Battle of Gettysburg, first day
The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War took place on July 1, 1863, and began as an engagement between isolated units of the Army of Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of the Potomac under Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. It soon escalated into a major battle which culminated in the outnumbered and defeated Union forces retreating to the high ground south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Buford's cavalry resists the Confederate advance
North Carolinians drove back federal troops in the first day at Gettysburg. At far left background is the Railroad Cut; at right is the Lutheran Seminary. In the background is Gettysburg.
Confederate POWS after the Battle of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg in 1863, north of town, viewed from the area of the Lutheran Theological Seminary
George Gordon Meade was a United States Army Major General who commanded the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War from 1863 to 1865. He fought in many of the key battles of the Eastern theater and defeated the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg.
A portrait of Meade by Mathew Brady
Meade photographed by Mathew Brady or Levin C. Handy
General Meade's horse, Old Baldy
Engraving by James E. Kelly of Meade and the Council of War - July 2, 1863
