On the night of the 2d Meade held a council of war, in which it was decided to hold the Federal Army in the position then occupied and await further attack. On the morning of the 3d Lee ordered T,ongstrect to send Pickett forward to assault the Federal centre as soon as the Con federate artillery should have silenced or notice ably weakened the artillery on the other side. At 1 p.m. began a terrific artillery duel, the Confederates concentrating most of their fire from about one hundred and fifty guns onemme tery Ridge, and the Federals answering with about seventy guns, under the direction of Gen. Henry J. Hunt, chief of artillery in the Army of the Potomac. After about an hour and a half, the Federal artillery, though not seriously dam aged, ceased firing to save ammunition and prepare for the Confederate attack. This silence being misconstrued by the Confederate officers, Pick ett's division, numbering altogether about 5000, moved forward, supported on the right by Wil cox, with about 5000 men, and on the left by Pettigrew, also with about 5000, to attack the Federal centre on Cemetery Ridge, under the im mediate command of General Hancock. The charge was one of the most magnificent known in military history. Advancing steadily in three columns, in face of a destructive artillery fire, the Confederates promptly filled up the great gaps cut into their lines by the Federal shells, and encountered unflinchingly, after they had passed beyond the Emmitsburg Road, a terrific fire of canister and an enfilading cannonade from a battery on Little Round Top. When within about three hundred yards of the Federal line they met the musketry fire of the Federal infan try, which had been previously withheld. Petti grew's advance was utterly demoralized, while Wilcox dropped behind, veering, somewhat be wildered, to the right. Pickett's men, neverthe less, pressed on, and in a hand-to-hand conflict carried the first Federal line, but were soon driven back, and were finally forced in rapid re treat, their ranks being enveloped by pursuing Federals, back to the Confederate lines. As many as two-thirds of Pickett's immediate command, according to some writers, were killed, wounded, or captured. Of his three brigade commanders,
Garnett was instantly killed; Armistead, who had penetrated farthest, was mortally wounded; and Kemper was severely injured. On the Federal side, General Hancock was badly wounded and many able officers were killed. Meanwhile, on the Federal right, Gregg defeated the Confederate General Stuart in a spirited cavalry engagement, and on the Federal left, General Farnsworth was killed, while making a cavalry charge, under General Kilpatrick's orders, against Longstreet's advanced skirmishers. Both atmies rested dur ing the 4th, but on the ensuing night, under cover of the darkness and a heavy rain, Lee began his retreat toward the Potomac, which he crossed on the night of the 13th, without having been attacked by the pursuing Federal Army. Dur ing the three days' battle the Federal Army lost 3072 killed, 14,497 wounded, and 5434 cap tured or missing; the Confederate Army, ac cording to official reports, which, however, have been called in question, 2592 killed, 12,709 wounded, and 5150 captured or missing. The bat tle has been regarded as the turning-point of the Civil War.
Consult: Official Records, vol. xxvii., Parts I., H., and III.; Johnson and Buel (editors), Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. vol. iii. (New York, 1887) ; Doubleday, Chancellors vine and Gettysburg (New York, 1882) ; Comte de Paris, Battle of Gettysburg (Philadelphia, c.1886) ; id., History of the Civil War in Amer ica, vol, iii. (English translation, Philadelphia, 1875-88) ; Drake, Battle of Gettysburg (Boston, 1891), a popular account; Longstreet, From Manassas to Appomattox (Philadelphia, 1896) ; Swinton, Twelve Decisive Battles of the War (New York, cA867) ; Pennypacker, General Meade (New York, 1901) ; Bache, Life of General George Gordon Meade (Philadelphia, 1897) ; Long, Memoirs of Robert E. Lee: His Military and Personal History (New York, 1886) ; White, Robert E. Lee and the Southern. Confederacy (New York, 1897) ; Walker, General Hancock (New York, 1894) ; Nicolay and Hay, Abraham. Lincoln: A History, vol. vii. (New York, 1890) ; and Goodnow, "The Battle of Gettysburg," in the Annual Report of the American Historical Asso ciation for 1895 (Washington, 1896).