Battle Of Gettysburg Essay

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It was the bloodiest war of the Civil War…the Battle of Gettysburg. It started on July 1, 1863. It ended on July 4, which meant it was a total of three days. The Civil War was fought not only because of slavery, but also because of states’ rights. Confederates thought that if states wanted to break away from the United States they could, but Union said they should all stay together. This sparked the war we now know today. Neither troops knew they were going to fight in Gettysburg. It was because a Confederate General named Robert E. Lee. He wanted to attack the northern troops in their own land. First, he would force people to sell them things they need for the war. They forced them because Confederate money is worthless to the Union. That …show more content…

They knew because they sent scouts ahead and the scouts said a large army was moving north and west of the town. They reported to General John Buford. He considered Gettysburg was a good place to stop the rebels. So, he called his commander, Major General John Reynolds to send more troops. The Union suffered many losses and needed all the help they could get. Meanwhile, in the morning, two Confederate brigades also went to Gettysburg. General Henry Heth was leading them. He thought there were only local soldiers in the area, able to be taken out easily. He was wrong. The Union soldiers saw a ton of soldiers coming towards them. Union officer Marcellus Jones made the first shot in the …show more content…

In the process, he captured Confederate General James Archer, who before the war was Doubleday’s close friend, was now his fierce enemy. While this was happening, the Confederates moved so quickly they were ahead of the Union. Doubleday sent troops to capture them. The Confederates went into a deep trench for cover but could not shoot, because it was so deep. They surrendered, but the battle was not over. More of the Confederates came to continue the fight. The Union retreated to Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Ridge. Then they fought on the streets of Gettysburg, and a lot of Union soldiers were seized or killed. The Union built trenches and walls for cover. In the end of the day, the Confederates suffered tremendous losses. But worse was