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The Battle of Gettysburg, fought on July 1-3, 1863, was a decisive victory for the Union forces led by Major General George Meade. The Confederate General Robert E. Lee had launched an unsuccessful Maryland Campaign to draw the Union Army away from Washington D.C., and his march towards Pennsylvania culminated in this battle near Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg began when Confederate forces under General Lee invaded the north in early May of 1863. This invasion was part of Lee’s plan to win a great victory for the Confederacy by entering into Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. With each day of fighting becoming more brutal and intense, Lee's army was eventually pushed back by Meade's reinforcements from Washington D.C., forcing them into a retreat back to Northern Virginia on July 4th.