Nestled in the gently rolling farmlands around the historic town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of one of the most pivotal battles in American history. Over the course of three intense days, from July 1 to July 3, 1863, a fierce confrontation erupted between 75,000 Confederate forces and 88,000 Union troops, resulting in a staggering 51,000 casualties. Both sides displayed remarkable bravery, peaking with the iconic Confederate assault known as Pickett‚s Charge on July 3. This Union victory marked the end of the last Confederate invasion of the North and heralded a slow decline in Southern military dominance. A few months later, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his renowned Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the national cemetery, honoring the soldiers who had lost their lives in this fierce conflict. This 1954 publication, revised in 1961, is the ninth installment in the Historical Handbook series published by the U.S. National Park Service. The author, a World War I veteran and esteemed Civil War historian, served as the chief historian for the Gettysburg National Military Park during the 1950s and 1960s. - Summary by Frederick Tilberg and David Wales