Gettysburg Turning Point

The three most important battles that took place during the US Civil War (1861-1865) were the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Antietam. The first shots of the Civil War took place during the Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12th - 13th, 1861). There were no casualties as a result of this battle, however, it is the event that sparked everything to follow. During the secession crisis that followed President Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860, many threats were made to Federal troops occupying forts in the South. Union Commander Robert Anderson assembled his men, and moved them from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter. Once Anderson arrived at Fort Sumter, a merchant ship with supplies and reinforcements for the
The Battle is labeled as the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought in North America. This was considered the turning point during the Civil War as this was the Confederates best chance at achieving victory. In the summer of 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee launched his invasion of the Northern states. Lee sought to benefit from the recent Confederate victories and defeat the Union army. Lee's army crossed into Pennsylvania in June, reaching the Susquehanna River. Opposing forces met at the crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of July 1st. In a lethal fight, the Confederates swept the Federals from the fields west and north of town, but were unable to secure Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill to the south. The following day, as reinforcements arrived to both sides, Lee attacked the Federals and Little Round Top. On July 3rd, Lee next attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge, however, Lee's invasion had failed, resulting in countless casualties for both sides. As a result of The Battle of Gettysburg, more than 50,000 soldiers were killed, injured or captured after the Battle of
On September 17th, Army engineer George McClellan launched his first attack against Robert E. Lee’s army. McClellan had an overwhelming number of men and equipment compared to Lee, however, McClellan was cautious to use his forces all at once. The first Union charge was led by General Joseph Hooker through a cornfield. In the center, Confederate troops fought a lengthy battle against a Union attack that eventually succeeded. Later that same afternoon, Union General Ambrose Burnside made repeated attempts to cross a small bridge over a creek but his men were held up by heavy fire from the Confederates. Burnside finally got across the bridge and the battle was beginning to turn McClellan’s way. Confederate General A. P. Hill then arrived from Harpers Ferry and marched toward the sound of the guns, launching a surprise attack that pushed Burnside’s men back. Crucially, Lee had committed his entire force of 38,000 men while McClellan had held back more than a quarter of his 75,500-member army. Two months after the battle had ended, President Lincoln relieved McClellan of his command and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. In total, there were more than 22,000 men killed, injured or captured after the Battle of