The Civil War of the United States was one of the foundations that made this country what it is today. However, it is believed that one battle determined the outcome of this War. If this battle had gone another way, the United States that we know today would not exist as it is. This is the battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg represents a vital turning point during the Civil War because it was the battle with most casualties in the United States, it restored the faith of the Union Army and the confederates never gained back the offensive position resulting in the Union Army gaining the victory of this war. According to General Meade, this three day battle (July 1st- 3rd, 1863) went down as follows. The Union army believed the confederate army had 100000 men leaded by General R. E. Lee crossed the Potomac River and was moving forward into Cumberland Valley. So, in June 28, General Meade started gathering troops and strategizing. However it was not until June 30th that they first sight enemy troops in Cashtown road. By this time, General Reynolds (general serving the Union) was in charge to occupy Gettysburg. General Reynolds reached the place on July 1st and found Buford’s (another general from the Union) cavalry engaged with confederates. Reynolds moved around went to Cashtown road and attacked. By this time, the Union was being successful; they had even captured several prisoners, including General Archer from the Confederate army (Meade). Then, the same day, around 1 and 2 pm, the Confederates brought superior forces and they changed the way of the battle; the Confederates were now winning. This lead that, at 4 pm, Major General Howard (Union) decided to withdraw from Cementery Ridge at south of the town. This, h... ... middle of paper ... ...2013. Lincoln, Abraham, President. "Gettysburg Address (1863)." Speech. Gettysburg Battle. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Library of Congress. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. Meade, George. "Major General George Meade's Account of the Battle of Gettysburg (October 1, 1863)." The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1889. 305, 307–9, 324–25. Print. Ser. 1. Secondary sources "Gettysburg." Civil War Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. LaFantasie, Glenn. "Lincoln and the Gettysburg Awakening." Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Vol. 16, No. 1 (1995), pp. 73-89. JSTOR.Web. 19 Sept. 2013. Roelofs, Mark H. "The Gettysburg Address: An Exercise in Presidential Legitimation. "Presidential Studies Quarterly 8.3 (1978): 226-36.JSTOR. Wiley.Web. 22 Sept. 2013
From July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, the most famous and most important Civil War Battle took place in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederates under Robert E. Lee advanced on the Union in hopes of taking the major city of Philadelphia, Baltimore, or even Washington D.C. Union commander General George Meade was sent to make sure none of this would happen. General Robert E. Lee was determined to invade the North and win a victory important for southern morale, leads his army toward Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he hopes to destroy railroad bridges linking east with west. He is unaware that a large union force headed by General Meade is headed in the same direction.
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.
The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln in the November following the Battle of Gettysburg acted as a call to arms. This speech gave the North a sense of pride and reassured them that they did have a chance at winning the Civil War. In The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln tells the audience not to let the men who died in the battle die in vain he tells them that their dedication will lead to a “new birth of freedom” in the nation(document D). This newly found sense of pride and hope led confidence which was something that the Confederate army was lacking at the
Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle that occurred over three hot summer days, July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More importantly Gettysburg was the clash between the two major American Cultures of their time: the North and the South. The causes of the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg, one must understand the differences between these two cultures. The Confederacy had an agricultural economy producing tobacco, corn, and cotton, with many large plantations owned by a few very rich white males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers and slaves, charging high dues for use of their land. The Southern or Confederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting for their independence from federal northern dictates (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 1).
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.
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America "Fourscore and seven years ago ." These are the first 5 of only two hundred seventy-two words that remade America. In Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America, the author, Gary Wills, informed us that Abraham Lincoln wanted equality among us and to unite as one. In Abraham Lincoln's own speech, he would not mention single individuals or even top officers. Everyone was considered as equal importance and was never any different. "Though we call Lincoln's text the Gettysburg Address, that title clearly belongs to Everett." 1 This is very true, which I think is interesting. Everett who was chosen by David Wills to commemorate the National Cemetery of Gettysburg, was supposed to be the speaker while Lincoln was only the dedicatory remarks speaker. Not only did Lincoln have the favorable speech, it was only three minutes while Everett's was two hours long. Lincoln also supposedly was not supposed to be there to speak; he actually just told a correspondent that he would be present. It's amazing to believe that a two hundred seventy-two word speech would say so much to thousands of people.
the Union won the Battle of Gettysburg, and the battle itself was largely determined by the Battle of Little Round Top. From the famous Civil War speech by
In Gettysburg,Pennsylvania on November 19th, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most famous speeches in this county’s history. The ten sentence famous speech was given one of the bloodiest sites of the Civil
In “The Gettysburg Address,” Abraham Lincoln reminds the nation of what they are fighting for. A reverent Lincoln commemorates the lives that were lost at the Gettysburg battle while using it as a cue of why the war is taking place. In a speech like no other, given on the site of one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Civil War in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 16th President of the United States reflects the utter freedom and equality the nation was raised upon. This speech is commemorated as one of the greatest speeches in American history because of its impact upon the nation in only a short two minutes of length. With no invitation to the memorable event until the last minute and surrounded by negative energy from the American people, Lincoln was able to enchant the multitude with his words of rhetoric. The Gettysburg Address is the epitome of rhetoric because of the
The second day of this three day battle “the Union Army had established strong positions from Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge” (Gettysburg). This was very important because in order to attack the union forces they had to go up a hill or try and fire from lower down witch is far more difficult than shooting from above. There were many Bloody Skirmishes thought the first two days ending in about 25,000 casualties.
President Lincoln’s speech “The Gettysburg Address” was extremely influential on the nation. In this speech Lincoln addresses where the United States was at this time, where the nation had been before, and where the nation was going in the future. He motivated America to come together and unite as one, and stated we as a nation must not let our soldiers die in vain. Throughout the speech he uses strong diction, and appeals to ethos and pathos.
The battle at Gettysburg was a defining moment in the Civil War not only because of the battle itself, but what prevailed with civilian opposition, and the events that changed the trajectory of the battle. The Turning Point of the War on July 1, 1863, the Union Army of the Potomac engaged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had advanced into the north.
On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’. Abraham Lincoln’s purpose in ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ was to persuade listeners to finish what those who fought for died for by treating everyone else equally. ‘’The Gettysburg Address’’ is the most compelling speech due to its use of rhetorical
The respectable Gettysburg Address promotes the skillful ideas that spread his wisdom of the Civil War and enlightened those who wished to respect the many dead that fought on the grounds of Gettysburg. Sprinkled throughout human history, great men have arisen, who have devoted much of their lives to certain ideals, and have done so in the face of grave circumstances and opposition. Abraham Lincoln, Former president and also a general in the war, gave a speech to uphold and encourage the spirits of the weary soldiers in his army. The speech was called the Gettysburg Address. This speech uses parallel structure and determines the tone of powerful tranquility so that it may convey to an idea that all the men that fought for their part in the Union will not perish in vain and that there is a lot to do before the United States is whole.
Beardsley, Frank. "American History: The American Civil War: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (VOA Special English 2005-04-20)." Interesting Things for ESL/EFL Students (Fun English Study). Www.manythings.org. Web. 12 June 2011. .