Civil War Turning Point Analysis

The War for Southern Independence is a major turning point in American History. Sparked by political unrest and economic struggles in the South, its four years of fighting were the bloodiest of which America had ever seen. Its tumultuous years saw numerous battles, as well as the ruthless assassination of the nation’s president. The American Civil War brought the United States into a new era, one of both tension and freedom. In the years leading up to the war, a large economic rift began to form between the northern and southern states. The North relied heavily on manufacturing and industry, while the South relied on agriculture and cultivation. Because of this, the South depended greatly on slave labor, as it was cheap, efficient, and filled
Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia in its second invasion of the North. With high morale, Lee intended to march through Pennsylvania farmland to collect supplies and divert the fighting away from war-torn Virginia. He wanted to fight and win a major battle on northern soil and strengthen the Northerners’ calls for peace. General Joseph Hooker soon moved his Union Army in pursuit of Lee, but he was relieved of duty just three days before the battle. Hooker's successor, General George Gordon Meade, moved northward, keeping his army between Lee and Washington, D.C. When Lee learned that Meade was in Pennsylvania, Lee focused his army around Gettysburg (History).
Elements of the two armies collided west and north of the town on July 1, 1863. Union cavalry slowed the Confederate advance until Union infantry arrived. More Confederate reinforcements reached the scene, however, and 30,000 Confederates ultimately defeated 20,000 Northerners, who fell back through Gettysburg to the hills south of town--Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill
Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. News of the president’s death traveled rapidly, and flags across the nation flew at half-mast. On April 18, Lincoln’s body was carried to the Capitol and, three days later, his remains were boarded onto a train that conveyed him to Springfield, Illinois, where he had lived before taking office. Thousands of Americans lined the railroad route and paid their respects to their fallen leader during the train’s solemn progression through the North. Lincoln was interred on May 4, 1865, at Oak Ridge Cemetery near Springfield. Lincoln’s sudden and tragic murder left the nation in need a leader, as Andrew Johnson took his place