July 4, 1754 - Lieutenant Colonel George Washington departs Fort Necessity (right) after surrendering to the French. Dispatched into the Ohio Country in 1754, by Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Lt. Col. Washington was tasked with aiding in the construction of a fort at the Forks of the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh, MD). Before he could arrive, the construction party was driven off by the French. Reporting this, Washington received new orders to build a road from Wills Creek (present-day Cumberland, MD) north towards the forks. Camping in the Great Meadows, Washington was alerted to the presence of a French detachment on May 27. Ambushing the French, his men killed 10 and captured 21, including the French commander, Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville. After the battle, an allied chief named Half King killed Jumonville while the Frenchman was being interrogated by Washington. Retreating to Great Meadows, Washington ordered a small stockade be constructed along with some earthworks. Reinforced in June, Washington concentrated his force at the newly named Fort Necessity. On July 3, the fort was attacked by 600 French soldiers and 100 Indians led by Jumonville's brother Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers. Quickly finding that the fort was situated on poor ground, Washington's men suffered as the French fired on their position. That night, Washington entered into negotiations to surrender the post. Handing it over the next day, he and his men were allowed to retreat south into Maryland.

Photograph Courtesy of the National Park Service

July 2, 1863 - Union and Confederate forces clash on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Meeting Confederate forces northwest and north of Gettysburg on July 1, Union troops fought a large-scale delaying action before being forced to retreat to the heights south of the town. Assuming a defensive position on Culp's Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery Ridge, they prepared to receive the anticipated Confederate assault the next day. In planning his attack, Confederate commander General Robert E. Lee sought to strike at the Union flanks. Moving south, Lieutenant General James Longstreet was assigned to attack the Union left. Due to delays, the assault did not begin until 4:00 PM. Striking the Union III Corps, which had advanced off Cemetery Ridge, Longstreet's men drove them back. With the situation deteriorating, Union commander Major General George Meade rushed reinforcements to the scene. Fighting raged in the Wheat Field and the "Valley of Death," before the front stabilized along Cemetery Ridge. At the extreme end of the Union left, the 20th Maine, under Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (left), successfully defended the heights of Little Round Top along with the other regiments of Colonel Strong Vincent's brigade. Through the evening, fighting continued near Cemetery Hill and around Culp's Hill. Stymied on July 2, Lee ignored Longstreet's advice to renew the attack on the Union left the next day. Instead, Lee planned a large assault against the Union center. Following a massive artillery bombardment that began around 1:00 PM, 12,500 Confederate troops struck Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Generally known as Pickett's Charge, this attack was repulsed with heavy casualties. Beaten, Lee began retreating from Gettysburg the next day. The victory at Gettysburg, along with the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, turned the tide of the war in the Union's favor.

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress