While Gettysburg is a significant battle during the Civil War, the Battle of Antietam is arguably a significant game changer in the war. This was the first battle of the Civil War to be waged on northern soil. Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his army of 52,000 went head to head with Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and his 75,300 Yankees. Not long after overpowering the Union Army of Virginia commanded by Maj. Gen. John Pope in the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lee led his own Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac into Maryland.
Secondly and in my opinion what lead to the demise of the Confederate Army, was the fact that General Lee wanted to smash through the opposing Union force in one quick movement, in other words due to the fact he knew he had the superior numbers of the battlefield he wanted to use a more attrition style warfare against the Union and unfortunately for him and his army, the Union was dug in pretty well and had started an ambush on his far left flack. Another key point is that the fact the confederate army had aimed their artillery far too high thus over shooting where they needed to and when the infantry regiments moved in the smaller but more effective Union artillery was able to do massive damage to the troops on the front lines and greatly decreased their numbers, by the time the confederate army reached they Union army and was within rifle range their numbers were just for too small and even though plenty of blood shed was left on the battlefield from both armies, the Confederate army was forced to retreat from the battle thus ending it and giving the victory to the Union Army but at a
The article Antietam In The Civil War informs readers about the battle of Antietam. During the beginning of the battle of Antietam, Lee marched to Maryland hoping to seize railroads feeding Washington D.C. and rally inhabitants of the border states. Next Lee split off part of his army, which McClellan would probably never figure out. Therefor, Lee had an advantage on McClellan’s army. That was true up until one of Lee’s couriers lost a copy of his marching orders and the union found it.
During the first half of the Civil War, the South had the upper hand and the Confederate army was taking most of the victories. The leadership of General Lee was a force to be reckoned with and the South had the advantage of knowing the geography and having the ability to quickly obtain fresh reinforcements and supplies, since most of the battles were fought locally. Northern generals had failed to stop the Southern advances and things were looking bleak for the Union. Fortunately, General Ulysses S. Grant was granted the authority to make the major military decisions, and as a result of his relentless pursuit of the Confederate army, the Union won the Civil War.
As a result of the withstanding social differences over the issue of slavery and the economic imbalance between the North and the South, tensions skyrocketed and in due time, lead to the Civil War. The economic differences contributed to the war because it robbed the South of their most reliable source of labor: slaves, and threatened the collapse of their economy. The social divergences contributed to the war by reaffirming the beliefs of the country on the subject of slavery by introducing new bills that only segregated them further in their social standings. The Civil War was the most costly endeavor in American history, with hordes of lives lost, and a country broken apart, both literally and metaphorically. While the Civil War left the country torn, it was imperative that it took place to resolve the many political, social, and economic issues that plagued the country.
The Battle of Bull Run, the principal real conflict in the Civil War, finished in a Confederate triumph. It smashed illusions that either side would win rapidly or effectively. The fight came to fruition when President Lincoln requested General Irvin McDowell to strike Confederate powers at Mananas Junction, as a stage toward taking Richmond. He needed to move rapidly against the foe, trusting a conclusive triumph would suppress the resistance. Assaulting at a young hour in the morning, Union powers initially appeared to be winning, yet the Confederates checked their development.
The battle of Antietam was not considered a victory by either the North (Union) or the South (Confederacy) and was not considered a turning point from a military prospective. The battle was considered a tactical draw by most military historians because neither side took the battle field and drove their opponents into retreat. Two key events that occurred off the battlefield
Many battles were fought during the civil war. I was a rough time in American history. Even though there were quite a few battles in the civil war, the Battle of Shiloh was the greatest. The battle of Shiloh is one of the most known battles because up until that time in the Civil War it was the bloodiest of the battles, it was also well known for how many soldiers were lost on both sides, The battle of Shiloh was unique because of the diseases the soldiers endured, the arduous terrain, weather conditions, the soldiers relied upon. Death by combat was not the only reason so many soldiers died, from the beginning to the end of the civil war disease was a big problem.
Hannah Allen History 2 Coach Jones February 26, 2016 The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle in American history, was the first battle of the civil war fought on Northern territory. It was fought along Antietam Creek, at Sharpsburg, Maryland, and resulted in 23,000 soldiers either killed or wounded in battle. After Second Manassas, General Robert E. Lee went into Maryland, assuming that the possibility of beneficial resources for his cause excused his invasion of the Confederate defensive policy.
The Battle of Chancellorsville took place April 30th-May 6th 1863. Joseph Hooker led the Union in this battle and Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were Commanders of the Confederate States of America (Civil War Trust). Lee and Jackson conceived one of the boldest plans of the war, and it was because of this plan that the Confederate States of America won the Battle of Chancellorsville (Civil War Trust). Many lives were lost in the battle, however there was one loss that was the most profound to both sides of the war. Joseph Hooker, the commander of the Union in this battle was a war veteran before the Civil war (Civil War Trust).
Mary Bedlinger Mitchell, a resident of Shepherdstown reveals how intense and horrific The battle of Antietam truly was when she said "As night drew nearer, whispers of a great battle to be fought the next day grew louder, and we shuddered at the prospect, for battles had come to mean to us, as they never had before, blood, wounds, and death." The gruesome event that occurred on September 17th, 1862 leaving thousands of casualties behind marking an important event in American history through short and long term effects. Battle of Antietam was relevant to not only America, yet in England and France and the importance of this battle had unexpectedly changed America as a whole. The battle of Antietam short term effects had changed America unexpectedly
But the north held their position on Cemetery Ridge the high ground of south to Gettysburg. Lee ordered General James Longstreet to attack Cemetery Ridge Around 4 p.m. Longstreet troops has gone
The confederates surprised the union soldiers which resulted in a confederate win. There were many other battles, however there is one that really stands out. The most known battle, and the deadliest battle, Gettysburg. The battle at Gettysburg resulted with by far the most deaths. With over 50,000 casualties, this battle would be remembered by all.
Having this thought, Lee saw it as the best way to end the war before the South was trapped in an unwinnable battle of attrition. As Lee moved North, the Union army shadowed him, moving to stay between Confederate forces and Washington. Both armies were looking for a fight. After this battle, the South began to loose confidence in their fight for slavery. The battle of Gettysburg was the ultimate turning point for the North in the Civil War.
However, this was refused by Jefferson Davis, despite this it affected Lee’s morale for the remainder of the war and he was careful with his future strategies arguably making him overly cautious, which may have led to Confederate defeat. One notable fact was on the third day of the battle the Confederates suffered 6,500 casualties in just one hour. Therefore, it can be said that Gettysburg had a massive influence on the future of the South’s fighting, this is because it emphasised the Northern industrial power against the lesser Confederacy which was struggling to retain a full army and sufficient resources. However, it could be argued that if a Southern victory had occurred this may not have caused low morale with General Lee and the Confederacy would strongly continue in