Battle Of Gettysburg Essay

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The Battle of Gettysburg is widely known as one of the bloodiest and most crucially important battles ever fought on American soil much less the Civil War. This infamous battle was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863 in the unforgiving summer heat and resulted in a decisive Union victory over the Confederate Army. The three day battle consisting of roughly 160,000 soldiers, 90,000 union soldiers and 70,000 confederate troops, concluded with both armies losing more than 20,000 soldiers in the conflict. Following the defeat, the battle was seen as a huge blow to the Confederacy and a lost chance at ending the war. The aftermath of the battle also led to the Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln's most iconic speech in which he invokes…show more content…
After hearing that Meade and his Army of the Potomac was on their way and in hot pursuit, Lee ordered his 75,000 troops to assemble in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On July 1st, 1863, one of the confederate divisions commanded by A.P. Hill approached the town in search of supplies only to find that Union cavalry forces led by Brigadier General John Buford had already arrived. As both forces converged on the town of Gettysburg, the confederate troops led by Lieutenant Generals A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell were able to drive the heavily outnumbered Federal forces half a mile south of town to Cemetery Hill. Meade, who was only nine miles south of Gettysburg in a town called Taneytown, Maryland sent Major General Winfield Scott Hancock to take command of the Union forces upon hearing of the death of Major General John F. Reynolds who was commanding the left flank of the Army of the Potomac. General Robert E. Lee, in hopes of pressing the confederates advantage in numbers over the Union orders Ewell to attack Cemetery Hill. Ewell decides not to attack, citing the Union forces position on Cemetery Hill as too strong to launch an attack against. Come night, a Federal corps under General Hancock arrived in Gettysburg bolstering the Unions defense and expanding it’s lines from Cemetery Ridge to a hill named Little Round Top. General Meade and three more Union corps also arrived in the night further strengthening the Union
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