Did you know that after the Battle of Gettysburg, the troops on each side had lost many soldiers? The Battle of Gettysburg, was part of the Civil War that lasted 4 years and it was the Union (North) against the Confederacy (South). This battle, was a win for the Union boosting up their moral, but giving up confidence for the Confederacy. Each side had many casualties and therefore, the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point during the Civil War because of the effects that came with the battle.
The Battle of Gettysburg was a three day fight in which an estimate of 51,000 soldiers were killed in total, but besides all of the casualties, what else makes this battle special? The Battle of Gettysburg was a huge factor in the abolishment of slavery. It is one of the most important battles because it created new war strategies and was the turning point in the Civil War, which led to the Gettysburg Address.
On July 1st - 3rd of 1863 approximately 160,000 men were involved in the largest battle of the Civil War and the largest battle ever fought in North America in a small town in Pennsylvania, Gettysburg. Of the 160,000 men the 85,000 northerners outnumbered the 75,000 strong southerners. The battle is considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War and a turning point in favor of the north. After the fighting had ended, the Union in total had 23,049 casualties and the Confederacy had 28,063, a great Union victory. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of Gen. Robert E. Lee, invaded the north for the second time where they laid assault after assault against the Union’s line. The Union’s Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, with a hard fought defensive all across their lines and Meade’s strategic actions, held off the Confederate attacks one after another.
The Battle of Gettysburg was July 1 - July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was a game changer in the Civil War for 3 reasons: the geography, morale, and losses.
The Battle begins with General Burnside planning to attack the Union army but ended up failing because of a miscommunication at the Rappahannock River between general Burnside and general Halleck. During the dilemma for the Union, the Confederacy was able to occupy a strong position at Marye’s Heights. After the Union crossed, Burnside ordered his left wing to attack Lee’s right. General Meade of the Union then was able to temporarily break Jackson’s line but failed to send more troops in to capitalize on it.
The most important battle during the Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg. This was a battle that took place over three days in the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. This battle was the turning point of the civil war which successfully stopped the Southern Confederate Armies led by General Robert E. Lee from taking over the north. The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the Civil War because it was the largest of the civil war battles, successfully pushing back southern armies away from the north, and was the major defeat of the south. The battle of Gettysburg is still considered to historians to not only be the most important battle of the Civil war but the deciding factor towards victory.
The Gettysburg Battle was the turning point in the war because each side experienced a serious event in which the Northern morale had boosted and Southerners are starting to back down and throw in the towel.
Harrison, a Confederate spy, found out that a large group of Union troops were moving north. The Union troops are moving fast and dangerously close to the Confederate army. Harrison returns in the middle of the night to the Confederate camp Longstreet was laying in his tent, watching the rain and thinking about his dead children. His aide, Sorrel, arrives, and tells him that the spy who is named Harrison has just arrived . longstreet came to meet harrison and the spy told his discovery to General Longstreet. Longstreet was doubtful at first, but then Harrison convinces him that he has actually seen the Union troops coming to them. Longstreet quickly wakes up General Lee who is the commander of the Confederate army. Then he remembers to tell Longstreet that the head of the Army of the Potomac has changed: it 's now General Meade, not General Hooker.. Lee is also skeptical, since he has sent General Stuart with his horse to keep an eye on the Union army’s each movements. But Longstreet believes that Stuart is out joyriding. And he had enough of him that he mention when he comes back he would stomp him. After the discussion, Lee deciding to move toward a town called Gettysburg in the morning. When Longstreet rides
Buoyed by his superior numbers, Hooker covertly moved 70,000 of his men fifteen miles up and across the river, and then ordered them to sneak back down to position themselves behind Lee’s army. B. Hooker had used spies, analysts, and even hot air balloons to compile a vast amount of intelligence about Lee’s army. C. Satisfied with his advantage, Hooker became convinced that Lee’s only option was to retreat to Richmond, thus assuring a Union victory. D. He had discerned, for example, that Lee had only 61,000 men to Hooker’s own 134,000. E.
How the United States was Formed Some people may believe that the Battle of Gettysburg was not a turning point in the Civil War was not a turning point, however, there are many reasons why it is. Back in 1863, the Civil War was on its third year. General Robert E. Lee had started to march his army up to attack the North and President Abraham Lincoln noticed this. He decided to switch his general to general Meade and they all began to prepare for battle.
Longstreet suggests his method to vacate Gettysburg and "move [the Confederate Army] to the right around the enemy flank and interpose between Meade and Washington." (Shaara, 139). This means that instead of facing the Union head on, the Rebels could move to the right; something the North would have never expected. Furthermore, Lee stated that the town had absolutely no military importance whatsoever, so flanking the Union appears to be the best option. (139).
Longstreet suggests his method to vacate Gettysburg and "move [the Confederate Army] to the right around the enemy flank and interpose between Meade and Washington." (Shaara, 139). This means that instead of facing the Union head on, the Rebels could move to the right; something the North would have never expected. Lee himself stated that the town had absolutely no military importance whatsoever, so flanking appears to be the best option. (139).
The battle lasted for three days and it resulted in the confederates’ defeat. This battle is considered a major turning point in the war because it forced the confederates to be put on the defensive side and it ended General Robert E. Lee’s biggest attempt to invade Union territory. The Union had some advantaged over the confederates such as having better weapons, telegraphs, and leadership. Whereas the Confederates were able to fight on land that they knew so they had “home” advantage. The disadvantaged for the confederacy were that the Union blocked many of the trading ports so that the Confederates’ economy was destroyed, also, the confederates had many guns and weapons, but they struggled to get enough men to enlist.
The Battle of Gettysburg was key to the eventual Union victory over the Confederacy. There were many other things that had to fall into place around the same time, that are often overlooked, in order for this to be viewed as the turning point of the war. The victory proved that Lee was not immortal and could be defeated on the battlefield. This victory also left him without the ability to strike the Union offensively, leaving him to fight defensively and attempt to win a war of attrition with the Union who had more manpower. The Western Theater had all but been decided by the time the Battle of Gettysburg had occurred, allowing the Union to focus the majority of their major resources on the Eastern Theater and the defeat of Lee and capture of the Confederate capitol,
Another way he helped the outcome of the war is by winning at Vicksburg and Petersburg. One confederate leader was General George Pickett. He helped the course of the war by leading “15,000 men in a daring charge against the center of the union line” (Stoff 506). This was known as Pickett’s charge but it was an easy win for the union. To get to the union army “Pickett’s men would have to march 1,000 yards across