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Battle of Gettysburg Timeline

(July 1, 1863 - July 3, 1863)

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, with roughly 51,000 casualties, and is widely regarded as the war's turning point. General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was defeated by Union forces under General George G. Meade, ending Lee's second invasion of the North. The battle also inspired President Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address, delivered months later at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery. Less

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Prelude and Campaign

Maryland campaign ends at Battle of Antietam

Sep 1862

Lee's first invasion of the North, the unsuccessful Maryland campaign of September 1862, ended in the bloody Battle of Antietam. The failure of this campaign set the stage for his later decision to attempt a second invasion of Northern territory in 1863.

Image source: Battle of Antietam

Maryland campaign ends at Battle of Antietam

Lee diagnosed with pericarditis

Mar 1863

In March 1863, Lee's staff physicians diagnosed him with pericarditis, though modern doctors believe he had in fact suffered a heart attack. His heart troubles affected his performance during the Gettysburg campaign and would eventually lead to his death in 1870.

Image source: Robert E. Lee

Lee diagnosed with pericarditis

Battle of Chancellorsville begins

Apr 30, 1863

The Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee clashed with the Army of the Potomac in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The battle would end in a major Confederate victory that emboldened Lee to invade the North a second time.

Image source: Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville begins

Gettysburg campaign launched through Shenandoah Valley

May 1863

After his success at Chancellorsville, Lee led his Confederate forces through the Shenandoah Valley to begin the Gettysburg campaign, his second attempt to invade the North.

Image source: Gettysburg campaign

Gettysburg campaign launched through Shenandoah Valley

Confederate victory at Chancellorsville

May 6, 1863

Shortly after winning a major victory over the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville, Lee decided upon a second invasion of the North. His success in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, in May 1863 set the Gettysburg campaign in motion.

The Battle

Armies converge on Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

On July 1, 1863, as Lee's forces moved on Gettysburg in the hopes of destroying the Union army, the two armies encountered each other in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the battle commenced.

Image source: Battle of Gettysburg

Armies converge on Gettysburg

John Burns fights as volunteer on first day

Jul 1, 1863

Burns, a 69-year-old veteran of the War of 1812, walked to the front lines on the first day of battle and participated in heavy combat as a volunteer, receiving numerous wounds in the process.

Image source: John L. Burns

John Burns fights as volunteer on first day

First day of fighting at Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

The opening day of the Battle of Gettysburg saw the Union and Confederate armies clash northwest of the town as Lee's forces sought to destroy the Army of the Potomac.

Image source: Battle of Gettysburg, first day

First day of fighting at Gettysburg

Second day of battle at Gettysburg

Jul 2, 1863

The second day of the battle featured massive assaults by Lee's army against Union positions, producing some of the fiercest fighting of the entire American Civil War.

Image source: Battle of Gettysburg, second day

Second day of battle at Gettysburg

Third day of battle: Pickett's Charge era fighting

Jul 3, 1863

On the final day of the battle, Lee launched desperate assaults against the Union center, including the famous infantry charge that was repulsed with devastating losses, ending the battle.

Image source: Battle of Gettysburg

Third day of battle: Pickett's Charge era fighting

Battle of Gettysburg concludes

Jul 3, 1863

The three-day Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) ended with Lee's invasion of the North repulsed. Fought between the Union and Confederate armies in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, it became one of the most consequential battles of the American Civil War.

Aftermath and Casualties

John Burns survives his wounds

Jul 1863

Though aged and injured from his volunteer combat on the first day of battle, Burns survived the battle and lived until 1872, becoming one of the battle's most famous civilian participants.

Confederate casualties documented at 23,231

Jul 1863

Many authors have referred to as many as 28,000 Confederate casualties, while Busey and Martin's 2005 work, Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg, documents 23,231 casualties: 4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, and 5,830 captured or missing.

Army of the Potomac left unreorganized after defeat

Jul 1863

Joseph T. noted that the army needed a thorough reorganization with new commanders and fresh troops, but these changes were not made until Grant appeared on the scene in March 1864.

Image source: Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac left unreorganized after defeat

Grant takes command and reorganizes the army

Mar 1864

The long-awaited reorganization of the Army of the Potomac finally occurred when Grant appeared on the scene in March 1864, bringing new commanders and fresh troops to lead the Union war effort through 1864 and 1865.

Image source: Ulysses S. Grant

Grant takes command and reorganizes the army

Death of Robert E. Lee from heart disease

1870

Lee's performance at Gettysburg had been affected by heart troubles, which would eventually lead to his death in 1870, years after he had been diagnosed with pericarditis in March 1863.

Commemoration and Legacy

Death of veteran John Burns

1872

John Burns, the 69-year-old War of 1812 veteran who fought as a volunteer on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, lived until 1872 despite the numerous wounds he received in combat.

50th anniversary Gettysburg reunion

1913

At the 50th anniversary Gettysburg reunion held on the battlefield, 50,000 veterans attended according to a 1938 Army Medical report. Film records survive of this reunion.

Image source: 1913 Gettysburg reunion

50th anniversary Gettysburg reunion

75th anniversary Gettysburg reunion

1938

At the 75th anniversary Gettysburg reunion, 1,333 Union veterans and 479 Confederate veterans attended. Film records survive of this reunion, held on the battlefield like the 1913 gathering.

Civil War centennial commemorations begin

1957

Commemoration activities began in 1957, four years before the 100th anniversary of the war's first battle, launching a multi-year national remembrance of the Civil War.

Image source: American Civil War Centennial

Civil War centennial commemorations begin

Civil War centennial commemorations end

1965

The commemoration activities that began in 1957 ended in 1965 with the 100th anniversary of the surrender at Appomattox, closing out the centennial remembrance of the Civil War.

Publication of The Killer Angels

1974

Michael Shaara published his historical novel The Killer Angels in 1974, dramatizing the Battle of Gettysburg. It later served as the basis for the 1993 film Gettysburg.

Window of Time children's novel published

1991

The children's novel Window of Time, by Karen Weinberg, tells the story of a boy transported by time travel from the 1980s to the Battle of Gettysburg.

Image source: The Woman in the Window (novel)

Window of Time children's novel published

Film Gettysburg released

1993

The Battle of Gettysburg was depicted in the 1993 film Gettysburg, based on Michael Shaara's 1974 novel The Killer Angels, bringing the battle to a wide modern audience.

Image source: Gettysburg (1993 film)

Film Gettysburg released

American Battlefield Trust preservation efforts begin

1997

The American Battlefield Trust and its partners began acquiring and preserving battlefield land, ultimately protecting 1,242 acres (5.03 km2) of the battlefield in more than 40 separate transactions from 1997 to mid-2023.

First casino proposal defeated

2006

One of two proposals to open a casino at Gettysburg was defeated in 2006, as public opposition protected the historic battlefield from commercial development.

Image source: Gettysburg Battlefield

First casino proposal defeated

Second casino proposal rejected

2011

Most recently in 2011, public pressure forced the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to reject the proposed gambling hub at the intersection of Routes 15 and 30, near East Cavalry Field.

Battlefield transferred to Department of the Interior

2011

In 2011, stewardship of the battlefield site passed to the Department of the Interior, reinforcing federal protection and management of the historic grounds.

Image source: Gettysburg National Military Park

Battlefield transferred to Department of the Interior

Trust acquires Lee's stone house parcel for $6 million

2015

In 2015, the Trust made one of its most important and expensive acquisitions, paying $6 million for a four-acre (1.6 ha) parcel that included the stone house used by Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Trust opens acquired site to the public

Oct 2016

Following its major 2015 acquisition of the parcel containing Lee's stone house, the Trust opened the site to the public in October 2016, expanding public access to preserved battlefield land.

Key Facts

  1. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought over three days, from July 1 to July 3, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
  2. It was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, resulting in approximately 51,000 casualties on both sides.
  3. Union General George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
  4. Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, a massive Confederate assault on Cemetery Ridge, ended in devastating failure.
  5. The Union victory ended Lee's second invasion of the North and is considered the turning point of the Civil War; Lincoln later delivered his Gettysburg Address there in November 1863.

Source

This Battle of Gettysburg timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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