Gettysburg Turns the Tide for the Union.

Essay by maeda_gabyHigh School, 10th gradeA+, October 2005

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Gettysburg often is seen as the turning point in the Civil War. From what you've found so far and the research that you have done, do you think that this belief is accurate? Why or why not?

Historians believe that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. It was until the Battle of Gettysburg that the Union had the higher chance of winning the Civil War. It was the largest battle on American soil and took the lives of about 50,000 Union and Confederate forces. This was a significant engagement in that it detained the Confederate's second and last major invasion of the North, The Capture of Vicksburg and the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg had also destroyed the North's offensive strategy and forced them to fight a defensive war in which the inadequacies of their manufacturing capacity and transportation facilities doomed them to defeat.

The Battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1-3, 1863. It was the largest battle on American soil which consisted of 85,000 Union forces led by General Gordon Meade and 75,000 Confederate forces led by General Robert E. Lee. The death toll of this battle is approximately 50,000 Union and Confederate forces. After the Battle of Chancellorsville (a very important victory for the Confederacy) which took place on May 2-4, 1863, Lee decided to invade the North one more time. Lee divided his army into three corps which were commanded by General James Longstreet, General Richard S. Ewell, and General Ambrose P. Hill. When Gettysburg was invaded, the Union had to act fast and repel Lee's army. The battle lasted for three long days in a secluded cemetery field in Gettysburg. After the battle was over and the Union took the victory, Lee had...