GETTYSBURG Introduction This is a brief thought of the events that came to unfold. Some say that Gettysburg was the battle that stopped the confederate advance to the north. In addition, that Lee only wanted to take the battle out the state of Virginia that had been hit rather hard by the unions Army . In this review of the Battle of Gettysburg, we will discuss the key events that people believed that allowed the Union Armies to cause the retrograde actions of the confederate forces. In addition, what each side wished to accomplish. And how the wished to accomplish these tasked the imagined . History The Civil war had started in 1861 in fort Sumter when the southern states did not wish to give up slaves, due to the hiring of paid labor would decrease profits. It was the summer in 1863 and General Lee was trying to figure out how to best end the war, with the succession being successful or victory for the south. General Lee’s Army had been in mainly defensive positions and he wanted to surround Washington, because he believed if he could capture it then he could end the war. General Lee had also begun reorganizing his Army and in doing so, he gave a great unbalance to the experience in his command positions. Of the forty-nine command positions 14 on them were in experienced in the position in which they held. The planning required at the corps level was remarkable different from the planning required at the division level. In addition, the planning at the
Today, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered one of the most important battles of the American Civil War. However, with 23,049 casualties on the Union side and 28,063 on the Confederate side, it can also be considered one of the bloodiest (Civil War Trust). Such heavy losses naturally rattled the entire nation and Americans on both sides began to question the war and what it stood for. As Americans gathered together at the consecration ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the much acclaimed orator and politician Edward Everett delivered what was meant to be the Gettysburg Address. Yet, today, it is not Edward Everett’s Gettysburg Address that the world remembers, but Abraham Lincoln’s, who was invited to the ceremony almost as an afterthought. Lincoln’s 272 words helped remake America by giving hope to its citizens at a time when they were at their lowest.
Americans had been engaged in a Civil War which had been begun in April of 1861 with shots fired on a fort in South Carolina. In the summer of 1863 in a small town called Gettysburg, there would be a fierce battle fought between the Union Army of the Potomac led by General George G. Meade and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. The events of the battle would overcome the losses suffered by the Union and put the Confederacy on the run. “Over 165,000 men would converge, and before the fighting ended, the ground would run red with blood. The battle was fierce, and the casualties proved it. But the casualties that resulted would not be in vain, at least for the Union; the formidable power
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought by the largest number of soldiers, totaling 172,000 young men (“American Civil War”). During the Civil War, our nation was divided by the North (Union Army) and the South (Confederate Army) for opposing viewpoints on slavery and states’ rights. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought over three long, arduous days. The soldiers struggled under their respected generals in a 25 mile battle zone (“American Civil War”). This battle was a triumphant victory and a heart-wrenching loss for the troops of the Yankee North and Rebel South. The complexity of the Battle of Gettysburg brought together two fronts whose decisions and commitment would determine its outcome.
The types of challenges that the Generals have faced during The Battle of Gettysburg are, location, following orders, and the weaponry. In a life or death situation, the position of where your men are stationed is crucial due to the fact if the opposite army crawls up behind or has the higher ground then there is a greater chance of getting murdered. General’s must accept the system that a more experienced General has stated and to not promote their individual procedures. Finally, the rifles, pistols, muskets, cannons and other artillery the Generals had to work with may have been difficult to shield or perform with. In conclusion, the Generals faced many complications when battling in the Battle of
The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the civil war. The Battle of Gettysburg would become the climatic conclusion for the Confederated that fought in the Civil War. What transpired in the three days of this battle has significantly influenced today’s society. Because of this battle, the Union gained their lead on the Confederate forces and won the civil war, which protected the county from falling apart and completing their ultimate goal. This goal was to preserve the Union. As Abe Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. What if the following events either did not happen or were twisted into different outcomes? Would our country be as it is today?
Over the last 153 years Gettysburg, has moved from honoring those who fought and died during the battle at Gettysburg to preserve the battlefield. Gettysburg went through two phases of change. The first phase happened between 1863 –1938 and the second phase happened in 1938 when the War Department transferred the administration of Gettysburg to the National Park Service.
Lee's Army was not very prepared for the battle with two of its three Corps having new commanders appointed. Lee did not do much to prepare these new commanders as they were
The stage was set for an immense struggle at Gettysburg after the May 1863 Battle of Chancellors Ville, when General Robert E. Lee made the historic decision to divide his already out manned and outgunned Army of Northern Virginia. This apparent violation of basic strategic principles was undertook at great risk, and only for the reason that a great payoff was possible. By creating 3 corps from his 75,000 men, Lee made it possible to accomplish more tasks in the same amount of time. The three commanders were, in theory, to be supported by the strategic reconnasaince of Jeb Stuart's cavalry-a role in which he failed dismally (and fatally) in the days and weeks leading up to Gettysburg. Lee decided to take the offensive by invading Pennsylvania via Maryland in an attempt to end the war quickly by threatening the Northern capitol and waging "total war" on the Northern citizens. Unfortunately for Lee, Stuart's joyriding (Jeb delighted in riding complete circles around the Northern armies and hence all of the public recognition and
The war started on April 12, 1861 when Confederate forces attacked a Union military base at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The reason the war started at this time was that Abraham Lincoln had just been elected President in 1860. Abraham Lincoln wanted to end slavery but keep the union together. The North had an increase of industry and the South still depended on farming the land. However, the South
The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states, and they wanted to prohibit slavery in the territories that haven’t became states yet. President Abraham Lincoln won the election in 1860 and at the time he was pledging to keep slavery out of the territories, seven states in the South created a new nation which was called the Confederate army. Most of the North which was the Union army didn’t agree with the South, so that’s when
The Killer Angels is an historical novel about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. The book captures the human nature of many historical figures over three fateful days in rural Pennsylvania in 1863. North and South, Yankee and Confederate; The Killer Angels provides a glimpse into the hearts and souls of some of the men who fought in this infamous battle and their own reasons for being in a fight to the death against their fellow countrymen.
The Civil War started on April 12th, 1861. A fight was between the North and the South. Southern states were livid at the fact that Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. The newly elected president was an abolitionist during his time. The southern states felt like the presence of President Lincoln disconnected them from the Union.These southern states include North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Virginia. All of these states separated from the Union and created their own. The Confederacy. On April 12,1861 the Confederate side began the civil war at Fort Sumter.
The accuracy of the articles was slightly off and changed as the months passed. In the article, “The Latest From Pennsylvania” described the circumstances of the Thursday battle between Federal and Confederate soldiers quite differently than the article, “The Battles at Gettysburg: The Southern Account.” For instance, the article, “The Latest From Pennsylvania,” depicted the battle from Wednesday ceased until 3 o’clock on Thursday afternoon. After which the battle was then fought until 10 o’clock Thursday night. As for the article, “The Battle at Gettysburg: The Southern Account” portrayed the events differently, stating that “ On Thursday, the day opened with heavy skirmishing which continued till one or two o’clock.” Thus, proving both articles told two different narratives of Thursday morning during the battle of Gettysburg.
Finally, Gettysburg Day 3 arose. The final battle at Gettysburg took place on July 3, 1863. General Robert E. Lee having failed on day two attacking the Unions right and left flanks, planned an attack on the Union Armies Center at Cemetery Ridge. Lee was going to use General George E. Pickett’s three Virginia troops to start the attack. All the soldiers were fresh since they had not fought the first two days of battle (“Robert E.
An interesting turn of events would soon favor the Federal Army as General J.E.B. Stuart and his cavalry were north and east of Gettysburg causing a lot of fear in the North but consequently were not performing adequate reconnaissance, the result was that General Lee did not know where General Meade and the Army of the Potomac were or what their strength was (Freeman, 147). When Confederate General Henry Heth moved into