History
Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863

The cataclysmic event known as the Battle of Gettysburg has been the subject of reams of paper and cinematic events. Here, from the official report of General R. E. Lee to General Samuel Cooper, Adjutant and Inspector General of the Confederate States of America entitled the “Battle Report of the Gettysburg Campaign” is Lee’s assessment of the sacrifice, courage and bravery of his men in their horrific loss:

The privations and hardships of the march and camp were cheerfully encountered, and borne with fortitude unsurpassed by our ancestors in their struggle for independence, while their courage in battle entitles them to rank with the soldiers of any army and of any time. Their forbearance and discipline, under strong provocation to retaliate for the cruelty of the enemy to our own citizens, is not their least claim to the respect and admiration of their countrymen and of the world.
I forward returns or our loss in killed, wounded, and missing. Many of the latter were killed or wounded in the several assaults at Gettysburg, and necessarily left in the hands of the enemy.
I cannot speak of these brave men as their merits and exploits deserve. Some of them are appropriately mentioned in the accompanying reports, and the memory of all will be gratefully and affectionately cherished by the people in whose defense they fell.
The loss of Major General Pender is severely felt by the army and the country. He served with this army from the beginning of the war, and took a distinguished part in all its engagements. Wounded on several occasions he never left his command in action until he received the injury that resulted in his death, His promise and usefulness as an officer were only equaled by the purity and excellence of his private life.
Brigadier Generals Armistead, Barksdale, Garnett and Semmes died as they had lived, discharging the highest duty of patriots with devotion that never faltered and courage that shrank from no danger.

The Wartime Papers of Robert E. Lee, Dowdey and Manarin, editors, (Boston: Da Capo Press, 1961), pp. 584-85.

We are wont to look at history as events somehow detached from human agency. Yes, humans make history, but history can be explained independent of individuals. Lee recognized the sacrifice and efforts of his men generally and trusted officers who fell in battle specifically. As, we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July, take time to think of those individuals who have contributed to the life of this country generally and your life specifically. And, thank God for the efforts, courage and bravery of all those folks. It will make your view of history far richer.