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July 3

1819 - The First Savings Bank was Established.

Thank God for the banks and all of the help they are to us. However, Christians have been laying up treasures in Heaven long before 1819 and one day, thank God, we shall withdraw our deposits!

1863 - Battle of Gettysburg Ends

On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.

In June 1863, following his masterful victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, General Lee launched his second invasion of the Union in less than a year. He led his 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River, through Maryland, and into Pennsylvania, seeking to win a major battle on Northern soil that would further dispirit the Union war effort and induce Britain or France to intervene on the Confederacy's behalf. The 90,000-strong Army of the Potomac pursued the Confederates into Maryland, but its commander, General Joseph Hooker, was still stinging from his defeat at Chancellorsville and seemed reluctant to chase Lee further. Meanwhile, the Confederates divided their forces and investigated various targets, such as Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania capital.

On June 28, President Abraham Lincoln replaced Hooker with General George Meade, and Lee learned of the presence of the Army of the Potomac in Maryland. Lee ordered his army to concentrate in the vicinity of the crossroads town of Gettysburg and prepare to meet the Federal army. At the same time, Meade sent ahead part of his force into Pennsylvania but intended to make a stand at Pipe Creek in Maryland.

On July 1, a Confederate division under General Henry Heth marched into Gettysburg hoping to seize supplies but finding instead three brigades of Union cavalry. Thus began the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee and Meade ordered their massive armies to converge on the impromptu battle site. The Union cavalrymen defiantly held the field against overwhelming numbers until the arrival of Federal reinforcements. Later, the Confederates were reinforced, and by mid-afternoon some 19,000 Federals faced 24,000 Confederates. Lee arrived to the battlefield soon afterward and ordered a general advance that forced the Union line back to Cemetery Hill, just south of the town.

During the night, the rest of Meade's force arrived, and by the morning Union General Winfield Hancock had formed a strong Union line. On July 2, against the Union left, General James Longstreet led the main Confederate attack, but it was not carried out until about 4 p.m., and the Federals had time to consolidate their positions. Thus began some of the heaviest fighting of the battle, and Union forces retained control of their strategic positions at heavy cost. After three hours, the battle ended, and the total number of dead at Gettysburg stood at 35,000.

On July 3, Lee, having failed on the right and the left, planned an assault on Meade's center. A 15,000-man strong column under General George Pickett was organized, and Lee ordered a massive bombardment of the Union positions. The 10,000 Federals answered the Confederate artillery onslaught, and for more than an hour the guns raged in the heaviest cannonade of the Civil War. At 3 p.m., Pickett led his force into no-man's-land and found that Lee's bombardment had failed. As Pickett's force attempted to cross the mile distance to Cemetery Ridge, Union artillery blew great holes in their lines. Meanwhile, Yankee infantry flanked the main body of "Pickett's charge" and began cutting down the Confederates. Only a few hundred Virginians reached the Union line, and within minutes they all were dead, dying, or captured. In less than an hour, more than 7,000 Confederate troops had been killed or wounded.

Both armies, exhausted, held their positions until the night of July 4, when Lee withdrew. The Army of the Potomac was too weak to pursue the Confederates, and Lee led his army out of the North, never to invade it again. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, costing the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. The Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address during the dedication of a new national cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in April 1865. (www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-gettysburg-ends)

1890 - Idaho was Admitted to the Union.

1960 - Alfred H. Ackley Died.

Ackley wrote many of the most wonderful songs in our hymnbooks. "He Lives" is perhaps his greatest contribution. Let us sing it now.

He Lives

   I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today; 
   I know that He is living, whatever men may say; 
   I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, 
   And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

   In all the world around me I see His loving care, 
   And tho' my heart grows weary I never will despair; 
   I know that He is leading, thru all the stormy blast, 
   The day of His appearing will come at last.

   Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing 
   Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King! 
   The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find, 
   None other is so loving, so good and kind.

Chorus: 
   He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! 
   He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! 
   You ask me how I know He lives? 
   He lives within my heart.

Other well-known songs by Ackley are, "Somebody Knows," "At the End of the Road," "God's Tomorrow," "Heartaches," "It is Morning in My Heart," and "Jesus is the Joy of Living." He wrote both words and music to the above songs. He wrote the words to "In the Service of the King," "Amazed," and "You Cannot Hide from God." It is said that he has written over 1,500 hymns and songs and many of them are world famous. 

Thank God for men who can place our thoughts to music and lead us in praise to God. Song is a vital part of the Word of God and the work of God. Have you been blessed by someone's musical number lately? Why not write and tell them.

1964 - Harland J. Odell Died.

Odell was defender of the faith and Pastor of the Canton Gospel Center, in Canton, Ohio. From 1955 until 1958 he was president of the American Council of Christian Churches. He prepared his farewell message, "Preparation for Dying," which was delivered from his hospital bed three weeks before he died of a kidney condition. He pastored this church for approximately twenty-five years.
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