Gettysburg
On July 1st, 1863, a Confederate army led by General A. P. Hill arrived near Gettysburg to have what they thought to be a small skirmish. The area appeared to have few Union soldiers protecting it so the Confederate army began to march along Chambersburg Pike. Unbeknownst to the Confederate troops, Union General John Buford's cavalry held the town of Gettysburg with two brigades. General Archer's Confederate Infantry Brigade met General Buford's Army at Herr Ridge. The Confederate soldiers pushed back the Union army toward Gettysburg. Reinforcements led by General Meredith halted the Confederate advance at McPherson's Ridge. However, the Confederate army had moved in to outflank the Union reinforcements from the right and General Cutler's men took heavy losses. When General Doubleday, also from the Union, joined the fight against General Davis's Confederate troops
Pickett's regiment was forced to retreat. Both sides took heavy casualties as the Confederate army pushed the Union forces toward Cemetery Hill. As the Confederate troops began to retreat from McPherson's Hill, three more Confederate divisions began moving from the north of Gettysburg toward town forcing all of the Union divisions to retreat. Meanwhile, the Confederate shells landed behind the Union Lines, causing little damage. Eventually, the Confederate army was able to push through the Union Lines. The Union army was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers involved in the attack. Although, they were able to push through, the Union forces led by General Webb where able to circle behind the Confederate troops cutting them off from reinforcements. Taking advantage of the opportunity, General Lee ordered General Longstreet's forces, led by General Hood, to capture that area. Some of the heaviest fighting of the entire battle took place as the Union Soldiers fought to hold their position on top of these two hills. The third day of the battle began with the Confederate soldiers firing their heavy artillery at the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Lee, the head of the Confederate army, found that the southern part Cemetery Ridge along with Big Round Top and Little Round top was unguarded by the Union forces. Meanwhile the Union General Daniel Sickles began to firm up his lines reinforcing the Peach Orchard and Devil's Den. , the Union captured over half of Davis' men and the rest where forced to retreat to Herr Ridge. General Lee ordered over 12,000 Confederate soldiers to march over 1,000 yards stretching across one mile toward the Union stronghold on Cemetery Ridge. In the early morning of July 2nd, General Robert E.
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