Walking One Mile Into the Fire — The Battle of Gettysburg (1863)
July 1863. Three days. 50,000 casualties. Pickett's Charge — 12,000 men walked one mile across open ground into Union fire. Half didn't come back.
The Push North
Summer 1863. Robert E. Lee drove north again.
Target: Pennsylvania. Threaten the Northern heartland. Force peace negotiations.
July 1. The two armies collided outside a small town called Gettysburg.
Three Days
Day 1. The Union line broke. They lost the town.
Day 2. The Union held Cemetery Ridge. Confederate flanking attacks failed.
Day 3. Lee made a gamble.
Pickett's Charge
1 p.m. 150 Confederate cannons opened fire. Two hours of bombardment.
3 p.m. Twelve thousand men formed up and began to walk.
One mile. Open ground. Nowhere to hide. Union artillery and riflemen waited.
Fifteen minutes later, half were down. The charge failed. Lee retreated.
The Turning Point
Three days. Combined casualties: roughly 51,000.
Lee withdrew south. He never invaded the North again.
Gettysburg was the turning point. Four months later, Lincoln stood on this ground and spoke.
Battle dates: July 1–3, 1863 | Total casualties: ~51,000 | Pickett's Charge strength: 12,000 | Charge casualties: ~6,000
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