The same passion that built the United States of America ended up ripping it apart. A minor skirmish that started by accident, exploded into the deadliest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Two American armies face-off in a small Pennsylvania farm town, Gettysburg, in what is the bloodiest and arguably the most famous battle of the Civil War. The battle lasted three days, July 1st through 3rd of 1863 and resulted in more than 50,000 casualties. The town of Gettysburg was not the ideal place for such a massive battle to take place for many reasons. Though the Civil War went on for two more years, the Battle of Gettysburg was the tipping point of the war. These three days would end up changing the United States of America forever. .
Two years after the start of the Civil War, the Confederate army were invading the north. One mile west of Gettysburg, rebel scouting troops encountered Union resistance and a smaller fight escalated out of control. This encounter was the battle at the Western Maryland Railroad Cut on the morning of July 1st of 1863, day one of Gettysburg. Rufus Dawes, a twenty four year old lieutenant colonel, was the leader of the four hundred and twenty volunteers which made up the Iron Brigade that fought at the railroad cut. In this battle the Confederates outnumbered the Iron Brigade two to one, but Dawes and his men had the Confederates on the run. The rebels retreated back to a six hundred foot railroad cut. .
Although the railroad tracks had not yet been laid, the embankment was finished and it served as protection, which gave the rebels the battle advantage. Dawes quickly realized that he and his men had the disadvantage, but he did not relent from his attack. The Iron Brigade and Dawes were a battle hardened and experienced group and weren't used to giving up easily. Dawes and his men charged across one hundred and seventy five yards yard open field to the entrenched Rebel troops.
