On a quiet Pennsylvania summer morning, Confederate General Robert E. Lee gambled his new nation's hopes on a climactic battle at a crossroads town no one really wanted to capture. His troops stood at their peak: battle-tested, used to victory, and eager to end the war. Opposing him, Union General George Meade knew that he could save American unity with a victory. After two years of war, Meade understood that simply avoiding defeat would not satisfy the American people. The Union soldiers had known few victories, yet remained willing to lay down their own lives so that never again would one man own another.