Abstract This paper will look into on how the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point for the civil war. In this paper it will include how the geography of the north greatly affected the outcome of the war. Also in this paper you will see the number of casualties in the northern army as well in the southern army. This paper will also include how the lost of this battle greatly affect southern morale and their lost of confidence in the war.
Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point?
On Independence day, 1863, the last thing on the minds of most Americans was celebrating freedom especially the soilders heading towards Gettysburg. You may ask why was The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point? This particular battle was a major change in direction for the union, also known as the notheners, soilders because it was their first prominent victory in the civil war, while the southeners, also known as the confederates, began to lose their morale.
The Battle Gettysburg started two years after the Civil was started in 1861.This battle was also considered one of the bloodest battles in the Civil war and is America’s most famous battle of all time. Going to Gettysburg for the south was lead by Robert E Lee in hopes of winning the northern most attack and taking over the north. (Document A).
The Term Paper on The Turning Point of the American Civil War: Battle of Gettysburg or Siege of Vicksburg?
... the victor of the battle. But was the Battle of Gettysburg really the turning point of the Civil War? All that the Battle of Gettysburg accomplished was prohibiting the ... inevitably led to the Union victory. The Battle of Gettysburg was not the turning point of the Civil War considering all that the Union achieved was ...
Unfortunately, for the south, the north’s geography was totally diffrent from what they are accustomed to. So with little knowlege of the landscape one of the downfalls for the south was the geography of the north (Document A).
Even though the south had won most of the war before Gettysburg , most of the battles fought were in the south and not in the north.(Document A).
Each side had its own number of casualties after Gettysburg, but the side with the most casualties was the south (Document B).
There are three categories that make up the total casualties numbers killed, wounded, and missing(Document B).
The union had 3,155 killed, 5,365 missing, and 14,530 wounded (Document B).
While the confederates had 2,600-4,500 killed, 12,800 wounded, and 5,250 missing (Document B).
In total the union had 23,000 casualties and the confedrates was estimated between 20,650-25,000 ( Document B).
By those numbers it is clear to see that the south was hurt much more than the north and the north basically crippled there southern counter parts. The victory for the north in the battle of Gettysburg boosted northern morale and made the south lose hope.General Robert E Lee worte two seprate letters to the confederate president Jefferson Davis written in July 4th and August 8th in the year 1863.(Document C).
In the letter he wrote he asked Davis to “supply my place” which means to find another general to replace him (Document C).
The reason he wrote those letters of resignation is because of the lost battle of Gettysburg and the lost confidence of the southeners in the confederate army.
Soon after that President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address speech (Document D).
In this speech he gave a new meaning to the war which was this war was fought for slavery to be ended and not for anything else(Document D).
The Essay on The Civil War Gettysburg Address
The Civil War was a time when the United States was split in two. In every battle Americans were killing Americans because of sectional conflicts. These were times when people were forgetting the concept of the United States, all the things their fathers and grandfathers had worked so hard for. Lincoln's speech, The Gettysburg Address, defined, symbolized, and epitomized the spirit of America. ...
This speech made the south lose more of its morale and hope in the war. Even though the battle of Gettysburg may seem like another battle to most it was actually the major turning point in this war.
Each sides had its own fault, but the south came up short in the long run. The geography of the north destroyed some chance that the south had of winning. The number of casualties for the south was far greater than the north. As a result, the south lost all of its morale and confidence in winning this war.
