Union general Meade failed to pursue the retreating army, missing a critical opportunity to trap Lee and force a Confederate surrender. Instead, the defeated general fled south with a wagon train of wounded soldiers straining toward the Potomac. His loss at Gettysburg prevented him from realizing that goal. In contextĪfter a year of defensive victories in Virginia, Lee’s objective was to win a battle north of the Mason-Dixon line in the hopes of forcing a negotiated end to the fighting. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation.

Lee’s ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. Gettysburg ended Confederate general Robert E. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History.Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields – Your Gift Tripled!.An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield.Phase Three of Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign.Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville.Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States.Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields.Help Acquire 20 Sacred Acres at Antietam.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 13 - 16, 2023 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.The First American President: Setting the Precedent.

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