Historical Analysis
THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG 2
The Battle of Gettysburg
Michael Rickman
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg held significant importance in the US Civil War. This battle occurred in 1863, with a three-day colossal crash through the hills and fields in rural Pennsylvania. Based on the records of telegraphed newspaper dispatches, the battle was enormous and profound. This battle was significant because it was the turning point in the civil and it gave the north the morale boost it needed to end the Confederate General Robert E. Lees's bold plan to invade. On the other hand, General George Meade was a strategic leader who led the Union army into the battle and later overpowered Lee’s troops (Meade, 1913). He did so by planning and executing his plans by closing all the lines that would have allowed Lee’s army to enter and invade Virginia. Therefore, the battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point of the Civil War; the Union Army, along with the fearless leadership of major general Meade, brought the Union a victory. Major General Meade and his Army were able to stop the efforts of the south, creating a win on Union soil.
Planning and execution of the war by the Union
By the time of the battle of Gettysburg, George G. Meade was 47 years old. Since childhood, Meade never wanted to be a soldier, especially at such a daunting moment when the Union was facing challenges from Lee's army. After arriving in the field on 1 July, Meade ordered his Union troop on the favorable ground to allow them to fight Lee. Meade led his troop into blocking all the Pipe Creek line that Lee's army would have used to sneak into Pennsylvania. Based on the article George Meade’s Mixed Legacy, Meade was a strategic leader who left a great legacy in the Union army (Guelzo, 2013). When he was given a chance to command the Potomac army as it prepared to battle the Gettysburg war. However, his was and has always been a controversial thing because, according to the public, Meade was an officer with modest credentials but managed to pull a victory over Gettysburg. However, after his victory, he failed because he led Lee and his troops to flee instead of killing them.
According to the article 20 FATEFUL DECISIONS GETTYSBURG, twenty critical decisions helped shape the Battle of Gettysburg, including the decision made by Robert E. Lee to send his army across the Potomac River. He had planned to cross the Potomac River from Virginia through the borders of Maryland (Spruill, 2022). He intended to wage an offensive war on Union soil in Pennsylvania. He was to take as many resources as he would and even seize Washington DC. If his plans had succeeded, Lee and his army would have conquered the capital city, disabling the federal government and capturing high officials such as president Lincoln Abraham. Fortunately, the great armies in Gettysburg stopped the audacious plan through a three-day fight that forced Lee to withdraw his troops.
References
Guelzo, A. C. (2013). George Meade’s Mixed Legacy. Civil War Times, 52(3).
Meade, G. G. (Ed.). (1913). The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade: Major-general United States Army (Vol. 1). Charles Scribner's Sons.
Spruill, M. (2022). 20 Fateful Decisions at Gettysburg. HistoryNet. Retrieved 4 June 2022, from https://www.historynet.com/20-fateful-decisions-at-gettysburg/.