MAPPING AND GEOGRAPHICAL WORLD

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a little town of 7,000+ inhabitants, about 40 miles Southwest of Harrisburg and 150 miles West of Philadelphia, played an important part in the turning point of the Civil War, July 1-3, 1863. More men fought and died than in any other battle, then and now, in North America. General Robert E. Lee's army of 75,000 men had marched into Pennsylvania in search of much needed supplies and plans to destroy the railroad bridge at Harrisburg, then go on to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and/or Washington. By chance, they met up with a portion of a 97,000 man Union army. Lee began to win the battle while the rest of the Union army was moving in with reinforcements. The Union army then began to take charge of the battle. On the last day, General George E. Pickett, in a desperate attempt to recapture the partial success of the preceding day, spearheaded one of the most incredible efforts in military history - a massed infantry advance of 15,000 Confederate troops across an open field toward the center of the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge. 'Pickett's Charge' marched one mile while being pounded by artillery and rifle fire. They reached their objective, but failed to break the Union line. Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and resulted in over 51,000 dead.
It is here that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address. Though