Battle Of Gettysburg

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THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
The Battle of Gettysburg was a crucial battle that changed the outcome of the Civil War due to the decisions made by the generals of both the Union Army and the Confederate Army. The Gettysburg Address given by President Lincoln continues to remind us of the outstanding military achievements and devastating human sacrifice our country suffered due to this battle and the Civil War.
Gettysburg did not turn out to be just another cliché of battles and wars; just because you have won a battle doesn’t mean that you have won the war. Gettysburg turned out to be the largest and most important battle that signified a beginning of the end of the Confederate States of America. Orchestrated by generals and won by the brave men who spilled their blood in order to defend an idea conceived under a new nations declaration of equality and freedom (Axelrod 197).
The events that led up to the bloodiest battle of the Civil War transpired in the month previous when after the death of Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson, General Robert E. Lee Commander of the Army of Northern Virginian reorganized his army into three Army Corps under Generals Longstreet, Ewell, and A.P. Hill with a Calvary division under J.E.B. Stuarts total strength was about 75,000. The Northern Federalist consisted of about 95,000 strong under General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker who commanded the Federal Army of the Potomac. General Hooker’s defect as a commanding officer became apparent when Confederate General Lee with fewer than half the men, outmaneuvered him and caused a Union retreat. On June 13th Confederate General Ewell’s corps appeared at Winchester and proceeded on the 14th and 15th to attacked the 9,000 strong Union garrison at Winchester and defeated it taking valuable war materials and inflicting heavy losses for the Union. On 25th June General Lee agreed to General Stuart’s plan to take three brigades of Calvary acro...