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KF5JRV > TODAY 03.07.19 20:16l 8 Lines 4236 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Jul 03
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Sent: 190703/1915Z 9900@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQK6.0.18
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General RobertE. Lee’s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrousfailure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War toan end.In June 1863, following his masterful victory at the Battle ofChancellorsville, General Lee launched his second invasion of the Unionin less than a year. He led his 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginiaacross the Potomac River, through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania,seeking to win a major battle on Northern soil that would furtherdispirit the Union war effort and induce Britain or France to interveneon the Confederacy’s behalf. The 90,000-strong Army of the Potomacpursued the Confederates into Maryland, but its commander, GeneralJoseph Hooker, was still stinging from his defeat at Chancellorsvilleand seemed reluctant to chase Lee further. Meanwhile, the Confederatesdivided their forces and investigated various targets, such asHarrisburg, the Pennsylvania capital.On June 28, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Hooker with GeneralGeorge Meade, and Lee learned of the presence of the Army of the Potomacin Maryland. Lee ordered his army to concentrate in the vicinity of thecrossroads town of Gettysburg and prepare to meet the Federal army. Atthe same time, Meade sent ahead part of his force into Pennsylvania butintended to make a stand at Pipe Creek in Maryland.On July 1, a Confederate division under General Henry Heth marched intoGettysburg hoping to seize supplies but finding instead three brigadesof Union cavalry. Thus began the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee and Meadeordered their massive armies to converge on the impromptu battle site.The Union cavalrymen defiantly held the field against overwhelmingnumbers until the arrival of Federal reinforcements. Later, theConfederates were reinforced, and by mid-afternoon some 19,000 Federalsfaced 24,000 Confederates. Lee arrived to the battlefield soon afterwardand ordered a general advance that forced the Union line back toCemetery Hill, just south of the town.ADVERTISEMENTDuring the night, the rest of Meade’s force arrived, and by the morningUnion General Winfield Hancock had formed a strong Union line. On July2, against the Union left, General James Longstreet led the mainConfederate attack, but it was not carried out until about 4 p.m., andthe Federals had time to consolidate their positions. Thus began some ofthe heaviest fighting of the battle, and Union forces retained controlof their strategic positions at heavy cost. After three hours, thebattle ended, and the total number of dead at Gettysburg stood at35,000.On July 3, Lee, having failed on the right and the left, planned anassault on Meade’s center. A 15,000-man strong column under GeneralGeorge Pickett was organized, and Lee ordered a massive bombardment ofthe Union positions. The 10,000 Federals answered the Confederateartillery onslaught, and for more than an hour the guns raged in theheaviest cannonade of the Civil War. At 3 p.m., Pickett led his forceinto no-man’s-land and found that Lee’s bombardment had failed. AsPickett’s force attempted to cross the mile distance to Cemetery Ridge,Union artillery blew great holes in their lines. Meanwhile, Yankeeinfantry flanked the main body of “Pickett’s chargeö and began cuttingdown the Confederates. Only a few hundred Virginians reached the Unionline, and within minutes they all were dead, dying, or captured. In lessthan an hour, more than 7,000 Confederate troops had been killed orwounded.Both armies, exhausted, held their positions until the night of July 4,when Lee withdrew. The Army of the Potomac was too weak to pursue theConfederates, and Lee led his army out of the North, never to invade itagain. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War,costing the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. TheConfederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. On November 19, 1863,President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address during thededication of a new national cemetery at the site of the Battle ofGettysburg. The Civil War effectively ended with the surrender ofGeneral Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in April 1865.
73, Scott kf5jrv
KF5JRV @ KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
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