Union and Confederate troops engage in combat at Gettysburg.

Adams County, PA  |  Jul 1 - 3, 1863

The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War . With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict.

How it ended

Union victory. Gettysburg ended Confederate general Robert E. Lee ’s ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation.

After a year of defensive victories in Virginia, Lee’s objective was to win a battle north of the Mason-Dixon line in the hopes of forcing a negotiated end to the fighting. His loss at Gettysburg prevented him from realizing that goal. Instead, the defeated general fled south with a wagon train of wounded soldiers straining toward the Potomac. Union general Meade failed to pursue the retreating army, missing a critical opportunity to trap Lee and force a Confederate surrender. The bitterly divisive war raged on for another two years.

On June 3, soon after his celebrated victory over Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker at the Battle of Chancellorsville , Gen. Robert E. Lee leads his troops north in his second invasion of enemy territory. The 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia is in high spirits. In addition to seeking fresh supplies, the depleted soldiers look forward to availing themselves of food from the bountiful fields in Pennsylvania farm country, sustenance the war-ravaged landscape of Virginia can no longer provide.

Hooker also heads north, but he is reluctant to engage with Lee directly after the Union’s humiliating defeat at Chancellorsville. This evasiveness is of increasing concern to President Abraham Lincoln . Hooker is ultimately relieved of command in late June. His successor, Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, continues to move the 90,000-man Army of the Potomac northward, following orders to keep his army between Lee and Washington, D.C. Meade prepares to defend the routes to the nation’s capital, if necessary, but he also pursues Lee.

On June 15, three corps of Lee’s army cross the Potomac, and by June 28 they reach the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. While Lee loses precious time awaiting intelligence on Union troop positions from his errant cavalry commander, Gen. Jeb Stuart , a spy informs him that Meade is actually very close. Taking advantage of major local roads, which conveniently converge at the county seat, Lee orders his army to Gettysburg.

Portrait of George G. Meade

July 1. Early that morning a Confederate division under Maj. Gen. Henry Heth marches toward Gettysburg to seize supplies. In an unplanned engagement, they confront Union cavalry. Brig. Gen. John Buford slows the Confederate advance until the infantry of the Union I and XI Corps under Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds arrives. Reynolds is killed in action. Soon Confederate reinforcements under generals A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell reach the scene. By late afternoon, the wool-clad troops are battling ferociously in the sweltering heat. Thirty thousand Confederates overwhelm 20,000 Federals, who fall back through Gettysburg and fortify Cemetery Hill south of town.

July 2. On the second day of battle, the Union defends a fishhook-shaped range of hills and ridges south of Gettysburg. The Confederates wrap around the Union position in a longer line. That afternoon Lee launches a heavy assault commanded by Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet on the Union left flank. Fierce fighting rages at Devil's Den, Little Round Top , the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Cemetery Ridge as Longstreet’s men close in on the Union position. Using their shorter interior lines, Union II Corps commander Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock and others move reinforcements quickly to blunt Confederate advances. On the Federal right, Confederate demonstrations escalate into full-scale assaults on East Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill . Although the Confederates gain ground on both ends of their line, the Union defenders hold strong positions as darkness falls.

July 3. Believing his enemy to be weakened, Lee seeks to capitalize on the previous day’s gains with renewed attacks on the Union line. Heavy fighting resumes on Culp's Hill as Union troops attempt to recapture ground lost the previous day. Cavalry battles flare to the east and south, but the main event is a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates commanded by Longstreet against the center of the Union position on Cemetery Ridge. Though undermanned, the Virginia infantry division of Brig. Gen. George E. Pickett constitutes about half of the attacking force. Pickett, ordered by Lee to advance his division toward the enemy through a mile of unprotected farmland, replies, “General, I have no division,” but the order stands. During Pickett’s Charge, as it is famously known, only one Confederate brigade temporarily reaches the top of the ridge—afterwards referred to as the High Watermark of the Confederacy. This daring strategy ultimately proves a disastrous sacrifice for the Confederates, with casualties approaching 60 percent. Repulsed by close-range Union rifle and artillery fire, the Confederates retreat. Lee withdraws his army from Gettysburg late on the rainy afternoon of July 4 and trudges back to Virginia with severely reduced ranks of wasted and battle-scarred men.

As many as 51,000 soldiers from both armies are killed, wounded, captured or missing in the three-day battle. The carnage is overwhelming, but the Union victory buoys Lincoln’s hopes of ending the war. With Lee running South, Lincoln expects that Meade will intercept the Confederate troops and force their surrender. Meade has no such plan. Even as Lee’s escape is hampered by flooding on the Potomac, Meade does not pursue them. When Lincoln learns of this missed opportunity on July 12, he laments, “We had only to stretch forth our hands & they were ours.” Months later, in November 1863, a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield becomes a final resting place for the Union dead.  President Lincoln uses the dedication ceremony at the Gettysburg's Soldiers’ National Cemetery to honor the fallen and reassert the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address :

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

Between 6,000 and 10,000 enslaved people supported Lee’s army as cooks, hospital attendants, blacksmiths, and personal servants to officers. Lee surely knew that some would desert him up north in Gettysburg. In January of that year, Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation , which gave enslaved people in the Confederate states their freedom. Despite this, many slaves remained loyal to their masters on the battlefield at Gettysburg, and later accompanied them home or carried the effects of those who had died back to their families in the South. Others took advantage of the Union victory to break their bonds and join the opposition. Some black camp workers were taken prisoner along with the Confederate soldiers at Gettysburg and, once released, many stayed in the North.

As Confederates advanced on Gettysburg there was terror among the approximately 2,400 residents there as well as in the neighboring towns. White residents feared for their lives and property; African Americans feared enslavement. Many white civilians huddled in basements, but for people of color the stakes were greater, and they fled. In Gettysburg, Abraham Brian, a free black man who owned a small farm near Cemetery Ridge, left with his family, as did Basil Biggs, a veterinarian, and Owen Robinson, an oyster seller. Nearby in Chambersburg, some contrabands—former slaves who sought refuge with the Union Forces—were kidnapped by Confederate cavalry units. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that those seeking freedom from states of rebellion could not be re-enslaved. Accordingly, the Union refused to hand over contrabands to the Confederates, and this, too, prompted retaliation. Confederate soldiers threatened to burn the homes of white residents who were sheltering contrabands. Often, Confederate troops assumed that free blacks were contrabands solely because of their skin color.

After the battle, residents of what had only days before been a peaceful agricultural and college town were in despair. There was literally blood running through the streets, as the dead were piled up in horrific numbers. Slain animals were left to rot. The fields were scorched and barren. Farmers had to rely on the army or government to supply food. Wounded soldiers languished, waiting for medical attention. Camp Letterman , an army field hospital, was established east of Gettysburg and triaged patients until they could be transported to permanent facilities in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. Nurses for the United States Sanitary Commission, a Union relief organization staffed largely by women, provided essential care and comfort.

Residents of Gettysburg managed to bury the dead in a temporary cemetery. However, prominent members of the community lobbied for a permanent burial ground on the battlefield that would honor the defenders of the Union. The Soldiers’ National Cemetery was dedicated in November 1863 but was not completed until long after. The last of Gettysburg’s wounded shipped out in January 1864, along with the medical personnel. The field tents and temporary shelters came down. The battlefield remains a testament and memorial to the events of July 1–3, 1863.

Gettysburg: Featured Resources

Culp's Hill at Gettysburg National Military Park

How Well Do You Know the Battle of Gettysburg?

Hand-drawn map of Gettysburg

7 Gettysburg Myths and Misconceptions

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The Battle of Gettysburg

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Winfield Scott Hancock

A painted illustration of the intense fighting at the battle of Gettysburg

10 Facts: Gettysburg

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James Longstreet

Iron Brigade - Painting by Don Troiani

“No Man Can Take Those Colors and Live”

Gettysburg: The Baltimore Pike

Gettysburg: The Baltimore Pike

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"Mount Up!"

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The First Day at Gettysburg: Then & Now

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Culp's Hill

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Devil's Den & Little Round Top: Then & Now

View towards Power's Hill on the Gettysburg Battlefield

A View Restored: Power's Hill on the Gettysburg Battlefield

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Gettysburg Campaign - June 3 to July 1, 1863

Map detailing the defense of Seminary ridge on July 1, 1863 at 4:00 pm

Gettysburg - Defense of Seminary Ridge, July 1, 1863 - 4:00 p.m.

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Civil War   |   Battle Brandy Station Culpeper County, VA  |  Jun 9, 1863 Result: Inconclusive Est. Casualties: 1,299 Union: 866 Confederate: 433

Civil War   |   Battle Second Winchester Frederick County, VA  |  Jun 13 - 15, 1863 Result: Confederate Victory Est. Casualties: 4,709 Union: 4,443 Confederate: 266

Civil War   |   Battle Middleburg Loudoun County, VA  |  Jun 17 - 19, 1863 Result: Inconclusive Est. Casualties: 390 Union: 350 Confederate: 40

Civil War   |   Battle Aldie Loudoun County, VA  |  Jun 17, 1863 Result: Inconclusive Est. Casualties: 415 Union: 305 Confederate: 110

Civil War   |   Battle Upperville Loudoun County, VA  |  Jun 21, 1863 Result: Inconclusive Est. Casualties: 389 Union: 209 Confederate: 180

Civil War   |   Battle Gettysburg Adams County, PA  |  Jul 1 - 3, 1863 Result: Union Victory Est. Casualties: 51,112 Union: 23,049 Confederate: 28,063

Civil War   |   Battle La batalla de Gettysburg Adams County, PA  |  Jul 1 - 3, 1863 Result: Union Victory Est. Casualties: 51,112 Union: 23,049 Confederate: 28,063

Civil War   |   Battle Falling Waters Washington County, MD  |  Jul 13 - 16, 1863 Result: Inconclusive Est. Casualties: 1,760

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Lee's Headquarters: A Guided Tour

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Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Lee and Longstreet at Lee's Headquarters AR

Lee and Longstreet at Lee's Headquarters

Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Here’s a question for you. Who was the main speaker at the event which became known as the Gettysburg Address? If you answered ‘Abraham Lincoln’, this post is for you. For the facts of what took place on the afternoon of November 19, 1863, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated Confederate forces in the Battle of Gettysburg, have become shrouded in myth. And one of the most famous speeches in all of American history was not exactly a resounding success when it was first spoken.

What was the Gettysburg Address?

The Gettysburg Address is the name given to a short speech (of just 268 words) that the US President Abraham Lincoln delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery (which is now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 19 November 1863. At the time, the American Civil War was still raging, and the Battle of Gettysburg had been the bloodiest battle in the war, with an estimated 23,000 casualties.

Gettysburg Address: summary

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

The opening words to the Gettysburg Address are now well-known. President Abraham Lincoln begins by harking back ‘four score and seven years’ – that is, eighty-seven years – to the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed and the nation known as the United States was founded.

The Declaration of Independence opens with the words: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’. Lincoln refers to these words in the opening sentence of his declaration.

However, when he uses the words, he is including all Americans – male and female (he uses ‘men’ here, but ‘man’, as the old quip has it, embraces ‘woman’) – including African slaves, whose liberty is at issue in the war. The Union side wanted to abolish slavery and free the slaves, whereas the Confederates, largely in the south of the US, wanted to retain slavery.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Lincoln immediately moves to throw emphasis on the sacrifice made by all of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives at Gettysburg, and at other battles during the Civil War. He reminds his listeners that the United States is still a relatively young country, not even a century old yet.

Will it endure when it is already at war with itself? Can all Americans be convinced that every single one of them, including its current slaves, deserves what the Declaration of Independence calls ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’?

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

Lincoln begins the third and final paragraph of the Gettysburg Address with a slight rhetorical flourish: the so-called rule of three, which entails listing three things in succession. Here, he uses three verbs which are roughly synonymous with each other – ‘dedicate’, ‘consecrate’, ‘hallow’ – in order to drive home the sacrifice the dead soldiers have made. It is not for Lincoln and the survivors to declare this ground hallowed: the soldiers who bled for their cause have done that through the highest sacrifice it is possible to make.

Note that this is the fourth time Lincoln has used the verb ‘dedicate’ in this short speech: ‘and dedicated to the proposition …’; ‘any nation so conceived and so dedicated …’; ‘We have come to dedicate a portion …’; ‘we can not dedicate …’. He will go on to repeat the word twice more before the end of his address.

Repetition is another key rhetorical device used in persuasive writing, and Lincoln’s speech uses a great deal of repetition like this.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln concludes his address by urging his listeners to keep up the fight, so that the men who have died in battles such as the Battle of Gettysburg will not have given their lives in vain to a lost cause. He ends with a now-famous phrase (‘government of the people, by the people, for the people’) which evokes the principle of democracy , whereby nations are governed by elected officials and everyone has a say in who runs the country.

Gettysburg Address: analysis

The mythical aura surrounding the Gettysburg Address, like many iconic moments in American history, tends to obscure some of the more surprising facts from us. For example, on the day Lincoln delivered his famous address, he was not the top billing: the main speaker at Gettysburg on 19 November 1863 was not Abraham Lincoln but Edward Everett .

Everett gave a long – many would say overlong – speech, which lasted two hours . Everett’s speech was packed full of literary and historical allusions which were, one feels, there to remind his listeners how learned Everett was. When he’d finished, his exhausted audience of some 15,000 people waited for their President to address them.

Lincoln’s speech is just 268 words long, because he was intended just to wrap things up with a few concluding remarks. His speech lasted perhaps two minutes, contrasted with Everett’s two hours.

Afterwards, Lincoln remarked that he had ‘failed’ in his duty to deliver a memorable speech, and some contemporary newspaper reports echoed this judgment, with the Chicago Times summarising it as a few ‘silly, flat and dishwatery utterances’ before hinting that Lincoln’s speech was an embarrassment, especially coming from so high an office as the President of the United States.

But in time, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address would come to be regarded as one of the great historic American speeches. This is partly because Lincoln eschewed the high-flown allusions and wordy style of most political orators of the nineteenth century.

Instead, he wanted to address people directly and simply, in plain language that would be immediately accessible and comprehensible to everyone. There is something democratic , in the broadest sense, about Lincoln’s choice of plain-spoken words and to-the-point sentences. He wanted everyone, regardless of their education or intellect, to be able to understand his words.

In writing and delivering a speech using such matter-of-fact language, Lincoln was being authentic and true to his roots. He may have been attempting to remind his listeners that he belonged to the frontier rather than to the East, the world of Washington and New York and Massachusetts.

There are several written versions of the Gettysburg Address in existence. However, the one which is viewed as the most authentic, and the most frequently reproduced, is the one known as the Bliss Copy . It is this version which is found on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It is named after Colonel Alexander Bliss, the stepson of historian George Bancroft.

Bancroft asked Lincoln for a copy to use as a fundraiser for soldiers, but because Lincoln wrote on both sides of the paper, the speech was illegible and could not be reprinted, so Lincoln made another copy at Bliss’s request. This is the last known copy of the speech which Lincoln himself wrote out, and the only one signed and dated by him, so this is why it is widely regarded as the most authentic.

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Significance of the Battle of Gettysburg

5 Reasons the Battle Mattered

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the battle of gettysburg essay

The importance of the Battle of Gettysburg of the United States' Civil War was evident at the time of the colossal three-day clash across hills and fields in rural Pennsylvania in early July 1863. Dispatches telegraphed to newspapers indicated how enormous and profound the battle had been.

Over time, the battle seemed to increase in importance. And from our perspective, it's possible to see the clash of two enormous armies as one of the most meaningful events in American history.

These five reasons why Gettysburg mattered provide a basic understanding of the battle and why it occupies a pivotal place not only in the Civil War but in the entire history of the United States.

Gettysburg Was the Turning Point of the War

The Battle of Gettysburg fought on July 1–3, 1863, was the turning point of the Civil War for one main reason: Robert E. Lee's plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed.

What Lee (1807–1870) hoped to do was cross the Potomac River from Virginia, pass through the border state of Maryland, and begin waging an offensive war on Union soil, in Pennsylvania. After gathering food and much-needed clothing in the prosperous region of southern Pennsylvania, Lee could threaten cities such as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania or Baltimore, Maryland. If the proper circumstances had presented themselves, Lee's army could even seize the greatest prize of all, Washington, D.C.

Had the plan succeeded to its greatest extent, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia might have surrounded, or even conquered, the nation’s capital. The federal government could have been disabled, and high government officials, including even President Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), might have been captured.

The United States would have been forced to accept peace with the Confederate States of America. The existence of a pro-slavery nation in North America would have been made permanent—at least for a while.

The collision of two great armies at Gettysburg put an end to that audacious plan. After three days of intense fighting, Lee was forced to withdraw and lead his badly battered army back through western Maryland and into Virginia.

No major Confederate invasions of the North would be mounted after that point. The war would continue for nearly more two years, but after Gettysburg, it would be fought on southern ground.

The Location of the Battle Was Significant, Though Accidental

Against the advice of his superiors, including the president of the C.S.A.,  Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), Robert E. Lee chose to invade the North in the early summer of 1863. After scoring some victories against the Union’s Army of the Potomac that spring, Lee felt he had a chance to open a new phase in the war.

Lee’s forces began marching in Virginia on June 3, 1863, and by late June elements of the Army of Northern Virginia were scattered, in various concentrations, across southern Pennsylvania. The towns of Carlisle and York in Pennsylvania received visits from Confederate soldiers, and northern newspapers were filled with confused stories of raids for horses, clothing, shoes, and food.

At the end of June the Confederates received reports that the Union's Army of the Potomac was on the march to intercept them. Lee ordered his troops to concentrate in the region near Cashtown and Gettysburg.

The little town of Gettysburg possessed no military significance. But a number of roads converged there. On the map, the town resembled the hub of a wheel. On June 30, 1863, advance cavalry elements of the Union Army began arriving at Gettysburg, and 7,000 Confederates were sent to investigate.

The following day the battle began in a place neither Lee nor his Union counterpart, General George Meade (1815–1872), would have chosen on purpose. It was almost as if the roads just happened to bring their armies to that point on the map.

The Battle Was Enormous

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The clash at Gettysburg was enormous by any standards, and a total of 170,000 Confederate and Union soldiers came together around a town that normally held 2,400 residents.

The total of Union troops was about 95,000, the Confederates about 75,000.

The total casualties for the three days of fighting would be approximately 25,000 for the Union and 28,000 for the Confederates.

Gettysburg was the largest battle ever fought in North America. Some observers likened it to an American  Waterloo .

Heroism and Drama at Gettysburg Became Legendary

The Battle of Gettysburg actually consisted of a number of distinct engagements, several of which could have stood alone as major battles. Two of the most significant would be the assault by Confederates at  Little Round Top  on the second day, and  Pickett’s Charge  on the third day.

Countless human dramas took place, and legendary acts of heroism included:

  • Col. Joshua Chamberlain (1828–1914) and the 20th Maine holding Little Round Top
  • Union officers including Col. Strong Vincent and Col. Patrick O’Rorke who died defending Little Round Top.
  • The thousands of Confederates who marched across a mile of open ground under heavy fire during Pickett’s Charge.
  • Heroic cavalry charges led by a young cavalry officer who had just been promoted to general,  George Armstrong Custer (1839–1876).

The heroism of Gettysburg resonated to the present era. A campaign to award the Medal of Honor to a Union hero at Gettysburg, Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing (1814–1863), culminated 151 years after the battle. In November 2014, at a ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama awarded the belated honor to distant relatives of Lieutenant Cushing at the White House.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Underscored the War's Significance

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Gettysburg could never have been forgotten. But its place in American memory was enhanced when President Abraham Lincoln visited the site of the battle four months later, in November 1863.

Lincoln had been invited to attend the dedication of a new cemetery to hold the Union dead from the battle. Presidents at that time did not often have a chance to make widely publicized speeches. And Lincoln took the opportunity to give a speech which would provide a justification for the war.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address  would become known as one of the best speeches ever delivered. The  text of the speech  is short yet brilliant, and in less than 300 words it expressed the nation’s dedication to the cause of the war.

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7 Facts About the Battle of Gettysburg

By: Christopher Klein

Updated: June 11, 2019 | Original: July 3, 2013

Confederate General Lewis Armistead at George Edward Pickett's famous charge at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.

1. Gettysburg ended the Confederacy’s last full-scale invasion of the North.

Following his victory at Chancellorsville, a confident Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River into Union territory in June 1863. Lee had invaded the North the prior year only to be repelled at Antietam, but on this occasion his army was at the peak of its strength as it pressed across the Mason-Dixon line into Pennsylvania. 

A victory at Gettysburg could have launched Confederate forces to Philadelphia, Baltimore or even Washington, DC. Instead, Lee’s army suddenly shifted from offense to defense after the defeat and 10 days later crossed back over the Potomac into Virginia. Never again would the Confederacy regain its momentum and push as deeply into Union territory, which is why many historians consider Gettysburg the “high water mark of the rebellion.”

2. The battle proved that the seemingly invincible Lee could be defeated.

While Lee had been fought to a draw at Antietam , the Union high command had yet to achieve a decisive victory over the Confederate general as the summer of 1863 began. In spite of being outnumbered, Lee had engineered significant victories at Second Bull Run , Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville among others. Meanwhile, Abraham Lincoln relieved a string of Union generals—George McClellan, Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker—of command of the Army of the Potomac due to their failure to stop Lee’s army. Lincoln’s latest choice—General George Meade—had been installed just days before Gettysburg. Lee’s sterling record inspired complete trust in his troops and fear in his enemy. The Battle of Gettysburg, however, finally proved the bold general to be fallible.

3. Gettysburg stunted possible Confederate peace overtures.

Five days before the start of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate President Jefferson Davis dispatched Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stephens to negotiate a prisoner of war exchange with Lincoln under a flag of truce. Davis also gave Stephens license to proceed with broader peace negotiations. 

On July 4, Stephens sat aboard a boat in Chesapeake Bay awaiting permission to sail up the Potomac. Once news of victory at Gettysburg reached Lincoln, however, he denied the Confederate vice president’s request to pass through Union lines to come to Washington, DC, for negotiations.

4. The battle bolstered badly sagging Union morale.

The spirits of a war-weary North had reached a low ebb at the beginning of the summer of 1863. The Union had endured a string of losses, and now Lee had brought the war to their territory. A loss at Gettysburg could have devastated Union morale and pressured the Lincoln administration to negotiate a peace that would have resulted in two nations. Linked with news of the victory at Vicksburg on July 4, however, Gettysburg renewed public support for the war. Davis called Gettysburg the “most eventful struggle of the war” because “by it the drooping spirit of the North was revived.”

5. Gettysburg ended Confederate enslavement of free Blacks from the North.

Thousands of enslaved people served in support roles for the Army of Northern Virginia, and as Lee’s army marched north into Pennsylvania, they seized as many as 500 African-Americans—some formerly enslaved, some free their entire lives—and brought them back to Virginia to be sold into slavery.

One resident of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, reported seeing some of the town’s African Americans “driven by just like we would drive cattle,” and at least one Confederate brigade threatened to burn down any Union house that harbored a fugitive enslaved person.

6. The battle led to the Gettysburg Address in which Lincoln redefined the Civil War as a struggle for freedom and democracy.

Land preservation efforts began immediately after the Battle of Gettysburg and resulted in a national cemetery, consecrated by Lincoln on November 19, 1863. In a mere 272 words, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address recast the war as not merely a struggle to maintain the Union, but as a battle for larger human ideals. 

Lincoln called for “a new birth of freedom” and asserted that the survival of democracy itself was at stake. He told his countrymen that the task remaining was to ensure “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

7. The battle forever transformed the town of Gettysburg.

Prior to the Civil War , Gettysburg had been a prosperous village that supported two small colleges. After the battle, however, it would forever be seared by the memories of the slaughter. In the battle’s immediate aftermath, corpses outnumbered residents of the village of just over 2,000 by four to one. 

While it took years for the town to recover from the trauma, the first pilgrims arrived just days after the guns fell silent. In his book Gettysburg: The Last Invasion , Allen C. Guelzo reports that hundreds of people arrived by wagon just two days after the battle to see the carnage for themselves and that by August 1863 visitors could be found picnicking on Little Round Top amid shallow graves and rotting bodies of dead horses. Striking the balance between battlefield preservation and commercial development remains a constant debate in Gettysburg.

the battle of gettysburg essay

HISTORY Vault: Gettysburg

This special strips away the romanticized veneer of the Civil War to tell the story of the soldiers on the frontlines.

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Battle of Gettysburg Summary Essay

Throughout the American history, several civil wars have taken place. The most famous civil war took place in the year 1863 in a small market called Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This battle preceded by the confederate army led by General Robert E. Lee coming into Pennsylvania through the Potomac River. The confederate army from Northern Virginia was fighting the union army forces.

General Robert lee had enjoyed a series of victories in the previous battles. The recent victory was at Chancellorsville, and General Lee decided to take the war on the union’s soil 1 . He ordered his men to enter Pennsylvania. The fight broke out on July 1 with the confederate army troops amounting to 75,000 men. The federal troops were advancing from south with a total of 90,000 men.

Within a short time, the landscape of Pennsylvania was a chaotic, war zone. The confederates were fighting to defend their way of life. The union on the other hand was fighting to stop the confederates from the claim to sovereignty 2 .

Lee had strong strategy to win the war. He used his skilled army personnel to be at the front line and guide his troops to war. He ensured his lieutenants were talented in the battlefield. When confronting the union forces, Lee ensured his army covered wide latitude. His troops were capable of reaping strategic and tactical benefits while at battle zones. He had Lt. Gen. James Longstreet on the left wing.

Longstreet was considered a strong point for the entire confederate army. General Richard S. Ewell and Ambrose Powell Hill were on the right wing. His main aim was to disperse the union army across the broad front line 3 . He concentrated his full strength to bring down Major General George G. Meade. Robert Lee had an upper hand in organizing his troops.

As the union troops were scattered in the West, General Lee had gathered his leading forces made a series of attacks to the union forces. Lee’s troops used the cordon strategy up to the end of the war 4 . This defense strategy was easy to adopt and allowed them to push the unionists farther north.

General Lee tactic was to surround the town and catch the union forces unaware. The union troops tried to hold them back, but all was in vain. Lee sent two of his corps to attack the union flanks and collapse them hence instilling fear to the entire troop 5 . Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell was ordered to attack the right flank along Gulp’s Hill while his colleague Lt. Gen. James Longstreet attacked the left flank along the Cemetery Ridge.

Longstreet had an easy time fighting the left flank since the commander in charge of that flank was not a professional soldier but rather a politician whose role was to gunner democratic support for the war.

The decisions Major General Sickles took put the entire flank in jeopardy since Longstreet capitalized on that blunder to finish them. Sickles moved the troops on higher ground near Emmetsburg Road. This made them unsecured since they had placed a gap of more than half a mile between them and the rest of the union forces 6 .

Longstreet strategy was to capitalize in the weakness of the enemy and pursue them until the extreme end. The hot pursuit enraged the union forces, and they requested reinforcement from New York and Massachusetts. Longstreet ensured that he maintained an offensive momentum throughout his operation.

When sensing, he was out powered Longstreet resorted to defensive mechanism. When Meade had formed a defensive troop, Longstreet opted to form a similar defensive team in the midst of the union army and let them attack first 7 . Longstreet was excellent in leading his troops to different formations and military pageantry. These spectacles amazed the federals and were unable to counter these tactics.

The difference between Longstreet strategy and Lee’s strategy is that Longstreet involved many mind tactics to counter the opponent. On the other hand, Lee used force and the power mechanism to counter opposition. This shows that in order to be successful in the battlefields the mind tactic is more appropriate and successful.

Longstreet was able to succeed in most encounters until when he was wounded whereas Lee had to retreat after failing to defeat General Meade. Longstreet and lee differed on the decisions they took. When lee ordered Longstreet to attack, he was rather slow to get his troops into formation.

This gave the union forces time to strengthen their defense. Longstreet efforts to convince lee to reconsider his options were futile. He rejected Longstreet’s proposal for initiating operational flanking maneuver. Lee had a strong belief that the buttered union army will fall with one last push. Lee decided to gamble with his decision and attacked union solders from the central front line 8 .

Lee planned to attack the union centre since he believed that the attacks made by Longstreet had demoralized the union. He believed his army was invincible and could take on the opponent in any condition. He mistook that the union were weak and pushed forward with his plan to attack the centre flank. Union’s artillery responded fiercely and after an hour the gunshots fell silent.

Meade, who was in charge of the union’s central flank, tricked the confederates well, and the rebels were pierced. Their attention was diverted towards the cemetery ridge. Mead ordered his artillery to open fire at close range. He took advantage of the slowed pace of the confederate and wiped out a vast number of their soldiers in a vicious battle. This forced Lee to retreat back up to the Potomac River 9 .

Had the confederate taken the high ground on Cemetery Ridge, they would have rake Meade’s army and split the union lines hence they would have emerged victorious. This would have changed the political scene ahead of the next general elections. President Lincoln would have experienced massive political fallout and sent him and his administration out of power.

Meade strategy was to seek the reinforcement of the union forces to total up to 100,000 men in a defensive position 10 . After the fierce fighting, Meade continued to hold his ground and ordered his troops to maintain position and wait for Lee to strike again. In addition, Meade used mental assessment to predict the next move Lee would take. His predictions were always correct hence the situation found him well prepared.

With his prediction, he took decisive action to reduce the number of soldiers at some areas. He made a blunder of reducing infantrymen at the Cemetery Ridge, since he predicted that lee would attack from south. The infantry men he left at the front-line were over stretched hence giving Longstreet an upper hand in the battle.

Meade also used tricks such as diverting the thoughts of the rebels that their canons were knocked out. When the confederates fell for the trick the federals pounced back on them. Meade nearly ended the war but due to fatigue and caution he chose not to pursue Lee as he retreated.

Lee’s loss was due to the fact that the union had high financial support men and supplies. This gave the union forces an opportunity to strike back while capitalizing on these two weak points. Another crucial blow to General Lee’s campaign was when Longstreet suffered a serious wound that led to his fall 11 . Despite the strong confidence, lee had with his troops he was still disturbed by the death of General Stonewall Jackson.

In addition, Ewell and Hill also fell out at a critical point when the battle was at its peak. Moreover, the confederates’ efforts were catastrophic since more than a third of their topnotch high command officers became causalities to the six week unrelenting combat.

Lee also lacked his Calvary leader Jeb Stuart who acted as his eyes and ears during troop movement. Furthermore, Hill’s health was a prime concern to Lee. With the absent of Longstreet, and the disappointment of Hill and Ewell, Lee helplessly watched as his hopes to win the war crumble.

Furthermore, Lee’s failure was as a result of indefinite war timetable. His troops were caught unaware several times. Union canons pounded on his troops while they were in trenches at Culp’s hill. Lee’s difference with Longstreet might have contributed to his failure at some point.

They could not agree on the number of troops to be sent to charge the enemy at Cemetery Ridge. This generated a split within the confederates; those that supported lee and those behind Longstreet. This drift influenced the morale of the soldiers and broke the unity of the confederates. Apart from the drift, Lee’s plan to get Stuart’s cavalry to divert the federals from the main battle failed.

The federals and confederate cavalries clashed causing Stuart to retreat. Another factor, which led to their failure, is that Lee’s infantrymen were poor in aiming at the opponents shell. Most of their cannon fire went overhead the opponent.

The implication of the battle resulted to 23,000 federals and 28,000 confederates wounded, lost and dead 12 . The confederates left 7,500 men lying on the battlefields. Most confederates lost morale after the defeat in Gettysburg. The battle led to many rebels being captured Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg was perceived as a turning point for the war. The tide of the war shifted towards the south.

President Lincoln was infuriated by the decision taken by Meade to let Lee run away. He wanted him to finish the confederates completely and end the war. The battle was a clear indication that both the north and the south want ultimate victory in the war.

The battle recorded the highest number of casualties in death and wounded. The damage brought by the war was enormous 13 . The collateral damage was strongly felt by the residence of Gettysburg. The psychological torture to the men who survived the battle haunts them up to now. The war left the federals with a huge task of reconstructing Gettysburg.

On the other hand, the confederates had a difficult time reconstructing their army in order to continue with the war. The battle further drifted the nation into two factions, the north and south. With effect to clear the dead bodies, mass graves were dug all over the region.

The region also had explosives and ammunitions that were not used. After the battle, the union had no doubts they were on the right track. The win at Gettysburg gave them a significant upper hand on the next stages of the civil war.

Reference List

Gallagher, Gary. “Death And Wounds Plagued Lee’s Command.” Civil War Times 51, No. 1 (2012): 18-23.

Luvaas, Jay, Harold W. Nelson, And Army War College (U.S.), Eds. Guide To The Battle Of Gettysburg Edited U.S. Army War College Guides To Civil War Battles . Edited By Jay Luvaas And Harold W. Nelson. Westbrooke Circle, KS: University Press Of Kansas, 1994.

Maciejewski, Jeffrey. “Buying Time.” America’s Civil War 24, No. 3 (2011): 44-51.

Weigley, Russell Frank. A Great Civil War: A Military And Political History, 1861-1865 Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2000.

1 Gallagher, Gary. “Death And Wounds Plagued Lee’s Command.” Civil War Times 51, No. 1 (2012): 18-23.

2 Luvaas, Jay, Harold W. Nelson, And Army War College (U.S.), Eds. Guide To The Battle Of Gettysburg Edited U.S. Army War College Guides To Civil War Battles . Edited By Jay Luvaas And Harold W. Nelson. Westbrooke Circle, KS: University Press Of Kansas, 1994, p. 7.

3 Weigley, Russell Frank. A Great Civil War: A Military And Political History, 1861-1865 Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2000, p. 246

4 Luvaas and Harold, 208.

5 Weigley, 47.

6 Maciejewski, Jeffrey. “Buying Time.” America’s Civil War 24, No. 3 (2011): 47.

7 Maciejewski, 49.

8 Weigley, 250.

9 Gallagher, 19.

10 Maciejewski, 50.

11 Maciejewski, 48.

12 Maciejewski, 51.

13 Luvaas and Harold, 118.

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Essay: Battle of Gettysburg was the Turning Point of the Civil War

  • Essay: Battle of Gettysburg was…

Gettysburg_General_Armistead_Picketts_Charge

To understand and bring proof that the real turning point of the Civil War, I am shortly explaining what happened during those days and then point out that the change of military leadership with the philosophy and principle of the so-called “… the key to victory of modern warfare …“(p.422), as well as the taking control of the entire Mississippi River, brought through many battles and events to the end of the bloodiest war in America and the victory to the North.

The battle of July 1-3, 1863 was fought at a small town, Gettysburg, which was the junction of the main roads, in Pennsylvania, while Gen. Lee was headed to Maryland and Pennsylvania through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The battle was a serial of forth and back of their previous positions between the armies.

Army of Potomac (90,000 men under Gen. George G. Meade) and the Confederate army (75,000 men of Northern Virginia Army under Gen. Robert E. Lee) came together in a three-day series of encounters. On the third day Lee ordered an attack on the Union’s fortified center known as Pickett’s Charge but it turned out to be suicidal for his army.

There were many killed and wounded in this battle (23,000 from Union and 28,000 from Confederate) and Gen. Lee retreated back to Virginia on July 4 th . Although Gen. Meade couldn’t continue towards the Confederate, the greatest victory of this battle is considered the fact that it was the last time the Confederate army occupied the North.

On the same day, an important victory of the Union in the West was related to the Vicksburg siege. The Union Army (under Ulysses S. Grant) could seize the Confederacy’s fortress in the Mississippi River dividing the Confederacy and taking control of the entire river.

Proof that this was a turning point of the Civil War in the favor of the North could be considered from different viewpoints: military and emancipation, political and economic ones.

Military point of view: The proof of turning point by the military point of view is related with two traits; the military leadership and the size military advantage—size of Army and Navy. By winning the siege of Vicksburg and giving the Union the control of the Mississippi River, affected Lincoln’s decision to the military leadership of the Army—he assigned Grant the commander of The Union Army because of his leading philosophy that proved in those above-mentioned battles to be the key to success: “…seek and destroy the enemy’s army and sources of supplies.”(p.422)

Ulysses S. Grant had previously proved to be the appropriate military leader by delivering the victory to Union in the Battle of Chattanooga at the end of 1863, also Grant and Gen. Sherman could bring to the Union’s control most of eastern Tennessee and the Tennessee River, which was already in two parts from the Vicksburg Battle, cutting the Confederacy in three parts. Grant’s philosophy proved to be successful again in 1864 in his two extended attacks to terminate the Confederacy: by using Potomac Army to take Richmond (and seize an important railroad junction at Petersburg) and in the West the Army under Gen.

Sherman to invade Atlanta (east from Tennessee). Lincoln’s decision proved to be the right one, even the War department argued Grant’s values considering he was an alcoholic and not to be assigned a major duty in the Army. What made Lincoln decide was that previously he had not very good experiences with generals with very good resumes and martial skills, as Gen. George B. MCCLELLAN, who had several times delayed the attacks and with arrogant behavior showed disrespect to Lincoln.

In August 1862, even being inspired by the professionalism and having well-trained volunteers McClellan had refused to move towards the Confederate Army under Gen. Lee in Richmond pretending to lack proper intelligence, supplies, and soldiers. Despite his ineffectiveness, McClellan was in the command of all Union Armies in North Virginia, until Lincoln decided that a new trait of military leadership was necessary to lead the North to victory – as Ulysses S. Grant.

The population size of the North at the very beginning of the war and during it became an advantage related to the larger army and navy for the Union, and this increased after the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 with the decision of Lincoln to authorize and permit African Americans to serve in the army and directly in the battlefield; however, Union had the benefit of a population increased by the immigrants and with it the possibility to have more recruits. The population size and manpower unevenness would not be of particular importance or a determinant factor in a short period of war, but during a four years war, it became an important and significant trait related to the final outcome—the victory of the Union.

Battle-of-Gettysburg

The political point of view : The chances for Lincoln’s success in reelection in 1864 had been previously jeopardized during the campaign because of the prolonged bloody war and poor performance on the battlefield, the popular disapproval raised (including here the Conscription Act in March 1863 for drafting in the army or “commutation fee”) and Copperheads (Peace Democrats) had denounced Lincoln as a tyrant who was suppressing the right of the free trial and free speech to the opposition newspapers and people being hostile to the Union’s War and fondness to Confederate.

Copperheads had many followers among farmers in the West and laborers and immigrants in the industrialized areas because of the tax tariff raised by republicans and the racist fear that the emancipation would bring be competition to their job possibilities.

The victory of Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, as well as the other events after them (like the capture of Atlanta in September 1864 under Gen. Sherman army – while Grant was the commander of all Union armies), in the advantage of the North and punishing the Confederate, had boosted the morale of the North and gave Lincoln the victory, defeating the Republican candidate McClellan (except for Kentucky, New Jersey, and Delaware) and introducing the importance of military achievement to political accomplishment.

Economic point of view : Losing too many people in the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg and having no control over the Mississippi River made the South diffident and Confederate leaders worry. The economic weakness became more evident; the blockade of the Union to the Confederate ships (first in 1862) became more effective by stopping one out of three ships trying to pass in 1864, and 50% of them in 1865. The South dependence on imports of industrial goods as food, clothing, equipment, increased the ruinous impact of the blockade.

The embargo of cotton exports, which was set by Davis administrate since 1861 with the hope that British or French will intervene, appeared to be a failure because Britain had an overstock of cotton and later on Egypt and India were an alternative source of cotton; furthermore English laborers that lost their jobs because of missing cotton had sympathy for the North.

The economic situation of the Confederate was a threat to the chances of success; they were missing ammunition, weapons, and different supplies for the war, many investors were having a payment in cotton, even though not providing enough for the Confederate treasury. The labor force in the South was missing because after the Emancipation Proclamation thousands of slaves had left and headed to Union, so the agriculture was weakening in the Confederate.

Later on, in 1864 we will see that the Union Army traversing about 285miles in Georgia (Sherman’s March to the Sea) destroyed Southern infrastructure, railroad, bridges, and telegraph lines in order to shorten the ability to move, get provisions, move soldiers and information; while in South, Carolina soldiers put to fire the half of the capital as a revenge for this state representing the one who led to war because of Southern nationalism and secession.

Emancipation point of view : Finding new recruits was a challenge for the Union Army (enlistments of whites dropped), but by lobbing of black leaders and abolitionists African American regiments were formed, of which the most famous was the 54 th Massachusetts. Considering Lincoln’s positioning to this matter – when first North mobilized, thousands of free African Americans were turned away and not accepted in the army (he wanted to sidestep the issues of slavery and race because he feared to provoke seceding of the slaveholding states that were in the Union; Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri)—this was a proof of turning point.

While in the Confederacy, when captured, African American soldiers were subject to brutal treatment – tortured or murdered as escaped slaves. At the very beginning of involvement in the Union army troops, they just did simple duties as guards and laborers, with a lower payment than white soldiers, but besides racist notions of whites about the African Americans courage to fight, they passed the test on July 18, 1863, when 54th regiment of Massachusetts attacked the Fort Wagner, a fortress of Confederate to Charleston harbor (when 100 of them lost their lives and 160 were wounded).

One of the issues that aggravated the situation in the Confederate was the protest of poor whites against a draft of 1862 according to which, the wealthy whites with 20 or more slaves were exempt from drafting. The gain of territory from the Union Army contributed to the increase of desertions up to 100,000 in 1864. In March 1865, even Confederate Congress authorized a draft to enlist up to 300,000 slaves, organized in two regiments, but they never made it to a battlefield.

As an emancipation point of view proof, I would mention that 198,000 African Americans, of which 144,000 served in the Union Army and Navy, being 10% of the total of listed men even they were only 1% of the population in the North and participated in 449 engagements of Union Army making their contribution essential to the victory.

Works Cited

  • Keene, Jenifer D.; Saul Cornell; Edward D. O’Donnell. Visions of America: A History of the United States, 2 nd Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2013 (p. 398-427)

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The Battle of Gettysburg Changed Everything

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The Battle of Gettysburg changed everything for the Union. During the Civil War, America was fighting against each other, so there were two sides. The Confederates were mainly from the south and the Union was from the north. The concerning issue involved the North wanting slaves to be free while the south wanted to keep slaves. This conflict started the Civil War and up until the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederates were striving. The south was winning every battle, so going into the Battle of Gettysburg they were not very prepared for what they had coming their way.

The Civil War was fought through 1861-1865. The first day of the battle started on July first. On the day of the battle General Lee had 75,000 Confederate soldiers while the Union has 90,000 (History.com Editors). General Lee believed that if he could ambush the north and invade then he could convince the North to sign a peace treaty. He believed that he could take over the Union army and put an end to the war with his plan, however that didn’t happen.

Instead the Union planned on ambushing the Confederates until a spy told General Lee about the Union’s strategy. Lee decided to send some of his soldiers to the North and that’s when General John Buford, the Union’s General, saw them coming. General Buford waited until he could get more of his soldiers together before attacking the incoming Confederate troops. Once he got more soldiers he sent them to the cemetery which was probably the best thing he could do for his army. At the end of that day both armies had to help the injured soldiers and took camp for the night.

The next day of the battle the Union had an advantage on the Confederates for the first time during the Civil War. The Union’s positioning and knowledge of the land was a huge game changer for the forces. The Confederates knew of this and was considering about retreating back south towards Washington D.C. General Lee wouldn’t even think about the idea as he said, The enemy is there, and I am going to attack him there (Achenbach). The Confederated listened to Lee however they were not very happy with his decision. The battle that happened that day was supposedly the most gruesome fighting in the war.

Later in the day, the Union General realized that is soldiers were about to be taken out by Confederate soldiers. His strategy was to have roughly 300 men charge the upcoming Confederate soldiers. Many of these men died but it was very successful for the Union because the opposing soldiers decided to go back for more reinforcement. Once the Confederates were back in shape they attacked the Union from the sides and caused many soldiers to surrender.

On the last day of the battle the Confederates had been striving and destroying the Union army, so General Lee decided to attack the center of the Unions front. Union Lieutenant Longstreet later said, Lee knew that I did not believe that success was possible; that care and time should be taken to give the troops the benefit of positions and the grounds; and he should have put an officer in charge who had more confidence in his plan (Achenbach). Longstreet did not believe in his soldiers and he believed that the Union should have put someone else in charge since he did not have much trust in his army.

Then the men began marching but the Union did not shoot, they held their fire. Then all of a sudden everyone start the cannons and then their muskets. Roughly half of the Confederate that charged the Union were killed, injured, or captured. After that night Lee was upset about the Union win and he was heard to say, It was my fault (Achenbach).

The Battle of Gettysburg was three long gruesome, tragic, and eventful days. Before the Battle of Gettysburg the Confederate were thought to win the war, they were even abou to offer a peace treaty to the north. However, after the two long days at Gettysburg the Union fought back. They used new techniques to defeat the Confederates which eventually lead to the Union winning the Civil War. General Lee then resigned as General after the war and President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous speech, A New Birth of Freedom. Lincoln addressed in his speech all the men who fought their ground throughout the war. As someone once said, The greatness of America lies not being more enlightened than any other nation, ut rather in her ability to repair her faults (Kindersley 17).

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The Battle in Gettysburg During The American Civil War

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The Battle of Gettysburg: Confederate Against Union

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