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The Battle Of Gettysburg And The Civil War Essay

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On July 1, 1863, the bloodiest, most gruesome war in American History began. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union Army under the command of General George G. Meade faced the Confederate Army led by General Robert E. Lee. They clashed for a long, tragic, three days, but at a costly expense of human life. The American Civil War was one of the most significant battles that the United States has ever been engaged in. On the lines, there were brothers lined up across from one another, fighting against each other. Over the course of the five years of war, a total of 620,000 American lives was lost. This was one of the most tragic events that our nation has ever been involved in, that our own people were killing each other for what they believe in. On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, isolated units of the Army of Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia began to engage. Union General, John Buford, was in command of two brigades of cavalry. These were the first troops to arrive at Gettysburg. Upon arriving, Buford dismounted his troops on foot and set them up in a defensive position on McPherson’s Ridge. He knew that his troops could not hold off an attack from the Confederates, so “his main goal was to buy some time until the rest of the Union Army could arrive.” (Foster 1). A few skirmishes erupted and quickly became more and more intense. The next day, battles emerged all over the Union’s lines. One of the most

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