Introduction
The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1 – July 3 1863. It is considered by many historians to be a significant event that changed the tide of events during the American Civil War. During these three crucial days, there was no side particularly dominating and every side had its successes and defeats. Every decision taken by the commanders of the two sides were so crucial so much so that the war might have won by either side. The Battle of Gettysburg took place when Confederate General Robert E. Lee invaded the North soon after his victory in the battle of Chancellorsville (Hall 19). Though supported by Ewell, James Longstreet and A. P. Hill, in the absence of his cavalry under J.E. B. Stuart, Lee did not have sufficient information to take a decision regarding whether or not to attack his enemy. He finally received information that George G. Meade was camping north of the Potomac and ordered his own forces to go there. Meade sent John F. Reynolds in front to obtain a position at Pipe Creek in Maryland. However, on July 1, battle broke out on the Chambersburg pike just west of Gettysburg between the troops covering Reynolds and Confederate forces and Gettysburg thus became the site of a historical battle in an unintentional manner (July 1–3, 1863). Thesis: The battle of Gettysburg is remembered in history as a turning point in the American Civil War – the one that tilted victory towards the side of the Union forces.
Background to the War
The plans for the battle of Gettysburg were laid in the spring of 1863 and at that time both the sides had suffered huge losses and waiting to end the bloodshed. Federal troops lost to smaller confederate forces in Virginia in 18632 and 1863 and this damaged the morale of the Union side. Added to this, the peace movement in the North gained momentum. The federal forces did well in the western front under Ulysses S. Grant, who laid siege to Vicksburg, the last confederate stronghold on the Mississippi (Carlisle and Golson, p. 25). However, the side needed a win on the eastern theater of war and in particular a win against General Robert E. Lee in Northern Virginia. General Lee had tasted some successes on the battlefield but those successes had come at great cost, especially the victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville caused huge casualties to both sides. According to Stephen W.Sears, in Gettysburg, Lee realized that the Confederacy cannot win a war of attrition against the larger Northern side (Sears, p. 279). Hence he had to make a decision whether to retire to Richmond and stand a siege, and ultimately get defeated or invade Pennsylvania. Lee decided to take the war to the enemy, crossed the Potomac, and marched north near to the town of Gettysburg. In the meantime, the Union Army had made important changes. General George G. Meade was made commander instead of Hooker. Meade was a simple man never talked much but was a great strategic thinker. In the battle of Gettysburg, he took a “beaten army from a beaten commander” and within a brief notice of three days he was able to fight a battle against General Lee and his troops and end it successfully, thereby saving a nation (Carlisle and Golson, p. 25).
Root Causes of the War
The root causes of the Battle of Gettysburg can be traced to December 1860 when South Carolina became the first state to withdraw from the United States. It was soon followed by the secession of six other southern states – Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas (Carlisle and Golson, p. 22). In 1861, the southern states joined together and formed the Confederate States of America, with its capital base located in Montgomery, Alabama. Richmond, Virginia was made its capital later. The constitution of the Confederate was based on the framework of the U.S. constitution and included a provision for a single six year presidential term, a guarantee of right to own slaves and greater emphasis on states’ rights. Jefferson Davis was named provisional president of the Confederacy (Carlisle and Golson 22). The issue of slavery and the issue of states to have the power to handle local issues independently have been the main causes of the secession of the southern states. Many Southerners, desired to maintain slavery despite opposition from the Northern abolitionists. The southern vision of society was an agrarian one with slavery playing a prominent role. The Northern vision of society was that of a free market economy based on industrial growth and commercial capitalism. Moreover, the Northern and southern states differed on whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the newly formed western territories (Carlisle and Golson, p. 23). The Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act aimed at reaching an agreement in the issue of slavery. But despite these measures, in the 1850s, southerners began to talk increasingly of secession. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, the Southerners feared that their future would be put in jeopardy. Adding to the insecure feeling of the southern states was the statistic that the population of the North was almost three times the free population of the South. This implied that the southern states will not carry much weight in national politics. Hence southerners felt forced to fight for secession even at the risk of war. Lincoln sought peaceful talks and resolution of differences, but it did not happen. Confederate troops fired on fort Sumter, a Federal garrison on South Carolina soil on April 12, 1861 and this signaled the beginning of the American Civil War (Carlisle and Golson, p. 23). States of the upper south such as Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee chose to join the Southern states bringing the total number of confederate states to eleven (Carlisle and Golson, p. 23). However, four border slave states Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky and Missouri chose to be with the Union along with newly created state of W. Virginia. In the beginning both sides felt they would get a quick victory. But the war dragged on for four years and more than 6, 20,000 soldiers lost their lives. In the spring of 1863, plans were made for the Battle of Gettysburg where both the sides yearned to bring the war to an end with victory.
Statistics
Lee’s forces had been divided into three main groups under Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell and Ambrose P. Hill. J.E.B. Stuart’ s cavalry, was an independent force and all together Confederate forces comprised approximately 66,886 men and 264 field pieces made up the invading Confederate forces (Ferguson, p. 6). On the other side was George Gordon Meade, whose forces were divided into seven corps under John F. Reynolds, Winfield S. Hancock, Daniel E. Sickles, George Sykes, John Sedgewick, Oliver O. Howard, W.H. Slocum and Alfred Pleasanton and it totaled 83,741 men and 348 cannon (Ferguson, p. 6). All these forces did not engage in combat at the same time. Rather, they were used over the three day period of the battle of Gettysburg. As Lee was outnumbered in his forces, he had to plan and use his resources wisely (Ferguson, p. 6).
Line Formations and Strategy
The Union forces took a fish-hook shaped line of battle with the left flank anchored on Little Round Top to the south and the right flank holding Culp’ s Hill to the east. Most of the fighting took place on the extreme left side during the early days of the battle. Confederates sought to obtain the left side to defeat the Union line. But with heavy resistance from General G.K. Warren and Colonel Strong Vincent, and the heroic action of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Southern forces were prevented from gaining any such advantage (Ferguson, p. 8). Lee’s forces were equally unsuccessful in assaulting the right flank because of the bravery of General George S. Greene who ensured that the battle for Culp’s Hill was won by the Union army (Ferguson, p. 8). The attempt to overwhelm the Union right flank was the longest single purpose conflict of the whole battle of Gettysburg. Unable to make a dent on either side, on July 3 Lee instructed Longstreet to charge directly against the Union center as he thought it might be more vulnerable in that area. This order resulted in Pickett’s Charge, a brave effort that proved deadly in terms of human lives lost and led to the defeat of the Army of the Potomac (Ferguson, p. 8).
The Battle
On the first day the commanders of neither side was on the field and Reynolds, a very able and noble Northern generals, was shot dead. His successors Doubleday and Howard were unable to take control and the Confederates dominated the day (Bradford, p. 260). They dominated till late in the afternoon when they were outflanked by Ewell and driven to Cemetery Hill, south of the town. Meade changed his Pipe Creek plans and rallied his entire forces together (Bradford, p. 260). On July 2, against the Union left, Longstreet led the main attack but it was very much delayed and as a result, the Army of the Potomac was able to plan its opposition and tighten its defense. The Confederates succeeded in taking the Peach Orchard but failed to seize Round Top and Little Round Top, at the south end of Cemetery Ridge. Ewell took Culp’s Hill but could not dent the Union forces at Cemetery Hill. The advantage of the curved Union position helped Meade to keep protection over the vulnerable points while Lee’s separated flanks were unable to work together in harmony. Meade planned a counterattack on the third day morning to take back Culp’s Hill. “Lee ordered Longstreet to attack the Union center with George E. Pickett’s division, supported by part of Hill’s corps – about 15,000 men in all. Pickett moved forward in his famous charge” (Bradford, p. 261). Amidst heavy firing from the opposition side, the brave southern forces reached and for a moment held the first Union line. However, in time, the confederacy forces were defeated and Hancock inflicted heavy losses on Pickett, forcing him to retreat. At the same time, Stuart’s cavalry, which was engaged in fighting the Union troops at the right and rear sides lost to David M. Gregg (Bradford, p. 261). Both armies though stretched to their limits, held on to their positions until the night of July 4 when Lee decided to withdraw. As the water level in the river Potomac was very high, Lee was unable to cross quickly to Virginia. Meade could have attacked him there but failed to do so.
The scene of Pickett leading his troops in a brave charge on Meade’s men has been described by Bradford as follows:
“On swept those splendid lines, winning the admiration of friend and foe alike. Shell hissed over them, shot tore through them, men fell to right and left, ranks thinned, whole regiments wavered; still they pressed on, reached the foot of the hill, swarmed up it, and for a moment mingled in furious conflict with the defenders. Then they rolled back, the few that were left of them, not routed, not flying, but sullenly, slowly, back across the blood-soaked plain, among the heaps of dead. Gettysburg was over. The third act of the drama was finished. The Union was saved” (Bradford, p. 259).
Conclusion
The Union army lost 23,000 men who were either killed, wounded, or missing; the Confederate army lost 25,000. Both commanding generals became targets of criticism for their decisions during the battle of Gettysburg. Lee was blamed for his heavy reliance on his inexperienced commanders and for the order he gave to Pickett to charge. Meade was criticized for not succeeding in organizing his forces to counterattack, chase and finish the fleeing enemy. Thus the most important battle of the Civil War – the battle of Gettysburg – ended in July 1863 with victory for the Union forces and prevention of General Robert E. Lee from invading the North. Defeat at Gettysburg, followed by defeat at the Battle of Vicksburg during the same month sent the south into a decline and the Union forces on the rise to victory (Armstrong and McBride, p. 411).
Works Cited
- Armstrong, Stephen and McBride Edward. 5 Steps to a 5: AP U.S. History. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003
- Bradford, Gamaliel. Confederate Portraits. Houghton Mifflin Publishers. 1914.
- Carlisle, P. Rodney and Golson, Geoffrey. House Divided During the Civil War Era Turning points–actual and alternate histories. ABC-CLIO Publishers, 2007
- Ferguson, D. Reuben. The Battle of Gettysburg: Did Lee Have A Choice?
- Sears, W. Stephen. Gettysburg. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004