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Today is the 156th anniversary of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, in which the Union Army crushed the Confederate advance. The Confederates faced over 50% casualties and never really recovered. July 4th is Independence Day, but we should also remember that crucial July 3rd. 
The star of July 2nd, by the way, was Col. Joshua Chamberlain—formerly a liberal arts college professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. He led a desperate bayonet charge down Little Round Top to stop the Union line from breaking.
The other star of July 2, 1863, the 2nd day of Gettysburg, was the 1st Minnesota regiment. They played a pivotal role, but suffered a catastrophic 82% casualties—the highest casualty rate of any fighting unit in US history. 262 men at the start, all but 47 were killed or wounded.
