Gettysburg: The Turning Point Of The Civil War

On July 1, 1863, the bloodiest, most gruesome war in American History began. The Battle Of Gettysburg was fought in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union Army under the command of General George G. Meade faced the Confederate Army led by General Robert E. Lee. They clashed for a long, tragic, three days, but at a costly expense of human life. The American Civil War was one of the most significant wars that the United States has ever been engaged in. On the lines, there were brothers lined up across from one another, fighting against each other. Over the course of the five years of war, a total of 620,000 American lives were lost. This was one of the most tragic events that our nation has ever been involved in, that our own people
Up until that point, General Lee was cruising up the fronts of the Union Army making their way into Northern territory. What Lee hoped to do was cross the Potomac River from Virginia, pass through the border state of Maryland, and begin waging an offensive war on Union soil, in Pennsylvania. After gathering food and much-needed clothing in the prosperous region of southern Pennsylvania, Lee could threaten cities such as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania or Baltimore, Maryland. If the proper circumstances had presented themselves, Lee's army could even seize the greatest prize of all, Washington, D.C. (McNamara 2). The Confederate Army poured all of their resources into this battle, but they were annihilated and lost their grip. They lost their momentum and began to start losing battle after battle. This battle was also extremely interesting because if the Union Army would have not been able to hold onto Little Round Top, Lee’s Army would have gained the high ground. Once this would have taken place General Meade and the Union Army would have been surrounded and most likely surrendered. However, the North was able to fight off multiple brigades and continue to control the high ground. They were severely outnumbered because the confederates deployed most of their troops here. They had even run out of ammunition and had to charge down the hill with their bayonets. This battle would become known as
If the Union would have lost this battle, the South would have continued to make advances. They would have continued to push the battles into the Northern states. Lee’s army may have surrounded, or even conquered the nation's capital. High government officials, even including President Abraham Lincoln, may have been captured, and U.S. government would have been completely disabled. The United States would have been forced to accept peace with the Confederate States of America. The existence of a slaveholding nation in North America would have been made permanent. We would be a divided nation, and we would even elect different representatives for office. Lives for blacks and minorities would not be the same as they are today. This audacious plan was ended after the two great armies of the Union and Confederacy faced off at Gettysburg. This battle was a crucial win for the North. Although both sides lost a massive number of troops that day, the Confederate army lost nearly a third of its entire army, which it was never able to regain. Also on July 4, the loss of Gettysburg combined with a crippling loss with a defeat in the Battle of Vicksburg. It changed the tides and made General Lee and his troops retreat through Western Maryland and into Virginia. The average American should care about this issue because it could have changed our country forever and we do not want it to happen