Gettysburg Turning Point

     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.

The weather on the day of battle was hot, in the mid 80’s to low 90’s, and humid. The heat had a negative effect on Union soldiers. The Union Army set out at 2 a.m. to avoid engaging in battle during the hottest part of the day. Many of these Soldiers were untrained in road marches and lacked discipline. They would break ranks to find water, rest or collect blackberries. For these reasons they reached Bull Run three hours late and consequently ended up fighting well into the day. Both sides went into the battle with high morale. They believed that over the course of a few days they would be victorious and the war would be won in this one battle. The terrain of the Battle was mostly rolling country side. Bull Run River was running through the battlefield, which is what the battle was named after. Soldiers had to

The battle of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 were the most significant battles of the civil war. These battles changed the tide of the war greatly by crippling the Confederate forces while providing hope for the Union. While both battles were won by completely different strategies both contributed greatly to the end result of the “Terms of Military Convention” which was the souths defeat agreement. These battles defended the north, reduced the fighting power of the south and pushed the remaining confederate’s forces back.

As you already know, this battle lasted only two days. The Yankees (North) left with 10,000 individuals wounded and killed, while the Rebels (South) lost about 1,300 with 7,000 wounded. This battle was similar to the first battle in terms of what they were striving to accomplish. In this battle, the Union constructed a plan to obtain the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. The Union thought they were being surrounded and retreated into southern artillery.

“Death created the modern American union, not just by ensuring national survival, but by shaping enduring national structures and commitments. The work of death was Civil War America 's most fundamental and most demanding undertaking”— Drew Gilpin Faust. Death in the Civil War was indeed a principle in creating the America we know and love today. This was the bloodiest war in United States military history. Within the war was the Battle of Gettysburg, a battle that was engulfed in massive suffering and loss of life. July first through the third 1863, A rural town in the eastern United States, Gettysburg Pennsylvania, is host to the largest, most fierce, battle ever to occur on American soil. At the start, Rumors were circulating that Lee was marching his army over the Potomac river and into southern Pennsylvania. Eventually, solid military intelligence confirmed this, and with an equally sized army, under the command of Gen. George G. Meade, the Union began on a collision course with the confederate army, and so began the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was a turning point because, the south’s morale declined while the north’s increased; northern casualties were lower than the south’s; and the north gained a geographical advantage from the battle.

Lee formed a consequential decision that he would invade Maryland and force the Union army to leave northern Virginia. Diminishing the pressure of the Confederate Capital along with hopefully securing the support from Great Britain and France. Lee pushed his ragged, barefoot, and famished troops north into western Maryland for those and other reasons. “ Since entering Maryland the men had lived off ripened corn and green apples. The heat, the diet, and the consequential onset illnesses had left many good men strewn along the roadside” one Confederate officer wrote.

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. The battle was fought from July 1 to July 3 near Gettysburg. The famous battle was between Robert Lee and his Northern Virginia Army and George Meade and the North's Army of the Potomac, The Union. The original leader of the Army of the Potomac was General Joseph Hooker, but President Lincoln relieved Hooker of his duties and named Meade the new General of the Army. Many soldiers died from both sides during this battle and that is the reason it is known as one of the bloodiest battles. The Battle of Gettysburg was General Robert Lee's second attempt at invading the North and there was a definite aftermath to this battle.

Did you know the Battle of Gettysburg was the biggest battle ever fought in North America? There were 160,000 men that fought in the battle. The Union Army was led by Major General Gordon Meade and had had 85,000 men. The Confederate Army was led by General Robert Lee had 75,000. men. The battle occurred the first three days in July of 1863. After the Confederate Army won the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia in May of 1863, General Lee decided to attack the Union Army in the North. This was his second attack in the North. General Lee led the Confederate Army to the North to fight to pressure Abraham Lincoln to end the war. If he could not win the war, then he wanted to form an alliance with England and France. General Lee also wanted to move the battle away from Virginia during the farmers’ growing season.

involved the largest number of casualties (around 23,049 in the Union army and around 28,063

A string of confederate pushes had forced the Union east to McPherson Ridge. Through out the whole day the fighting between the North and the South just continued to intensify. By the end of the day, the North had been hard fought by the South and gave up a few high grounds which meant they had to retreat to the high ground south of cemetery hill, where there was another Union division left in reserve. The second day brought on even more bloodshed. As the the fighting brought itself to Plum run valley, Meade was forced to send in 20,000 reinforcements.

Around noon, Union and Confederate cavalry troops battled three miles east of Gettysburg but Stuart was eventually repulsed by cannon fire led in part by Gen. George Custer and the Union Cavalry. The diversion attempt failed. Back at the main battle site, just after 1 p.m. about 170 Confederate cannons opened fire on the Union position on Cemetery Ridge to pave the way for the Rebel Charge. This was the heaviest artillery barrage of the war. The Federals returned heavy cannon fire and soon the battlefield was covered in smoke and dust. Around 2:30 p.m. the Federals slowed their rate of fire, then stopped firing, to conserve ammunition and to fool the Rebels into thinking the cannons were knocked out-and that's exactly what the Rebels thought too. But as the Rebels got within range, Federal cannons opened fire using grapeshot which is a shell containing iron balls that flew apart when fired, and they also used deadly waves of rifle fire. Soon the Rebel army was torn apart but they still moved forward. Pickett’s charge was almost more after the once majestic army of 13,000 had its numbers of troops dwindle.. The Rebels still move forward, shooting then charging with bayonets. The battle lasted for about an hour mostly of hand-to-hand combat. Finally what was left of Pickett’s charge (5,500) retreated. Lee admitted this was his mistake and the tide of war now turned in the North’s favor. The Union lost (either dead, wounded, or missing) about 23,000, and the Confederates lost about

Most modern historians, regardless of political biases, tend to agree that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the American Civil War. Some even go as far to as to call it the “high water mark” of the Confederate States. What is known is that it represented the last time a coherent Confederate Army threatened northern soil. In fact, from Gettysburg forward, the Confederation of Southern States would be fighting a defensive/fighting retreat. Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, but there were many bloody battles during the American Civil War. What enamors the public and historians alike is that Gettysburg was a rare battle that held consequences for the winner and loser that went far beyond a sole battle during a military campaign.

In order to understand how this war played out we must look it on all angles. The generals, leading reasons, battle zones, tactics and dates are all critical details when researching on war topics. The leading generals of the Union included Ulysses S Grant and George McClelland while the confederates were led by Robert E Lee and Thomas Jackson. The countries divided were in need of a leader who not only supported their actions but also felt the shared ideas; a president. The Confederates chose Jefferson Davis and the Union chose Abraham Lincoln as president. The presidential elections were a cause behind the revolt and secession of the Confederate states.

For the Confederate side they have President Jefferson Davis, General Joseph Johnston, General Joseph Wheeler, and General John B. Hood. President Davis role was to support the South’s way of life and saw after all military operations. General Johnston was in charge of the Army of Tennessee and Polk’s Army of Mississippi, which he was the first to take contact with Sherman’s forces. General Wheeler, who fought along side Johnston, was in charge of 65,000 cavalry men. Finally, there was General Hood who took charge of Johnston’s armies when he was relieved later on.

The Union however had more problems with there generals, President Lincoln had chosen several different generals to lead the Union forces before he finally settled with Ulysses S. Grant. After the first battle he ordered the south to be cut off from trade outside countries hoping that there economy would slowly die. While the Confederates were using a tactic called attrition which meant they want they wanted the north to lose moral and quit the war.