The Battle of Gettysburg
By: Paige Fink
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The first shot occured on July, 1st 1863. The battle did not stop until for several days. Many consider it to be the bloodiest battle we’ve have witnessed yet. On July, 3rd 1863, the most significant engagement with the Union ended. It was a devastating, catastrophic loss for the Confederacy.
General Robert E. Lee had marched to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with a few Confederate divisions. Since we lost General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson in Chancellorsville, the rest of the war for us could end in a major disaster. To the Confederate’s dismay, it was discovered that there were already two Union cavalry brigades that had previously arrived
Day one, July 1, 1863, was the start of what some would figure just to be another battle of this lengthy war, but it proved to be a stepping stone on the path of victory for the Union. Confederate and Union forces collided on the first day on the outskirts of Gettysburg. The
The Battle of Gettysburg was the most decisive battle for the North, and it lasted for a total of three days. It began on July 1 and ended on July 3, 1863. The Confederacy was going on the offensive and was beginning to venture into Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington D.C. They encountered Union troops as they advanced towards Harrisburg where they planned to cut off Union supply lines and to steal provisions that they needed. The Battle of Gettysburg became the bloodiest multi-day battle ever fought in United States history. At the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union claimed victory, and they would use this psychological advantage throughout the rest of the Civil War.
Two hours later, General Meade ordered the First 11th Corps to Gettysburg with Major Reynolds to lead them on their way. Major Reynolds summoned Major General Abner Doubleday, who was acting commander of the First Corps at this time, to headquarters. Between the hours of seven and eight AM, they went over to inspect dispatches from General Meade and Buford. Major Reynolds also sent Captain Joseph Rosengarten, to tell the townspeople that there was to be a battle here soon, but instead of listening, they threw mud in his face. He briefly told Major Reynolds what had happened and he replied jokingly, “You must be mistaken; they have been throwing mud in your eyes.” (Pfanz,73)
On July 1-3, 1863 in the town of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, Confederate and Union armies compile 50,000 a causalities in what would be the deadliest battle of the Civil War and American History. Major General George Meade of the Union Army of the Potomac and General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia turning point of the Civil War with a decisive victory of the Union. Costly missed opportunities and lack of intelligence lead to failure by the Confederate army and Union Army’s resilience of defense on the high ground of the Hills of Gettysburg tell the story of the Battle.
The Battle of Gettysburg started on July 1, 1863 as a meeting engagement, after Robert E. Lee won the Battel of Chancellorsville, Virginia. Lee was so successful in his last battle, decided
On July 1, 1863, the Union Army of the Potomac engaged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had advance into the north. This would be the battle of all battles; it would be the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Three days of warfare resulted in a Union victory at the cost was 51,000 American casualties. The Southern reason for rebellion was to break away from the Union and become a separate country, the Confederate States of America. Up to this point the rebels were winning battles with the successful leadership of their Southern generals. The Union was in trouble; their armies were getting beaten even while out numbering and being better supplied than their foes. The North, by
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most important battles, if not the most important battle from the Civil War. The Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 between the Union and the Confederate States of America. The Union was mainly made up of Northern states while the Confederate States of America was mainly Southern states who had seceded from the nation. The Battle of Gettysburg took place right in the middle of war in 1863, and was one of the bloodiest ever. The battle took place in the 3rd year of the war, during the beginning of July on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd . The war would continue for another 2 years and eventually, the Union would end up winning. The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the war because of the amount of casualties that the armies suffered, and since it was a major win and morale boost for the Union army.
Next, Gettysburg Day 2 came. After, the first day of battle at Gettysburg General Robert E. Lee ordered an attack on Union troops just South of town. The Union was positioned all along a fishhook. Starting at Culp’s Hill, going around Cemetery Hill and going down Cemetery Ridge South of Gettysburg with 90,000 troops. The Confederates surrounded the fishhook with 70,000 troops. Robert E. Lee planned to attack the Union Army from the left and right flanks of the fishhook (“Robert” History.com).
The bloodiest battle fought was the Battle of Gettysburg. 3,155 Union troops died and 3,903 for the Confederates. 14,259 men were wounded for the North with 5,425 for the South.10, 790 men were missing in total. One fight that caused a major part in the casualties was Pickett’s Charge.
The Gettysburg War went down in history as a War fought over slavery, yet Shaara did not want to portray this reasoning, he wisely kept this a broad area. Shaara researched historical events and stories to guide the accurate information written, he maintained as much truth as he could, “Both authors present fascinating scenarios of events we know took place but cannot read much about in actual history” (Skarstedt 452). By providing outstanding respect towards both Union and Confederate the book remains open and unbiased so that a reader is able to portray what they may have been the war’s reasoning. The ultimate respect towards our soldiers was achieved in not determining who could’ve been at fault, or who was the loser, winner, or even an
The Battle of Gettysburg occurred on July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863. This three day battle between the Union and Confederate armies remains today as the largest causality causing battle on United States soil. This battle would leave nearly 50,000 Americans dead, wounded, missing and captured.
What was supposed to last 90 days, now dragged on for more than two years. It was apparent, now more than ever, that little was being accomplished but the taking of hundreds of thousands of lives. The war between the Union and Confederacy had been in a sort of deadlock where each side could claim victories as easy as defeats. By this time the south had the upper hand "militarily wise," just coming off a magnificent tactical victory at Chancellorsville in May. General Lee headed the Confederacy's, Army of Northern Virginia, General Meade headed the Union's Army of the Potomac. Both sides saw the need to win that one, crucial victory to turn the tide completely in their favor. They would get their chances at a small town in Pennsylvania. The
The Battle of Gettysburg was a very important and significant battle that occurred during the Civil War from July 1 to 3rd of 1863. In this battle between the Union and the Confederacy, there were an estimated 51, 112 casualties, and a total 165,620 total forces that were involved. After a victory over the Union forces at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee marched on with his Army of Northern Virginia to Pennsylvania and arrived on July 1, 1863 with the intention and desire to collect supplies in Pennsylvania, and remove the fighting portion from the already war-crazy Virginia. He had a plan to lessen the North’s desire for war and he believed that winning a major battle in the North would help with the longing of peace there in the
The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War took place on July 1, 1863.
“What a cruel thing is war; to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbours, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world! I pray that, on this day when only peace and good-will are preached to mankind, better thoughts may fill the hearts of our enemies and turn them to peace. … My heart bleeds at the death of every one of our gallant men.”(General Robert E. Lee. 1862) General Robert E. Lee, as renowned as he is for his tactfulness in wartime, resents war in its entire capacity. That didn’t put a strain on his attempt to lead the Confederates’ invasion of the Northern States. His objective was to