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American Civil War and High Ground

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American Civil War and High Ground
Gettysburg
Kelsey Watts
4/18/10

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

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