| Map of Gettysburg in 1863 (640 X 860) |
· Label the directions (North, South, East, West) on your map.
In the spring of 1863, the Confederacy found itself in a situation that called for action. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, had defeated the Union forces at Fredericksburg in December, 1862, and again at Chancellorsville in May, 1863; but the nature of that ground gave Lee little opportunity to follow up his advantage. Lee, therefore, began moving his army north in early June, hoping to draw his enemy to a better battleground and hoping to find desperately needed supplies in the rich Pennsylvania farmlands, which up until then had been untouched by the war. Lee also reasoned that one or more decisive victories in the North would increase pressure on the Northern government to seek a peace agreement with the South. Thus, Lee and his army pushed their way into Pennsylvania during June and eventually converged in Chambersburg, about 30 miles west of Gettysburg.
· Find the road leading from Chambersburg to Gettysburg on your map.
Mark it with a red X.
Both General Lee and General George Gordon Meade, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, had chosen different areas in which to engage the other’s army. But chance brought the two forces together at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. This first day’s battle was a definite, but indecisive victory for the Confederates. They came with greater numbers initially from the west and the north, pushing the Union forces back through town.
· Circle the town of Gettysburg.
· Draw red arrows that identify the directions from which the Confederates entered Gettysburg.
The disorganized Union troops retreated but regrouped on the high ground south of town – on Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Little Round Top, and Culp’s Hill – and formed a defensive line shaped like a fishhook.
· Trace the fishhook formation made by Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Little Round Top and Culp’s Hill in blue.
On July 2, the Confederates struck both ends of the Union line. They hit hard, first at Little Round Top and then at Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. But with high ground and craggy rock formations in their favor, the Union troops held out against these attacks.
· Mark the July 2nd Confederate attack(s) with red "2"s.
On July 3, General Lee again attacked the Union forces. But this time Lee struck at the center of the Union line since the fighting on the previous day demonstrated the strength of the Union flanks. In this massive attack, now popularly known as Pickett’s Charge, the Confederates lashed out at the Union troops on Cemetery Ridge. But the Union soldiers held once again and pushed the Confederates back to their original position on Seminary Ridge. The Battle of Gettysburg was over.
· Mark the position of the July 3rd Confederate attack with a red "3".
The broken remnants of the Confederate army retreated back to Virginia with the Union army in slow, but persistent, pursuit. The three-day battle left a staggering toll of 51,000 casualties (wounded, killed, missing or captured) divided nearly equally between the two armies. The Confederates never again reached the military strength that they held at Gettysburg, yet the war raged for two more long years.
"Gettysburg: The Soldiers’ Battle" Pre-broadcast Activities
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National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325