Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg
Part of the American Civil War,
Date July 1–3, 1863 Location Adams County, Pennsylvania Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
George Meade	Robert E. Lee

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle.

Literary comment

The above happened in all Harry Turtledove timelines with a Point of Divergence after 1863. It is germane only to a handful.

Battle of Gettysburg in Days of Infamy

When the news of the US defeat in the First Battle of the North Pacific was broken to the general public, along with German advances in Russia and North Africa, newscaster Lowell Thomas reminded his listeners that the upcoming Fourth of July would be the most anxious in the nation's history since 1863, when the armies of the North and South had just clashed at Gettysburg.

Battle of Gettysburg in The Guns of the South

Robert E. Lee still vividly remembered the fiasco at Gettysburg during the 1864 Campaign, Pickett's Charge in particular. When the Army of Northern Virginia invaded Maryland and approached Washington City, he thought back the Cemetery Ridge when he saw the many forts surrounding the Union capital. His plan for a night attack was conceived out of the hard lessons learned at Gettysburg about assaulting heavily fortified positions in the daytime. Lee's plan handily won the Second American Revolution, although he still never forgave himself for Pickett's Charge even though the soldiers that survived the battle showed no ill will towards him. He privately confided in Charles Venable that it was his worst mistake in the entire war.

The 47th North Carolina fought at Gettysburg, and several soldiers (including "Melvin" Bean) carried permanent wounds and many memories. Nate Caudell and others frequently talked about or thought back to the battle during their engagements with the Union Army.

Battle of Gettysburg in "The Last Reunion"

Some of the last surviving veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg gathered for a reunion in Richmond in 1932, John Houston Thorpe among them. When Pickett's Charge was discussed, Thorpe reminded the other veterans of James Johnston Pettigrew's men, a number which included him. One man said that George Pickett got the name because his men got to the top of the hill and in amongst the Yankees, and Pettigrew's men didn't. Thorpe replied that Pickett's men only got to the top because Pettigrew's men shielded them with their bodies. He began to feel anger over this 69-year-old event, but checked himself and managed a laugh.

See also

• Gettysburg Address, the memorial speech given by President Abraham Lincoln at the battlefield in November 1863.
• Battle of Camp Hill, the decisive battle of the War of Secession in the Southern Victory timeline, which has some similarities to the Battle of Gettysburg.
• Essoville, a fantasy battle in The War Between the Provinces Series that is based on the Battle of Gettysburg.