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To What Extent Was The Gettysburg A Turning Point In The Civil War

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The Battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg were very significant turning points in the American Civil War because they changed the course of the war. The union won all of those battles which would eventually led to a Union Victory and a Confederate Loss. They were also the bloodiest and costed each side tens of thousands of lives. If the Confederate had won those battles than perhaps they would have won the war. The Battle of Antietam took place in Maryland on September 17, 1862. The Union side led by George B. McClellan had 87,000 soldiers and suffered 12,401 casualties. The Confederate side led by Robert E Lee had 45,000 soldiers and suffered 10,316. The result of this battle was inconclusive and from a military stand point was seen as a draw. However, the Union was able to draw Lee’s forces from Maryland which gave Lincoln the victory to wish he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation is a very significant document in American History. It made all slaves free in the Southern rebelling states, Lincoln hoped this would cause them to rejoin the Union but they still kept on fighting. …show more content…

The Union side was led by George G. Meade and the Confederates were led by Robert E Lee. The Union side had 93,921 soldiers and suffered 23,049 casualties. The Confederate side had 71,699 soldiers and suffered 28,063 casualties. The Union won and this was the last battle to ever be fought on Union soil. The loss had a huge impact on the Confederates because they lost all hope of ever being recognized as a sovereign nation. It also had a negative impact on their economy. It put the Confederates in a defensive mode and they would never again invade the Union. If they had won this battle, they could’ve surrounded or even conquer the Union’s capital Washington

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