Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee had previously attacked each flank of the Union positions at Gettysburg and on the third day launched a massive afternoon attack on the federal center with the bulk of three divisions under General George Pickett. Facing determined artillery and infantry fire from the high ground of Cemetery Ridge, the attackers lost more than a thousand men killed outright in less than an hour and only a few units even reached the Union lines. This defeat ended the battle in the Union's favor. (By John Osborne)