1. Historical context in which the battle occurred.
a. Of what larger conflict was this battle a part?
The Battle of Gettysburg was a battle that was contained in the American Civil War. The battle occurred in June, 1963, and it was a crack in the Confederate army that was commanded by Robert E. Lee. The Confederates sidestepped the Union that was defending Washington and it went marching deep into Pennsylvania. The Federals moved north in order to intercept those who were invading, and this resulted in a collision (Stackpole, 1963). This resulted in one of the bloodiest, and one of the most crucial battles in the United States’ history.
b. What events led up to this particular battle being fought?
The troopers who were with the Union
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The battle resulted in over 3,000 Union soldiers and nearly 4,000 Confederates dying. There were also a total of 20,000 who were injured or missing from each side. After the battle, Abraham Lincoln said the battle shows the struggle there is to preserve the majority rule and the republican government. The resulting Address is said to be what started the “civil religion” in America (Huston, 2012). Others say that the Address was a reinterpretation of the Constitution and it gave permission to the use of government powers to promote equality throughout the United States, instead of restricting the government to solely enhance the individual’s freedom (Huston, …show more content…
The Confederate forces were soon joined by back up reinforcements of their own as 30,000 Confederates drove back approximately 20,000 Union troops on the first day of the battle (Civil War Trust 2014). Day Two saw an increase in personnel on both sides as Union forces held an area populated by hills and ridges at the Southern region of Gettysburg while Confederate forces slowly wrapped their men around their opponent's positions. The Confederates were advancing to take the fight but the Union stood their ground (Civil War Trust 2014). By the third day, the fighting continued at a number of vital areas but the most important element of the battle was the Confederate assault of 12,000 infantry on the center of the Union line at Cemetery Ridge, aka Pickett's Charge. It would prove to be a big mistake for Lee and the Confederacy as the Union brigades drove them back, inflicting immeasurable harm on their Southern adversaries and forcing them into retreat (Civil War Trust
The picture above is a depiction of LTC Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine at the Battle of Little Round Top. In late June of 1863, the Confederate Army under General Robert E. Lee was massing near Gettysburg, PA. Gettysburg would arguably become the key battle of the Civil War. It was the pivotal moment where momentum in the war would change. It was the bloodiest battle of the entire war.
General Johnston was mortally wounded and replaced by P.G.T. Beauregard. The Union army held through the night until they got reinforcements out numbering the Confederates. They made a counter-offensive winning the battle. In this battle, was the bloodiest single
General Robert E. Lee led the Confederates and General George Mead (who replaced General Joseph Hooker) led the Union and both these men were seen in the film as well. From the small soldiers who fought for their lives on the Pennsylvania border to the Generals who led the armies all names, places and facts were corrects. From when a journal was written to family or when Robert E. Lee sent messages to the president of the Confederates all these dates and minor details are accurate. Lee had constantly sent letters to President Jefferson Davis during the battle and they had generally detailed the events at and immediately after the momentous Battle; “On the 2nd July, Longstreet's corps, with the exception of one division, having arrived, we attempted to dislodge the enemy, and, though we gained some ground, we were unable to get possession of his position. The next day, the third division of General Longstreet having come up, a more extensive attack was made.
A bloodbath occurs during the war, and many men were killed. Lee destroys the two flanks of the Union army and vows to use divide and conquer, where he plans to attack them at their middle separating the Union army and then destroying each half separately (Shaara 200). The Confederate army, under General Pickets, is defeated and thus retreats on 3rd July, by the Union army under Colonel Chamberlain. The Unions are able to use their guns and kill thousands of the Confederates. Sixty percent of Confederates are lost in the war, and this brings to an end the bloody Gettysburg battle.
Chamberlain and his men move to the middle of both Union flanks. Longstreet still wants to move the army to D.C. but Lee still refuses. They plan an attack on the Union army but it doesn’t do much harm to them because of the artillery shooting too high. The Union start their fire and most of the soldiers are killed leading the Confederate to retreat and the Battle is
The fateful day occurred on May 16, 1863 and was a major Union victory for Major General Ulysses S. Grant, the head of the Union military (“Core of Champion Hill Battlefield Finally Protected” 14). The union overcame the defying odds of Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton’s army being double the size of the Union’s (Woodworth). The battle came to be when General Grant was informed that the Confederate army had arrived at Edwards Station and were
The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania On July 21, 1861 the first battle of the civil war is fought near Manassas, Virginia. It’s known as The Battle of Bull Run. The union army is under the command of General Irwin McDowell. The confederate army is under the command of General Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard.
Both sides of the battle experienced very heavy casualties 23,000 all together. The union army suffered 12,400 and the confederates suffered 10,300. After this gruesome battle there so many wounded and dead it took several days to care for these soldiers. Around 100 homes and farms stepped up and cared for anywhere from 100 men to 1,000 men. Lots of studies showed that at least thousands of confederates were left behind for union doctors and hospitals to care of .
In the battle of Gettysburg, Generals Robert E. Lee and George G. Meade used their strategies to form an unforgettable battle. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the history of North America. The battle lasted three days long. The general of the Confederacy was Robert E. Lee, and the general of the Union was George G. Meade. The Battle of Gettysburg started off when Robert E. Lee formulated a plan to attack the Union in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
July 3rd, 1863, Gettysburg PA— You may be wondering what the date means, this is a date that the three-day Battle of Gettysburg happened. The Battle of Gettysburg was truly a turning point in the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg was a two year long battle between the union and the Confederacy, many lives were lost in the fight. General S Grant was believed to be the union's best General while on the Confederate side they had Robert Lee. Robert Lee led the South planning to attack; leaving the North panicked and worried when Lincoln brought forth General George Meade.
Gettysburg: Why was it a turning point? The battle of Gettysburg was fought in and around the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1-3, 1863. The military leaders were George Meade on the Union side and Robert E. Lee on the Confederate side. There were around 160,000 troops involved, with ~85,000 troops on the Union side and ~75,000 troops on the Confederate side.
In conclusion, an analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg has shown it to be an important battle in history because of its importance in the Civil War, the location of the battle, and the effects of the location on the residences in and around the battlefield. The main reason for the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg is that it was an important part of the Civil War as
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.
Why was The Battle of Gettysburg a Turning Point of the War? The Civil War had many battles and out of all of those battles, The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important. This was because it was the turning point for the whole war. The Battle of Gettysburg was important because of many different reasons.
The Battle was fought on July 1-3, 1863 near and in the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg. This Battle involved the most amount of casualties in the entire Civil War. The Union had both Generals George G. Meade and John F. Reynolds while the south only had Robert E. Lee as their commanding general. Small groups of both of the armies found each other at Gettysburg on July 1st. When news made it back to General Lee, in just a matter of hours, Lee moved a large sum of his troops to attack the Union head on.