1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s last attempt at breaking the Union line ended in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the Civil War to an end. In June 1863, Lee launched his second invasion of the Union in less than a year, leading his 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River, through Maryland and into Pennsylvania in hopes of a major win on Northern soil. On July 1, a Confederate division marched into Gettysburg hoping to seize supplies but instead met three brigades of Union cavalry. Fighting ensued for the next two days and Lee’s men withdrew their positions on the night of July 4. The Battle of Gettysburg cost the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action, while Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. It was a major turning point in the war, which ended two years later.
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