CONSULTANT EDITOR DAVID G. CHANDLER ana MILITARY GETTYSBURG 183 HIGH TIDE OF THE CONFEDERACYGETTYSBURG 1863 One of four Americans who had an ancestor fight in the American Civil War had a relative at Gettysburg, a small Pennsylvania crossroads where the Army of Northern Virginia's move north was stopped by the Army of the Potomac. For three days (July 1-3, 1863) the struggle for control of the town which ultimately decided the control of the nation raged Names of these engagements are immortal: Seminary Ridge, Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, and Pickett’s Charge. Here the last great hope of independence for the South waned with Lee’s defeat, creating a point in history called the high tide of the Confederacy. This is that story. I would like to thank Dee Anne Blanton of the National Archives for making unit histories and reports available; Peter Harrington of the Ann S.K. Brown Military Collection for suggesting and sourcing photos; Scott Hartwig at Gettysburg National Battlefield Park for his helpful comments on the manuscript; John Busey for his direction on how to arrive at a unit's strength when no morning report exists; Bill Corsa for his support; lain MacGregor for his fine contribution; Adam Hook for his dynamic artwork; and Bill Gallop for his research assistance in sifting through the mountains of records to arrive at reasonable unit strengths at Gettysburg. Finally I'd like to thank my parents for an interest in history, and my wife Una for giving up those weekends when I was surrounded by musty, dusty references.GETTYSBURG 1863 HIGH TIDE OF THE CONFEDERACY