Stones river battlefield Essay

The park has 94 campsites with plans to build a few more sites (Shafer 1). These sights are now reservation only so if you would like to camp you should make you reservation early. The park also is strategically placed at the convergence of the Heart and Missouri river which make it great for fishing. In the fall the park is open to youth hunters to try and control the population of dear and other game that are within the parks borders. The beautiful landscape is great for hiking and biking trails, both off road and paved trails. One of the most unique aspects of the park is that it is open for horse riding. Many horse owners love the park because it is one of the few remaining state parks that still allows them to ride within the park. If none of these activities interest you, there are also other special events that the park holds. For example, there are multiple color dashes and runs, along with a variety of treasure hunts throughout the summer. With these options, available you don’t have to love history to want to visit Fort Abraham Lincoln.

September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army

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.

This paper will examine the British and American Southern Loyalist defeat in the Battle of Kings Mountain and discuss the assumptions the British made including loyalist support, logistic support, and terrain advantage.

The battle took place in the tangled woods of what is now Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Park about 10 miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia along Orange Plank Road and Orange Turnpike. The Federals held the land to the east and the confederates to the west. The land was nearly impassable, proving a nightmare for both moving men and logistics. The importance of the location, however, was significant. Railways and roads led to Washington and were logistically important. For two years, fighting for the land surrounding the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers led to stalemate. Twice previously, Lee had been able to withstand attack from the Federals; attacks led by Joseph Hooker and George Meade. Lee’s plan was, likely, to take Washington, which he believed would decidedly win

The Battle of Gettysburg was truly one of the bloodiest battles, but was a major turning point in the Civil War, which made sure of the

General Grant and his army of forty-two thousand men had camped along the river. The Confederates second stupid leader, General Albert Sidney Johnston said, ”I would fight him if he were a million.” The poorly prepared rebels were on the march and without food for twenty-four hours. The tired and hungry Confederate Army was still able to catch Grant's army by surprise. Eight of ten union soldiers at Shiloh had never fought before. At the end of the Battle of Shiloh twenty-four thousand men were dead, wounded, or captured.

“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.

It was the largest battle of the Civil War totaling around 80,000 deaths, 27,000 men were wounded and more than 16,000 went missing out taken prisoner. On just the 2nd day of the Battle of Gettysburg 3x the amount of American casualties that occurred on D-Day in Normandy. Thousands of more deaths would Galen on the other two days as well. However the casualties favored the Union Army as they withstood a static move by General Lee and clinched victory for the battle.

     As the battle wore on, the superior numbers of the Union Army began to wear down the Confederate lines. At a critical point, as the Confederates began to fall back, an officer pointed out a line of rebels who were still strong. He said, “look at Jackson’s men standing like a stone wall”. He was talking about General T. J. Jackson’s men. Jackson would from then on be known as “Stonewall Jackson”, one of the most famous of all Confederate generals. This seemed to inspire the Southern troops at Henry

Approximately 4,800 troops lost their lives during the battle. General Irvin McDowell surrendered because they were running low on troops and did not know what to do, so the win went to General PGT Beauregard the confederates.

Throughout the battle only three soldiers died for both the Confederate and the Union and a compact total of 35 soldiers wounded. Braxton Bragg’s report of this battle is surprisingly short for over a 10-day battle. Bragg’s report was only two pages long and only four paragraphs long. In this report, there is only one time where the reports of an important detail are correct between the Union and Confederate. Bragg was on watch and was quick to respond when he received information because he knew that the Union had outnumbered them. Also, the confederate had no horses and hardly any weapons or artillery. “The enemy exceeded us in numbers, and was well intrenched from sea to river, a distance not exceeding one mile.” (Bragg

With over 51,000 people killed, Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. They built Gettysburg National Military Park to honor the men who died.

People who both love to travel and study history can bring history back to life by visiting where important historical battles took place. Traveling to historical battlegrounds can be especially rewarding when you have a knowledgeable and engaging guide.

Outside there is a massive graveyard where veterans of many campaigns from the Indian wars through Vietnam, quietly sleep through the final resting place, although Custer's remains were exhumed many years ago and buried at Westpoint. The Battlefield highlight is Last Stand Hill, an area where the defeated soldiers and their entire company met there demise, complete with specific stones marking specific spots where the individual soldiers fell one final time.