The Battle of Gettysburg begins

On this day in US history, Union and Confederate forces in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, began one of the largest military conflicts in North American history on July 1, 1863. On the morning after Union General George G. Meade took command of his 100,000 troops, they clashed with the 80,000 troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee outside of Gettysburg. The battle lasted three days and resulted in a total retreat to Virginia by General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.