America's Deadliest Battle: Gettysburg
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At the outset of summer 1863, the Civil War, having consumed the nation for the past two years of staggering bloodshed and wrenching loss, the Confederacy now believes victory is within its grasp, and for good reason. General Robert E. Lee has tallied a series of dramatic victories in the South. Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the list goes on. With such momentum, he turns his sights north, sending his army across the Potomac River towards Pennsylvania. It is a bold strategy and a dangerous gambit. Carry the war to Union soil, threaten northern cities, erode public support for the conflict, and then win the kind of decisive victory that forces Washington to the negotiating table. where they can secure Southern independence.
Across the North, anxiety spreads. Farmers flee. Militias mobilize. Washington braces for disaster. The Army of the Potomac races to shadow Lee's movements through the rolling countryside. Neither army has any plan to fight at the small crossroads town of Kettisburg, Pennsylvania. But on the morning of July 1st, Confederate soldiers engage with Union cavalry west of the town. Within hours, thousands more men are marching towards the sound of gunfire. What begins as a chance encounter will soon become the largest battle ever fought on the North American continent. A contest that will determine if Lee's dream of a negotiated peace can become reality, or if the Union can somehow turn the tide finally in its favor.
I'm Don Wildman, and this is American History Hit. Our guest today is award-winning author Gary Edelman. He is the chief historian at the American Battlefield Trust and has been a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg National Military Park for the past 31 years.
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Gary Edelman, thanks for joining us again on American History Hit. Really appreciate it. Super psyched to be here. Thank you so much, Don. It's a favorite subject of yours, I know. Let's set the scene in its context. Early summer of 63, where are we in the Civil War?
So you could say we're right in the middle of the Civil War. It started in 1861. It ends in 65. We're into early July of 63. And, you know, things have been up and down for the Union, the North, the Federal, the United States, fighting against the Confederates, of course, the Southerners, the rebels. There's a lot happening. You know, the U.S. has done very well in the West overall, conquering 100,000 square miles of territory, but not really landing a killing blow anywhere. The U.S. is trying to capture Vicksburg under a guy you've heard of named U.S. Grant. There are other forces moving through Tennessee, trying to move to Chattanooga and then into Georgia, but that hasn't really happened yet either.
And then, of course, in the East, there's a losing streak for the North, Robert E. Lee with his Confederate Army.
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