Gettysburg campaign: Aftermath

The Gettysburg battles included more than 160,000 soldiers and many camp laborers. These included thousands of slaves forced to serve the Southern cause. The battles created a bloodbath like none America had ever before experienced. The Union army, which had been the more numerous, lost 23,000 men either killed, wounded, or missing; the Confederate army lost 25,000 (although that figure is questionable). Both commanding generals have been criticized for their conduct of the campaign—Lee for his unwarranted reliance on unseasoned commanders and his authorization of Pickett's charge; Meade for failing to organize his forces to counterattack and pursue the fleeing enemy. The campaign marked the high point of the Confederate activity during the war; thereafter the fortunes of the South went into a marked decline.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Aftermath
• The Battles
• The Road to Gettysburg
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History