The Battle of Gettysburg The Civil War was a war fought between the Confederate States of America (South) and the United States of America (North). Some states in the South seceded and wanted to keep slavery, but President Lincoln and the North would not allow secession and wanted to abolish slavery. The Battle of Gettysburg is commonly considered the turning point of the war, in which the Union (northern) army took a stand and drove the Confederate army out of Pennsylvania and back to the South. After a brutal three-day battle, the Confederate army, led by Robert E, Lee, knew they were defeated. This battle turned the tide of the war towards the Union, who was led by George Meade. as they defeated the South and preserved the Union. Gettysburg led to the South’s defeat and the preservation of the Union. My three points of the paper are what led up to the war, the main parts of the battle, and the aftermath of the battle. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg) The battle started because the Confederate army badly needed shoes and boots for the soldiers. On the way to Gettysburg for supplies, a Confederate commander saw Union cavalry heading towards the town. He turned back and reported what he saw to his superior. The next morning, July 1, 1863, this commander and an army went back and started …show more content…
However, General Ewell hesitated to attack and this gave the Union time to prepare. Lee noticed that the Union had few troops left in the middle of the line. For over an hour the Confederates shelled Cemetery Ridge with cannon fire, but the Union fired back. When Lee noticed the Union slacking off, he ordered an attack later called “Pickett’s Charge.” The Confederates marched slowly up Cemetery Ridge, only to find that the Union forces were not damaged. Half of the Confederate soldiers were slaughtered, and the attack failed.