A Battle Animation Like You've Never Seen Before!
Gettysburg Day 1, 2 & 3 – – – Fully Animated
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NEW!! “Using the Gettysburg Animated Battlefield Map APP”
View a detailed video tutorial of the features and functions that you will discover when you log-in and use this APP
Narrated videos that use the APP to explore the detailed movements and ensuing conflicts of select units; at key times of the day and important locations on the battlefield.
Reviews and critiques from frequent users of the APP
Designed for APP users new the battle, but a valuable tool for the “experts”, these timelines embedded within the APP contain details of all the action at the specific locations.
User Comments & Testimonials
“Your 3-part narrated videos on the Wheatfield, on your YouTube channel, were EXCELLENT, I’ve tried to read and watch a lot of stuff in the past about the fighting in the Wheatfield and I never really felt that I understood it until after watching your videos.” – Brian S. – Alliance, OH (April 2024)
“This is, without doubt, the best information on units and dispositions for any battle that I have ever seen, let alone for the most important battle of America’s greatest war. Books describe what happened, but you cannot fully see it in your minds eye. Only a graphical representation like this lets you see all of the units involved and the true state of affairs at any given moment. I personally design historical simulations and this site and the information it provides are just invaluable. My most heartfelt thanks to those that worked to produce this.” – Col. (Ret) David S. – Salt Lake City, UT (January 2024)
“I have found this APP very helpful in keeping things straight while reading various books on the battle of Gettysburg” – Paul P. – Roswell, GA (January 2024)
“As expected, I am loving the app. I am so impressed with what you have created here. It truly makes understanding the battle so much easier!” – Kevin K. – Galena, OH (January 2024)
“This animation is clearly the best I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to Gettysburg over the last 30 years of my life and I’ve often wondered, how did the battle look? How did the troops move? This is absolutely awesome. Well done! – Tim S. – Monroeville, PA November 2023
“Amazing, simply amazing! Even if you’re familiar with the battle, this brings home the actual movement of troops and I have waited for years to see something like this! The Unit information is also an added bonus! Highly recommended for any Gettysburg enthusiast. Thank you again for all of your hard work. This is brilliant!” – Shelly M. – Baltimore, MD August 2023
“I just want to tell you how much I enjoy the software. It’s fantastic. The best way to orient yourself to the battle and battlefield. Appreciate the work that was put in to come up with this.” – Jeff S. – Connersville, IN (July 2023)
“This thing is awesome!!” – John T. – New Castle, DE June 2023
“I thoroughly enjoy your APP and, I must confess, finally understand the logistics and flow of action in the Wheatfield even though I have been reading about it since 1975.” – Jeffrey E. – NYC June 2023
“I was looking at your YouTube videos on the battle in the Wheatfield. I saw and made connections on the battle in ways that I never did reading books. Your attention to detail, explanation of events, and clear graphics overlaid on a map, brought the battle to life. I can tell this was a labor of love for you with all the time it took to make it happen (a massive undertaking!). I believe this APP will be a tool to capture the younger generations interest in the battle of Gettysburg. I will be visiting the battlefield with my teenage boys and will use this as a tool for just that purpose. A heartfelt thank you for creating this.” – Eric S. – Colorado Springs, CO June 2023
“I will be telling all my colleagues and friends about your program. I had a blast playing with it yesterday. What a great concept!” – Adam, B. – Mt. Pleasant, MI (May 2023)
“Oh boy! Now I can see Gen. Armistead’s brigade get slaughtered at “The Angle” – Greg S. – Cleveland, OH (May 2023)
“This APP is amazing and what I’ve always dreamed of someone doing. Sitting here surrounded by Pfanz, Scales, Gottfried, Brown, the Battlefield Trust’s map book, and others; but nothing beats seeing these units move around in real time.“ – Rob C. – Orange County, NY
“These animated battle maps are a fantastic resource for the serious student of the battle. The attention to detail, drawn from an impressive combination of archival maps, first-person accounts, and time study estimates of unit movement, is nothing short of astounding. And to have those details dynamically interact in depicting the ebb and flow of the battle, even at the level of the rifle company and battery section, is a true revelation. Students of Longstreet’s Day 2 assault on the Third Corps salient will be particularly pleased to witness the confused actions on the Rose and Houck properties – those four famous hours of fighting that have long frustrated easy chronology on the part of historians – now given an impressive measure of clarity and order. A pleasure to use and an absolutely vital companion to Harry Pfanz’s magisterial trilogy.” – Garrett M. – State College, PA
“This is wonderful. As a U.S. history teacher in Maryland I’ve often thought about doing something similar to this (though on a more simplified level) for my classes. Immediately after having that thought, though, I also think, “No. I don’t need a second career on top of what I already do.” So thank you for doing such a thorough job on something I’ve always thought would be a great teaching tool.” – Jerry K. – Crownsville, MD
“I was introduced to this APP by a historian who used it for a stunning discussion of the battle! This is the best tool I’ve even seen to assist in visualizing the progression of this complex engagement.” – Louis H. – Pheonix AZ
“CivilWarAnimatedBattles.com is a great example of how historical research can be augmented by modern technology. It allows users to have an innovative view of the battle with an astonishing level of detail.” – Tom L. – Baltimore MD
“I have studied Gettysburg for years and read all the books. This APP closed gaps for me that I have had for years!” – Robert C. – Downingtown PA
“This is without a doubt a must have for any serious Gettysburg enthusiast. Very well done and a perfect companion for reading and studying Gettysburg battlefield.” – Walter G. – Montgomery AL
“I went to Gettysburg for the first time in 1970 at 8 years old and was hooked. I live in Lancaster County, PA for the last 7 years and visit Gettysburg at least three time a year. Your amazing map has helped me to understand more clearly what happened and where it happened. Now before I take a trip, I can review the map to understand the specific points of interest that I may have for that visit. I am so looking forward to the next release of Day One. That day has me most confused, but now I know that with your incredible map, it will answer a lot of questions. Incredible work.” – Paul A. – Lancaster County PA
“Using this APP, I have now, for the first time, been able to put unit movement and strength together in a way that really enhances my understanding of the narratives I have been reading on Day 2 of Gettysburg. This software isn’t a game, it’s a serious tool for understanding how attacker and defender moved from minute to minute and hour to hour!” – George B. – Tampa Bay FL
“Just got into this. It’s a keeper! Really good work. Hope you can do many more of these, and not just the Civil War period.” – Robert N. – Milbridge ME
“This Gettysburg animated map is a terrific resource for Civil War buffs. I have never seen anything like it. All the finer details of the battle’s second day are included. You can zoom in or out to different altitude views, turn landmarks on and off, hover your mouse over specific units to see details such as Order Of Battle, manpower, casualties, current state (line formation, skirmish order, chaotic retreat). How the animation overlays onto a current satellite image makes it easy to match up places on the battlefield you know (or are currently at) to key moments in the battle. One thing that stood out to me is how all the skirmishers are shown, which fills in some gaps from looking at traditional battle maps. All-in-all, this is worth every penny if you are a Civil War enthusiast. I look forward to the first and third days being available.” – Mike M. – West Chester PA
“This is a very useful and educational product. It helps give a visual knowledge of the movements of both armies on the field.” – Raul P. – Norrridgewock, ME
“I have studied the Battle of Gettysburg for over 10 years. I am so excited a program like this was made. It is amazing!” – Matthew P. – Wenona, IL
Narrated Battle Vignettes & Why the APP Itself Isn't Narrated
We are often asked, “Why there is no narration that plays while using the APP?”… If you think about it, the answer is quite simple – there is just too much going on within every “Tick” you choose to display. There are 675 individual maps, interconnected with animation, each one displaying the entire battlefield! Even if we chose just some of the individual “Ticks” to be narrated, on average there are over 600 individual military units on each one. Where would we even begin describing what’s present? And how could we determine exactly where you decided to scroll and study? Yes, theoretically, present day technology could “evaluate” where you have stopped moving around the battlefield and play a narration pertinent at that location and time, but there would need to be thousands of such narrations. So…we have created a You-Tube channel and begun producing narrated videos from vignettes within the battle. It will take a long time to narrate everything via this approach. In the meantime, our sincere recommendation continues to be to use any of the top rated written narratives of the Battle. Turn to the section of that book that you want to better understand, read it while you follow along on our detailed animation. Virtually always, our visuals will match up with their words. As one of our followers recently commented, “You can read a 1,000 books on battles until your eyes glaze over with each mention of the ’71st whatever followed by a detachment of X’s brigade, and not fully appreciate what is happening unless you can visualize it on a map like this one!”
Our ever growing YouTube channel features narrated animated map videos, each showing a specific focused vignette of the battle. Be sure to subscribe to the channel and “Tap the Bell” to notified when we add new videos.
The Fight for the Bliss Farm – Gettysburg, Day 2 & 3 – Part 2 This video picks up where Part 1 left off. The Bliss farm was a 60 acre tract of land that had the unfortunate fate of being located midway between the Confederate and Union armies occupying their respective ridge lines during the second and third days of fighting at Gettysburg. The farm buildings had changed hands six times on July 2nd. Only darkness forced a pause in the struggle, with the Confederates in control of the strategically positioned buildings. As dawn was breaking on July 3rd, Union senior officers found their units still being harassed by the effective Rebel sharpshooter fire. Once again, something needed to be done. (Dec 2023)
The Fight for the Bliss Farm – Gettysburg, Day 2 & 3 – Part 1 In July of 1863 the farm owned by William Bliss and his family was a 60 acre tract of land that had the unfortunate fate of being located midway between the Confederate and Union armies, respectively positioned on Seminary ridge, to the west, and Cemetery Ridge to the east. Beginning on the morning of July 2nd and continuously until the early afternoon of July 3rd, skirmishers and sharpshooters from both sides exchanged occupancy of the large Pennsylvania “brick-bank” barn and adjacent 2-story farm house. The farm buildings changed hands at least nine times. By mid-day on the 3rd, Union senior officers had had enough, and after taking control of the farm one last time, they ordered both buildings to be burned. This is the story of 30+ hours of back and forth fighting for control of the Bliss farm (July 2023)
The Wheatfield – Day 2 at Gettysburg – Part 3 Beginning at about 4:30, over a period of about 2 hours, Confederate soldiers from two divisions of Longstreet’s Crop and Union troops from the 3rd, 5th and 2nd Corps had fiercely fought for control of the Wheatfield. Hood’s and McLaw’s rebel brigades succeeded in pushing out two of Sickles and one of Barnes’ Union brigades, only to be themselves subsequently chased out of the Wheatfield by Caldwell’s Division of the 2nd Corp. Control of the now trampled field of grain had already changed hands twice, and the fighting was far from over. This installment of the Wheatfield fighting begins where Part II left off. Caldwell has retaken the field, but is about to be surprised from the west by yet another Confederate brigade, led by Gen. Wofford. His fresh units undertake an aggressive assault reinvigorating the energies of the earlier victorious rebel brigades pushed out by Caldwell, and now the tables are about to turn yet again. (Jan 2023)
The Wheatfield – Day 2 at Gettysburg – Part 2 Previously in Part 1 … An hour of intense fighting at the borders of the Wheatfield, had resulted in the Confederates finally taking a tenuous foothold. After an initial unsuccessful assault by G.T. Anderson’s brigade of Hood’s division, Longstreet’s Corps, Anderson regrouped and was joined in a second assault by Kershaw’s brigade from McLaw’s division. And this time they also had additional help on the right from 3 intermixed regiments of Robertson’s and Benning’s brigades. Together the Rebels pushed back, to the northern edge of the Wheatfield, DeTrobriand’s brigade and 2 regiments of Burling’s brigade, both from the 3rd Corps, as well as Tilton’s and Sweitzer’s brigades from the 5th Corp. The Confederates also forced Winslow’s battery to limber up and leave. But the status quo was about to change as Union reinforcements were mere minutes away. (Oct 2022)
The Wheatfield – Day 2 at Gettysburg – Part 1 The wheatfield of John Rose was the site of horrific fighting at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863. The attacking Confederate force eventually contained soldiers from six Confederate brigades from Longstreet’s Corps: all of Kershaw’s, Semmes’ and Wofford’s; most of Anderson’s, and 3 regiments from Robertson & Benning. Nearly 8,000 men. The Union defenders came from four different Corps: Sickles’ 3rd, Hancock’s 2nd, Sykes’ 5th and Sedgwick’s 6th; nine full brigades, and parts of four others; totaling nearly 12,000 men. In all, 20,000 men fought in the grain field and the woods on the “stoney hill” to the west and Rose’s woods to the south. There were over 6,000 casualties; nearly 1 of every three soldiers was either killed, wounded or captured. (Sept 2022)
Humphrey’s Late Night Excursion to the Blackhorse Tavern Late in the afternoon of July 1st, Gen. A.A. Humphreys’ division of the Third Corps moved toward Gettysburg. They were marching along a country road running nearly parallel, and two miles west of the Emmitsburg Road. The distant artillery fire that had been heard when the march began had faded with the day. At dusk the division column approached a fork in the road just short of Marsh Creek. Having received orders to go in on the left of Gettysburg, Humphreys had to decide whether to turn left or right at the fork. His decision led to a circuitous and nearly catastrophic trek in the moonlight before the division safely arrived on the southern slopes of Cemetery Ridge shortly after midnight. This is the story of Humphrey’s late night excursion to the Blackhorse Tavern.
The McGilvery Line – Day 2 Gettysburg At Gettysburg, Lt. Col. Freeman McGilvery commanded the 1st Volunteer Artillery Brigade from the Union Army’s Artillery Reserve. On July 2nd, all four of his batteries saw heavy action in the Peach Orchard and in the Trostle Farm field. As Sickle’s situation became dire late in the afternoon McGilvery took the initiative in establishing a make-shift defensive artillery line that contained, at various times through the evening hours, seven batteries, from five different artillery brigades. This is the story of “The McGilvery Line” also know at the “Plum Run Line”.
Berdan’s Firefight in Pitzer Woods – Gettysburg Day 2 General Sickles had been fretting over his assigned position all morning on Day 2. After Buford’s cavalry leaves the area there is an urgent need for a reconnaissance of Pitzer Woods on Seminary Ridge to the west. Colonel Hiram Berdan got the order to take his demi-brigade of sharpshooters and infantry to reconnoiter there. The stage was set for a brisk and brief, yet significant, firefight in those woods.
Hall’s Battery – Early Defenders of the Railroad Cut – Decimated for Their Efforts Hall’s battery’s fighting while on West McPherson ridge on the morning of July 1st was courageous. Racing to the aid of Buford’s cavalry, they duel with Rebel batteries for over a half an hour before nearly being overrun by hidden Confederates skirmishers suddenly emerging from the Railroad Cut. After driving them back Hall is subsequently assailed by Davis’ regiments who have driven back their supporting 1st Corp infantry.
Hart’s Battery – Lt. Knox earns the Congressional MOH Lt. Edward Knox’s galloping approach has carried his battery section 100 yards beyond the main artillery line. This advanced position results in circumstances that lead to actions for which he earms the Congressional MOH. Fighting at close range against Kershaw’s left wing, his quick thinking saves his men and when Kershaw’s men make a fatal move he heroically goes back into action.
Brown’s Battery – Chaos on Gettysburg Day 2 at Brown’s Gate After spending the bulk of the day behind the Copse of Trees stone wall, Brown’s battery is advanced forward to an area that will be hotly contested. The Confederates soon overwhelm the supporting infantry and overrun Brown’s position. Two guns are captured, four barely escape. One of those four gets hung up crossing back across the wall thru the now famous “Brown’s Gate”. This video shows all the action of Brown’s battery late in the afternoon of Day 2.
The Charge of the 1st Minnesota The Confederates were pushing toward the gap in the Union line. Union General Hancock had sent for reinforcements but they would not arrive soon enough. All he had to plug the gap stood before him. “My God, are these all the men we have?” exclaimed Hancock, “What regiment is this?” It was the 1st Minnesota, and they were outnumbered at least 6 to 1. Hancock ordered them to charge, and they lost 82% of the regiment to save the Union line.
7th NJ – Heroic Actions After Difficult Situations The 7th NJ Volunteer Regiment, was heavily shelled twice, at two different locations, while waiting to do their part in the day’s fighting. Then they were run thru by a hastily retreating battery, dividing the regiment into two disorganized wings; before reorganizing and embarking on a heroic but futile charge against Barksdale.