A Very Brief Look At The Battle Of Gettysburg

The battle of Gettysburg started in June 1863, Lees's troops crossed Maryland and marched in to Pennsylvania. The general of the the Union at the time was General George Meade. General George Meade was one of the few Union Generals who began his life and career in a foreign land. He was born in Spain, and moved to America after his family was in debt after the Napoleonic war. On July 1st, Confederate troops entered the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Before the war had begun Confederate troops were searching for shoes, which were in short supply because of the Union blockades. Instead of finding shoes they found Union soldiers. Shots were fired! More and more troops joined both sides. Then by evening, the Confederate troops had pushed the Union troops back into Gettysburg. The next day, 85,000 Union soldiers faced 75,000 confederates. The Union army was in a hill called Cemetery Ridge. The confederates position was nearly a mile away on Seminary Ridge. The fighting kept going into the next day. Confederates were attacking the end of each line of the Union army. On July 3, Lee
Lee's defeated army retreated back from Gettysburg defeated. The South had lost again. Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant. It was the last city on the Mississippi River to remain in confederate arms. Grant had begun a siege to capture Vicksburg, in May 1863. Union bombs bombarded Vicksburg. The people of Vicksburg had to shelter in cellars and caves they dug. While in hiding they were forced to eat mules and rats, so they wouldn't starve to death. The war lasted for six weeks, but the 30,000 Confederates gave up. A few days after the Confederates that were defending the Mississippi River, Port Hudson, Louisiana, also gave up. So that means that the whole River was now under Union Army control. The events that had occurred on this day, and Lee's defeat at Gettysburg made the turning point in the war. The Union was now on