The Battle of Gettysburg By 1863, the Civil War was far from over. Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his troops to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. President Abraham Lincoln sent a large Union army, hoping he was in time to stop the Confederate armys advance. On July 1, the battle of Gettysburg began. Thousands of men were killed, but this deadly battle was a turning point that changed the war. After the battles end, Lincoln Full description