From July 1st through the 3rd, 1863, the largest battle in the history of the Western Hemisphere took place in southern Pennsylvania.

After the battle, tens of thousands of dead were laid to rest, and an official National Cemetery was established to honor the war dead.

The Cemetery was consecrated on November 19th, 1963.

During the ceremony, a short speech was given by the President of the United States

Abraham Lincoln.

That short speech has become the most famous speech in American history.

Learn more about the Gettysburg Address on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Book your ticket to happiness with Sun Express Airlines. So, Between the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century and the First World War of the early 20th century,

the U.S. Civil War was the largest conflict in the Western

world. The largest and most significant battle during the Civil War was the Battle of

Gettysburg. In 1863 after the successful Battle of Chancellorsville, the Confederates hoped to achieve a second invasion of the North after their unsuccessful invasion the previous year.

That first incursion into Union Territory resulted in the Battle of Antietam, which was one of the war's bloodiest battles.

The goal of the 1863 incursion was to take pressure off of Virginia, disrupt the Union's plans for the summer,

and possibly cause enough chaos and misery

to cause the political alliances in the North to shift away from the Hawks who wanted to

settle the war on the battlefield to those who wanted a negotiated settlement.

The Confederates under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee moved

from Virginia through Maryland into southern Pennsylvania. It was the furthest north that they would advance

during the entirety of the war. Under General George Meade's command, the Union forces met the Confederates

outside the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For three days, from July 1st through the

3rd, over 165,000 men fought what was to be the bloodiest battle of the war,

with over 57,000 dead, wounded, or missing.

It was a resounding victory for the Union. It caused the Confederates to retreat back to Virginia.

...