what was the south side called in the civil war

The Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook.

On the second day of battle, most of both armies had assembled. However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south.

John Buford, and soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division under Brig. Joseph Hooker moved his army in pursuit, but was relieved of command just three days before the battle and replaced by Meade.Įlements of the two armies initially collided at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there, his objective being to engage the Union army and destroy it. Prodded by President Abraham Lincoln, Maj. With his army in high spirits, Lee intended to shift the focus of the summer campaign from war-ravaged northern Virginia and hoped to influence Northern politicians to give up their prosecution of the war by penetrating as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or even Philadelphia. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's attempt to invade the North.Īfter his success at Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863, Lee led his army through the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North-the Gettysburg Campaign. George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point. T he Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. Note: Much of the narrative below is sourced via Wikipedia

What was the south side called in the civil war