Gettysburg left a trail of staggering figures, with total casualties reaching 50,286 and 18 million dollars in 1863 costs that equate to about 400 million today. The battle’s human toll also flips quickly between moments of near certainty and sudden collapse, from Pennsylvania’s 34,529 Union troops to the Irish Brigade’s 52% losses on Day 2 and the 1,815 who charged and kept going. Even the medical aftermath is brutally measurable, with 22,000 wounded overwhelming field hospitals and a 75% amputation rate driven by minié ball injuries, so the statistics feel less like records and more like aftermath you can count.
Key Takeaways
- Total Battle of Gettysburg casualties numbered 50,286 (Union 23,049; Confederate 27,237)
- Union killed: 3,155; wounded: 14,529; captured/missing: 5,365, per official returns
- Confederate killed estimated 4,708; wounded 12,693; missing 5,830
- On July 1, Brig. Gen. John Buford's Union cavalry engaged Heth's Division at 8 AM near Willoughby Run with 2,500 vs 7,000
- Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds arrived with I Corps at 10:30 AM, deploying 9 brigades totaling 9,000 men on McPherson Ridge
- Reynolds was killed at 10:50 AM by a Confederate sharpshooter while directing Wadsworth's Division
- On July 2 afternoon, Longstreet's I Corps assaulted the Union left at 4 PM starting with artillery barrage of 50 guns
- Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles advanced III Corps 0.5 miles forward to Peach Orchard, exposing flank with 10,500 men
- Hood's Division attacked Devil's Den at 4:15 PM, capturing it after 2 hours with 1,200 casualties
- On July 3, Confederate Grand Battery of 153 guns opened fire at 1 PM lasting 2 hours, firing 9,000 rounds
- Union artillery under Henry Hunt replied with 80 guns from Cemetery Hill, conserving ammo
- Pickett's Charge involved 12,500 Confederates from 47 regiments advancing 0.75 miles across open fields
- Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, covers a total area of 1.20 square miles, with 1.17 square miles of land and 0.02 square miles of water
- In the 1860 U.S. Census, the population of Gettysburg was recorded as 2,401 residents, predominantly of German descent
- The modern population of Gettysburg as of the 2020 U.S. Census is 7,777 people, reflecting growth due to tourism
Gettysburg cost 50,286 casualties and turned momentum toward Union victory, especially after Pickett’s failed charge.
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01 · Category
Casualties and Aftermath26 stats
01
Total Battle of Gettysburg casualties numbered 50,286 (Union 23,049; Confederate 27,237)
02
Union killed: 3,155; wounded: 14,529; captured/missing: 5,365, per official returns
03
Confederate killed estimated 4,708; wounded 12,693; missing 5,830
04
7,058 dead bodies buried on field, including 3,320 unknowns in national cemetery
05
Pennsylvania supplied 34,529 Union troops at Gettysburg, highest of any state
06
New York regiments suffered 6,000 casualties, second highest
07
The Irish Brigade (69th NY et al.) lost 935 of 1,815 (52%) on Day 2 Wheatfield
08
Pickett's Division entered charge with 4,500, returned with 1,200 (73% loss)
09
1st Minnesota Infantry charged 411 vs 2,000, losing 215 (82% casualties, record)
10
Over 22,000 wounded overwhelmed field hospitals; 10 surgeons per 1,000 casualties
11
Amputation rate was 75% for arm/leg wounds due to minié ball damage
12
1,665 surgeons treated wounded; chloroform used in 75% of operations
13
Confederate dead buried in trenches; 3,200 reinterred post-war to Hollywood Cemetery
14
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address dedicated cemetery on Nov 19, 1863, for 3,577 burials
15
Total battle cost $18 million (1863 dollars), equivalent to $400 million today
16
14 Union generals wounded/killed including Reynolds, Hancock, Sickles
17
11 Confederate generals hit: Pender, Armistead, Garnett, Semmes, Barksdale, Kemper et al.
18
Disease claimed 1,000 more lives post-battle in camps/hospitals
19
Virginia provided 19,000 Confederate troops, suffering 8,000 casualties (42%)
20
Field hospitals at Slyder Farm treated 1,200 wounded with 200 deaths
21
6,000 horses killed, creating sanitation crisis with mass graves
22
Post-battle, Meade's army pursued but failed to destroy Lee at Williamsport due to rain
23
The battle halted Lee's second invasion, shifting momentum to Union
24
Annual Gettysburg reenactment draws 10,000 participants and 150,000 spectators since 1863
25
National Military Park established 1895, managed by NPS since 1933 with 1.3 million visitors/year
26
45% of battlefield privately owned pre-preservation; now 45% protected via ABT efforts
Interpretation
Casualties and Aftermath Interpretation
Amid the clinical ledger of staggering losses, from the Irish Brigade halved to Pickett's Division gutted, each cold statistic begs a visceral human question: can a nation truly consecrate ground already saturated by the blood of brothers?
More related reading
02 · Category
Day 1 Events21 stats
01
On July 1, Brig. Gen. John Buford's Union cavalry engaged Heth's Division at 8 AM near Willoughby Run with 2,500 vs 7,000
02
Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds arrived with I Corps at 10:30 AM, deploying 9 brigades totaling 9,000 men on McPherson Ridge
03
Reynolds was killed at 10:50 AM by a Confederate sharpshooter while directing Wadsworth's Division
04
By noon, Confederate Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes' Division of 8,000 assaulted from Oak Hill, capturing Herbst Woods
05
Union Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler's Brigade repulsed attacks but lost 700 of 1,600 men near railroad cut
06
The 153rd Pennsylvania Regiment held the railroad cut, capturing 250 Confederates but losing 140 men
07
Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Corps assaulted at 2 PM with Jubal Early's Division flanking Seminary Ridge
08
Union XI Corps under Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard arrived 1 PM, deploying 10,000 men east of town but routed by 4 PM
09
Barlow's Knoll saw heavy fighting where Union Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow was wounded capturing 500 prisoners
10
By 4 PM, Confederates captured 4,000 Union prisoners as I and XI Corps retreated through Gettysburg town
11
Ewell assaulted Cemetery Hill at 6 PM but halted short of victory despite 5,000 casualties
12
Union forces occupied Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill by dusk, with 22,000 men vs Confederate 25,000 engaged that day
13
Total Day 1 casualties: Union 9,000 (killed 600, wounded 3,000, captured 5,400); Confederate 6,000
14
Buford's cavalry skirmish line used 6 guns from Lt. John Calef's battery, firing 1,080 rounds
15
The 56th New York Regiment lost 200 of 300 in defense of the railroad embankment
16
Confederate Archer's Brigade lost 450 of 1,300 captured in a Union counterattack near Herbst Woods
17
Oak Ridge was held by Union until 3 PM when Davis' Brigade flanked it, causing collapse
18
Iverson's North Carolina Brigade lost 500 of 1,700 in a failed assault on Oak Hill
19
Union signal station on Seminary Ridge spotted Confederates at 7:30 AM, relaying to Meade 30 miles away
20
By nightfall July 1, Lee concentrated 30,000 men around Seminary Ridge ready for July 2
21
Howard ordered the XI Corps wagons burned to speed retreat, abandoning 200 vehicles
Interpretation
Day 1 Events Interpretation
On that bloody first day, the Union’s desperate, piecemeal arrivals and tenacious but outnumbered stands—where brigades were shattered yet bought precious hours—transformed a cavalry skirmish into a grim race for the high ground, a race the Confederates won in the fields but ultimately lost by hesitating at the hills as dusk fell.
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03 · Category
Day 2 Events20 stats
01
On July 2 afternoon, Longstreet's I Corps assaulted the Union left at 4 PM starting with artillery barrage of 50 guns
02
Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles advanced III Corps 0.5 miles forward to Peach Orchard, exposing flank with 10,500 men
03
Hood's Division attacked Devil's Den at 4:15 PM, capturing it after 2 hours with 1,200 casualties
04
The 20th Maine under Chamberlain repulsed 14 assaults on Little Round Top, losing 130 of 386
05
Wheatfield fighting involved 20 regiments changing hands 6 times, with 3,000 total casualties in 2 hours
06
Trostle Farmhouse sheltered Sickles after leg amputation by cannonball at 6 PM
07
Union Brig. Gen. Stephen Weed killed on Little Round Top commanding artillery
08
Confederate Brig. Gen. Paul J. Semmes mortally wounded in Rose Woods, his brigade losing 50%
09
Ewell attacked Culp's Hill at 7 PM with Johnson's Division using bayonets after ammo shortage
10
Union XII Corps under Maj. Gen. Henry Slocum defended Culp's Hill with breastworks from 7,000 logs
11
Peach Orchard saw 17 Union guns captured by Kershaw's South Carolina Brigade
12
Berdan's 1st U.S. Sharpshooters sniped from Devil's Den, killing many but losing 200 of 400
13
Longstreet committed 18 brigades totaling 28,000 in the assault, achieving temporary breakthroughs
14
Union reinforcements from V Corps arrived 5 PM, stabilizing line with 4 brigades under Ayres
15
Day 2 casualties totaled 9,000 Union and 8,000 Confederate, heaviest on southern end
16
The 16th Michigan lost 396 of 450 holding Little Round Top's slope against Law's Alabama
17
Confederate artillery fired 2,500 rounds from 60 guns in support of infantry assaults
18
Union batteries on Cemetery Hill under Capt. Greenleaf Tully repelled Early's attack at dusk
19
Brig. Gen. Goerge S. Greene's Brigade entrenched Culp's Hill beforehand, saving it from capture
20
McLaws' Georgia Brigade captured 300 prisoners in the Peach Orchard fight
Interpretation
Day 2 Events Interpretation
On July 2nd, Longstreet’s 28,000 Confederates threw themselves at the Union left in a brutal, piecemeal symphony of valor and blunders, where Sickles’ reckless advance, Chamberlain’s desperate defense, and fields that changed hands six times culminated in a staggering 17,000 casualties, proving that at Gettysburg, the high ground was won not just by hills, but by the men who stubbornly refused to give them up.
04 · Category
Day 3 Events17 stats
01
On July 3, Confederate Grand Battery of 153 guns opened fire at 1 PM lasting 2 hours, firing 9,000 rounds
02
Union artillery under Henry Hunt replied with 80 guns from Cemetery Hill, conserving ammo
03
Pickett's Charge involved 12,500 Confederates from 47 regiments advancing 0.75 miles across open fields
04
Armistead's Brigade breached the Angle stone wall with 150 men before repulsed
05
Union II Corps under Hancock lost 2,500 in repelling the charge, Hancock wounded by shell fragment
06
Confederate losses in Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble assault: 6,000 of 12,500 (50%)
07
Stuart's cavalry attacked Union right flank at 1 PM with 4,800 vs 3,000, repulsed after 3 hours
08
Farnsworth's Charge saw 65 Union cavalry killed including Gen. Farnsworth
09
Culp's Hill fighting continued from Day 2, Union recapturing trenches after 18 assaults
10
Lee's order for the infantry assault was delivered at 11 AM, debated as conditional on artillery success
11
Union Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren spotted the empty Little Round Top on Day 2, preventing disaster
12
Confederate Gen. Barksdale's Brigade advanced 1 mile in Day 2 but was destroyed on Day 3 flank fire
13
The 69th Pennsylvania held the Angle with 15 colors captured from attackers
14
Total Day 3 casualties: Union 4,500; Confederate 7,000, mostly in the charge
15
Lee's retreat began July 4 in heavy rain, covering 40 miles to Potomac River by July 13
16
Union pursuit under French's column clashed at Monterey Pass with 1,200 casualties
17
Confederate wagon train of wounded stretched 17 miles long during retreat
Interpretation
Day 3 Events Interpretation
Despite its thunderous two-hour artillery prelude that cost a continent a minute of noise, Pickett's Charge was ultimately a brutal, half-mile arithmetic of bodies, where the high ground of logic and ammunition held firm while the valor of those who crossed became the slow, seventeen-mile exhalation of a defeated army retreating in the rain.
More related reading
05 · Category
Geography and Demographics30 stats
01
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, covers a total area of 1.20 square miles, with 1.17 square miles of land and 0.02 square miles of water
02
In the 1860 U.S. Census, the population of Gettysburg was recorded as 2,401 residents, predominantly of German descent
03
The modern population of Gettysburg as of the 2020 U.S. Census is 7,777 people, reflecting growth due to tourism
04
Gettysburg National Military Park encompasses 6,000 acres of preserved battlefield land, including key sites like Little Round Top
05
The elevation of Gettysburg town center is approximately 527 feet above sea level, influencing artillery positioning
06
Adams County, where Gettysburg is located, had 54,750 residents in 2020, with Gettysburg as its county seat
07
The Gettysburg Battlefield features Cemetery Ridge, a 1-mile-long Union defensive line at an average height of 40 feet
08
Seminary Ridge, the Confederate starting point on July 1, spans about 2 miles and rises 50-60 feet above surrounding fields
09
Little Round Top is a 300-foot hill that played a pivotal role on July 2, covering 53 acres within the park
10
The Peach Orchard, a 9-acre site of intense fighting on July 2, was owned by John Rose pre-war
11
Devil's Den is a 40-acre boulder-strewn area used for cover by Confederate troops on July 2
12
Culp's Hill covers 150 acres and saw action on July 2-3 with steep slopes up to 100 feet
13
The Wheatfield battlefield spans 20 acres of rolling terrain that changed hands 17 times on July 2
14
High Water Mark of the Confederacy is marked on a stone wall 50 yards long on Cemetery Ridge
15
Gettysburg's annual average precipitation is 42.5 inches, with July typically seeing 4.2 inches
16
The town of Gettysburg receives over 1.5 million visitors annually to its historic sites
17
Pennsylvania Route 134 runs 10.3 miles through the battlefield, connecting key monuments
18
The Gettysburg National Cemetery occupies 17.5 acres and holds 979 unknown soldiers' graves
19
Over 1,300 monuments dot the Gettysburg battlefield, the most of any Civil War site
20
The Cyclorama painting at Gettysburg, restored in 2008, measures 377 feet in circumference and 50 feet high
21
Gettysburg's median household income in 2022 was $54,948according to ACS data
22
22.4% of Gettysburg residents live below the poverty line per 2022 estimates
23
The racial makeup of Gettysburg in 2020 was 82.5% White, 7.2% Black, 5.1% Hispanic
24
Gettysburg College, founded 1832, enrolls about 2,200 students on 200 acres adjacent to the battlefield
25
The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg opened in 1925 and seats 250 for performances
26
Eisenhower National Historic Site near Gettysburg spans 579 acres with 3 miles of roads
27
The Gettysburg Railroad Station, built 1858, handled 20 trains daily pre-war
28
Willoughby Run creek, site of initial skirmishes, is 15 feet wide and 2-3 feet deep
29
The Leister Farmhouse served as Meade's HQ, covering 0.5 acres with 8 rooms
30
Pitzer Woods, used for Confederate cover, spans 100 acres of dense forest
Interpretation
Geography and Demographics Interpretation
While today’s modestly-sized town of Gettysburg hosts over 1.5 million visitors a year drawn to its vast, hallowed battlefield, it’s a solemn irony that the very ground which saw such catastrophic loss of life has become the primary reason for the town’s own growth and sustenance.
More related reading
06 · Category
Military Forces and Command26 stats
01
The Union Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George G. Meade totaled 93,921 men present for duty on July 1, 1863
02
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee had 71,699 men engaged at Gettysburg
03
Union forces included 7 infantry corps with 51 divisions, commanded by Meade who assumed command on June 28
04
Confederate forces comprised 3 infantry corps led by Lt. Gens. James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, and A.P. Hill
05
Union artillery at Gettysburg numbered 372 pieces, including 110 rifled guns
06
Confederate artillery totaled 250 guns, with 75 Parrott rifles among them
07
Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, aged 37, had 22,000 men in his 1st Corps under Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds
08
Brig. Gen. John Buford's cavalry division of 3 brigades totaled 3,000 troopers on July 1
09
Confederate Maj. Gen. Henry Heth led Heth's Division of 5 brigades with 7,700 men in Hill's Corps
10
Union VI Corps under Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick arrived late with 12,000 men on July 2 evening
11
Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart numbered 6,800 sabers but was absent until July 3 afternoon
12
Longstreet's I Corps had 20,000 infantry organized into 3 divisions under McLaws, Hood, and Pickett
13
Ewell's II Corps totaled 22,400 men with divisions led by Rodes, Early, and Johnson
14
A.P. Hill's III Corps had 21,700 men in divisions of Heth, Pender, and Anderson
15
Union Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles commanded III Corps with 10,500 men on the left flank
16
Confederate Maj. Gen. John B. Hood's Division had 5 brigades and 7,000 men in Longstreet's assault
17
Brig. Gen. Stephen H. Weed commanded the Union artillery brigade on Little Round Top with 18 guns
18
Col. Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine Regiment had 386 men holding Little Round Top's left flank
19
Confederate Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew's Brigade had 2,600 men in Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge
20
Union Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth led 375 troopers in a desperate cavalry charge on July 3
21
Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's II Corps anchored the Union center with 15,000 men
22
Confederate Gen. William N. Pendleton commanded the 1st Corps Artillery with 53 batteries
23
Union Col. Henry Hunt directed all artillery as chief of artillery with 30 batteries on Cemetery Hill
24
Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead's Brigade of 1,600 men led Pickett's Division in the final assault
25
Union V Corps under Maj. Gen. George Sykes had 9,900 men supporting Little Round Top defense
26
Confederate Col. E. Porter Alexander supervised 69 guns in the Grand Battery on July 3
Interpretation
Military Forces and Command Interpretation
The Union army, while larger and better supplied, was a cumbersome beast only recently tamed by Meade, while Lee’s leaner but disconnected forces gambled everything on landing a knockout blow against an opponent whose most famous act of heroism was, in the end, simply refusing to yield.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Gettysburg Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gettysburg-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Gettysburg Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gettysburg-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Gettysburg Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gettysburg-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
civilwarhistory.wordpress.com