Why Is Gettysburg A Turning Point

The Battle of Gettysburg was a three- day battle that took place in 1863 in the small town of Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It was the largest battle in the Civil War and it it’s also the largest battle ever fought in North America. The Union army of the Potomac consisted of about 85,000 men at Gettysburg and the Confederate army of Northern Virginia consisted of approximately 75,000 men. The Union army had 23,000 casualties at the battle, and the Confederates had approximately 28,000 men that were dead, injured, or missing. The Confederate casualties were more than one third of Robert E. Lee’s army. The Battle of Gettysburg and the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg are considered by many historians to be the turning points in the Civil War.
Lee decided to invade the North for the second time. His first attempt failed at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland on September 17, 1862. Lee was feeling very confident after his success at Chancellorsville and he wanted to take the fight out of war ravaged Northern Virginia during growing season. Lee also believed any Confederate victories in the North would put political pressure on President Abraham Lincoln to make peace and end the war. Lee also believed a victory in the North could lead to a military alliance with France or England. The Gettysburg campaign as it is now called didn’t begin with experienced Corps commanders. After Stonewall Jackson’s death at Chancellorsville, the army of Northern Virginia was reorganized from two to three corps. The First Corps was now commanded by Lieutenant General James Longstreet. The Second and third Corps were commanded by Lieutenant Generals, Richard Ewell, and A.P. Hill respectively. Both Ewell and Hill were new to this level of responsibility and had previously reported to Stonewall Jackson. Their inexperience would be a key at the Battle of