Gettysburg and Chickamauga

Gettysburg:

     On July 1st, 1863, after the Battle of Chancellorsville, a second attack occurred: the Battle of Gettysburg. This war was located in Adams County, Pennsylvania, up north. General Robert E. Lee hoped to threaten Northern cities, encourage the North to stop fighting, and to help the peace movement in the North by winning a war on Northern grounds. Once Abraham Lincoln found out about this attack he sent Gen. George Gordon Meade to Pennsylvania to stop the invasion. Lee, having heard that Meade was moving to Pennsylvania, commanded his troops to march to Gettysburg instead. The two armies met and the fighting began. The Confederates managed to move the Union back towards Cemetery Hill and Culp's hill, slowing down the Union's forces. The battle went on till July 3rd and on the second day, the Union succeeded in holding their ground. Battles occurred in Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard and Cemetery Ridge, all while the Union defended the hills around Gettysburg. On the last day of fighting (July 3rd), the Confederates suffered a great loss at Culp's hill. General Lee lead his forced towards Culp's hill intending to invade the Union line. However the South had no such luck and had to retreat back to Virginia, marking the Battle of Gettysburg as a Union victory. After the battle, Abraham Lincoln held a dedication at the Gettysburg's Soldiers National Cemetery to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers in the Union. In addition, because of the Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln had to re-state the reason for war in the Gettysburg address. 

Chickamauga:

      Following the Tullahoma Campaign, the Battle of Chickamauga began on September 18th, 1863; a few months after the Battle of Gettysburg. The battle lasted till September 20th, killing 34,624 soldiers. William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Union army, planned to push the South out of Chattanooga by force. Rosecrans planted his soldiers in Tennessee and Georgia, closing in on the Confederate army and leading them south. The Union army chased the Confederates down to Davis' Cross Roads. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate army, was tired off being driven away and decided to create an attack on the Union army. On the 17th, the Confederates attacked the Union line, but the Northerners held strong. The next day Southern soldiers returned and fighting began at Horseshoe Ridge and Snodgrass Hill. The Confederates succeeded in pushing the Union army put of the field. The Northerners retreated back to Chattanooga while the South controlled Chickamauga.