From July 1, 1863, the Union and Confederates armies clashed in and around the town of Gettysburg, PA. As the county seat of Adams County, Gettysburg had a population of 2,390 in 1860. It grew to 3,074 by 1870. The 2020 Census counted 7,106 people living and Gettysburg.

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Following his victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee ordered his army to move north into Union territory. By late June, elements of the Army of Northern Virginia had crossed the Mason-Dixon Line (the boundary separating the "North" and "South") and were reconnoitering the area of Gettysburg, York, and Harrisburg, PA.

Upon entering Gettysburg on June 30 in search of supplies, Confederate troops under General Henry Heth were surprised to find Union cavalry defending the town. The next day, Heth ordered his division to engage the Union cavalry. The cavalrymen delayed the Confederates long enough for reinforcements to arrive. As the day wore on, more and more troops were thrown into the engagement. Fierce fighting eventually overwhelmed the Union lines and pushed them south of the town by day's end.

Overnight, the Armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia—approximately 175,000 troops—converged on Gettysburg. On July 2, Lee hoped to capitalize on the previous day's success by ordering Generals James Longstreet and Richard Ewell to attack the Union flanks. Despite suffering heavy losses, the Union's strong defensive position, heroic resistance, and Meade's skillful movement of reinforcements prevented Lee from striking the decisive blow on northern territory that he desired.

Unable to dislodge the Union on the left and right, Lee believed victory would be achieved with an assault on the Union's center at Cemetery Ridge on July 3. That afternoon, the general ordered a massive artillery bombardment followed by a 15,000-man assault. General George Pickett led the Confederate charge across nearly three-quarters of a mile of open fields. As they advanced, withering musket and cannon fire from the front and sides ripped through the Confederate ranks. Although small groups of Confederates penetrated the Union line, reinforcements quickly captured, killed, or forced the rebels to retreat. By sunset of the third day, less than half the men who participated in Pickett's Charge returned to the Confederate lines.

That evening, the Army of Northern Virginia moved to defensive positions in anticipation of a Union counterattack that never materialized. They retreated to Virginia on July 4. Approximately 51,000 (28,000 Confederate and 23,000 Union) soldiers were dead, wounded, or missing. One civilian died as a result of the battle—Mary "Ginnie" Wade was killed by a stray bullet as she kneaded dough in her sister's house.

Four months after the battle, President Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg to dedicate the Soldiers' National Cemetery. During the ceremony, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address defined the war as not only a struggle to preserve the Union, but also for the principle of human equality.

Leading a demoralized army and facing criticism of his actions in southern newspapers, Lee offered his resignation to President Jefferson Davis. Davis refused. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia would continue fighting until their surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.

You can learn more about the American Civil War and its combatants using census data and records. For example:

• During the Civil War, the nation's 36 states and territories were divided among the Union, Confederate States of America, and border states. According to the 1860 Census, the 20 Union states had a population of approximately 19.2 million. The five border states (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia) had a population of about 3.5 million; and the 11 Confederate States of America had 8.7 million. Seven of the nation's ten largest cities were in northern states, including New York City, NY (813,669), Philadelphia, PA (565,529), and Boston, MA (177,840). Two border state cities had populations of more than 100,000—Baltimore, MD (212,418), and St. Louis, MO (160,773). New Orleans, LA, was the only southern city that qualified as one of the nation's ten largest, with a population of 168,675. New Orleans fell from the list of ten largest cities in 1890. A "southern" city did not return to the list until Houston, TX, qualified with a population of 938,219 in 1960. In 1970, Dallas, TX, with a population of 844,401, joined Houston. San Antonio, TX, with a population of 935,933 followed in 1990. In May 2017, the Census Bureau reported that states in the South Region were home to ten of the nation's 15 fastest growing cities.
• Gettysburg is the county seat of Adams County, PA. In 1860, Gettysburg's population was 2,390, and it grew to 3,074 in 1870. The town's population peaked in 1960 with a population of 7,960. At the time of the 2010 Census, 7,620 people called Gettysburg home.
• In 1863, Gettysburg's economy relied upon agriculture, a railroad line providing freight and passenger services, and a college and seminary. Today, museums, historical sites, and similar institutions (NAICS 7121) (including the Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site) and associated retail (NAICS 44-45) and accommodation and food services (NAICS 72) establishments drive the town's economy. In addition, healthcare (NAICS 62) and educational services (NAICS 61) employ thousands.
• Although the 1862 Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, Gettysburg was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,116 Union and Confederate casualties. In total, the Civil War Trust Link to a non-federal Web site estimates that the war resulted in approximately 1.5 million casualties, including 620,000 killed, 476,000 wounded, and 400,000 captured or missing. War casualties led to increases in many occupations between 1860 and 1870. For example, the number of artificial limb manufacturers rose from 5 in 1860 to 24 in 1870; there were 642 coffin manufacturers after the war compared to 210 before; and the number of undertakers grew from 835 in 1860 to 1,996 in 1870.
• During the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the best known speeches in American history—the Gettysburg Address. In this short speech, Lincoln stated that the Union must win the war to preserve the Union and ensure equality for all citizens of the United States. Union General George B. McClellan (who Lincoln removed from command of the Union Army in 1862 following the Battle of Antietam) challenged Lincoln's commitment to equality as the Democratic Party's candidate in the 1864 Presidential Election. The Democratic platform promised war-weary voters that it would permit slavery if this concession would end the war and preserve the Union. Lincoln won the election with 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 electoral votes vs. McClellan's 21 votes.
• Union General George G. Meade remained in command of the Army of the Potomac through 1865. Following the war, he oversaw reconstruction, as commander of the Third Military District, and died while leading the Military Division of the South in 1872. His opponent during the 1863 battle—Robert E. Lee—was unable to return to his home (the "Curtis-Lee Mansion,") after the war. The U.S. government confiscated it and the surrounding land to establish Arlington National Cemetery. Lee moved to Lexington, VA, after accepting the presidency of Washington College (Washington and Lee University Link to a non-federal Web site) in October 1865. He served as the college's president until his death on October 12, 1870.
• Although fire destroyed the majority of the 1890 Census records, genealogist looking for relatives who were Union or Confederate soldiers during the Civil War may find interesting information in the surviving 1890 Veterans Census. Conducted at the request of the U.S. Pension Office, the 1890 Veterans Census questionnaire collected the name and address of surviving Union (and some Confederate) soldiers, sailors, marines, and widows; rank; company; regiment; enlistment and discharge dates; length of service; and information about disabilities (if any). Learn more about the availability of the 1890 Veterans Census, First in the Path of the Firemen: The Fate of the 1890 Population Census.

President Abraham Lincoln was possibly suffering from the early stages of smallpox when he attended (above) the November 19, 1863, dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. 

He was quite ill one week later, but recovered sufficiently to attend a play at Ford's Theater on December 6. His personal valet, William H. Johnson, was not so lucky. After tending the president during his illness, Johnson died from the disease in January 1864.

In 1860, smallpox claimed the lives of 1,271. Ten years later, the 1870 Census found that 2,668 people died of the disease. In 1980, the World Health Organization reported that naturally occurring smallpox had been eradicated worldwide.