Want to explore even more history? Sign up to History Hit, where you will discover history from around the world.

From the American Revolution to prehistoric Scotland, there is plenty to discover. With your subscription, you'll unlock hundreds of hours of exclusive documentaries, with a brand new release every week, exploring everything from the ancient

world to World War II. Just visit history hit.com slash subscribe to bring the past alive.

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 Kettysburg, 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.

...