seceded states are now free. confederates respond saying, okay, fine, if we see black men carrying weapons against us, we will consider that as a symbol of the north s complicit in slave rebellion. at that moment, the war becomes a war to abolish slavery. there occurs the greatest battle of the war at gettysburg on july 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 1863. pennsylvania is as far north as the confederate army has ever gotten. if the union lost here, it cleared the way for lee to continue marching into new york. they could cut off the northern states and new england from the mississippi river, which would have been a huge disaster. the stakes were extremely high. a first-day attack by the confederate army sends the union army fleeing through town and up into the heights. and then robert e. lee leads a massive charge across an open field. pickets charge. the union artillery raining down on the confederate side. so it was really a slaughterhouse. three days of fighting, three da