Gettysburg A Turning Point Essay

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The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the Civil War and was the bloodiest single battle of the war. The battle began when the two sides accidentally engaged one another. Subtopic 1. This accidental meeting led to a massive body count of an estimated 51,112 casualties and despite this overwhelming carnage, President Lincoln hoped that the Union victory would increase the chances of an early ending to the war. Subtopic 2. Months after the three bloody days of battle, in November of 1863, Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to dedicate a portion of the battlefield to the fallen Union soldiers. 3. His Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches to date in American history, and the victory at Gettysburg was a step toward …show more content…

Without the happenings of this last day, the Union may not have ever won. Detail: Early on the morning of July 3, Union forces of the Twelfth Army Corps pushed back a Confederate threat against Culp’s Hill after a seven-hour firefight and regained their strong position. Believing his men had been on the brink of victory the day before, Lee decided to send three divisions (preceded by an artillery barrage) against the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. Fewer than 15,000 troops, led by a division under George Picket, would be tasked with marching some three-quarters of a mile across open fields to attack dug-in Union infantry positions. -(History.com) Details: The attack was later known as Pickets Charge and happened at 3 pm on July 3rd. After a lot of pounding artillery from the Confederates, the Union opened fire from behind stone walls and the Confederates were hit from all different sides. After this battle, nearly half of the Confederates had died. The survivors scrambled to get into positions while General Lee hurried to support his defensive line. Further explanation: This final fight effectively led to the end of the Battle of Gettysburg and eventually to the end of the Civil War. On the rainy night of July 4th, General Lee withdrew his army and they headed to Virginia, meaning that the Union had won the Battle. Further explanation: After his defeat at Gettysburg, General Lee attempted to resign his position to President Davis but was refused and went on to win other battles but was still pained from his loss at