Battle Of Gettysburg Essay

The Battle of Gettysburg was considered one of the most important confrontations of the Civil War because it was the bloodiest battle of the War. This specific war was important also because it lasted only three days. The Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863 and involved around 165,000 men and ended on July 3, 1863 with over 50,000 casualties. Of the casualties, around 23,000 were Union soldiers and around 28,000 were Confederates. This three day battle was the largest battle ever fought on American land during the time, and it was all started because of the great feud between the North and South. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederates all had defeated the Union forces at Chancellorsville on May 6, 1863 and he had decided to go on and bring his army into Pennsylvania. Lee had planned to get his army together in Gettysburg. On the morning of July 1, General Lee’s army brawled with General George Gordon Meade’s army of the Potomac. The Confederates and the Union made contact just outside of Gettysburg at Willoughby Run and the noise of battle attracted others which had the war raging by noon.The Confederate General Robert E. Lee rushed 25,000 men to the scene, the Union having less than 20,000. The Union realized that they were outnumbered and the Confederates did not ease off of the force
As the battle resulted in 51,00 casualties, that was the most that had ever been seen from the United States. Many of the dead or wounded bodies were just left in Gettysburg. Farm fields, public buildings, and even people’s own private homes were used as hospitals for the wounded. Full recovery of Gettysburg would take years. Casualties of the Battle of Gettysburg were 23,000 of 88,000 Union men and 28,000 of 75,000 Confederate men. The number of deaths from this specific battle explains how it would be known as the bloodiest battle of the Civil