Hooker was replaced by Maj. Gen.
George Meade during Lee's
second invasion of the North, in June. In the Battle of Gettysburg, which proved the war's bloodiest and one of its most strategically significant, Meade defeated Lee in a three-day battle between July 1 and 3, 1863. The Battle of Gettysburg caused over 50,000 Union and Confederate casualties, but also proved the war's
turning point, altering the course of the war in the Union's favor.
Pickett's Charge, launched July 3, on the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, is considered the
high-water mark of the Confederacy, representing the collapse of any credible prospect that the Confederacy could prevail in the war. At Gettysburg, Lee's
Army of Northern Virginia suffered 28,000 casualties versus Meade's 23,000, and Lee was repelled in a failed attempt to invade and occupy Union territory.