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Gettysburg Turning Point Essay

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On July 1-3, 1863 in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Confederate and Union armies clash in what would be the deadliest battle of the Civil War. Maj. Gen. George Meade of the Union Army of the Potomac and Gen Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia were significant leaders of the turning point of the War by a decisive victory by the Union. Costly missed opportunities and lack of intelligence lead to failure by the Confederate army. The Union Army relies on their impenetrable defenses to hold the assault especially Pickett’s Charge on the third day. Before Gettysburg, both armies of the Potomac and Northern Virginia recently fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Lee and his army victoriously won the Battle of …show more content…

With Lee already in Pennsylvania, Meade advanced his new army northwards to meet Lee. On June 30th, Confederate Brig Gen Pettigrew is searching for supplies, especially shoes, suddenly his brigade spots Brig Gen. Buford of the 1st Corp of the Potomac, west of Gettysburg (Storrick 28 ). Neither General wanted to fight at Gettysburg(Storrick 26). Responding to the advancement, Gen. Pettigrew the next morning alerts to Gen A.P Hill on Buford's positions. Hill’s responds with his Corps setting up their artillery on Herr Ridge, firing upon Buford. These are the first shots at Gettysburg which occur at 8 am (Storrick …show more content…

They retreat back to Williamsport, Virginia, creating a 17 mile long line of injury and utter defeat. Gen Meade does not pursue with a counter attack, while both armies further advance South. With the Union victory at Gettysburg and the siege at Vicksburg, Confederate forces would not recover, losing the Civil War 2 years later (Storrick 129). The carnage at Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War and American history with over 45,00 casualties in total (Storrick 129). Lee's bold invasion fails, losing his best chance to win and a third of his army. Lee offers resignation, but Confederate President Jefferson Davis denies his

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“On the afternoon of July 2,1863, the second day at Gettysburg, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain led the 20th Regiment Maine Volunteers, fewer than 500 officers and men, up the steep slope of Little Round Top and into the pages of history.” ( Longacre ) . In May 1863, Gettysburg began with General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia's second invasion of the North. On its second day, Lee ordered an attack on the Union army just south of Gettysburg. By the third day, the Confederate army was forced to retreat back as a result of a failed Pickett’s Charge.

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As a result, even though they both lost relatively the same amount of troops, it was a bigger blow for Lee and the South. These irreplaceable losses to the Confederacy’s largest army was a turning point in the war because of the fact that it marked the end of Lee’s second failed invasion of the North, as it illustrated to many that it was, essentially, going to be impossible for the South to win the war. In fact, Robert E. Lee even tried to resign from his position as the commanding general of the Confederate army, but Confederate President Davis refused, and Lee was forced to remain in command until his surrender. It’s clear that even Lee

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Lee had the intention of drawing the Union’s men out into the open, and having his army attack them right then and there. As Lee and his army approached Gettysburg, Lee became aware that there was a shoe factory nearby, and that most of his army did not have shoes, so they started heading to the shoe factory. Little did they know, the factory was crawling with Union soldiers. The Union and Confederate fired shots at each other for three days, resulting in a rough estimate of 50,000

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That 's when the fighting broke out between them on July 1. Soon after the North started to retreat to Cemetery Hill. Then the next day when both side brought in reinforcements they started fighting some more. Lee’s men attacked the Union at various locations, including Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Round Top, and Little Round Top, but “by the end of the day the Confederates had failed to push the Union from any of its main positions.”

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“On the afternoon of July 2,1863, the second day at Gettysburg, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain led the 20th Maine Volunteers, fewer than 500 officers and men, up the steep slope of Little Round Top and into the pages of history.” ( Longacre, Civil War Times: “Chamberlain and the Facts”) . In May 1863, the turning point of the Civil War, Gettysburg, had begun with General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia's second invasion of the North. On its second day, Lee ordered an attack on Union forces dug in just south of town. His men, fresh off a first day of fighting, stormed the Union army’s left flank, but they were repelled as a result Chamberlain’s famous bayonet charge down Little Round Top.

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This took place on the hills south of Gettysburg where the Union successfully held their ground. On the second day they continued the battle where the Confederates gained very little ground but not enough to change the war involving 100, 000 soldiers and with 20,000 killed or injured. It was the final day where the Confederates took a full assault with 12,000 confederates known as Pickett’s Charge which was a center line attacked against the Union. The Union held their ground using artillery fire and rifles which led to retreat of the confederates while successfully pushing them back south.

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