Article #1 - Gettysburg

To start off my investigation of the most influential Civil War battles, I decided to begin with the most popular and well known of the battles: Gettysburg.

From the very beginning this article ("The Battle of Gettysburg - The Turning Point of the War" by Steven Chabotte) declares Gettysburg as the turning point of the war. The author, writes first of some of the statistics of the battle and then goes right into describing how the events unfolded. He talks about Meades's (Union leader) and Lee's (Confederate leader) preparations for the battle trying to show why the battle took place. This article then effectively gives an account of the successes and mistakes of the brutal three day battle that ensued, and ended in a most triumphant victory for the North. Chabotte establishes his reasoning for the importance of this battle by pointing to the aftermath; he talks of Lee's crushed spirit, the South's heavy losses, and the Union's momentum. The article shows that Gettysburg was the change in tides that the Union needed to gain their final unassailable edge and win the war.

Most people would probably site Gettysburg as one of the, if not the most important battle of the Civil War, and I have to say I must agree, kind of. The fact that it was the costliest battle has to count for something. Losing over 50, 000 people in three days has got to have a major impact. Gettysburg weakened both forces tremendously, but the battle was such a risk for the South, so the loss was more painful. Worst of all, the massive defeat, which Lee thought was almost entirely his fault, wounded his self esteem and outlook for future engagements greatly. Chabotte states, "Lee's conviction that his orders had resulted in the heavy casualties - casualties the Confederate troops, already outnumbered, could hardly afford - drove him to send a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis," showing that Lee was done; Gettysburg was the last straw for him. The resignation was not approved however, and Lee had to fight another day. The most important factor, to me, of the battle of Gettysburg has got to be the Union's momentum from here on out. The had defended their land, the path to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. (the Achilles heel of the Union) and had defeated the nearly invincible army of Northern Virginia-what could they not do now? Chabotte says that after Gettysburg the Union victory was "only a matter of time," and I think I have to agree.

Article: Chabotte, Steven. "The Battle of Gettysburg - The Turning Point of the War." Articles Base, Articles Base, 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.

http://http//www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/the-battle-of-gettysburg-the-turning-point-of-the-war-536850.html

Lowery McNeal