Aftermath: July 4 – November 1863

On the same day Vicksburg fell in the west, Lee's army began withdrawing from Gettysburg under cover of a heavy rainstorm. A wagon train of wounded soldiers, reported to have stretched for miles, led the retreat toward the Potomac River.

Heavy rains had swollen the Potomac, trapping Lee's army on the Maryland side for over a week near Williamsport. Meade's Army of the Potomac pursued cautiously rather than striking the pinned Confederate force -- a decision that drew sharp criticism from President Lincoln, who felt a decisive opportunity to end the war early had been missed. Lee's army finished crossing back into Virginia by July 14.

Gettysburg, a town of roughly 2,400 residents, was left with thousands of wounded soldiers and the aftermath of three days of fighting across its farms and streets. Local citizens and volunteer relief organizations worked for months tending the wounded and burying the dead.

At the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery on Cemetery Hill -- ground your map shows as the Union army's central anchor on July 1–3 -- Edward Everett delivered the day's main oration, a speech lasting roughly two hours. President Lincoln followed with a brief address of about two minutes. It became one of the most quoted speeches in American history.