at Gettysburg and his failure to defeat Lee at the Potomac.

On November 19 1863, Abraham Lincoln spoke at the dedication ceremonies for the national cemetery created at the Gettysburg battlefield. His Gettysburg Address redefined the war, named the destruction of slavery as a specific goal, and called for a "new birth of freedom" in the nation.

See also

References

• National Park Service battle descriptions
• Coddington, Edwin B., The Gettysburg Campaign; a study in command, Scribner's, 1968, ISBN 0-684-84569-5.
• Esposito, Vincent J., West Point Atlas of American Wars, Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
• Longacre, Edward G., The Cavalry at Gettysburg, University of Nebraska Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8032-7941-8.
• Sears, Stephen W., Gettysburg, Houghton Mifflin, 2003, ISBN 0-395-86761-4.

External links

• General Lee's report on the campaign

• Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War