July 1 marks the anniversary of one of the most significant events in American history—the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

Fought over three days in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the battle became the largest and deadliest engagement of the American Civil War. More than 160,000 Union and Confederate soldiers converged on the small town, where intense fighting ultimately resulted in an estimated 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing.

The battle began on July 1 as Confederate and Union forces unexpectedly encountered one another outside Gettysburg. As additional troops arrived throughout the day, the fighting intensified and eventually spread across the surrounding hills and ridges.

The conflict reached its climax on July 3 with Pickett’s Charge, a massive Confederate assault against the center of the Union line. The attack failed, forcing Confederate General Robert E. Lee to retreat south, ending his second and final invasion of the North.

Historians widely consider the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in the Civil War. Lee’s defeat halted Confederate momentum, while the Union victory strengthened Northern morale and shifted the course of the conflict.

Just four months later, President Abraham Lincoln returned to Gettysburg to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. During the ceremony, he delivered the Gettysburg Address, a brief speech that became one of the most enduring expressions of American democracy and the nation’s founding ideals.

Today, Gettysburg National Military Park preserves the battlefield, allowing millions of visitors each year to explore the site where one of the defining moments in United States history began on July 1, 1863.

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