Video:'Battle Of Gettysburg (Full Documentary)' (July 3, 1863, at 1:00:08)

(Friday, July 3, 1863, approximately 3:35 p.m. local time; during the Battle of Gettysburg, part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War) — The three-day American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, ended today in a decisive victory for the North after a dramatic infantry assault by around 12,000 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, known as Pickett’s Charge.

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee decided to attack the Union center, stationed on Cemetery Ridge, after making another unsuccessful attempt on the Union right flank at Culp’s Hill in the morning.

Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.5of9.The Universe of Battle.' (July 3, 1863, at 32:27)

After a long Confederate artillery bombardment, the Rebel force moved through the open field and up the slight rise of Cemetery Ridge.

The charge was repelled by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great loss to the Confederate army.

Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle, the most costly in U.S. history.

Video: '"Gettysburg: The Third Day - July 3, 1863" Part 17 - American Civil War Anniversary Series

Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia beginning the next day, July 4, 1863.

The battle is often described as the war’s turning point due to the Union’s decisive victory and concurrence with its victorious Siege of Vicksburg on the following day, July 4, 1863.

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.