The Major Battles
The Battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Sumter, and Bull Run were all important battles. |
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted only three days, yet it is considered the most important battle of the Civil War. After the Confederates won at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Army General Robert E. Lee led his North Virginia army into Pennsylvania in June 1863. On July 1st, the Confederates clashed with the Union army led by George Meade, in the city of Gettysburg. More fighting ensued the next day, and the Confederates were winning the battle with the Union. On July 2nd, though, Robert E. Lee ordered an attack on the Union with less than 15,000 soldiers on the enemy's center at Cemetery Ridge. The attack failed, and the South lost thousands of soldiers. They withdrew from the battle the next day.
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