Information on the Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, claiming more than 40,000 lives (see Reference 1). Many historians refer to the battle as the major turning point in the war. The battle, which occurred early in July 1863, would be followed in November 1963 by a reverential speech delivered by President Lincoln at the battle site. With time, this speech would be recognized as a vital touchstone of American history.

Causes

The Confederate (Southern) and Union (Northern) armies met by accident in Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863. While members of the Southern infantry were on a search for supplies in Gettysburg, they encountered Union soldiers under the command of General Meade. Gettysburg was of less strategic importance to the Confederates than was Vicksburg (a site that determined control of Mississippi River). Confederate General Robert E. Lee chose to advance his army into Gettysburg in the hopes that by doing so Union leadership would be forced to draw reinforcements from Vicksburg. By contrast, Union commanders were aware that Gettysburg was a town where several important roads converged, and they sought to prevent the Confederate Army from overtaking it.

Duration

The Battle of Gettysburg occurred midway through the Civil War, which went from April 1861 to April 1865. The battle began July 1 and ended July 3, 1863. On July 4, 1863, General Robert E. Lee's defeated Southern Army retreated and headed back to Virginia.

Context

The Union Army had been defeated in recent battles. Although the Union side won the Battle of Gettysburg, this victory was not necessarily a decisive one. The Union Army suffered more casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg than at any other battle it fought during the Civil War. However, Northerners were able to successfully repulse Southern forces at Gettysburg, and the tide of the war shifted.

Lincoln's Speech

Having suffered devastating loses in the Battle of Gettysburg, citizens of Pennsylvania mounted a ceremony to dedicate a cemetery for soldiers killed on the battlefield. The ceremony's planner, a 32-year-old attorney named David Wills, invited President Lincoln to deliver a short speech to recognize these cemetery grounds as sacred. Painstakingly crafted, Lincoln's famous speech clocked in at little more than two minutes. Although Lincoln told his listeners, "The world will little remember nor long note what we say here," generations of schoolchildren have been taught to esteem this speech as an influential milestone of American history. The speech renewed hopes for the Union's cause, declaring: "This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom---and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth" (see Reference 2).

Ramifications

The Battle of Gettysburg helped the North win the Civil War. Considered by many scholars to be the most decisive battle of the Civil War (see Reference 3), the Battle of Gettysburg certainly forced both armies to drastically reconsider their approaches toward the War. On July 4, 1863, the same day Lee retreated from Gettysburg, General Ulysses S. Grant received the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi. These two Union victories helped bring the war closer to an end. General Lee would never again attempt to invade the North. European nations, which observed events from afar, began to believe that the South could not win the war. Consequently, this battle extinguished any possibility that either the French or British might become allies of the Confederacy and change the direction of the war.

Resources

• Military History Online's Battle of Gettysburg Site