Preview

Battle Of Spotsylvania Court House Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
593 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Battle Of Spotsylvania Court House Essay
Even though there were many bloody battles in the civil war, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was the greatest. The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was no exception when it came to blood shed!. There are many aspects to this battle, but the weather, health, music, and strategies were important factors.
Climate and terrain played a big role throughout the civil war. In spite it wasn’t heavy snow that stopped the troops; it was the mud. All around the month of January the lands were dry and mild. Mother Nature didn’t seem to want this battle. The temperatures varied from hot to windy and raining. The muddy terrain caused the soldiers shoes, cannons, and wagons to get stuck! The shelters became flooded and destroyed some of their camps. On Feb. 25, 1863 near Fredericksburg VA more than a foot of snow accumulated. The animals that lived in the region were typical for that area. Deer, squirrels, rabbits were common in the area. The soldiers used these animals as a food source. Often it seemed more important to hunt for food than to fight with the other soldiers. At times, soldiers would share their kill with the soldiers from the other …show more content…
the Confederacy just wanted to survive and defend its right to secede. Grants strategies in The Battle Of Spotsylvania Court House were that he wanted to keep pressing south. Even if the confederates wanted to invade the north they did not have the proper materials. The north had more potential soldiers, greater industry capacity, more railroads for transportation, and overall greater ability to fight The battle took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on May 8th till May 21, 1864. The soldiers engaged were 100,000 union and 52,000 confederates and 18,400 union casualties and 13,400 confederate casualties. Some of the battle took place “hand to hand.” In the blackness of the night the men stumbled upon unfamiliar country roads, falling into ditches, tripping, and floundering in
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Why Is The Battle Of Shiloh So Crucial To The Outcome Of The Civil War?
    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Why Is The Battle Of Shiloh So Crucial To The Outcome Of The Civil War?

    Johnston plans to hit Shiloh like a hurricane; a surprise attack before the Union reinforcements can arrive. The plan was set in motion but then came the rain. The muddy roads and swollen streams caused a two-day delay in the match of Shiloh. When the confederate troops are close enough to smell the union army campfire on April 6th 1862, Johnston rallies his troops on a Sunday morning assault on the union encampment. A confederate scouting party storms into the camp and exchanges fire, thus starting the war on Shiloh.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ulysses S. Grant's Virginia Overland Campaign
    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ulysses S. Grant's Virginia Overland Campaign

    On May 4-7 1864, the first battle of General Ulysses S. Grant’s “Virginia Overland Campaign” against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, and their general Robert E. Lee took place. The Battle of the Wilderness was the first step towards capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond. It began with a meeting between President Abraham Lincoln and Union leader Ulysses S. Grant to discuss war tactics. The goal was to battle Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and keep it under pressure to defend the capital, making it impossible for Lee to send more soldiers to defend against the Union advance into Georgia. The Army of the Potomac and the Independent Ninth Corps, numbering approximately 120,000 men, left their camps in Culpeper County…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    battle of gettysburg
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    battle of gettysburg

    On Tuesday morning, June 30, 1863, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg. The Confederate commander spotted a long column of Federal cavalry heading toward the town. He withdrew his brigade and informed his superior, General Henry Heth, who in turn told his superior, A.P. Hill, he would go back the following morning for shoes that were desperately needed. The battle began on July 1, 1863, when some of General Ambrose Powell Hill’s advance brigades entered the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania looking for shoes. Due to General Stuart’s failure to complete his mission of tracking the Union Army, Hill’s troops encountered a Union cavalry division command by Major General John Buford. During battle in front of Cemetery Hill, General Hill was faced with stubborn resistance from the Union forces trying to hold until the rest of the forces could arrive and help out. Having made his decision to stay at Gettysburg and go on the offensive, General Robert E. Lee pondered the best way to carry it out. From the close of the first day’s fighting until late that night he discussed battle plans with his generals. He held no council of war, nor time, even informally. Instead he himself rode out to consult with each corps commanders and his chief subordinates, and he saw other officers individually or in groups at his headquarters. General Robert E. Lee ordered several brigades to travel east to check their location and to search for supplies for his troops. Northwest of the town of Gettysburg they met. A skirmish ensued and as the battle heated, word was sent back to both commanders that the enemy was found and reinforcement troops proceeded to the area. Over the next two days General Robert E. Lee’s army converged onto Gettysburg from the west and north while General George Meade’s army arrived from the south and southeast. Thus a battle never planned occurred simply by circumstance. Although, the…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Battle at Cold Harbor
    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Battle at Cold Harbor

    On May 31, 1864 General Grant ordered Major General Philip Sheridan and his cavalry to capture the crossroads of old Cold Harbor. There he met General Lee's horseman. They battled each other until Confederate infantry and Union reinforcements arrived. After a short battle the Union cavalry drove the rebels back past the crossroads where they would found new positions a half mile away. The next day sporadic fighting occurred between the two forces. With their new repeating rifles General Sheridan held off General Kershaw and General Hokes confederate infantry. This attack quickly fell short due to coordination issues. Later on that day, even more reinforcements arrived for each side. With the success of pushing back the rebels General Grant launched an attack but it was delayed. At 5 p.m. on that same day the attack began. The attack only captured part of the Confederate lines because of a counterattack. This ended the fighting for the rest of the day. That night the confederates strengthened their lines for the day to come.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    American Civil War and High Ground
    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    American Civil War and High Ground

    The battle of Gettysburg started on July 1, 1863. It lasted for 3 days. The battle was between the Confederate and the Union. The Confederate were the South who wore gray and the Union was the North who wore blue. Gettysburg was the biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil. The combined losses from both armies exceeded 53,000 men. In the first day, 25,000 men died! The men from the North who stood out most in the battle were General John Buford who set up the Northern Victory, and Joshua L. Chamberlain who was a cornel and who made a good speech to 120 men who refused to fight in the battle. But after he made his speech, 113 out of 120 men came and fought with their army. Chamberlain was wounded six times after the battle. He also received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Chamberlain died in 1914 at the age of eighty-three. The men who stood out in the South were James Longstreet who was Lee’s right hand man; Robert E. Lee was the top General who was on the South, and Pickett who was also a General for the South. Robert E. Lee had to make a decision of choosing either the north or the South. He chose the South because he came from Virginia and because he hated slavery. Lee died in 1870 in his house. It was easier to fight downhill than on high ground because it was easier to run. But high ground had an advantage which was good for shooting. Calvary meant the eyes and the ears of an army. The men who were the Calvary used horses because it was faster and easier to get from place to place. The battle of Gettysburg was so bloody that the men who got hurt in the battle were sent to hospitals to get either their arms or legs chopped off it was that bad! The Civil war was all about slavery. That’s what brought the North and the South to this conflict. During the battle, as they were using artillery, the smoke was very hard for the soldiers to fight because they couldn’t see. It made it diffulict! The winner of the…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Civil War and Appalachia
    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Civil War and Appalachia

    Every major war in history has two things in common: a winner and a loser. There are many factors of war that decide the winner and the loser, some going unnoticed. The geography of a war has an impacting affect on the war and is sometimes overlooked, often leading to one side's downfall (Falls 5). Appalachia has a fluctuating geography, for it ranges from eroded down, plain-like areas, to mountains areas of up to almost 7000 feet (“The Appalachians”). The Civil War had many battles located in Appalachia, an area stretching from southern parts of New York, all the way down to northern Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi(“The Appalachians”). Appalachian geography was home to many battlefields of the Civil War, but could this geography actually have had an overall impact?…

    • 1463 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gettysburg Turning Point
    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gettysburg Turning Point

    Lee then ordered Longstreet to lead an attack the federals where they fought. The second day was the most driest time of the whole battle they had predicted. The bloody rang stretched all the way to Sickles line which stretched to Devils Dean into a peach orchard. Sickles himself was severely wounded in the…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Very Brief Look At The Battle Of Petersburg
    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A Very Brief Look At The Battle Of Petersburg

    Three days that passed while Smith was waiting allowed General Robert E. Lee and most of his army to arrive to lend more soldiers to the confederate’s side, however, union soldiers still outnumbered the confederate soldiers by 20,000, the Union had 62,000 soldiers, and the Confederacy had 42,000 soldiers at Petersburg. Attacks and more reinforcements, for both sides, continued to occur. For nine and a half months, cannon and gun fire were regular sounds for…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Battle Of Antietam
    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On The Battle Of Antietam

    This battle was a Union victory, and it forced Lee and the Confederates to reconsider their campaign. Soon, the Confederates would regroup and fall back to the sleepy farming town of Sharpsburg, where they would form a defensive line. A few days later, the Battle of Antietam was fought. On September 16, 1862, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and his Union Army of the Potomac confronted Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. At dawn on September 17, Maj. General Joseph Hooker’s Union corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank that began the Battle of Antietam, and the single bloodiest day in American military history. Repeated Union attacks, and equally vicious Confederate counterattacks, swept back and forth across Miller’s cornfield and the West Woods. Despite the great Union numerical advantage, Stonewall Jackson’s forces near the Dunker Church would hold their ground this bloody morning. Meanwhile, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the Sunken Road would pierce the Confederate center after a terrible struggle for this key defensive position. Unfortunately for the Union army this temporal advantage in the center was not followed up with further…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gettysburg Turning Point
    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gettysburg Turning Point

    Opposing forces met at the crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the morning of July 1st. In a lethal fight, the Confederates swept the Federals from the fields west and north of town, but were unable to secure Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill to the south. The following day, as reinforcements arrived to both sides, Lee attacked the Federals and Little Round Top. On July 3rd, Lee next attacked the Union center on Cemetery Ridge, however, Lee's invasion had failed, resulting in countless casualties for both sides. As a result of The Battle of Gettysburg, more than 50,000 soldiers were killed, injured or captured after the Battle of…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Weather In The Civil War
    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of Weather In The Civil War

    Walking through mud up to your waist was a recurring experience during the American Civil War. Well-known by Americans, the Civil War was a battle fought from 1861 to 1865 by the Union and the Confederacy. Weather had numerous impacts on the Civil War. Not only did it affect the lives of the soldiers, the constant change in weather could determine the outcome of battles.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gettysburg Turning Point
    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gettysburg Turning Point

    June, Robert E. Lee decided to take the war north. He planned to destroy the railroad bridge at Harrisburg, then “turn my attention to Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington as may seem best for our interest.” After the long march, north, Confederate troops were spread from Chambersburg, through Carlisle, and into York. Towns across southern Pennsylvania were being “explored” for much needed supplies to continue the Southern offensive. While looking in Gettysburg, Pettigrew’s…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fredericksburg
    • 2125 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Fredericksburg

    The Battle of Fredericksburg was a battle that America could not forget. It was one of the worst Union defeats in the Civil War. This battle lasted from December eleventh to December fifteenth; however, most of the fighting was done on December thirteenth. After all was said and done thousands of bodies littered the fields of Virginia. Blood spilled out across the vast lands, it soaked the grounds and was a horrible sight to behold. Although the rain eventually washed the blood away; it could never wash away the horrors of that battle. The Battle of Fredericksburg will haunt the Union soldiers long after the Civil War ends. Even today we mourn and respect all the soldiers who lost their lives on that fatal battlefield.…

    • 2125 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Gettysburg: The Turning Point Of The Civil War
    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Gettysburg: The Turning Point Of The Civil War

    They were severely outnumbered because the confederates deployed most of their troops here. They had even run out of ammunition and had to charge down the hill with their bayonets. This battle would become known as…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What Were The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Civil War?
    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What Were The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Civil War?

    The Civil War, also known as “The War Between the States”, was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, a collection of eleven southern states that left the Union in 1860 and 1861 and formed their own country in order to protect the institution of slavery. As hostilities broke out between the North and the South, both sides believed that they would prevail in short order; very few on either side envisioned a bloody four-year war that would pit brother against brother. In retrospect, it is very easy to say that the North possessed the greater advantage, but in 1861, the distinction was not as clear as both the North and South possessed _______________________________________.…

    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics