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Album was created 8/5/09 9:30 PM.
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought on July 1–3, 1863, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often consideredas the war's turning point. Fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the Battle of Gettysburg saw 165,000 Union and Confederate soldiers clash in a three day battle that resulted in more than 51,000 casualties. On the third day of the battle, Confederate soldiers in an attack called Pickett's Charge reached the copse of trees near The Angle (a corner in a low stone wall) on Cemetery Ridge; this represented the farthest point north that Robert E. Lee's forces reached during the Civil War. For this reason the copse of trees is often referred to as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy.
Pickett's Charge was a disaster for the Confederate forces and ended Robert E. Lee's plan to move his forces north to Harrisburg Pennsylvania and on to Washington DC. While the Civil War continued on for two more years, the Battle of Gettysburg changed the dynamics of the war and General Lee was never truly on the offensive again.
The Wheatfield -also known as the Bloody Wheatfield - was the scene of some of the most chaotic fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. The small field close to Rose Farm changed hands several times, with forces driving back and forth across the area with constantly reinforced troops. By the end of July 2 no one was in control of the Wheatfield. The bloody Wheatfield remained quiet for the rest of the battle. But it took a heavy toll on the men who fought there. The Confederates suffered casualties of 1,394 and the Union 3,215. Some of the wounded managed to crawl to Plum Run but could not cross it. The river ran red with their blood. As with the Cornfield at Antietam, the Bloody Wheatfield would be remembered by veterans as a place of incredible heroism, violence and sacrifice.
