Battle of Gettysburg

Imagine two big teams, the Union (blue) and the Confederates (gray), who didn't agree on how the country should be run. The Confederates wanted to be their own country. Their leader, General Robert E.

Lee, decided to march his army north into a town called Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He hoped this would make the Union team want to stop fighting. But the Union army, led by General George Meade, was ready to defend their home!

For three super-hot days in July 1863, these two armies clashed! On the first day, they met by surprise near Gettysburg. The fighting was so fierce it pushed the Union soldiers back through the town to some hills.

On the second day, the Union army made a line like a fishhook, and the Confederates attacked everywhere! They fought over hills and fields, but the Union soldiers held their ground, even though it was tough.

The third day was the most intense! The Confederates tried one last big push, called Pickett's Charge. About 12,000 soldiers marched across an open field, right towards the Union soldiers on a hill. The Union army fired cannons and rifles, and sadly, many brave soldiers were hurt or lost. This big fight was the turning point, meaning the Union army started winning more and more after this!

After the battle, President Abraham Lincoln visited Gettysburg. He gave a very important speech called the Gettysburg Address to honor the soldiers who fought and died there. He reminded everyone why they were fighting – to keep the United States together as one country.

This battle was the bloodiest ever in America, with over 50,000 soldiers hurt or lost, making it a super important moment in history.