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In the summer of 2014, my family and I visited the Gettysburg battlegrounds. Being one of the most pivotal and important events of the American Civil War, it stands today as a reminder of the senselessness and backwardness that the conflict brought our country, alongside a solemn memorial of violence. My visit to Gettysburg invoked a variety of emotions, including disgust over the mass bloodshed and conflict, appreciation for the sacrifices of our countrymen, and love for the influence it had in steering our country to a brighter future in the aftermath. Arriving at Gettysburg, the first thing you intake is sheer massiveness of the complex. The place was striking, and the size led my family and other tourists to frequently lose ourselves in landscape as we ventured from site to site. The other visitors I saw during the day were a wide blend of characters. Asian tourists snapping Polaroid pictures at every passing landmark, enthusiastic tour guides willing to spill a career’s worth of knowledge on you, and the stereotypical oversized American families who spend most of the day in the shade with ice cream cones from the nearby food stand. The most striking character I observed was an elderly man I saw at the main graveyard. He walked along the site with his both …show more content…
There is a distinct lack of shadiness like many other tourist attractions vying to exploit history, instead a beautiful and respectful coverage of the turmoil of America during the 1860s. I was deeply moved by the experience, and the opportunity to walk along the fields where thousands of Americans lost their lives was heart-wrenching. The Civil War should be remembered as more than a one-dimensional battle of right vs wrong, and instead a complex series of human mistrials and emotions, with Gettysburg at the focal
As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today.
“Petersburg”. Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields: Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust. 2013. Web. 4 March 2014.
Horwitz’s journey initially leads him to various historical events and locations in the Carolinas, such as Lee-Jackson Day in North Carolina, Fort Sumter in South Carolina, a Union Soldier monument in Kingstree, South Carolina. At each location, Horwitz sets the tone by detailing the history of the location and the people he meets on his travels in a very descriptive, yet nonchalant manner. His tangential experiences set the story in motion and captivates the reader. Horwitz’s developments in Kingstree intrigued me especially, considering my proximity to such historic locations. Much of Horwitz’s experiences were shrouded in mystery, which he details to a great extent. After his experiences in the Carolinas, Horwitz journeyed to the border of Kentucky and Tennessee, a hotbed of racial tensions over the recent Michael Westerman shooting. Horwitz lengthily discusses the polarization of the views in the locations he visits and begins to compare them to the locations he previously visited. Next Horwitz journeys to various battle sites, meeting with famed historian Shelby Foote in the
Some of the causes from the civil war were that the North was more experienced than the South, they also had more resources to fight in battle. The civil war started when Southern states seceded from the Union after the election with Abraham Lincoln. The battle of Gettysburg had a huge impact on the civil war because it was a three-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle from the American Civil War. Also, the south’s Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania enetered in late June 1863.
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
On April 12, 1861, Abraham Lincoln declared to the South that, the only reason that separate the country is the idea of slavery, if people could solve that problem then there will be no war. Was that the main reason that started the Civil war? or it was just a small goal that hides the real big reason to start the war behind it. Yet, until this day, people are still debating whether slavery is the main reason of the Civil war. However, there are a lot of facts that help to state the fact that slavery was the main reason of the war. These evidences can relate to many things in history, but they all connect to the idea of slavery.
Another version of the story involves a man who was also visiting the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. He took many photographs throughout the day. In the afternoon, a soldier dressed in a floppy hat, gray clothing and “possessing an odor of sulfurous gunpowder” approached him (U.
“All up and down the lines the men blinked at one another, unable to realize that the hour they had waited for so long was actually at hand. There was a truce…” Bruce Catton’s Pulitzer prize winning book A Stillness at Appomattox chronicles the final year of the American Civil War. This book taught me a lot more about the Civil War than I ever learned through the public school system. Bruce Catton brought to life the real day to day life of the soldiers and the generals who led them into battle.
The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.
I was excited to learn of this assignment because I recently made a trip to Andersonville with my Army unit in March. During the bus ride, we watched the film “Andersonville” to gain a deeper sense of what the historical site was about before we arrived. To be quite honest, the historical site itself is actually quite boring and not much is left of the original grounds. Watching the film prior to arriving gave the visit much more meaning to me and I was able to actually visualize the events that took place and really feel a connection and understanding. After visiting the prison site, we moved over to the memorial cemetery, where approximately 13,000 imprisoned soldiers are buried, along with the six Raiders who were executed. The cemetery also accepts veterans and their family members for burial in adjacent plots to the Andersonville soldiers. There is also a Prisoner of War museum which I found to be the most interesting part of the whole visit.
Washington, DC is a spectacular place. This being my first time in DC, I was in awe of everything and all the historical places I encountered. The presence of the monuments and history is what made the capitol so magnificent. Having only read about the Lincoln memorial, I never had the chance to experience the sensation of being inside such an honorable place of importance. The imposing white marble walls of the memorial and the many people surrounding it could be seen from afar. Arriving at the location, an unknown feeling came over me. I was experiencing history in a whole different level. When I think about a memorial, the term remembrance comes to mind. Seeing the statue of Abraham Lincoln brought pieces of memories from history class and evoked thoughts of what it might have felt like to be in his shoes. I was astonished by the statue’s enormousness and how grand Abraham Lincoln looked in his chair. The size of the statue compared to pictures from books and elsewhere was surreal. Abraham Lincoln was a very “powerful and prominent individual” in the history of our nation, the statue’s design and size reflected upon that. Looking around me, I wanted to know what the others thoughts were on seeing his statue and how they felt in that building. I finally had the courage to ask one or two people what they thought; they all had the same appreciation as me. Hearing about an important person or learning about them in a history book gives you vast knowledge but it doesn’t evoke the feeling of utter appreciation as the memorial does. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, many people wanted to build a memorial in honor of him. They wanted to be able to show how important he was to shaping our nation and to “honor his existence”. Ce...
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.
Imagine standing in front of the defaced statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee only to hear two sides of people curse, hurt each other. This situation is too familiar for people who visit Charlottesville, VA, the formerly peaceful town. The controversy between Confederate memorials never ends. Many people argue that Confederate monuments should be taken down because they become the flashpoints of unrest and violence. As far as I am concerned, confederate memorials should remain as these memorials are the legacy of history; history is value-neutral and innocent.
At 7:30am, on Wednesday, July 1st, 1863, at the intersection of Knoxlyn Rd and US Rt. 30 Chambersburg Pike, a shot was fired by Lieutenant Marcellus Jones. This shot would not be forgotten, as it was the beginning of what would turn into one of the biggest turning points of the Civil War; The Battle of Gettysburg. This three day streak of combat would later be referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion.” With the outcome being an overall Union victory, the Battle of Gettysburg would mark the point at which the Union would place the Confederacy on the defensive and end General Robert E. Lee’s most ambitious attempt to seize Union territory. The Battle of Gettysburg was so critical, in fact, that it lead to one of the most vital documents written in United States history, the Gettysburg Address. How exactly did this battle guide President Abraham Lincoln to write the Gettysburg Address is a common question among many.
The Gettysburg Address is one of the most eloquent, beautifully written, and inspiring speeches of all time. So what does it have to offer? Well, one of the main things Lincoln promotes from the beginning is that all men are created equal. He then goes to say that our honoring of the soldiers who died would only make a tiny difference in the consecration of the battlefield – in his words: “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.” He says instead we should continue the fight and not let them die in vain: “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