Gettysburg A Turning Point In The Civil War
The battle at Gettysburg was a defining moment in the Civil War not only because of the battle itself, but what prevailed with civilian opposition, and the events that changed the trajectory of the battle
General Lee decided to bring the war to the north to destroy railways in Harrisburg. However, Lee received word that Union forces were in the area near Harrisburg, as his army marched towards Harrisburg they were surprised to be confronted by the Union forces at Gettysburg. The Union commander, perceiving the relevance of holding Gettysburg because a dozen roads merged there, scuffled desperately to hold off the Rebel advance. Other Union troops stopped advancing Rebels north of town. During heavy fighting, the Confederates drove the Union troops through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill south of the town. Lee ordered General Richard Ewell who had taken commander of the late Stonewall Jackson's old units, to attack this position an ambiguous order that Jackson normally took to mean launch a full-scale attack. Ewell decided not to attack once he saw the Union artillery at the …show more content…
The Army of Northern Virginia, up to that point, had rarely been defeated in a strategic (its overall goals) or tactical (its fighting capability) sense. In fact, one could argue that the Confederate Army under Lee had yet to be completely beaten in a major battle up to July 3, 1864. Lee's army, therefore, firmly believed that if they encountered the Federals on roughly equal terms they would win. The Battle of Gettysburg, which resulted in very similar casualties on both sides, proved to Lee and his army that the Federal army was willing to incur any level of losses to stop the Confederates, and this realization provided a psychological shock to the Confederates--an important turning point in their belief in their
General Lee decided to bring the war to the north to destroy railways in Harrisburg. However, Lee received word that Union forces were in the area near Harrisburg, as his army marched towards Harrisburg they were surprised to be confronted by the Union forces at Gettysburg. The Union commander, perceiving the relevance of holding Gettysburg because a dozen roads merged there, scuffled desperately to hold off the Rebel advance. Other Union troops stopped advancing Rebels north of town. During heavy fighting, the Confederates drove the Union troops through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill south of the town. Lee ordered General Richard Ewell who had taken commander of the late Stonewall Jackson's old units, to attack this position an ambiguous order that Jackson normally took to mean launch a full-scale attack. Ewell decided not to attack once he saw the Union artillery at the …show more content…
The Army of Northern Virginia, up to that point, had rarely been defeated in a strategic (its overall goals) or tactical (its fighting capability) sense. In fact, one could argue that the Confederate Army under Lee had yet to be completely beaten in a major battle up to July 3, 1864. Lee's army, therefore, firmly believed that if they encountered the Federals on roughly equal terms they would win. The Battle of Gettysburg, which resulted in very similar casualties on both sides, proved to Lee and his army that the Federal army was willing to incur any level of losses to stop the Confederates, and this realization provided a psychological shock to the Confederates--an important turning point in their belief in their