The 15th New York Battery monument at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is the site of the fateful battle of the U.S. Civil War. By July 1, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had pushed his forces into northern territory just 84 miles from Washington, D.C. But after Union commander George Meade’s troops repelled 15,000 Confederate troops during (Maj. Gen. George) “Pickett’s Charge,” Lee’s army retreated back south. Realistically, hopes for an independent Confederacy were dashed. Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2019.