The battle and aftermath of Gettysburg

The Battle and Aftermath of Gettysburg

The battle of Gettysburg which took place on July 1-3 , 1863 is the bloodiest battle ever fought on the American soil . For three days armies of the Union and Confederation struggled in an action which was ultimately to determine the winner in the Civil war . The battle was fought with unprecedented severity . The stake for the Union was Washington , the stake for the Confederation was the last chance to win the war . On the first day Confederate general-in-chief Robert Lee sent his troops to push the

unionists from a ridge around the town of Gettysburg and succeeded . In the second day the Union army stood in defensive lines and repulsed endless attacks of confederates on Culp 's Hill and Cemetery Hill . On the third day Lee took a desperate attempt to defeat the Union forces by sending his infantry and cavalry to a massive attack both in the centre and on the flanks . Still he failed and had to start a pity retreat to Virginia . The Union has won the battle

The aftermath was , perhaps , even more dreadful than the battle itself The people from the neighboring towns came to the battlefield : some out of curiosity , some to plunder , but most of them in search of bodies of their loved ones . The pictures taken by photographers on the battlefield shocked the nation . The war came to virtually every American home . In this critical moment president Lincoln had his famous speech usually referred as Gettysburg Address . The president has reminded to the Americans , that the Founding Fathers of the nation had chosen freedom as a cornerstone and basic American value . Therefore Gettysburg was a battle for freedom for all , marking spiritual rebirth of America

Works Cited

Eicher , David J , The Longest Night : A Military History of the Civil War , Simon Schuster , 2001

Gabor Boritt . Gettysburg 's Good News . Available at : HYPERLINK "http /www .usnews .com /usnews /news /articles /061126 /4lincoln .htm http /www .usnews .com /usnews /news /articles /061126 /4lincoln .htm (last viewed : May 6 , 2008

Eicher , David J , The Longest Night : A Military History of the Civil War , Simon Schuster , 2001 ,

.-408

Gabor Boritt . Gettysburg 's Good News . Available at : HYPERLINK "http /www .usnews .com /usnews /news /articles /061126 /4lincoln .htm http /www .usnews .com /usnews /news /articles /061126 /4lincoln .htm (last viewed : May 6 , 2008...