A Very Brief Look At The Battle Of Gettysburg

The battle of Gettysburg started in June 1863, Lees's troops crossed Maryland and marched in to Pennsylvania. The general of the the Union at the time was General George Meade. General George Meade was one of the few Union Generals who began his life and career in a foreign land. He was born in Spain, and moved to America after his family was in debt after the Napoleonic war. On July 1st, Confederate troops entered the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Before the war had begun Confederate troops were searching for shoes, which were in short supply because of the Union blockades. Instead of finding shoes they found Union soldiers. Shots were fired! More and more troops joined both sides. Then by evening, the Confederate troops had pushed the Union troops back into Gettysburg. The next day, 85,000 Union soldiers faced 75,000 confederates. The Union army was in a hill called Cemetery Ridge. The confederates position was nearly a mile away on Seminary Ridge. The fighting kept going into the next day. Confederates were attacking the end of each line of the Union army. On July 3, Lee
had his men attack the center of the line. General George E. Pickett led 15,000 confederate men across a open field heading towards Cemetery Ridge. Union soldiers were firing at them the whole way. Only a hundred men reached the Union line. They quickly ran back. 7,500 Confederates lost their life, and, or were wounded. The Confederacy suffered more than 28,000 casualties. Union losses go beyond 23,000. Lee had lost nearly a third of his troops.

The Fall of Vicksburg took place in late April 1863.
Lee's defeated army retreated back from Gettysburg defeated. The South had lost again. Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant. It was the last city on the Mississippi River to remain in confederate arms. Grant had begun a siege to capture Vicksburg, in May 1863. Union bombs bombarded Vicksburg. The people of Vicksburg had to shelter in cellars and caves they dug. While in hiding they were forced to eat mules and rats, so they wouldn't starve to death. The war lasted for six weeks, but the 30,000 Confederates gave up. A few days after the Confederates that were defending the Mississippi River, Port Hudson, Louisiana, also gave up. So that means that the whole River was now under Union Army control. The events that had occurred on this day, and Lee's defeat at Gettysburg made the turning point in the war. The Union was now on
top.

The Gettysburg Address took place in November 1863, 15,000 people gathered on the battlefield in Gettysburg. They were all there to honor the soldiers who had died in battle. Lincoln made a special appearance and said something which is now known as the Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln stated

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died
In vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth
Of freedom and that government of the people, by the
People, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

March to the Sea, the Confederate Army could not stop Sherman from advancing. The Union Army marched into Atlanta on September 2. Atlantas capture helped President Lincoln with his reelection campaign. Many Northerners were getting tired of the war before the capture of Atlanta. Support for Lincoln was hard to come by. But after what happened in Atlanta, Lincoln won a big election victory over General George McClellan, the democrats candidate. Sherman ordered to burn Atlanta. Union troops set fire to buildings, crops, and yanked up railroad tracks. Lincoln saw the end of the war approaching. Lincoln asked Americans to forgive and forget.