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Gettysburg A Turning Point Dbq

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Gettysburg: A Turning Point in the Civil War The Battle of Gettysburg was well-known as the bloodiest battle in the Civil War. In July 1863, 75,000 Confederate troops with Robert E. Lee faced off against 75,000 Union troops with George Meade and Abraham Lincoln. The Confederates were fighting to maintain their way of life and keep slavery, whereas the Union was trying to bring back the Southern states and end slavery. The Battle of Gettysburg proved to be decisive in the end result of the Civil War, which begs the question: Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in the Civil War - the point at which we see the Union starting to clearly win? The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War because it was Lee’s northernmost …show more content…

In Document B, the Union had estimated 23,040 casualties and the Confederates estimated 20,650 - 25,000 casualties, the total made up of killed, wounded, and missing. The overall size of the Union army of December 1863 was 918,000 troops, Confederates had 278,000 troops. Although there were troops out on the field, both sides also had extra men available, the Union had 6,000,000 men while the Confederates had 1,200,000. In terms of casualties, as a proportion of troops available, Gettysburg was a big setback for the South. The loss was proportionally greater for the Confederates and they had more irrecoverable losses. If the South had more troops available and less casualties they would have had a greater chance at winning the Civil …show more content…

In Document C, excerpts from two letters written by Robert E. Lee to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Lee wrote about his loss and asked to replace him because he failed to win the Battle of Gettysburg. After losing, public newspapers wrote about his loss against the North which discouraged him even more. General Lee was someone many troops looked up to and he inspired many, seeing that he was so discouraged after one loss may have lost some motivation from the rest of the troops which can cause the turning point. In President Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”, he spoke about the dead soldiers and told the troops to give “the last full measure of devotion” which means to fight to ‘till you die to honor them. This speech no doubt highly lifted the Union troop’s spirits for the future battles in the Civil War which may potentially have caused the turning

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Robert E. Lee lost his will to fight. Lee wrote a letter to Jefferson Davis (Confederate President) telling him that he was dissatisfied with himself. (Document C) This letter was written August 8, 1863, AFTER the Battle of Gettysburg. (Document C)

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In the first letter sent, General Lee talks about the struggles they were going through. Many suffered during this time in many different ways and struggled to stay alive. They were losing many people and not only soldiers but Generals too. General Barksdale was killed,General Garnett and Amistead were both missing. Generals Pender and Trimble were wounded in the leg and had a lot of trouble walking so moving to different places was hard.

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The number of casualties are based off of the amount of soldiers killed, wounded, and missing. The total number of casualties for the war is at least 43,040, But the total amount of soldiers total before the war was 7,200,000. This document goes to show that the Battle of Gettysburg was incredibly bloody and that this was one of the bloodiest battles in

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He gave his Gettysburg Address, which only helped strengthen the Union side with hope. With the support of the people, it strengthens the community around. Therefore, choices made could be a reason as to why The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil

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The Battle Of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The battle was a huge loss for the Confederates, who never attempted to go North again, which is why Gettysburg is seen as a turning point for the Civil War. The next day saw even heavier fighting, as the Confederates attacked the Federals on both left and right. About 20,000

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The morale of the South has weakened after they have to retreat out of Gettysburg. In a letter to Jefferson Davis, Lee writes, “I [...] request Your Excellency to take measures to supply my place. [...] No one is more aware than myself of my inability for the duties of my position” (Doc. C). General Lee has given up on himself and is asking to be replaced as Commander in Chief of the Confederate Army.

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Why was The Battle of Gettysburg a Turning Point of the War? The Civil War had many battles and out of all of those battles, The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important. This was because it was the turning point for the whole war. The Battle of Gettysburg was important because of many different reasons.

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The Battle of Gettysburg was a three day fight in which an estimate of 51,000 soldiers were killed in total, but besides all of the casualties, what else makes this battle special? The Battle of Gettysburg was a huge factor in the abolishment of slavery. It is one of the most important battles because it created new war strategies and was the turning point in the Civil War, which led to the Gettysburg Address. The Confederate general, Robert E. Lee, was very confident because of his army utmost victory.

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Before the Battle of Gettysburg, the North and been losing a lot of battles. The Union’s spirits were down. Union General, Meade had been given the

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Gettysburg was even more so crucial for it was the last battle ever to be fought in the north. This gives greater emphasis as a turning point because it symbolises the lack of action in the north thereafter. Vicksburg, although underrated, gave further emphasis as a key turning point because it meant that for the first time the Unionist had control of Mississippi under Ulysses S. Grant (July 4, 1863) “and so the severing of the western from the eastern part of the Confederacy” . Crucial to the Civil War was Gettysburg; the Emancipation Proclamation meant nothing if the battles hadn’t brought results. Thus the turn of the Civil War can be seen through battles and more prominently general Grant.

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After 2 years of constant bloodshed in America, the Battle of Gettysburg took place in the small town, with only about 1.7 square miles of land to cover. This was a small victory that prevented the Confederate army from capturing any land further into the Union territory (Town History). Historians have made statements that if the Confederates would have conquered Gettysburg, they could have either turned around and taken Washington, or even Philadelphia and Baltimore, under the commander General Robert E. Lee. Union General George G. Meade strengthened his army by taking advantage of the South’s hesitation to attack his army, which contributed to the victory and made the Confederates halt and retreat (History Place). This battle was critical because it gave the Union a leg up on the land at a crucial position of the South’s

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The Civil War Battle The battle of Gettysburg The battle of Gettysburg is the turning point of Civil War. Lincoln made Gettysburg famous address. The battle of Gettyburgh was in July 3 ,1863.And

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The Battle of Gettysburg What was the battle of Gettysburg and was it important. The battle of Gettysburg is a battle in the Civil War that was at Pennsylvania, Gettysburg, and was a three day battle July 1- July 3. The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the turning point of the war and Abraham Lincoln used the battle of Gettysburg to justify the cost of the war. The Battle of Gettysburg is the biggest of the Civil War since it had the most soldiers and most deaths.

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The battle was fought by over 160,000 soldiers, which included somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000-30,000 slaves forced to fight for the Confederate army. Between both the Confederate and Union armies, a reported 5,747 people died during the battle of Gettysburg, with an additional 27,229 wounded and over 9,500 missing or captured. The battlefield wasn’t the only place where soldiers died though; fourteen percent of those men wounded died over the few months following this harrowing battle. Guelzo combines graphic and emotional details to provide a detailed account of the battle.

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699 Words | 3 Pages

The most important battle during the Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg. This was a battle that took place over three days in the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. This battle was the turning point of the civil war which successfully stopped the Southern Confederate Armies led by General Robert E. Lee from taking over the north. The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the Civil War because it was the largest of the civil war battles, successfully pushing back southern armies away from the north, and was the major defeat of the south. The battle of Gettysburg is still considered to historians to not only be the most important battle of the Civil war but the deciding factor towards victory.

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