The Civil War plays a huge role in the history of the United States. During the civil war many battles occurred, all devastating both for the population and for the country itself. Although they all involved bloodshed, the Battle of Gettysburg was by far the bloodiest battle. It was also one of the most famous battles that occurred during the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg deserves to be as famous as it is for many different reasons. This intense battle lasted three days. It occurred from July 1 to July 3, 1863. These long and gruesome days of battle took place at several Gettysburg grounds soon to be obliterated. These included Cemetery Hill, the Union Line, Devil's Den, Little Round Top, Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Culp's Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Pickett's Charge. The two forces fighting on these grounds were the Confederacy and the Union. Just like the rest of the Civil War battles, the Battle of Gettysburg involved brother against brother who fought to the death. The Confederacy (South) was led by General Robert E. Lee who assembled 75,054 Confederate troops to fight alongside him. It would clash with Union forces. The Union force (North) was commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. The Union consisted of 83,289 soldiers. Like all other Civil War battles, the root of the disagreement can be traced back to slavery. The North, the Union, promised to eliminate slavery in America. On the other hand, the Confederacy, the South, wanted to have a slave-based economy. Another reason why the battle was caused was Robert E. Lee's desire to conquer the Union states. Lee intended for the Union to surrender so that the Confederacy could gain its independence. Lee was very confident of victory because of... the middle of the card... his attack lasted until the darkness of the night and was unsuccessful. Around 10:30 the day's fighting ended. Afterwards, both sides regrouped and counted their casualties. The commanders of each side met in councils of war to plan for the next day. Meade had decided to remain in place with his army and wait for Lee to attack. On the Confederate side, Longstreet attempted to convince Lee to retreat and take up defensive positions. Lee ignored Longstreet's request and believed that the Union soldiers were nearly defeated and would be easily conquered. He planned to attack the next day. When Lee finally attacked at 4:30 a.m., the Union shot down the Confederacy with cannons to prevent them from approaching the Union position. Instead of retreating from heavy fire, the Confederacy decided to continue attacking the Federals around 8 am