The Battle of Gettysburg was considered one of the bloodiest fights of the war

One of the most outstanding facts about the Battle of Gettysburg is that the Battle of Gettysburg was considered one of the bloodiest fights of the war. The two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 losses, accounting for approximately one-third of all troops engaged, with the Army of the Potomac suffering 28% and the Army of Northern Virginia suffering 37%. Union casualties totaled 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, and 5,369 taken or missing), whereas Confederate casualties are harder to calculate. Many authors have claimed as many as 28,000 Confederate deaths, and Busey and Martin's 2005 book, Regimental Strengths, and Losses at Gettysburg, lists 23,231 casualties (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured or missing). Almost one-third of Lee's general commanders were killed, injured, or imprisoned. 57,225 people were killed on both sides during the campaign.

However, there was just one confirmed civilian death during the battle: Ginnie Wade, 20 years old, was hit by a stray bullet while preparing bread in her town kitchen. Another prominent civilian death was John L. Burns, a 69-year-old War of 1812 veteran who walked to the front lines on the first day of conflict and fought in intense combat as a volunteer. Burns survived the battle despite his age and injuries and lived until 1872. Nearly 8,000 people had been killed outright; the dead, which were lying under the blazing summer sun, needed to be buried as soon as possible. Over 3,000 horse carcasses were burned in a series of mounds south of town, and the stench sickened the residents. Meanwhile, Gettysburg, with a population of only 2,400 people, was tasked with caring for 14,000 injured Union forces and an extra 8,000 Confederate captives.