Hey everyone, welcome to the 360 first episode of our Civil War Podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy, hello y'all, thanks for tuning into the podcast.

As you guys will recall, by the end of the last show, we'd reached the point where the

fighting on July 2nd, which had raged from one end of the federal's fish hook line of

defense to the other was finally over.

As we saw many of the dramatic events of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg

remain mired in controversy and shrouded in legend.

The second day of the battle saw some of the most ferocious combat of the entire war,

and the butcher's bill for that intense fighting was simply appalling.

With more than 18,000 casualties, the highest of any of the battles three days, and all sustained

incredibly enough during just six and a half hours of hellish combat.

These casualties made July 2nd at Gettysburg by itself one of the bloodiest single day

actions of the entire Civil War.

As you guys will recall, by mid-morning on July 2nd, with George Meade having ordered

the army of the Potomac to concentrate at Gettysburg, most of his forces had settled

into a strong defensive position that stretched from Kalps Hill on the right and then curved

around and over Cemetery Hill before running south along Cemetery Ridge toward little

round top on the army's left.

As the federal settled into this famous fish hook line of defense, Robert E. Lee pondered

the best way of driving them out of it.

The plan he ultimately settled on called for the main Confederate attack to be launched

...