The Battle of Gettysburg Essay

The transportation of products, supplies, Natural resources, and people in the North and South was a big factor in who won the war. The attached 1861 railroad map by James Lloyd shows how dense the railroads in the North were compared to the South. The North relied more on the railroad to transport their manufactured goods. The railroads also helped the union by sending ammunition and food quickly, but The there was a fear of being sabotaged. In the map, we can also see the South railroads were very scattered. The South didn 't have much of a need to have as many railroads because they were farming communities. The Union also destroyed what little railroads the South had (Boyer 454). The Confederacy then could not transport supplies nor people to other parts of the South (Beringer 310).

bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1,

As the war continued on the industrial capabilities of the North would prove to become one of the greatest contributing factors to their ability to sustain military operations. Tied directly into the industrial capabilities of the North is the economical superiority that they held over the South. "The economy was the greatest Southern weakness; it was the North's greatest strength. The North was not only a huge farm but a sprawling factory as well" (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey pg. 439). Wars are expensive, and in order to sustain military operations especially one that would drag on for four years money would become of great importance. The North was comprised of approximately 75% of the nation's wealth, and they were able to maintain their trade with Europe which kept the money, and weapons pouring in. The South's inability to raise money took its toll on the pocket books of the Southern States, and in turn would be one of the major contributing factors to their defeat. A lengthy war on the other hand favored the wealthier and

     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.

At first the South relied on imported arms and munitions but soon was able to produce its own. It had more trouble with clothing and food throughout the duration of the war.

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

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?

The Union was also capable of providing industry with the raw materials necessary for production. Mines and refineries existed in abundance in the North, which also had large amounts of land available for growing food crops, unlike the South which had devoted most its arable land to cash crops like cotton (Perman, 12). The existing infrastructure of roads and railways allowed the Union to transport weaponry, clothes, food, soldiers, and other supplies to almost any location in the entire theater, which greatly benefited the Northern army.

The time leading up to the Civil War was plagued by extreme sectionalism between the North and South caused by major social disagreements, as well as economic and political differences. The differences between the regions contributed both to the start of the war and the war’s outcome. In the years 1861-1865, the North and South each had significant advantages and disadvantages during the Civil War. Although the South’s passion for the “southern cause” was very strong, the Union also presented a huge commitment to the war and their values.

For anyone to be productive in what they are doing, they must have the energy to do it. This would be especially true for soldiers being in an extreme environment all day. The food shortage in the South was a considerable disadvantage. Before the war, the South was receiving grain from the midwest and salt from whales, which was crucial in preserving meats. The government tried undoubtedly their hardest to replace these commodities but it was denied by Union Naval supremacy. Rebels then turned to printing money, extreme price control, and seizing property. This created inflation, hoarding, and riots against food shortages. When one gets hungry, it causes a serious change in the mind. This affected the soldiers in a dominant way in which they were not able to deliver their full potential during battle. This made them weak and unable to function properly. (Gilbert, Taylor. Starving the South: How the North won the civil war) This created an extensive advantage for the North because the soldiers in the South were essentially starved. In fact, once Robert E. Lees supplies were captured by Ulysses Grant, he surrendered. The North was then able to proceed and win. The food shortage definitely had a huge impact on the South and how they performed under pressure. With not enough strength to carry on and perform at their best, this was a major advantage for the North.

The North had more businesses and ways of earning money while the south relied on slavery. In document B it says, “These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization.” This proves that the North was better in finances. In document A, “Graphing Civil War Data” it shows that the North had more supplies. The graph says the North had $189 Million in comparison to the south who had only $47 Million. The more money, the more shelter, supplies, and food. The better supplies and shelter, the lower the chance of sickness. In document A-3 it shows many died from sickness and disease, which came from the weather conditions. If they have better shelter, the weather conditions won’t affect them as much and they’ll still have a bigger troop. Finances were a big factor of the union

Lesson 1 1. I think because a lot of people didn’t want to go to war or enter the military service because of many different reasons and beliefs they had also some democrats that wanted peace and to reunite the states through negotiation rather than force. 2. Attrition, the wearing down of one side by the other through exhaustion of soldiers and resources, played a critical role as the war dragged on. The north, with its large population, could replace its troops much more easily than the south. 3. The confederate constitution emphasized states’ rights and limited the central government’s power. This commitment to states’ rights often interfered with Davis’s ability to conduct the war. Although many southern leaders supported the war, some opposed Jefferson Davis when he supported conscription and established martials law early in 1862. 4.The north had a strong naval tradition. More than three-fourths of the united states navy’s officers came from the north. Also most of the navy’s warships and all but two of the nation’s shipyards remained under union control. The north also had several economic advantages. The north had a larger population, giving it an advantage in raising an army and in supporting the war effort. In addition, in 1860 the north produced almost 90 percent of total manufacturing weapons and equipment. The north also had more railroad lines to enable the movement of armies and supplies. The north also had

An army of soldiers requires an enormous amount of supplies, so one would therefore need to have the means to thereby create those supplies. The North was well industrialized by the time of the Civil War, whereas the South was still highly dependent on slave labor, which hindered their ability to industrialize.4 When it came to producing weapons, uniforms, shoes, preserved food, tools for more effective farming to feed soldiers, the telegraph, and other necessities, the Union was way in the lead. They could not only create these products, but they could produce them in mass amounts in a fraction of the time it originally took to make them.5 The South had a hard time enduring the war because they did not have the factories necessary to produce the quality and mass amount of supplies they needed.

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