Battle Of Gettysburg

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Recommended: What were the causes and effects of the Civil War

The Civil War was the greatest war in American history. Three million American soldiers fought and 600,000 died in the huge battles. It was the only war fought on American soil by Americans, and for that reason we have always been fascinated with The Civil War. It is widely known that the American Civil War was the war which took the most casualties, and it divided the US. The main cause of this war was the slavery and hate between the Northern States and the Southern States. Jefferson Davies, the president of the Confederate forces, declared war against the Union. The Northern States wanted to force the South not to work with slaves. The war began in 1861 and the surrender took place in Appomattox Courthouse, April 9, 1865. The General of the Confederate forces, Robert E. Lee signed the surrender and retired. Although he had many successes in the beginning of the war, he could not lead his forces to victory in the long and bloody Civil War, which was mostly due to the battle of Gettysburg. In this three-day battle (July 1st -3rd) General Meade – the General of the Army of the Potomac (the Union) managed to defeat the Army of Northern Virginia, and at the end, Meade’s brigades have successfully defended their positions. In the battle of Gettysburg the numbers of casualties were estimated to be 51,000 on both sides.

US military leader, Confederate commander in the American Civil War, and military strategist. Lee had freed his own slaves before the war began, and he was opposed to secession, however his devotion to his native Virginia led him to join the Confederacy. At the beginning of the war he became military adviser to Jefferson Davis, and in 1862 commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. During 1862-1863 he made several raids into Northern territory, but after his defeat at Gettysburg was compelled to take the defensive; he surrendered.

Ulysses S. Grant was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, on April 27, 1822. He graduated in West Point in 1843 and served in the Mexican War. He resigned from the army in 1854, after warnings from his commanding officer about his drinking habits, and for the next six years held a wide variety of jobs in the Middle West. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he sought a command and soon, to his surprise, was made a brigadier general.

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