Intelligence throughout the Battle of Gettysburg was fundamentally not as essential to either side. The reason that intelligence was undervalued and not pursued on a scale that seems to acquiesce with the volume of the conflict, is due to the fact that strategic intelligence was inferior to the tactical . The training of soldiers could be considered crucial with this strategy, yet many soldiers were trained in solely 90 basic commands before entering battle . In the Battle of Gettysburg particularly Confederate troops had high morale as they we getting the chance to fight on the enemies land and be on the attack.
Gen. Robert E. Lee had a prolific military background compared to Maj. General George Gordon Meade entering the Battle of Gettysburg. Shortly prior to the Battle of Gettysburg Maj. Gen. Meade was promoted from captain to general whereas Gen. Lee served in the United States Army for 32 years. Both commanders attended the United States Military Academy but Gen. Lee had a substantial amount of command experience compared to Maj. Gen. Meade, which included a pivotal role in the Mexican-American War. In this battle, the Union army’s objective was to bring the Confederate army to battle while maintaining the defense of the capital in Washington, D.C and keeping the battles of war from being fought further north. The union did not intend on attacking the Confederates, they only planned on defending their positions as directed by President Lincoln. The Confederate army’s
In the battle of Gettysburg, strategies were an important factor. Both of the sides had very good strategies. The union’s plan was to attack the confederates out of nowhere. The south’s plan was to defend using their land. There were many advantages and disadvantages for both the union and the confederacy. The unions advantages were that they had better leadership, access to supplies because of their factories, and a bigger population. Their disadvantages were that they in unknown territory, and high pressure. The confederates advantages were home court advantage, they had a skilled army, and they had good terrain to help them. Their disadvantages were that they had a smaller population and they had lots of land to cover. In this battle the union won.
bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1,
The geography of the North destroyed the chances that the South had of winning. The number of casualties for the South was about the same as the North, but it affected the South way more because they had a way smaller amount of men. As a result, the south lost all of its morale and confidence in winning this war. Both armies, exhausted, held their positions until the night of July 4, when Lee withdrew. 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 25,000 casualties. The South had won most battles before the Battle of Gettysburg because they were fought in the South. Unfortunately, for the South, the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in the North and the North's geography was totally different from what they are accustomed to. Robert E. Lee wrote letters to Jefferson Davis saying he cannot fulfill his position as General. He states, “I cannot even accomplish what I myself desire. How can I fulfill the expectations of others?...”(Document C) His morale and confidence in these letters have been diminished. Abraham Lincoln on the other hand wrote the Gettysburg address. This speech made the south lose more of its morale and hope in the war. h In this speech he gave a new meaning to the war. The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil War due to geography,
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 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.
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
The three-day Battle of Gettysburg, starting on July 1st in 1863, would be known to be one of the most memorable and important battles in history. It would become the major outcome of the Civil War. The day of the outburst of the Battle of Gettysburg was a hot humid day on the first of July. It was between two sides. One side was the Union, which was the Army of Potomac Commanded by General George G. Meade, along with other notable commanders such as John F Reynolds, Winfield Scott Hancock, Daniel E. Sickles, George Sykes, John Sedgwick, Oliver O. Howard, Henry W. Slocum, and Alfred Pleasonton (“Battle of Gettysburg,” 2016). The other side was the Confederate Soldiers called the Army of Northern Virginia who was commanded by General Robert E. Lee, along with other notable commanders as well, which were James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, A. P. Hill, and J.E.B. Stuart (“Battle of Gettysburg,” 2016). Between these two sides, the Army of Potomac had a great advantage with 93,700 men and 372 guns, while the Army of Northern Virginia were outmanned and outgunned with only 70,100 men and 280 guns. The Army of Potomac’s mission was to defeat the Army of Northern Virginia as well as to make sure Washington, D.C. remained safe. It may seem like the Army of Potomac would be the clear winner at the Battle of Gettysburg yet the Army of Northern Virginia had a strategy that would help to attempt to beat the Union which was to go on the aggression and confront them. This would
The Battle of Gettysburg was a short lived battle with tremendously tragic amounts of bloodshed and casualties. The physical battle, lasting the short span from July 1st to July 3rd 1863, is considered by many, the most significant and important battle of the American Civil War. Unfortunately what many consider the most significant battle of the American War was also indeed the bloodiest battle fought on American soil. Confidence can be to blame for the outset of this battle and how it began. In May of 1863, the Confederate army leader, Robert E. Lee was fortunate enough in Chancellorsville, Virginia when he and his army claimed the victory against the Army of the Potomac. Lee experienced a high of confidence from the victory, which ultimately
The Foreword began with describing the armies of the two armies. It states that the Confederate armies had a strong union among its men, because of their similarities in traditions, language, and religion. The soldiers had a strong belief in their leaders and were stronger together. This resulted in them beating much larger armies. The leader of this group on the battle of Gettysburg was Robert E Lee. A man who loves Virginia, who doesn’t partake in any bad habits, and who is a calm and composed man. However, the Union army was more diverse in their traditions, language, and religion, but this didn’t stop them from volunteering for their country. The leader of this group was George Gordon Meade. Unlike Lee, Meade was far more irritable and
The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil war. General Robert E. Lee was the commanding officer of the Confederate army. During the battle of Gettysburg Lee’s military strategy was to fight offensive. Lee’s goal during the battle was to seize the high ground and out last the union army. The Union army had outnumbered the Confederate soldiers. General Lee’s first hand man was General James Longstreet. Longstreet believes the new technology in warfare would make attacking the Union army bloody for the Confederate soldiers. Longstreet suggests to Lee that defensive warfare tactics such as using trenches and rocks for cover and concealment would be the Confederacy’s best fighting chance. Lee denies Longstreet’s ideas and continued with the plan to fight out in the open and attack the enemies head on. After three days of fighting the Confederate army lost the battle at Gettysburg. Lee’s tactical approaches that led to this lost included the lack of communication and the absence of and with General J.E.B Stuart, Lee’s continuation to pursue offensive attacks and Pickett’s charge.
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?
What was so important about the Battle of Gettysburg was that during the Civil War General Lee attempt to penetrate northern boundaries so he could draw the attention away from the Union defenses. He wanted to manipulate his way around the Yankees so he could have a final battle on s ground of his choosing on Northern territory. Lee's Army as well trained as he believed they were could not outdo the Union Army and their numbers.
It is our duty, as soon to be Second Lieutenants in the Army, to learn from history. Learning from mistakes in the past is necessary to understand the responsibilities we will soon have. The Battle of Gettysburg shows prime examples of the nine principles of war: Objective, Offensive, Mass, Economy of Force, Maneuver, Unity of Command, Security, Surprise and Simplicity. In the military today, we are overwhelmingly blessed with every asset that we have including technology and monetary resources the list could go on forever but the most invaluable asset is history. Although all nine principles of war are pertinent to success on the battlefield, only five will be discussed in this analysis.
One of the largest casualty producing battles in American history was the Battle of Gettysburg, and it was largely attributed to the artillery. Due to effective leadership, advanced tactics superior fires, the Union Army was able to influence the tide of the battle. The Artillery used during the Battle of Gettysburg was essential to the Union forces’ victory.
Gettysburg was fought during the Civil War between the Union Army of the Potomac led by General Meade, and the Confederate Army commanded by General R.E. Lee. The battle only was waged over the course of three days, but it would prove to be the most costly of the entire Civil War. In this paper, we will show how the Confederacy failed to identify certain principles of war, which lead them to incorrectly conduct a center of gravity and critical vulnerability analysis on the Union. Because of this failure, the Confederacy opened the door for the Union to score a decisive victory.