Behind the Gettysburg Casualties: Were all the Deaths Caused by Enemy Attack?

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There were more casualties in the battle of Gettysburg than in any other battles fought during the Civil War. Not all of the men lost were result of the enemy. The battle of Gettysburg was fought over a three-day period, from July 1, 1863-July 3, 1863.

On June 30, 1863 a Confederate Commander led his troops toward Gettysburg, but quickly retreated when he spotted a group of Federal Calvary headed into town. The Commander informed his superiors and stated that he would return the next day to get the shoes and other supplies that they needed. On July 1, 1863 the Confederates headed out again in search for shoes. However, they did not know if the Federal Calvary was still around so they took caution and two brigades were sent to gather the supplies. The Confederates crossed paths with the Federal Calvary just west of the town of Gettysburg at Willoughby Run. It is here that the battle began. Around 7:30 am the first shots were fired and the battle broke out. The Federal was pushed back into Gettysburg where they regrouped on higher ground near the cemetery.

Meanwhile, General Robert E. Lee was left without his eyes and ears while his Calvary, led by Jeb Stuart was off on a wild goose chase. General Lee got a little too cocky; he believed his army was invincible. He led his army, without Stuart and his Calvary, to the southern side of Cemetery Ridge where he believed it to be less well defended. On day two of the attack at Gettysburg, General Lee instructed to General Longstreet to attack, but this command was delayed for a few hours, giving the Union time to reinforce their numbers and strengthen their position. When Longstreet did finally attack, the battles were nastiest at Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, the Wheat F...

... middle of paper ...

...and all she could hear among the men were the agonizing cries of the wounded and the dying.

Works Cited

American Civil War Battle. Gettysburg Pennsylvania, July 1-3 1863. http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html (accessed April 17, 2011).

"The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863." EyeWitness to History. www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1997) (Accessed April 17, 2011)

“The History Place.” Battle of Gettysburg. http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm (accessed April 17, 2011).

The Price In Blood. “Casualties in the Civil War”. http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm (Accessed April 17, 2011).

Timeline of the American Civil War. “The American Civil War”. http://www.mce.k12tn.net/civil_war/timeline_of_the_american_civil_w.htm (Accessed April 18, 2011).

Trudeau, Noah Andre. Gettysburg A Testing of Courage. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2002. Page 268.

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